118 HRES 616 IH: Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the Taliban’s assault on human rights and the specific targeting of women, girls, and members of religious and ethnic minorities, and expressing support for any Afghans who assisted in the United States mission in Afghanistan.
U.S. House of Representatives
2023-07-26
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EN
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IV
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 616
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 26, 2023
Mr. Crow (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Ms. Wild, and Mr. Waltz) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the Taliban’s assault on human rights and the specific targeting of women, girls, and members of religious and ethnic minorities, and expressing support for any Afghans who assisted in the United States mission in Afghanistan.
Whereas, upon returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have become one of the world’s most repressive organizations, depriving the Afghans of their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and rolling back the rights of women, girls, and members of vulnerable communities;
Whereas the Taliban have placed severe restrictions on women and girls, limiting their travel, access to education, and livelihoods;
Whereas, in March 2022, Emir Hibatullah Akhundzada canceled plans to reopen girls’ secondary schools, and in December 2022, the Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education suspended women from attending public and private universities, and in January 2023, barred them from private universities altogether;
Whereas the Taliban ordered all local and international nongovernmental organizations to dismiss their female employees or risk revocation of their licenses, with some exceptions for women working in health and education;
Whereas the Taliban have used unjust force against Afghans participating in demonstrations in support of women and girls, including through the use of water cannons and beatings, and protesters have faced other serious physical abuses;
Whereas the Taliban continue to engage in gross human rights abuses including unjust detentions, disappearances and abductions, physical abuses, summary killings, collective punishment, and profiling and surveilling members of ethnic, tribal, and religious groups perceived as holding anti-Taliban views;
Whereas the Taliban have placed severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, including for members of the press, peaceful assembly, and association, and have targeted members of the media, human rights defenders, and civil society activists through harassment, interference, surveillance, intimidation, detention, and violence;
Whereas many Hazaras, Sufis, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and members of other religious minority groups face repeated harassment, detention, violence, and other egregious abuses of religious freedom due to their beliefs since the Taliban reimposed their strict interpretation of Sunni Islam on Afghanistan;
Whereas the Taliban and Islamic State in the Khorasan Province have forcibly displaced a large number of Hazara families from their homes and ancestral lands as a form of collective punishment and targeted this community in violent attacks;
Whereas summary killings and disappearances have taken place despite the Taliban’s announced amnesty for former government and military officials;
Whereas terrorist groups, including the Islamic State in the Khorasan Province, continue to destabilize Afghanistan, use the country to launch external threats, and present an enduring threat to nations around the globe;
Whereas it is in the global interest to prevent the growth of terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan by addressing the human rights degradation and internal oppression that have the potential to fuel external aggression;
Whereas the restrictive policies of the Taliban have undermined human rights and exacerbated the ongoing financial and humanitarian crisis, contributing to an unstable operating environment for humanitarian relief with continued interference and violence against aid workers;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that 28,000,000 people, or two-thirds of the Afghan population, need humanitarian assistance in 2023 and an estimated 19,900,000 Afghans are experiencing acute food insecurity;
Whereas the United States supported efforts to build democracy, promote rights for women and girls, and strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan through diplomatic, military, and humanitarian efforts for over 20 years; and
Whereas the United States remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through their struggle for democracy and human rights: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
condemns the Taliban’s ongoing human rights abuses against women and girls, members of religious and ethnic minorities, civil society leaders and activists, humanitarian workers, and journalists, among members of other vulnerable groups in Afghanistan, and calls for the group to halt any further acts of violence and repression against the Afghan people;
(2)
encourages the Secretary of State, as appropriate, to consider determining whether the Taliban have committed crimes against humanity in connection with their treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan; and
(3)
encourages the United States Government to work with our allies and partners, including the United Nations and multilateral partners, to develop a comprehensive, long-term strategy to—
(A)
counter a resurgence of increased violence against human rights defenders in Afghanistan, especially against those who defend the rights of women and girls, held political office in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, were involved in the peace processes, or are otherwise in the public eye;
(B)
support human rights defenders, especially those who defend the rights of women and girls and the aspirations of the Afghan people for a democratic future based on the respect for human rights, good governance, and the rule of law;
(C)
support the Afghan people in their struggle for survival, human rights, and democracy;
(D)
support the comprehensive documentation of human rights abuses committed by the Taliban since the group’s takeover of the country in August 2021;
(E)
hold the Taliban to account for its human rights abuses;
(F)
expedite processing and evacuation of Afghan Priority 1 (P–1), Priority 2 (P–2), and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants for refugee resettlement; and
(G)
counter terrorist organizations in Afghanistan including through the use of over-the-horizon capabilities.