IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1192 

Recognizing widening threats to freedom of the press and free expression 

around the world, reaffirming the vital role that a free and independent 

press plays in countering the growing threats of authoritarianism, misinformation, and disinformation, and reaffirming freedom of the press 

as a priority of the United States Government in promoting democracy, 

human rights, and good governance in commemoration of World Press 

Freedom Day on May 3, 2024. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 2, 2024 

Mr. SCHIFF submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing widening threats to freedom of the press and 

free expression around the world, reaffirming the vital 

role that a free and independent press plays in countering the growing threats of authoritarianism, misinformation, and disinformation, and reaffirming freedom 

of the press as a priority of the United States Government in promoting democracy, human rights, and good 

governance in commemoration of World Press Freedom 

Day on May 3, 2024. 

Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution and various State constitutions protect freedom of the press in 

the United States; 


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Whereas Thomas Jefferson, who championed the necessity of 

a free press for a thriving democratic society, wisely declared, ‘‘Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, 

and that cannot be limited without being lost’’; 

Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris on 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 the third day of May of each year to be ‘‘World 

Press Freedom Day’’ to— 

(1) celebrate the fundamental principles of press 

freedom; 

(2) evaluate press freedom around the world; 

(3) defend the media against attacks on its independence; and 

(4) pay tribute to journalists who have lost their 

lives while working in their profession; 

Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 

(Public Law 111–166) 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; 

Whereas, on December 18, 2013, and December 18, 2019, 

the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 

68/163 and Resolution 74/157, respectively, on the safety 

of journalists and the problem of impunity by unequivocally condemning all attacks on, and violence against, 

journalists and media workers, including torture, 


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extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and intimidation and harassment in conflict and 

nonconflict situations; 

Whereas the United States Government has used the Global 

Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F 

of title XII of Public Law 114–328) to place targeted 

visa and economic sanctions on individuals, including for 

their roles in the targeted killings of journalists; 

Whereas, in an effort to counter attacks against journalists, 

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, in February 2021, 

announced the Khashoggi Ban, a policy allowing the Department of State to impose visa restrictions on individuals who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, are 

believed to have been directly engaged in serious, 

extraterritorial counterdissident activities, including activities that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm 

journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dissidents for their work; 

Whereas compiled data from Reporters Without Borders provides alarming indications about growing divisions resulting from the spread of disinformation with the potential 

to weaken democratic societies; 

Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, a total of 

521 journalists were in prison and 84 were missing as of 

December 14, 2023; 

Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, 45 journalists around the world were killed in direct connection 

with their work in 2023; 

Whereas Reporters Without Borders notes that punishments 

against women journalists are increasing disproportionately, with the number of women journalists in prison risVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:32 May 02, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1192.IH HR1192

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ing 30 percent in 2022, and with most of the longest 

prison sentences handed down against journalists in 2023 

coming against women; 

Whereas Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2024 report marked the 18th consecutive year of decline in global freedom, with an estimated 38 percent of the global 

population living in countries deemed ‘‘Not Free’’; 

Whereas Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net 2023 report 

marked the 13th consecutive year of decline in global 

internet freedom, with people in 55 of the 70 countries 

covered facing legal repercussions for expressing themselves online and people in 41 countries 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 declines in global freedom over the last 50 years, including 

attacks and prosecutions against journalists, pressure on 

media outlets, repressive regulatory and legal frameworks, internet shutdowns, efforts to undermine strong 

encryption, and blocks on online sources of information; 

Whereas, over the last 18 years, the number of countries and 

territories receiving a 0 out of 4 on Freedom in the 

World’s media freedom indicator has dramatically grown 

from 14 to 36; 

Whereas journalists and media staff are being murdered, imprisoned, attacked, and harassed around the world, and 

the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported 

that— 

(1) at least 99 journalists and media workers were 

killed around the world in 2023, including 72 killed during the hostilities in Gaza starting October 7, 2023, and 


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in addition, at least 18 journalists have been killed in 

2024 as of March 5; 

(2) the vast majority of murders of journalists occur 

with impunity, with nearly 80 percent of the perpetrators 

of 261 murders of journalists from September 1, 2013, 

to August 31, 2023, facing no punishment; 

(3) 320 journalists were behind bars in 2023, with 

the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Burma, Belarus, 

Russia, Vietnam, Iran, Israel, Eritrea, Egypt, and Turkey jailing the highest numbers of journalists respectively; and 

(4) journalists and media outlets around the world 

have been targeted by government actors with sophisticated spyware products that pose a severe risk to their 

privacy and security as well as that of their sources and 

families; 

Whereas, according to PEN America, more than 325 writers 

and public intellectuals, including columnists and editorial journalists, were imprisoned across 37 different 

countries during 2023; 

Whereas the censorship, victimization, and killing of journalists around the world and particularly in conflict zones 

has obvious and profound implications for the ability of 

the public, including the United States public, to be informed, including about conflicts with local, regional, and 

global ramifications; 

Whereas, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of 

Ukraine in February 2022, Reporters Without Borders 

has documented attacks directly targeting journalists, including— 


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(1) the killing of 11 Ukrainian and accredited international journalists and media workers by Russian 

Armed Forces; 

(2) the torture by electric shock, beatings, and mock 

executions of journalists working for the international 

press; 

