July 15, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 118 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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RECOGNIZING WIDENING THREATS TO FREEDOMS OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION AROUND THE WORLD; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 118
(House of Representatives - July 15, 2019)
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[Pages H5793-H5796] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RECOGNIZING WIDENING THREATS TO FREEDOMS OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION AROUND THE WORLD Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 345) recognizing widening threats to freedoms of the press and expression around the world, reaffirming the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the United States in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2019, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the resolution. [[Page H5794]] The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 345 Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted at Paris, December 10, 1948, states, ``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 May 3 of each year as ``World Press Freedom Day''-- (1) to celebrate the fundamental principles of freedom of the press; (2) to evaluate freedom of the press 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, on December 18, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 68/163 on the safety of journalists and the problem of impunity, which unequivocally condemns all attacks on, and violence against, journalists and media workers, including torture, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and intimidation and harassment in conflict and nonconflict situations; Whereas the theme for World Press Freedom Day 2019, is ``Media for Democracy: Journalism and Democracy in Times of Disinformation''; Whereas Thomas Jefferson, who recognized the importance of the press in a constitutional republic, wisely declared, ``. . . were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.''; Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-166; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note), signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded the examination of the freedom of the press around the world in the annual country reports on human rights practices of the Department of State; Whereas the 2019 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders, warns, ``The number of countries regarded as safe, where journalists can work in complete security, continues to decline, while authoritarian regimes tighten their grip on the media.''; Whereas, Freedom House's publication ``Freedom in the World 2019'' noted that global freedom of expression has declined each year for the past 13 years; Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2018-- (1) at least 54 journalists were killed around the world for their work, of which at least 34 were singled out for murder; (2) the 2 deadliest countries for journalists on assignment were Afghanistan and Syria; (3) the most dangerous subject for a journalist to report on was politics, followed by war; (4) 251 journalists worldwide were in prison, with Turkey, China, and Egypt responsible for more than half of the jailed journalists; (5) 13 percent of the journalists in jail were female, an increase from 8 percent in 2017; (6) 70 percent of the journalists who were imprisoned around the world faced antistate charges, such as belonging to or aiding groups deemed by authorities as terrorist organizations; and (7) the number of journalists imprisoned on charges of false news rose to 28 globally, compared with 9 such imprisonments in 2016; Whereas the People's Republic of China maintains one of the worst media environments in the world and seeks to curtail political speech inside and outside the country including by-- (1) targeting independent and foreign media in China through systematic harassment including the denial of visas to foreign journalists, imprisonment, the denial of medical care to imprisoned journalists, and curtailing access to legal representation; (2) pervasively monitoring and censoring online and social media content, including through the banning of virtual private networks; (3) using the full force of the State to stifle internal dissent including dissent online, particularly dissent that could lead to political change and content that criticizes China's leaders, however trivial, reportedly even to the point of censoring comparisons of Xi Jingping's looks with Winnie the Pooh; (4) spreading propaganda to foreign audiences through the United Front Work Department and related activities; (5) seeking to intimidate American-based journalists working for Radio Free Asia and reporting on gross human rights violations in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by jailing or otherwise harassing members of their families; and (6) championing a ``sovereign Internet'' model and exporting technology to enhance the ability of like-minded authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent online and monitor the activity of their people; Whereas, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, recipients of the 2018 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award were arrested in December 2017 for investigating the murder by the Burmese military of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Dinn in Rakhine State and were unjustly detained for 500 days before they were released on May 7, 2019, as part of a mass amnesty of 6,520 prisoners; Whereas freedom of the press has been under considerable pressure in recent years throughout Southeast Asia, including in the Philippines, where the Government has waged a campaign of judicial harassment against the news website Rappler and its editor, Maria Ressa; Whereas, Nouf Abdulaziz, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Eman