Calls for the designation of a Prisoners of Conscience Day.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 750 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 750
Expressing support for the designation of a ``Prisoners of Conscience
Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 26, 2018
Mr. Hultgren (for himself, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Bilirakis, Mrs. Comstock,
Ms. Jenkins of Kansas, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Ellison, and Ms. Lofgren)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the designation of a ``Prisoners of Conscience
Day''.
Whereas thousands of people around the world are prisoners of conscience:
persons imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their political,
religious, or other conscientiously held beliefs, or for their identity,
even though they have neither used nor advocated violence;
Whereas international standards protect human rights and the fundamental
freedoms of all individuals worldwide;
Whereas the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights refers to the
equal rights of men and women;
Whereas the Universal Declaration declares in Article 2 that everyone is
entitled to all the rights and freedoms it sets forth without
distinction of any kind; and in Article 3 that everyone has the right to
life, liberty, and security of person; and in Article 9 that no one
shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile;
Whereas Article 18 of the Universal Declaration states that: ``Everyone has the
right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right
includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either
alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest
his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance'';
Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration states that: ``Everyone has the
right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom
to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers'';
Whereas Article 20 (1) of the Universal Declaration states that: ``Everyone has
the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association'';
Whereas prisoners of conscience are imprisoned, often tortured and sometimes
executed, because their governments view as unacceptable who they are,
what they believe, and how they have chosen to express their
convictions;
Whereas governments imprison prisoners of conscience for many reasons including
to restrict the flow of information, narrow the space for independent
civil society, diminish the power of the people to express their views,
and prevent challenges to their authority;
Whereas prisoners of conscience include artists, bloggers, community activists,
dissidents, journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, labor leaders,
teachers, religious leaders, and members of religious communities;
Whereas through the Defending Freedoms Project of the Tom Lantos Human Rights
Commission of the United States House of Representatives, undertaken in
collaboration with the United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Amnesty International/USA, Members of
Congress advocate on behalf of prisoners of conscience from around the
world and shine a light on them and the governments of the countries
that have imprisoned them;
Whereas Freedom House, Freedom Now, Reporters Without Borders, and Scholars At
Risk have joined the Defending Freedom Project coalition;
Whereas the goals of the Defending Freedoms Project are, at a minimum, to help
improve the conditions under which prisoners of conscience are held, and
ideally, secure their freedom, while encouraging countries to implement
needed reforms consistent with internationally approved human rights
standards; and
Whereas a Prisoners of Conscience Day would underscore the importance of
prioritizing the protection for and freedom of prisoners of conscience
as a United States foreign policy goal: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls for the designation of a Prisoners of Conscience
Day;
(2) requests that the President of the United States issue
a proclamation recognizing ``Prisoners of Conscience Day'';
(3) encourages Members of Congress to raise individual
prisoner of conscience cases in Congress, with the executive
branch, with their constituents, to foreign governments and
multilateral organizations, and during delegation trips abroad;
(4) encourages Members of Congress and the Administration
to consult the resources of the Defending Freedoms Project, the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's
Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, and the
Congressional-Executive Commission on China's (CECC) Political
Prisoner Database when considering raising individual prisoner
of conscience cases;
(5) encourages the United States Government to implement
policies and robustly support programs promoting human rights,
including religious and political freedom, the rule of law, and
the protection of individuals and organizations at risk;
(6) encourages the United States Government to undertake
specific actions directed at countries that detain prisoners of
conscience in violation of international standards; and
(7) urges that human rights advocacy on behalf of prisoners
of conscience be pursued consistently and publicly at every
level of United States foreign policy and in all bilateral and
multilateral engagement, so that laws and policies are brought
into conformity with international commitments and human rights
standards.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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