[111th Congress Public Law 166]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]



[[Page 124 STAT. 1186]]

Public Law 111-166
111th Congress

                                 An Act


 
  To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include in the Annual 
 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices information about freedom of 
the press in foreign countries, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: May 17, 
                         2010 -  [H.R. 3714]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Daniel Pearl 
Freedom of the Press Act of 2009.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 22 USC 2151 note.>> SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act 
of 2009''.
SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO FREEDOM OF 
                    THE PRESS WORLDWIDE IN ANNUAL COUNTRY REPORTS 
                    ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES.

    The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended--
            (1) in section 116(d) (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d)), as amended by 
        section 333(c) of this division--
                    (A) in paragraph (10), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (11)--
                          (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' 
                      at the end; and
                          (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
                      period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(12) wherever applicable--
                    ``(A) a description of the status of freedom of the 
                press, including initiatives in favor of freedom of the 
                press and efforts to improve or preserve, as 
                appropriate, the independence of the media, together 
                with an assessment of progress made as a result of those 
                efforts;
                    ``(B) an identification of countries in which there 
                were violations of freedom of the press, including 
                direct physical attacks, imprisonment, indirect sources 
                of pressure, and censorship by governments, military, 
                intelligence, or police forces, criminal groups, or 
                armed extremist or rebel groups; and
                    ``(C) in countries where there are particularly 
                severe violations of freedom of the press--
                          ``(i) whether government authorities of each 
                      such country participate in, facilitate, or 
                      condone such violations of the freedom of the 
                      press; and
                          ``(ii) what steps the government of each such 
                      country has taken to preserve the safety and 
                      independence of the media, and to ensure the 
                      prosecution of

[[Page 124 STAT. 1187]]

                      those individuals who attack or murder 
                      journalists.''; and
            (2) in section 502B (22 U.S.C. 2304), by adding at the end 
        the following new subsection:

    ``(i) The report required by subsection (b) shall include, wherever 
applicable--
            ``(1) a description of the status of freedom of the press, 
        including initiatives in favor of freedom of the press and 
        efforts to improve or preserve, as appropriate, the independence 
        of the media, together with an assessment of progress made as a 
        result of those efforts;
            ``(2) an identification of countries in which there were 
        violations of freedom of the press, including direct physical 
        attacks, imprisonment, indirect sources of pressure, and 
        censorship by governments, military, intelligence, or police 
        forces, criminal groups, or armed extremist or rebel groups; and
            ``(3) in countries where there are particularly severe 
        violations of freedom of the press--
                    ``(A) whether government authorities of each such 
                country participate in, facilitate, or condone such 
                violations of the freedom of the press; and
                    ``(B) what steps the government of each such country 
                has taken to preserve the safety and independence of the 
                media, and to ensure the prosecution of those 
                individuals who attack or murder journalists.''.

    Approved May 17, 2010.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 3714:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 155 (2009):
                                    Dec. 15, 16, considered and passed 
                                        House.
                                                        Vol. 156 (2010):
                                    April 29, considered and passed 
                                        Senate.

                                  <all>