[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1111 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1111
Supporting the people of Belarus and their democratic aspirations and
condemning the election rigging and subsequent violent crackdowns on
peaceful protestors by the Government of the Republic of Belarus.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 15, 2020
Mr. Keating (for himself, Mr. Kinzinger, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Fitzpatrick,
Mr. Langevin, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. Raskin, Mrs. Wagner, Mr.
Meeks, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trone, Mr. Costa, and Mr. Cicilline) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the people of Belarus and their democratic aspirations and
condemning the election rigging and subsequent violent crackdowns on
peaceful protestors by the Government of the Republic of Belarus.
Whereas the Republic of Belarus held a presidential election on August 9, 2020,
that was widely considered to be neither free nor fair;
Whereas official election results released by Belarusian government officials
and the unofficial exit polls conducted by domestic observers and
members of civil society presented substantially divergent data;
Whereas in the months leading up to the election, Belarusian authorities had
arbitrarily detained over 1,300 people, including activists and
journalists participating in peaceful protests;
Whereas within the first 5 days of the protests following the August 9th
election, nearly 7,000 peaceful protestors and journalists had been
detained in Belarus;
Whereas, as of September 1, 2020, the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights had received 450 documented cases of
torture and ill-treatment by detainees;
Whereas these peaceful demonstrations were met with violence from security
services that employed barricades, stun grenades, tear gas, rubber
bullets, and, at times, live ammunition;
Whereas Amnesty International and local human rights groups said they have
``collected horrifying testimonies from protesters in Belarus who
describe being tortured or subjected to other ill-treatment in detention
centers, including being stripped naked, beaten, and threatened with
rape'';
Whereas, as of August 25, 2020, dozens of protestors remained missing and at
least 4 Belarusians had been killed in violence related to the
demonstrations;
Whereas Belarusians continue to share real-time videos and other content
documenting the brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations through
social media;
Whereas, on August 30, 2020, the Government of Belarus revoked the accreditation
of 19 international journalists and deported 2 others;
Whereas in the days and weeks that followed, a grassroots movement of
Belarusians has demonstrated against the official electoral results and
demanded new elections;
Whereas demonstrators have included people from all parts of Belarusian society,
including men, women, and children, students and workers, the young and
the old, and police officers who quit their service in the wake of the
protests;
Whereas women have played a critical role in the protest movement in Belarus as
demonstrators rallied behind 3 key female opposition leaders and women
have gathered and marched together across the country;
Whereas across the Republic of Belarus, workers from state-owned companies and
factories have gone on strike in solidarity with the demonstrators;
Whereas, on August 23, 2020, it is estimated that nearly 200,000 protestors
gathered in Minsk, making it the largest protest in Belarusian history;
Whereas the constitution of Belarus provides that the people of Belarus
recognize themselves as ``a full-fledged subject of the international
community'' and believe in their ``inalienable right to self-
determination''; and
Whereas daily peaceful protests continue across the country as demonstrators can
be heard chanting the lyrics of the demonstrators' unofficial campaign
song: ``Our hearts are longing for changes; Our eyes are longing for
changes; It's in our laugh and in our tears; And it's pulsing through
our veins; Changes, we are longing for changes.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) finds that the August 9, 2020, presidential election in
Belarus was neither free nor fair and, therefore, does not
recognize the government-announced results;
(2) affirms that the people of Belarus have the right to
determine the future of Belarus without intervention from
outside actors;
(3) condemns the human rights violations committed by
Belarusian authorities, including against peaceful
demonstrators, activists, opposition leaders, medical
personnel, and journalists;
(4) calls for the Government of Belarus to immediately
release all those detained in connection with the
demonstrations or others unlawfully detained for reporting on
or protesting abuses by the Belarusian government and halt any
further acts of violence against civilians, including peaceful
demonstrators, activists, opposition leaders, medical
personnel, and journalists;
(5) calls for the protection of civil society actors and
members of the opposition against arbitrary arrest and violence
while conducting peaceful discussion relating to political
transitions;
(6) recognizes the sacrifices and bravery of the Belarusian
people and the incredible organization by Belarusian women to
peacefully demand a free and fair democratic process while
enduring the state-sponsored violence that followed the August
9, 2020, election;
(7) calls on the Government of Belarus to engage in an open
and constructive dialogue with the people of Belarus and
individuals representing their interests;
(8) calls for targeted sanctions against Belarusian
authorities who committed human rights violations and
authorities from the electoral commission who engaged in
activities that resulted in the falsification of the August 9,
2020, election results;
(9) urges United States sanctions and other efforts in
continued close coordination with the European Union and
European Union member states to respond to the ongoing events
in Belarus;
(10) calls for an international investigation into the
human rights abuses committed during and after the August 9,
2020, presidential election;
(11) continues to support the aspirations of the people of
Belarus for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law and
reaffirms that the fulfillment of such aspirations is the only
way to ensure the continued strength of Belarusian sovereignty
and territorial integrity;
(12) affirms that the people of Belarus must be provided
the self-determination to choose their own leaders through a
truly free and fair election under independent observation; and
(13) emphasizes that only a peaceful and democratic process
will provide sustainable solutions for the people of Belarus.
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