(3) the targeted kidnappings of journalists and their 

families in occupied regions of Ukraine to put pressure 

on their reporting; 

(4) the deliberate attacks targeting media facilities; 

and 

(5) the near-universal censorship, imprisonment, or 

exile of Russia’s independent news media; 

Whereas, in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, 88 percent of 

media outlets active before 2014 had ceased operating by 

2015, and Ukrainian journalists and bloggers have repeatedly been threatened, arbitrarily arrested, and tortured for resisting Russian occupation, such as the detentions and imprisonments of Vladyslav Yesypenko, Iryna 

Danylovych, Amet Suleimanov, Asan Akhmetov, Marlen 

Asanov, Nariman Celal, Oleksiy Bessarabov, Osman 

Arifmemetov, Remzi Bekirov, Ruslan Suleimanov, 

Rustem Sheikhaliev, Server Mustafayev, Seyran Saliev, 

Timur Ibragimov, Vilen Temeryanov, and Lutfiye 

Zudiyeva; 

Whereas Ukrainian journalists Viktoria Roshchina, Iryna 

Levchenko, and Dmytro Khilyuk remain in the custody 

of Russian forces after their full-scale invasion of 

Ukraine in 2022; 

Whereas journalists and media workers face heightened dangers in Russia, such as harassment, repression, censorship, and imprisonment, with 30 journalists and 4 media 


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workers imprisoned as of March 27, 2024, according to 

Reporters Without Borders, including— 

(1) Evan Gershkovich, a United States citizen and 

reporter with the Wall Street Journal, who has been 

wrongfully detained on baseless espionage charges since 

March 29, 2023, and faces up to 20 years in jail; 

(2) Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for congressionally funded Radio Free Europe/ 

Radio Liberty, who was arrested for violating the ‘‘Foreign Agent’’ law and has since been charged for violating 

Article 207.3 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which effectively 

criminalizes reporting about Russia’s war in Ukraine; 

(3) Ivan Safronov, a correspondent with Russian 

business dailies Kommersant and Vedomosti, who was 

sentenced to 22 years in jail on treason charges in September 2022; 

(4) Sergey Mikhaylov, publisher of independent 

newspaper Listok, who was arrested for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian military in April 

2022; 

(5) Mikhail Afanasyev, editor-in-chief of the online 

magazine Novy Fokus, who was arrested and charged 

with allegedly spreading false information about the Russian military in April 2022; 

(6) Novaya Gazeta, a landmark independent newspaper founded in 1993, which— 

(A) suspended operations in Russia in March 

2022 after receiving warnings from the authorities 

citing the country’s ‘‘Foreign Agent’’ law; and 

(B) was stripped of its print and online media 

licenses in September 2022; 

(7) Meduza, a leading independent bilingual news 

website based outside of Russia, which— 


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(A) was designated by Russian authorities in 

January 2023 as an ‘‘undesirable organization’’ 

under the 2015 Undesirable Organization Law; and 

(B) was banned from operating in the Russian 

Federation; 

(8) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, an independent nonprofit media outlet, which was designated by 

Russian authorities in February 2024 as an ‘‘undesirable 

organization’’ under the 2015 Undesirable Organization 

Law; and 

(9) RusNews, an independent news website with few 

remaining correspondents in Russia, whose journalists— 

(A) Maria Ponomarenko was sentenced to 6 

years in prison for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian military on February 15, 

2023, and is facing a second criminal charge for alleged violation of prison rules; 

(B) Roman Ivanov was sentenced on March 6, 

2024, to 7 years in prison for allegedly disseminating false news on the war in Ukraine; and 

(C) Igor Kuznetsov, who has been in detention 

since September 2021, was given a 3-year suspended 

sentence on alleged extremism charges on March 20, 

2024, but remains in detention over a second court 

case for allegedly inciting mass disturbances in 

group chats on Telegram, for which a prosecutor in 

December 2023 requested a 9-year jail sentence; 

Whereas Russian authorities continue harassing and prosecuting journalists in exile, including— 

(1) exiled Russian journalists Ruslan Leviev and Michael Nacke, who were each sentenced in absentia to 11 

years in prison in August 2023 for allegedly distributing 

‘‘fake’’ information about the Russian military; 


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(2) exiled Russian journalist Denis Kamalyagin, editor-in-chief of the exiled Russian newspaper Pskovskaya 

Guberniya, who was charged in late 2023 with failing to 

comply with the foreign agent law and with discrediting 

the Russian army; and 

(3) United States-based Russian-United States journalist and writer Masha Gessen, against whom Russia 

issued an arrest warrant in 2023 for allegedly spreading 

‘‘fake’’ information about the Russian army; 

Whereas other Russian journalists living in exile have also 

been targets of harassment, surveillance, and suspected 

poisoning, including— 

(1) exiled Russian journalists Elena Kostyuchenko 

and Irina Babloyan, who reported in August 2023 that 

they may have been poisoned in Germany and Georgia, 

respectively; 

(2) Prague-based IStories’ reporters Alesya 

Marokhovskaya and Irina Dolinina, who received threats 

and fear they have been under surveillance; and 

(3) Galina Timchenko, the Latvia-based head of 

Meduza, whose phone was infected by Pegasus, a form of 

zero-click spyware produced by the Israeli company NSO 

Group, while she was in Germany in February 2023; 

