October 23, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 182 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Pages S6416-S6417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

   SENATE RESOLUTION 756--URGING THE GOVERNMENT OF TANZANIA AND ALL 
 PARTIES TO RESPECT HUMAN, CIVIL, AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND ENSURE FREE 
 AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN OCTOBER 2020, AND RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF 
                   MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY IN TANZANIA

  Mr. MENENDEZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 756

       Whereas the United States has an important interest in 
     supporting democracy in Tanzania and has consistently 
     demonstrated support for the people of Tanzania through 
     efforts to advance good governance, economic growth, and 
     improved access to health and education;
       Whereas respect for human, civil, and political rights and 
     deepening multiparty democracy are essential to Tanzania's 
     long-term economic prosperity and continued political 
     stability;
       Whereas the conduct of elections will have a significant 
     impact on the trajectory of democratic growth in Tanzania, as 
     well as its relationship with the United States;
       Whereas Tanzania has held successive multiparty elections 
     since 1995, with the elections in 2015 being the most 
     competitive to date, despite substantial state interference 
     in political organizing by the opposition, both during and 
     following the campaign period;
       Whereas, since President John Magufuli's election in 2015, 
     the Government of Tanzania has adopted and enforced multiple 
     repressive laws that restrict media freedoms, and freedoms of 
     expression, assembly, and association, such as the 
     Cybercrimes Act of 2015, the Media Services Act of 2016, the 
     Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) 
     Regulations Act of 2020, the Written Laws (Miscellaneous 
     Amendments) (No. 3) Act, 2018, and the Written Laws 
     (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act No. 3 of 2020;
       Whereas the Government of Tanzania has promulgated onerous 
     regulations that actively undermine the independent 
     collection, dissemination, and publication of statistics 
     without government approval, and suspended or halted 
     activities by multiple newspapers and digital and broadcast 
     media outlets in retaliation for publishing content deemed 
     critical of the state or officials;
       Whereas state actors have threatened, arbitrarily arrested, 
     and attacked journalists with impunity, and some journalists 
     have disappeared;
       Whereas in mid-2016, the Magufuli Administration placed a 
     ban on political party rallies until the 2020 elections;
       Whereas political freedoms were further eroded following 
     the amendment of the Political Parties Act in January 2019, 
     which granted Tanzanian authorities sweeping powers to 
     regulate the operations of opposition parties, and private 
     opposition political party meetings have been broken up by 
     police;
       Whereas freedom of association has been limited through 
     mandatory registration and reporting processes for 
     nongovernmental organizations that are arbitrary in nature;
       Whereas, in September 2019, the Government of Tanzania 
     amended both the Companies Act and Nongovernmental 
     Organization Act, which has severely restricted the ability 
     of civil society organizations, particularly those focused on 
     democracy and human rights, to receive foreign funds;
       Whereas opposition leaders have been threatened, 
     intimidated, and physically attacked, and the Magafuli 
     Administration has failed to hold perpetrators accountable;
       Whereas President Magufuli's failure to hold Tanzanian 
     government actors accountable for arbitrary arrests, paired 
     with actions to limit democratic space for civil society, 
     opposition parties, and citizens of Tanzania, has undermined 
     the Tanzanian Constitution and the rule of law;
       Whereas the Government of Tanzania has rapidly escalated 
     its campaign of repression against the opposition in the 
     lead-up to the October 2020 elections, through arbitrary and 
     partisan legal action against opposition candidates and their 
     parties, which undermines democratic principles of fair play 
     and potentially calls into question the credibility of the 
     country's October polls;
       Whereas some United States companies operating in Tanzania 
     have reported harassment, corruption, and lack of respect for 
     contracts and business operations, which threatens future 
     United States business investment and trade partnerships; and
       Whereas the Government of Tanzania's claim that the Novel 
     Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been eliminated in the country, 
     and its suppression of information related to the pandemic 
     have not only placed citizens' health at risk, but have also 
     violated citizens' freedom of speech and right of access to 
     information: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) urges the Government of Tanzania to ensure that the 
     October 2020 elections are conducted in a free, fair, 
     credible, transparent, and peaceful manner that enables 
     citizens of Tanzania the opportunity to exercise their right 
     to vote;
       (2) urges the Government of Tanzania to legally guarantee 
     and respect the rights enshrined in its Constitution, 
     particularly the rights to freedom of movement, expression, 
     information, religion, and association, as well as equality, 
     privacy, and personal security;
       (3) urges the Government of Tanzania to foster a robust, 
     market-led business environment conducive to continued United 
     States trade and investment in Tanzania, including respect 
     for the legal and contractual rights of United States 
     companies operating in Tanzania;
       (4) calls upon the Government of Tanzania and President 
     Magufuli--
       (A) to repeal repressive laws that are contrary to the 
     principles of good governance, a healthy democracy, and the 
     rights enumerated in the Tanzanian Constitution;
       (B) to allow citizens, civil society organizations, and 
     political parties to assemble peacefully and express their 
     views freely;
       (C) to immediately lift the ban on political activities and 
     allow opposition parties to hold political rallies and 
     demonstrations at any time, both during and outside of 
     election periods;
       (D) to provide transparent, consistent, and nonintrusive 
     procedures for nongovernmental organizations to register and 
     to enable them to carry out programs and other

[[Page S6417]]

     legal activity absent arbitrary state interference, including 
     with respect to receiving funding or cooperating with foreign 
     organizations;
       (E) to safeguard press freedom, in accordance with the 
     Tanzanian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights;
       (F) to condemn threats and attacks against Members of 
     Parliament and opposition political parties, and ensure 
     accountability for harassment, intimidation, or physical 
     attacks on members of the opposition;
       (G) to end the escalating campaign of arbitrary and 
     partisan legal action against opposition candidates and their 
     parties in the lead-up to the October 2020 elections; and
       (H) to guarantee the ability of domestic and international 
     election observers to monitor the October 2020 polls without 
     hindrance; and
       (5) calls on the United States Government to continue to 
     speak out against democratic backsliding in Tanzania and hold 
     the Government of Tanzania accountable for respecting the 
     rights of its citizens, in accordance with its international 
     obligations and the Tanzanian Constitution, including by--
       (A) considering the imposition of targeted sanctions and 
     visa restrictions on actors involved in perpetrating or 
     abetting human rights abuses;
       (B) leading international partners and institutions, 
     including those in Africa, in developing and implementing 
     strategies and actions to promote and defend human, civil, 
     and political rights and multiparty democracy in Tanzania;
       (C) immediately conducting a review of United States 
     Government assistance and cooperation with the Government of 
     Tanzania for the purposes of reprioritizing such assistance 
     should neutral observers determine that the October 2020 
     polls do not meet internationally accepted standards for 
     credible elections; and
       (D) demanding the Government of Tanzania conduct full and 
     public investigations that ensure judicial accountability for 
     acts of violence perpetrated against political opposition, 
     journalists, and members of civil society.

                          ____________________