[Pages S2759-S2760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 204--RECOGNIZING ESCALATING THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE 
  PRESS AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING INCREASING HARM TO 
 JOURNALISTS REPORTING IN CONFLICT ZONES AND UNDER REPRESSIVE REGIMES, 
 REAFFIRMING THE VITAL ROLE THAT A FREE AND INDEPENDENT PRESS PLAYS IN 
  UPHOLDING DEMOCRACY, FOSTERING ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, AND KEEPING THE 
PUBLIC INFORMED, AND REAFFIRMING FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AS A PRIORITY OF 
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN SUPPORTING DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND 
GOOD GOVERNANCE IN COMMEMORATION OF ``WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY'' ON MAY 
                                3, 2025

  Mr. SCHATZ (for himself and Mr. Tillis) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 204

       Whereas freedom of the press is foundational to American 
     democracy and has been enshrined in the First Amendment to 
     the United States Constitution and in various State 
     constitutions;
       Whereas a free and independent press around the world 
     supports United States foreign policy goals of countering 
     authoritarianism and promoting democratic governance by 
     refuting propaganda and enhancing public accountability, 
     transparency, and participation in civil society;

[[Page S2760]]

       Whereas a robust independent press plays a key role in 
     exposing and refuting malign influence campaigns used by 
     authoritarian governments, including the Russian Federation 
     and the People's Republic of China;
       Whereas the censorship, victimization, and killing of 
     journalists around the world, particularly in war zones, has 
     profound implications for the ability of the public, 
     including Americans, to be informed about conflicts with 
     local, regional, and global ramifications and other issues;
       Whereas the United States has advanced press freedom 
     globally, including by leading the drafting of the Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United 
     Nations in Paris on December 10, 1948, and states, in Article 
     19, ``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, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly 
     proclaimed the third day of May of each year to be ``World 
     Press Freedom Day''--
       (1) to celebrate the fundamental principles of press 
     freedom;
       (2) to evaluate press freedom around the world;
       (3) to defend the media against attacks on its 
     independence; and
       (4) to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives 
     while working in their profession;
       Whereas Congress has passed legislation supporting press 
     freedom abroad, including--
       (1) the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 
     (Public Law 111-166), which expanded the examination of the 
     freedom of the press around the world in the annual Country 
     Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the Department 
     of State; and
       (2) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 
     (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328), which has 
     been used to place targeted visa and economic sanctions on 
     individuals for their roles in the targeted killings of 
     journalists;
       Whereas in 2021, in an effort to combat attacks against 
     journalists, the Department of State adopted the Khashoggi 
     Ban pursuant to section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(C)), which imposes visa 
     restrictions on individuals who, acting on behalf of a 
     foreign government, are believed to have been directly 
     engaged in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident 
     activities, including activities that suppress, harass, 
     surveil, threaten, or harm journalists, activists, or other 
     persons perceived to be dissidents for their work;
       Whereas the United States Government has--
       (1) supported broadcast journalism around the world to 
     provide news to millions of people living under authoritarian 
     regimes; and
       (2) provided emergency assistance to journalists facing 
     immediate risks to their lives as a result of their 
     reporting;
       Whereas 2024 marked the 19th consecutive year of decline in 
     global freedom, with an estimated 40 percent of the global 
     population living in countries deemed ``Not Free'';
       Whereas 2024 marked the 14th consecutive year of decline in 
     global internet freedom, with people in at least 56 countries 
     who are facing legal repercussions for expressing themselves 
     online and people in 43 countries who are facing physical 
     assaults or death for their online commentary;
       Whereas infringement on freedom of expression, including 
     media freedom, has been one of the key drivers of broader 
     declines in global freedom during the last 50 years, 
     including attacks and prosecutions against journalists, 
     pressure on media outlets, repressive regulatory and legal 
     frameworks, internet shutdowns, unlawful efforts to undermine 
     strong encryption, and blocks on online sources of 