Whereas, according to CPJ, the PRC had detained at least 

44 journalists, as of December 1, 2023, is the world’s 

largest jailer of journalists according to Reporters Without Borders, and has unleashed an onslaught of attacks 

on press freedom in the PRC and Hong Kong, including 

through— 

(1) state-sponsored censorship and disinformation 

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ratives, and censoring politically sensitive keywords on social media platforms; 

(2) the passage and implementation of legislation 

which severely curtails press freedom in Hong Kong, including the National Security Law of June 2020 and Article 23 of the Basic Law of March 2024, both of which 

pose an existential threat to the city’s tradition of press 

freedom; 

(3) harassment, intimidation, arrest, and imprisonment of journalists in Hong Kong, including the arrest 

and subsequent conviction of journalist and outspoken 

democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, as well as the closure of 

his once widely popular Chinese-language newspaper, 

Apple Daily; 

(4) arrests or other repressive actions against independent journalists and others in mainland China attempting to share uncensored news or opinion about current affairs, including Sophia Huang Xueqin, who has 

written about women’s rights and the protests in Hong 

Kong, was detained arbitrarily in September 2021, and 

went on trial in September 2023 on charges of ‘‘inciting 

subversion of state power’’, and whose current status remains unknown, and citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who 

provided uncensored news regarding the COVID outbreak 

in Wuhan and has been imprisoned since May 2020 on 

politically motivated charges of ‘‘picking quarrels and 

provoking trouble’’; 

(5) the detention of journalists critical of the Government of the PRC, including Ruan Xiaohuan, who, 

after blogging about programming and politics, was sentenced to a 7-year term of imprisonment in early 2023, 

following 21 months of detention; and 


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(6) the continued detention of Uyghur journalists, 

who account for nearly 50 percent of imprisoned journalists in the PRC, including Ilham Tohti, founder of the 

news website Uighurbiz, who was detained in 2014 and 

is serving a life sentence; 

Whereas Belarus has witnessed sweeping attacks against the 

press since Alexander Lukashenko’s fraudulent election 

in August 2020, with journalists and media workers harassed, assaulted, and imprisoned, with 22 journalists imprisoned as of December 1, 2023, according to CPJ, including— 

(1) Katsiaryna Andreyeva, a correspondent with Poland-based independent broadcaster Belsat TV, who, 

while serving a 2-year prison term for filming a live 

broadcast of the violent dispersal of a protest against 

Lukashenko in November 2020, was sentenced to 8 additional years in prison on treason charges in July 2022; 

(2) Ksenia Lutskina, a former correspondent for the 

state broadcaster Belteleradio, who was sentenced to 8 

years in prison on charges of conspiring to seize state 

power in September 2022, and is not receiving appropriate medical care despite having a preexisting brain 

tumor which has grown during her detention; 

(3) Maryna Zolatava, chief editor of independent 

news website Tut.by, who was sentenced to 12 years in 

prison on charges of incitement to hatred and distributing materials calling for actions aimed at harming national security in March 2023; 

(4) Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist who, while working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained 

in November 2021, and sentenced in June 2022 to 6 

years in prison on charges of forming an extremist group; 


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(5) Ihar Losik, another Radio Free Europe/Radio 

Liberty journalist who was arrested in June 2020, and 

sentenced in December 2021 to 15 years in jail on bogus 

charges of preparation of actions that violate public 

order, who attempted suicide in March 2023, and whose 

wife Darya was sentenced in January 2023 to 2 years in 

prison on a charge of facilitating extremist activity; 

(6) Alyaksandr Mantsevich, who was detained in 

March 2023, and is serving a 4-year prison sentence 

after being convicted in November 2023 on charges of 

discrediting Belarus; 

(7) Dzianis Ivashyn, a freelance journalist who has 

been serving a sentence of 13 years and 1 month since 

being convicted in September 2022 on charges of treason 

and ‘‘illegal collection and dissemination of information 

about private life’’; and 

(8) Ihar Karnei, a former freelancer with Radio 

Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who was sentenced on March 

22, 2024, to 3 years in jail for participating in an extremist group; 

Whereas Belarus has weaponized ‘‘extremism’’ laws against 

independent media outlets, with around 25 media outlets 

labeled as ‘‘extremist’’ groups or organizations as of 

March 2024, and has jailed journalists on allegations of 

creating or participating in extremist groups or facilitating extremist activities; 

Whereas Belarusian authorities continue to prosecute journalists in exile, including exiled journalists Stsypan Putsila 

and Yan Rudzik, who had covered the protests during the 

2020 Presidential election and were sentenced in absentia 

to 20 years and 19 years in jail, respectively, in May 

2023; 


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Whereas the Islamic Republic of Iran was the world’s leading 

jailer of journalists, including female journalists, in 2022, 

and whose Government subjected them to arbitrary summonses, arrests, travel bans, torture, inhumane treatment, and unsubstantiated and unjust sentences, and 

where, according to CPJ, at least 17 journalists and 

media workers remained behind bars as of December 1, 

2023, including— 

(1) Niloofar Hamedi, correspondent of the daily 

newspaper Shargh, who was imprisoned in 2022 for trying to document the death of Mahsa Jina Amini on 

charges that could result in the death penalty; 