Al- Nafjan, recipients of the 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, who wrote in opposition to Saudi Arabia's repressive Guardianship system, have been subjected to imprisonment, solitary confinement, and torture by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since May 2018 in an apparent effort to suppress dissent and silence the voices of women; Whereas, Washington Post journalist and United States resident Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a team of Saudi operatives while visiting the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey; Whereas the Senate unanimously approved a resolution stating that Mr. Khashoggi's murder was carried out at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; Whereas journalist Mimi Mefo Takambou was jailed for 4 days in Cameroon in November 2018 on charges of spreading false news while investigating the death of an American missionary, where 4 out of the 7 total journalists imprisoned in Cameroon were jailed for spreading false news, which is a rising trend in Cameroon and elsewhere around the world; Whereas according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 26 journalists were killed in Honduras since 2007, making it one of the most deadly countries for journalists in the Americas, and where journalist Leonardo Gabriel Hernandez was murdered in March 2019 after receiving threats related to his work; Whereas in Nicaragua, Miguel Mora and Lucia Pineda Ubau, the directors of the country's only 24-hour cable news network, have been jailed since December 2018 on charges of fomenting hate, spreading fake news, and terrorism, and prominent journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro has fled the country as President Daniel Ortega cracks down on free expression in a bid to silence dissent and end the protests against him; Whereas in Mexico, which remains the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere for journalists-- (1) murders, death threats, and legal impunity cause journalists to self-censor their reporting out of fear; (2) investigative journalist Carlos Dominguez Ramirez, who wrote frequently on local politics and corruption, was brutally murdered in front of family members on January 13, 2018, in Nuevo Laredo, and a politician he was investigating was subsequently arrested in connection with this heinous act; and (3) Rafael Murua Manriquez was abducted and murdered in January 2019 after reporting threats from an official in the municipal government for critical reporting; Whereas Slovakian journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner Martina Kusnirova were murdered in February 2018, allegedly in retaliation for his investigative reporting of tax fraud in connection to a businessman with close ties to Slovakia's ruling party, where the perpetrator awaits trial, just 4 months after the murder of another European journalist, Malta's Daphne Caruana Galizia, for her reporting on corruption; Whereas the world's growing cadre of ethical and hard- hitting investigative journalists, including those contributing to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project-- (1) adhere to the highest professional standards; (2) uncover abuses and corruption being committed in their own countries; and (3) deserve the international community's support and praise for taking on the risky job of fostering accountability and transparency in their respective countries; Whereas, under the auspices of the United States Agency for Global Media, the United States Government provides financial assistance to several editorially independent media outlets, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio y Television Marti, and the Middle East Broadcast Networks-- (1) which report and broadcast news, information, and analysis in critical regions around the world; and (2) whose journalists regularly face harassment, fines, and imprisonment for their work; and Whereas freedom of the press-- (1) is a key component of democratic governance, activism in civil society, and socioeconomic development; and (2) enhances public accountability, transparency, and participation in civil society and democratic governance: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) condemns threats to freedom of the press and free expression around the world; (2) remembers the bravery of journalists and media workers around the world who, despite threats to their safety, play an essential role in-- (A) promoting government accountability; (B) defending democratic activity; and (C) strengthening civil society; (3) remembers journalists who have lost their lives carrying out their work; [[Page H5795]] (4) calls on governments abroad to implement United Nations General Assembly Resolution 163 (2013) by thoroughly investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of violence against journalists, including murders and kidnappings, while ensuring the protection of witnesses; (5) condemns all actions around the world that suppress freedom of the press; (6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press to efforts of the United States Government to support democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good governance around the world; and (7) calls on the President and the Secretary of State-- (A) to preserve and build upon the leadership of the United States on issues relating to freedom of the press, on the basis of the protections afforded the American people under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; (B) to improve the rapid identification, publication, and response by the United States Government to threats against freedom of the press around the world; (C) to urge foreign governments to transparently investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against journalists; and (D) to highlight the issue of threats against freedom of the press in the annual country reports on human rights practices of the Department of State and through diplomatic channels. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York. General Leave Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 345. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection. Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank Representative Schiff and Representative Chabot for introducing this resolution which recognizes that the freedoms of the press and expression are being threatened globally. A free press is an essential pillar in every democracy. It shines light on corruption, speaks truth to power, and holds the government accountable. However, in recent years, there has been a growing assault on a free press. Mr. Speaker, there are far too many shocking examples of journalists being silenced, imprisoned, tortured, and even murdered around the world, with each abuse only furthering a 13-year decline in the freedom of expression. The price of protecting these rights has become extremely high. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2018, 54 journalists were killed and 64 went missing. At a time when the world looks to the United States to be champions for a free press, some call our journalists the enemy of the people. This administration's attack on the media undermines the First Amendment and creates a culture of intimidation and hostility towards journalists. By accusing media outlets of producing fake news, journalists find themselves less safe, and our country is less informed. So H. Res. 345 condemns threats to independent media and calls on governments to continue to address journalists' safety. It also reiterates the vital importance of a free press in the U.S. and to well-functioning democracies abroad, as well. It is our duty now, more than ever, to protect the freedom of the press and the public's right to information. I ask all Members to support this bipartisan resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time. {time} 1545 Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution to condemn dangerous threats to freedom of the press and freedom of expression around the world, understanding that the media has a responsibility of fairness without bias and an independent media is a cornerstone of an educated society and a necessary pillar to a healthy democracy. Unfortunately, freedom of the press and freedom of expression are not protected in many countries. Dictators fear anything that challenges their power. They go to great lengths to restrict the rights of their citizens and control their own people. They attack human rights activists and protesters who march in the street. The last thing that a tyrant wants is to be exposed as a corrupt and immoral leader. As a result, they intimidate, arrest, and sometimes kill members of the media for doing their jobs. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 251 reporters worldwide were being held in prison in 2018. More than half of them were being held in Turkey, China, and Egypt. Last year, over 54 journalists were killed in the line of duty. Thirty-four of them were murder victims. Of course, sadly, we are all familiar with the heinous killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who was murdered by Saudi agents. These crimes are completely unacceptable. Republicans and Democrats stand together as Americans in condemning foreign governments that attack journalists and crack down on press freedoms. This resolution allows us to speak in a unified voice to express our support for those who want to report the news without fearing for their lives. I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker. Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), who is the author of this bill and the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 345, a resolution to recognize the central importance of press freedom in a democratic society and calling attention to threats to press freedom around the globe. I am proud to sponsor this bipartisan legislation, which I introduced with my colleague, Congressman Steve Chabot, with whom I co-chair the Press Freedom Caucus. I thank, as well, Mr. Engel and Ranking Member McCaul for moving forward this resolution. Every day, journalists around the world bring forward vital information and stories, sometimes from behind the curtain of the world's most repressive regimes and amid war zones. Journalists expose corruption, malfeasance, and abuse that the wealthy and powerful may seek to conceal. For that, they face harassment, threats, persecution, assaults, and even death. The purpose of this resolution today is to call attention to those threats and to make clear that Congress supports press freedoms here and around the world. Recent years have been some of the most dangerous and deadly in memory for journalists. As we confront a rising tide of authoritarianism around the world, threats to press freedom are proliferating in many countries from repressive governments. Elsewhere, inadequate security and a lack of accountability have made journalists vulnerable to criminal or terrorist actors. The resolution before the House today lists just a small sample of the cases in which journalists around the world have been killed or imprisoned for their work. I would like to speak to just a few of these cases and those that have occurred in the short months since the resolution's introduction. Among them, of course, is the case of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi human rights advocate, U.S. resident, and Washington Post columnist who last year was brutally murdered and dismembered at the orders of the highest reaches of the Saudi Government. Jamal's murder has been a rallying cry of sorts, but it stands alone in the worldwide attention it has received. All the same, it is tragically far from unique. Fewer are aware of the cases involving Loujain Al-Hathloul, Nouf Abdulaziz, and Eman Al-Nafjan, three Saudi women who wrote critically of the kingdom's treatment of women and who have