     information;
       Whereas there are alarming indications about growing 
     divisions resulting from the spread of authoritarian 
     information campaigns with the potential to weaken democratic 
     societies;
       Whereas punishments against women journalists are 
     increasing disproportionately, with 30 percent more women 
     journalists being held in prison in 2022 than in the previous 
     year, and with most of the longest prison sentences handed 
     down against journalists in 2023 given to women;
       Whereas journalists and media workers are murdered, 
     imprisoned, attacked, and harassed around the world, 
     including--
       (1) at least 124 journalists and media workers who were 
     killed worldwide during 2024 and at least 15 journalists who 
     have been killed during the first 4 months of 2025;
       (2) approximately 361 journalists who were imprisoned 
     during 2024, with 50 of these journalists imprisoned by the 
     People's Republic of China;
       (3) between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2024, impunity 
     for the killing of journalists persisted, with nearly 80 
     percent of the 241 journalist murders during this period 
     occurring without accountability; and
       (4) journalists and media outlets targeted by government 
     actors with sophisticated spyware products that pose a severe 
     risk to their privacy and the security of their sources and 
     families;
       Whereas more than 375 writers and public intellectuals, 
     including columnists and editorial journalists, were 
     imprisoned across 40 different countries during 2024; and
       Whereas United States journalists have been killed, 
     injured, and imprisoned while reporting abroad, including--
       (1) Christopher Allen, who was killed while covering the 
     conflict in South Sudan on August 26, 2017, and for whom 
     there has been no credible investigation to pursue justice 
     after nearly 8 years;
       (2) Austin Tice, who was kidnaped in Syria and has been 
     held in captivity since August 13, 2012;
       (3) Brent Renaud, who was killed by Russian forces while 
     covering the war in Ukraine on March 13, 2022;
       (4) Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces on 
     May 11, 2022, while reporting in the West Bank;
       (5) Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully detained in Russia 
     on baseless charges of espionage from March 2023 to August 
     2024;
       (6) Alsu Kurmasheva who was wrongfully detained in Russia 
     on bogus charges of failure to register as a foreign agent 
     from October 2023 to August 2024; and
       (7) Dylan Collins, a journalist at Agence France-Presse 
     (AFP), who was injured in an attack on a group of journalists 
     in southern Lebanon by Israeli forces on October 13, 2023: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) declares that a free press--
       (A) is a central component of free societies and democratic 
     governance;
       (B) contributes to an informed civil society and government 
     accountability;
       (C) helps to expose corruption;
       (D) enhances public accountability and transparency of 
     governments at all levels; and
       (E) disseminates information that is essential to improving 
     public health and safety;
       (2) expresses concerns about threats to the exercise of 
     freedom of expression, including by the press, around the 
     world;
       (3) recognizes and commends journalism's role in providing 
     trusted, accurate, and timely information and in holding 
     governments and leaders accountable to citizens;
       (4) recognizes the indispensable role of journalists and 
     media outlets in informing voters and the international 
     community about elections in multiple countries worldwide in 
     2025;
       (5) pays tribute to journalists who made tremendous 
     sacrifices, including the loss of their lives, in the pursuit 
     of truth and justice;
       (6) condemns all actions around the world that suppress 
     press freedom and endanger the safety of journalists;
       (7) calls for the unconditional and immediate release of 
     all wrongfully detained journalists;
       (8) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to efforts of 
     the United States Government to support democracy, mitigate 
     conflict, and promote good governance domestically and around 
     the world; and
       (9) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State--
       (A) to preserve and build upon the leadership of the United 
     States on issues relating to press freedom and journalist 
     safety, on the basis of the protections for freedom of the 
     press afforded the American people under the First Amendment 
     to the Constitution of the United States;
       (B) to transparently investigate and bring to justice the 
     perpetrators of attacks against American journalists;
       (C) to support transparent investigations and efforts to 
     ensure accountability for attacks against journalists of 
     other nationalities; and
       (D) to promote the respect and protection of press freedom 
     around the world.

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