(2) Elahe Mohammadi, a journalist for the daily 

Ham Mihan, who was also imprisoned in 2022 for the 

same action and on the same charges; 

(3) Iranian journalist Navid Seyed-Mohammadi, a 

Kurdish reporter for the state-run Islamic Republic 

Radio and Television broadcaster, who was arrested in 

May 2020 and is serving a 7-year prison sentence for 

‘‘espionage for hostile states’’; 

(4) Kayvan Samimi, a 76-year-old veteran journalist, 

who was initially imprisoned in May 2019 and is serving 

a 6-year prison sentence despite on antistate charges of 

‘‘spreading propaganda against the system’’ and 

‘‘colluding against national security’’; 

(5) sisters Hoda and Zahra Tohidi, who are freelance journalists, and were imprisoned alongside Zahra’s 

husband, Alireza Khoshbakht, a fellow journalist, in 2022 

for documenting the nationwide protests after the death 

of Mahsa Jina Amini; and 

(6) Mohammad-Bagher Moradi, an exiled freelance 

journalist, who was extradited to Iran from Turkey, who 


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was immediately imprisoned in 2022 for his work and is 

serving a 5-year prison sentence; 

Whereas since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 

2023, at least 95 journalists have been killed during the 

ongoing war in Gaza, Lebanon, and Israel and other significant attacks on the press have been documented, including— 

(1) at least 26 journalists have been killed in direct 

connection to their work, according to Reporters Without 

Borders; 

(2) 2 Israeli journalists were killed by Hamas-led 

forces on October 7; 

(3) Hamas is also reportedly holding 1 Israeli journalist hostage, while 2 Palestinian journalists have reportedly gone missing in Israeli custody; and 

(4) the detention of 17 journalists as of December 

1, 2023, with 14 journalists being held without charge in 

the West Bank under administrative detention, according 

to CPJ; 

Whereas the Egyptian Government’s repression of the media 

has expanded under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi since 

2013, including attacks on independent media outlet 

Mada Masr, whom the Government has targeted with 

specious charges brought against editor-in-chief Lina 

Attalah and journalist Rana Mamdouh, and with at least 

11 journalists imprisoned by the Government as of December 1, 2023, according to CPJ, including— 

(1) Alaa Abd El Fattah, a blogger sentenced to 5 

years in prison for ‘‘broadcasting false news’’, who embarked on a hunger strike on April 2, 2022, to protest 

his mistreatment, which he escalated to a near-fatal 

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tion by prison officials upon the start of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties 27 (COP 27) climate summit, in 

Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 6, 2022; and 

(2) Mohamed Ibrahim, a blogger also known as 

‘‘Mohamed Oxygen’’, who has spent over 4 years in pretrial detention, 2 years beyond the 2-year legal limit for 

such pretrial detention; 

Whereas Lokman Slim was murdered in southern Lebanon 

on February 4, 2021, after warning that he had been 

threatened and accused of treason by supporters of 

Hezbollah and, to date, no arrests or charges have been 

made in the investigation into his murder; 

Whereas the Office of the Director of National Intelligence 

concluded that the 2018 murder of Washington Post 

journalist and United States legal permanent resident 

Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul was approved by Saudi 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and impunity continues for the Saudi officials involved in this crime; 

Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia maintains a hostile 

environment toward journalists through transnational repression, systematic and arbitrary arrests, torture and inhumane or degrading treatment, lengthy pretrial detentions, and conditional release restrictions, which inhibit 

reporters and columnists from traveling or returning to 

their professional work postdetention, including— 

(1) Abdulrahman Farhana, a columnist detained in 

February 2019, charged with membership in a terrorist 

organization; 

(2) Zuhair Kutbi, a journalist jailed in January 

2019, who reportedly suffers from torture, 


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malnourishment, and denial of cancer treatment in prison; and 

(3) blogger Raif Badawi, who recently completed a 

10-year prison sentence on blasphemy and apostasy 

charges, and who remains subjected to a further 10-year 

travel ban, which prevents him from reuniting with his 

family who received asylum in Canada; 

Whereas, in Sudan, the United Nations Panel of Experts reported that at least 15,000 people died as a result of the 

Rapid Supports offensive in West Darfur in 2023, and 

tens of thousands more are believed to have been killed, 

and over 8,000,000 displaced, and where freedom of the 

press and the safety of journalists has severely deteriorated, as evidenced by attacks on independent media and 

the killings, arrests, detentions, harassment, and beatings 

of journalists, including— 

(1) the killing of Halima Idris Salim, a 29-year-old 

reporter for local independent online news outlet Sudan 

Bukra, on October 10, 2023, when Rapid Support Forces 

(RSF) soldiers ran her over with their car while she was 

covering health conditions of a hospital’s emergency wing 

in Omdurman; 

(2) reports that the RSF has cut access to telecommunications and internet services since early February 2024, leaving civilians in a communications blackout and making reporting on the war nearly impossible; 

and 

(3) the forced closure of all print media in the country, and banning of foreign news channels, forcing of 

journalists into exile; 

Whereas Reporters Without Borders asserts that due to oppression by the military junta, ‘‘press freedom in 


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[Burma] has been set back ten years in ten days’’ after 

the February 1, 2021, military coup, including through— 

(1) media workers forced into hiding and confronting censorship, harassment, internet blockages, beatings, interrogations, threats, and torture at the hands of 

the military; 