been imprisoned for more than a year; or of the acute threat to journalists in the Philippines where the regime of Rodrigo Duterte has attacked independent media with a campaign of judicial harassment and investigation, including the online media outlet Rappler lead and its editor, Maria Ressa; or in China, where authorities target independent and foreign media for harassment and detention, including the labor reporter Wei [[Page H5796]] Zhili, who was arrested in March. Authorities also block American-based journalists and others who have sought to report on human rights violations and mass detention of Uighurs in Xinjiang province. Turkey has become the leading jailer of journalists under the rule of President Erdogan, where, just last month, Turkish authorities charged two Bloomberg journalists who reported on the economic crisis in Turkey with undermining the Turkish economy and sought to imprison them. In Iran, economics reporter Marzieh Amiri was arrested covering May Day demonstrations and has been held since, with little information about her well-being or the status of the charges against her. In Mexico, reporters can pay with their lives for reporting on the crimes of drug cartels or corrupt local officials, including investigative journalists like Carlos Rodriguez, who was murdered in front of his family, or, more recently, Norma Sarabia, who was murdered in her home in Tabasco state and whose killers remain at large. Of course, many Americans are all too well aware of the case of Austin Tice, an American working as an independent journalist in Syria who was kidnapped by forces aligned with the Syrian regime in 2012 and today is believed to still remain a hostage nearly 7 years later. We continue to do all we can to obtain information about his whereabouts and to secure his safe return. Mr. Speaker, today, by passing this legislation, the House can send a message to journalists who face persecution for their work that we stand with them and value their contributions. For those who seek to intimidate and silence them, we send the message that we are watching. The voice of people seeking justice cannot be silenced forever. We will stand strongly with all those around the world fighting for accountability and truth. Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank Chairman Schiff and Congressman Chabot for their bipartisan work on this issue. The United States must continue to provide a strong voice for a free press and independent media across the globe emphasizing fairness. Supporting a free press must remain an essential part of America's foreign policy, and I urge all Members to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 345 is an important resolution that honors journalists and calls on the United States and governments abroad to protect the freedom of the press. I commend Mr. Schiff and Mr. Chabot for this. Press freedom is fundamental in democracies and enhances public accountability, transparency, and participation in governance. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 345, in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day. This resolution recognizes widening threats to freedoms of the press and expression around the world, affirms the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, and holds freedom of the press as a central principle in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2019. In this resolution, the House of Representatives: Expresses concern about threats to freedom of the press and free expression around the world on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day; commends journalists and media workers around the world, despite threats to their safety, for their essential role in-- promoting government accountability; defending democratic activity; and strengthening civil society; pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives carrying out their work; calls on governments abroad to implement United Nations General Assembly Resolution 163 (2013), by thoroughly investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of violence against journalists, including murders and kidnappings, while ensuring the protection of witnesses. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 345 also condemns all actions around the world which suppress freedom of the press; and recognizes the importance of a free and independent press in supporting democracy, mitigating conflict, and promoting good governance around the world. Finally, the resolution calls on the President and the Secretary of State: To preserve and build upon the leadership of the United States on issues relating to freedom of the press, on the basis of the protections afforded the American people under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; to improve the rapid identification, publication, and response by the United States Government to threats against freedom of the press around the world; to urge foreign governments to transparently investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against journalists; and to highlight the issue of threats against freedom of the press in the annual country reports on human rights practices of the Department of State and through diplomatic channels. I stand in strong support of this resolution and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to pass H. Res. 345, to commemorate the importance of World Press Freedom Day. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 345, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to. The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``A resolution responding to widening threats to freedoms of the press and expression around the world, reaffirming the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the United States in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance on World Press Freedom Day.''. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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