[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 124, 111th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


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. <>

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <>
SECTION 1. <> 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 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.