(2) multiple independent media outlets forced to 

cease operations or close altogether or having their licenses revoked by the military; and 

(3) journalists being detained at alarming rates, 

with 75 journalists in prison as of April 17, 2023, including photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike, who was sentenced 

to a 20-year prison term in May 2023 while covering the 

aftermath of a deadly cyclone; 

Whereas in India, Government authorities have taken a series 

of actions limiting the space for free and independent 

media, including— 

(1) frequently imposing internet and communication 

blackouts in Indian-administered Kashmir and the Indian 

State of Manipur, among certain areas; 

(2) calling for the temporary blockage of journalists 

and media accounts on X (formerly known as Twitter) 

and other online platforms; and 

(3) increasing restrictions on foreign journalists, and 

subjecting journalists to searches and arrests, including— 

(A) revoking the journalism permit of French 

reporter Vanessa Dougnac, who, as the spouse of an 

Indian citizen, holds permanent residency status, 

known as an Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), forcing her to leave the country in February 2024; 

(B) the continued detention of Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan since April 2018, including his 


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rearrest for the third time by Indian authorities in 

February 2024, days after his release from 5 and a 

half years of preventative detention; 

(C) the arrest of Teesta Setalvad, a journalist 

and civil rights activist, in June 2022 by the AntiTerrorism Squad of the Gujarat Police, for allegedly 

conspiring to implicate the Gujarat government in 

the 2002 Gujarat riots, and who has since faced 

legal harassment and arbitrary detention over the 

last year for her work; and 

(D) the Indian Government’s efforts to censor 

the BBC documentary critical of prominent Indian 

political figures; 

Whereas Pakistan maintains high levels of media censorship, 

and impunity persists in cases of killings and physical attacks on journalists who criticize the military and state 

institutions, including— 

(1) the repeated arrest of journalist Imran Riaz 

Khan, including his arbitrary detention in solitary confinement without due process for 142 days in 2023; 

(2) the assault of Ayaz Amir, an employee of Dunya 

News, on July 1, 2022, days after he had made comments criticizing former Prime Minister Imran Khan and 

the military; and 

(3) in February 2024, the arrest of Pakistani journalist and video blogger Asad Ali Toor on charges of orchestrating a campaign against the state and its officials 

through his social media platforms; 

Whereas Afghanistan, under the control of the Taliban, remains one of the most repressive countries for journalists, who are subjected to arrest, beatings, and arbitrary 

restrictions on their work, including journalist Sultan Ali 


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Jawadi, who was sentenced to 1 year in prison by a 

Taliban court in December 2023; 

Whereas violations of press freedom are persistent in South 

Asia and Southeast Asia, where— 

(1) in Vietnam, Pham Doan Trang, a journalist and 

writer, following a year in pretrial detention, was sentenced to 9 years in prison in December 2021 for ‘‘antistate propaganda’’ in a judicial proceeding and imprisonment declared ‘‘arbitrary’’ by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; 

(2) in Bangladesh, journalists are subjected to arbitrary arrests, and suffer killings and physical attacks 

with near-total impunity; and 

(3) in Sri Lanka, the enactment of the recent draconian Online Safety Act, which undermines freedom of 

speech, incentivizes self-censorship and could be misused 

to suppress dissent; 

Whereas Cuba remains a highly restricted environment for 

independent media, marked by internet restrictions and 

constant, state-directed harassment of journalists and 

news outlets, as well as the preponderance of arbitrary 

arrests, threats, police summonses, and forced exile, 

which remain among the repressive suite of measures applied by the Government against activists and journalists, 

with victims including Lazaro Yuri Valle Roca, a journalist who was sentenced to 5 years in prison for ‘‘enemy 

propaganda and resistance’’ in July 2022, evidence that 

the Cuban Government continues to employ retaliatory 

tactics to silence and jail journalists, or force them into 

exile, to maintain its oppressive censorship regime; 

Whereas assaults on press freedom in El Salvador imperil its 

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nalists by political leaders and the use of state power to 

intimidate and pressure independent media, such as— 

(1) the spyware attacks by the Salvadoran Government against journalists of the media outlet El Faro, who 

were subject to 226 illegal wire tappings between June 

2020 and November 2021, and where many of these attacks occurred when the journalists were communicating 

with confidential sources and reporting on abuses by the 

Salvadoran Government, and which intensified around El 

Faro’s publication of major stories; 

(2) the ongoing criminal investigation against that 

same outlet, which investigation was launched after El 

Faro reported damaging information about the Salvadoran Government, and the relentless harassment by Salvadoran law enforcement toward El Faro journalists, 

which led the media outlet to relocate most of its operations to Costa Rica following harassment by Salvadoran 

police; 

(3) the online attacks and threats to journalists 

from the outlet Revista Factum, which has been banned 

from press conferences at the Presidential residence; and 

(4) the adoption of a new law that imposes prison 

sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years for certain reporting on criminal groups, such as gangs; 

Whereas Mexico continues to be one of the world’s deadliest 

countries for journalists, where 25 journalists are currently counted as missing, according to Mexico’s National 

Human Rights Commission, and where CPJ has recorded 

88 killings of journalists and media workers since 2012, 

of which 37 were murdered in response to their reportage, and where reporters covering stories concerning political corruption and organized crime are frequently assaulted and murdered; 


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Whereas Haiti is now the second deadliest country in the 

Western Hemisphere for journalists, with 7 journalist 

deaths since 2022 following a steady uptick of violence in 

the country, including violence against the press, as the 

country’s security situation continues to deteriorate following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel 

Moı ̈se, with violence claiming the lives of— 

(1) Garry Tesse, a Haitian radio reporter who reported on political and government corruption and was 

believed to be tortured and killed in retaliation for his reporting; and 

(2) Dumesky Kersaint, a journalist for an online 

news outlet who was killed while attempting to cover another killing in his community; 

Whereas, in Nicaragua, the persecution of journalists by the 

Ortega regime continues unabated, including through 

forced closures of independent media outlets, and journalists in the country are continually threatened, harassed, 

sued, surveilled, jailed, and forced into exile, including— 

(1) Miguel Mendoza, who along with 6 other journalists and media workers, was among the group of 222 political prisoners released by Nicaraguan authorities in 

February 2023, sent to the United States, and subsequently stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship; and 

(2) journalist Victor Ticay, who was arrested in 

April 2023 in connection to his April 5, 2023, reporting 

about a Catholic Easter celebration; 

Whereas, in Guatemala, RSF has noted the risk of the criminalization of journalism in Guatemala as Government officials and politicians routinely harass and target journalists who investigate corruption, press freedom is facing 

an alarming assault, and journalists are not only being 


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criminalized and imprisoned but are also relentlessly targeted for their reporting, enduring online and offline harassment, intimidation, and physical assaults, including 

the arrest of Jose ́ Rube ́n Zamora, a prize-winning journalist whose trial has been widely criticized by international observers as arbitrary and politically motivated, 

who was convicted of ‘‘money laundering’’ allegations in 

July 2022, sentenced to 6 years in prison, and remains 

behind bars despite the October 13, 2023, ruling by a 

Guatemalan court that overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial in Zamora’s case, which continues to face 

delays; 

Whereas, in Peru, criminal defamation lawsuits, legislation, 

and restrictive accreditation schemes for journalists that 

undermine freedom of expression have been used to harass and silence investigative journalists who write about 

prominent political figures, and the unlawful state repression of protesters has also increased the risk to journalists covering ongoing social unrest in Peru, as corroborated by the woundings of several journalists by rubber 

pellets and tear gas canisters in police and military operations throughout 2022 and 2023 that have been condemned by international organizations as violating international standards on the use of force; 

Whereas, in Ecuador, a group of presumed gang members 

stormed a local news station in Guayaquil on January 9, 

2024, during a live broadcast, which evinces the country’s 

worsening security condition amid organized crime activity that has forced at least 5 journalists to leave Ecuador 

between April and October 2023, according to CPJ; 

Whereas, in Venezuela, the Maduro regime continues to target independent media outlets, restrict the exercise of 


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•HRES 1192 IH 

freedom of expression, and severely limit access to accurate information, with local civil society organization 

Public Space (Espacio Pu ́blico) registering 349 attacks 

on journalists and media workers between January and 

November 2023, including censorship, verbal attacks, and 

intimidation; 

Whereas press freedom continues to face challenges in subSaharan Africa, including in— 

(1) Ethiopia, the second-worst jailer of journalists in 

sub-Saharan Africa, where a crackdown on the press has 

included— 

(A) an entrenched pattern of arbitrarily detaining journalists; with at least 8 journalists behind 

bars as of December 2023, according to CPJ; 

(B) significant due process and fair trial concerns in the cases of detained journalists, such as in 

May 2023, when online journalist Gobeze Sisay was 

arrested in neighboring Djibouti and transferred to 

Ethiopia under unclear circumstances; 

(C) the detention of journalists arrested under 

state of emergency provisions at a military camp in 

eastern Ethiopia without judicial oversight or access 

to family and legal counsel; 

(D) the use of internet disruptions during political tension or in restive parts of the country, including the Oromia and Amhara regions, making it difficult for journalists to report safely and freely; 

(E) the failure to provide a credible accounting 

for the 2021 killings of journalists Dawit Kebede 

Araya and Sisay Fida; 

(F) the consistent persecution of media trying 

to cover the conflict and violence in the Oromia and 

Amhara regions, including the detention of at least 


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6 journalists as of March 27, 2024, who were reporting on events in Amhara; and 

(G) the forced exile and deportation of independent journalists; 

(2) Nigeria, where journalists have been repeatedly 

detained and charged for their work, including— 

(A) Luka Binniyat, who was arrested in November 2021, released on bail in February 2022, 

and is facing 3 years in prison if convicted of sending false information under the Cybercrimes Act; 

(B) Agba Jalingo, publisher of the 

CrossRiverWatch news site, who was arrested on 

March 27, 2023, charged under the Cybercrimes Act 

for allegedly publishing false news, and released on 

bail on April 3, 2023; 

(C) Haruna Mohammed Salisu, publisher of the 

WikkiTimes, who was arrested while covering the 

February 25, 2023, Federal elections, charged under 

the penal code with inciting the public to disturb the 

Bauchi State Governor, and released on bail on 

March 1, 2023, and who faces ongoing prosecution 

in that case and several others; and 

(D) Saint Mienpamo Onitsha, founder of the 

online broadcaster NAIJA Live TV, who was arrested on October 10, 2023, at gunpoint at the home 

of a friend, charged under the Cybercrime Act over 

a report about tensions in the southern Niger Delta 

region, and released on bail after nearly four months 

in jail; 

(3) Eritrea, which is one of the world’s most 

censored countries, and where at least 16 journalists, including editors Dawit Isaak and Amanuel Asrat, are detained, with most of these detentions commencing during 


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a 2001 crackdown on the independent press, according to 

CPJ; 

(4) Cameroon, where— 

(A) 6 journalists were imprisoned as of December 2023, according to CPJ; 

(B) at least 2 journalists have died in government custody under suspicious circumstances since 

2010; and 

(C) journalist Martinez Zogo was abducted, tortured, and killed in January 2023; and journalist 

Jean-Jacques Ola Bebe was killed in February 

2023, with no police investigation into his murder; 

(5) Rwanda, where the media landscape is heavily 

restricted by censorship and authoritarianism, and 

where— 

(A) at least 4 journalists were imprisoned as of 

December 1, 2023, according to CPJ, 2 of whom, 

YouTubers Aimbale Karasira Uzaramba and 

Dieudonne ́ Niyonsenga, have alleged torture in state 

custody; and 

(B) journalist John Williams Ntwali, who, after 

reporting on cases of torture, disappearances, and 

forced government evictions, was killed in January 

2023 under suspicious circumstances, and whose 

death has never been credibly investigated; 

(6) Burundi, where journalist Floriane Irangabiye is 

serving a 10-year prison sentence, following a January 

2023 conviction in connection to her critical commentary 

on governance issues in the country; 

(7) Mali and Burkina Faso, where foreign journalists have been expelled in the aftermath of coups d’etat 

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•HRES 1192 IH 

lets have been banned, and local journalists work under 

threat of reprisal for reporting on security issues; 

(8) Niger, where journalist Samira Sabou was detained for 11 days in October 2023 and charged with 

cybercrime and treason in connection with her reporting; 

(9) Senegal, where journalists have been repeatedly 

arrested and prosecuted for their work, attacked by security forces, and struggled amid internet shutdowns; 

(10) Togo, where journalists have faced arrests and 

prosecutions for their work, as well as other forms of intimidation, including spyware surveillance; and 

(11) Zimbabwe, where journalists have been banned 

from covering government meetings, and the legal framework remains harsh; 

Whereas, in Hungary, the Parliament in December 2023 

passed a Russian-inspired national sovereignty law that 

created a ‘‘Sovereignty Protection Authority’’, an institution with the publicly declared objectives of targeting 

journalists and identifying individuals and organizations 

that receive foreign funding and which the Authority suspects undermine the country’s national sovereignty, objectives that local media outlets have warned will empower the Authority with the ability to stifle independent 

journalism supported by overseas donors; 

Whereas, in Serbia, journalists suffer regular online harassment, smear campaigns, and physical attacks, and the 

1999 killing of journalist Slavko C ́uruvija remains 

unpunished after those formerly convicted for the murder 

were acquitted; 

Whereas, in Slovakia, more than 6 years after the brutal killing of investigative reporter Ja ́n Kuciak and his fiance ́e 

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•HRES 1192 IH 

mediaries receiving lengthy prison sentences, authorities 

have been so far unable to convict the alleged mastermind; 

Whereas, in Greece, authorities have 2 unresolved murders of 

journalists, and journalists have in recent years been targeted by surveillance, abusive lawsuits, and have experienced physical attacks; 

Whereas, in Turkey, the Erdogan government maintains one 

of the world’s most repressive environments for journalists and continues its ‘‘revolving door’’ policy on detaining journalists, with at least 13 journalists jailed in retaliation for their professional work at the time of CPJ’s 

most recent prison census on December 1, 2023; 

Whereas Hatice Duman, the longest imprisoned journalist in 

Turkey, who has been serving a life sentence on terrorism 

charges since April 9, 2003, told CPJ in November 2022 

that she had little hope for freedom in her retrial, while 

her continuing retrial has not instigated any changes on 

the part of the authorities; 

Whereas, in Azerbaijan, the Government of Ilham Aliyev, who 

secured a fifth term in an uncompetitive early Presidential election in February 2024, mounted a renewed 

assault on independent media in recent months by detaining 10 journalists from outlets Abzas Media, Kanal 

13 and Toplum TV: Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, 

Mahammad Kekalov, Hafiz Babali, Elnara Gasimova, 

Nargiz Absalamova, Aziz Orujov, Shamo Eminov, 

Alasgar Mammadli, and Mushfig Jabbar, constituting a 

crackdown on journalists that was in part retaliation for 

their reporting on official corruption; 


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Whereas, in Tajikistan, the Government continued its systematic repression of the free press in 2022 and 2023 by 

sentencing 7 journalists to lengthy prison terms on spurious charges in secretive, closed-door trials held in detention centers amid allegations of torture and forced 

confessions, including— 

(1) Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, a 67-year-old ethnic 

Pamiri journalist and human rights defender, who was 

sentenced to 20 years in prison; and 

(2) journalists Daler Imomali, Abdullo Ghurbati, 

Zavqibek Saidamini, Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, and 

Khurshed Fozilov, who were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 7 to 10 years on spurious 

charges of extremism; 

Whereas, in Kyrgyzstan, since the start of 2022, the Government has taken worrying steps to dismantle the country’s 

previously vibrant press environment, including by— 

(1) detaining 11 current and former staff of the investigative reporting outlet Temirov Live, who have reported on corruption allegations among high-level government officials, since January 2024; 

(2) imposing spurious charges of illegal drug manufacture on Kyrgyzstan-born investigative journalist Bolot 

Temirov, founder of Temirov Live, and deporting him to 

the Russian Federation in retaliation for his reporting on 

corruption in the Government’s procurement processes; 

(3) shuttering and blocking investigative outlet 

Kloop, known for its reporting on high-level government 

corruption; 

(4) enacting the so-called ‘‘Foreign representatives’’ 

legislation that will establish extensive state control over 

externally funded press freedom groups and nongovernmental organizations that run prominent news sites; and 


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(5) raiding independent news agency 24.kg on fabricated charges; 

Whereas, in Algeria, press freedom continued to deteriorate 

at an alarming pace in 2023, with 3 journalists in jail 

as of December 2023, according to CPJ, 2 of whom are 

the country’s most prominent journalists, including— 

(1) Mustapha Bendjama, editor-in-chief and director 

of local independent news website Le Provincial, who was 

arrested on February 8, 2023, on foreign funding 

charges and is currently serving a 6-month prison sentence for ‘‘committing an illegal immigration crime’’; and 

(2) Ihsane El Kadi, editor-in-chief of local independent news website Maghreb Emergent and Radio M, 

who was arrested in December 2022, and is serving a 7- 

year prison sentence on charges of receiving foreign funding for the news outlet he manages; 

Whereas, in Tunisia, press freedom has gravely deteriorated 

following President Kais Saied’s dismissal of the prime 

minister on July 25, 2021, and his concomitant suspension of Parliament, in addition to his Government’s imprisonment of journalists in 2023, according to CPJ, 

which evince a national context in which the Government 

has broadly suppressed press freedom in the country, including— 

(1) raiding multiple local and foreign media outlets 

and news organizations, and security officers, in several 

cases, confiscating the organizations’ broadcasting equipment and ordering their offices to close, notably the office 

of Al Jazeera; and 

(2) approving a new constitution that is devoid of 

necessary protections for journalists to pursue their work 

without fear of censorship and repression; 


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•HRES 1192 IH 

Whereas United States journalists have been targeted 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 7 years; 

(2) Austin Tice, who was kidnapped 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) Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia 

on charges of espionage on March 29, 2023; and 

(5) Alsu Kurmasheva, who holds dual United StatesRussian citizenship, who was arrested on October 18, 

2023, in Russia on charges of failure to register as a foreign agent; 

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, the Office of 

Cuba Broadcasting, and the Middle East Broadcasting 

Networks— 

(1) which report and broadcast news, information, 

and analysis in critical regions around the world; 

(2) whose journalists regularly face harassment, 

fines, and imprisonment for their work; and 

(3) whose journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been in 

Russian detention since October 18, 2023, on antistate 

false news charges; and 

Whereas press freedom— 


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•HRES 1192 IH 

(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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) declares that a free press— 

3 (A) is a central component of free societies 

4 and democratic governance; 

5 (B) contributes to an informed civil society 

6 and government accountability; 

7 (C) helps to expose corruption; 

8 (D) enhances public accountability and 

9 transparency of governments at all levels; and 

10 (E) disseminates information that is essen11 tial to improving public health and safety; 

12 (2) expresses concerns about threats to the ex13 ercise of freedom of expression, including by the 

14 press, around the world; 

15 (3) recognizes and commends journalism’s role 

16 in providing trusted, accurate, and timely informa17 tion and in holding governments, leaders accountable 

18 to citizens; 

19 (4) recognizes the indispensable role of journal20 ists and media outlets in informing voters and the 


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•HRES 1192 IH 

1 international community about elections in multiple 

2 countries worldwide in 2024; 

3 (5) is dismayed that, under cover of the 

4 COVID–19 pandemic, many governments have re5 stricted the work of journalists reporting on the pub6 lic health crisis and on peaceful protests on a variety 

7 of issues; 

8 (6) pays tribute to journalists who made tre9 mendous sacrifices, including the loss of their lives, 

10 in the pursuit of truth and justice; 

11 (7) condemns all actions around the world that 

12 suppress press freedom and endanger the safety of 

13 journalists; 

14 (8) calls for the unconditional and immediate 

15 release of all wrongfully detained journalists; 

16 (9) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to 

17 efforts of the United States Government to support 

18 democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good gov19 ernance domestically and around the world; and 

20 (10) calls upon the President and the Secretary 

21 of State— 

22 (A) to preserve and build upon the leader23 ship of the United States on issues relating to 

24 press freedom, on the basis of the protections 

25 for freedom of the press afforded the United 


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•HRES 1192 IH 

1 States people under the First Amendment to 

2 the Constitution; 

3 (B) to transparently investigate and bring 

4 to justice the perpetrators of attacks against 

5 journalists; and 

6 (C) to promote the respect and protection 

7 of press freedom around the world. 

Æ 


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