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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 736 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 736

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that legal action 
 in Afghanistan against citizens who have already converted or plan to 
          convert to other religions is deplorable and unjust.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 28, 2006

  Mr. Pence (for himself, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Lantos, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. 
   Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Andrews, and Mr. 
Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania) submitted the following resolution; which 
        was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that legal action 
 in Afghanistan against citizens who have already converted or plan to 
          convert to other religions is deplorable and unjust.

Whereas the United States, at great cost in blood and treasure, helped the 
        people of Afghanistan liberate themselves from the tyranny of the 
        Taliban and adopt free institutions and practices, including respect for 
        rule of law and internationally recognized human rights;
Whereas the preamble of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 
        affirms that the people of Afghanistan are ``for creation of a civil 
        society free of oppression, atrocity, discrimination, and violence and 
        based on the rule of law, social justice, protection of human rights, 
        and dignity, and ensuring the fundamental rights and freedoms of the 
        people'';
Whereas Article 7 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 
        provides that ``the state shall observe the United Nations Charter, 
        inter-state agreements, as well as international treaties to which 
        Afghanistan has joined, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,'' 
        which includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion 
        and the freedom to change one's religion or belief;
Whereas Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 
        to which Afghanistan has acceded, provides that ``[e]veryone shall have 
        the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion . . . [t]his 
        right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of 
        his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others 
        and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, 
        observance, practice and teaching''; and
Whereas the President of the United States has expressed his concern about the 
        Abdul Rahman apostasy case, stating that ``[i]t is deeply troubling that 
        a country we helped liberate would hold a person to account, because 
        they chose a particular religion over another'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the 
        enforcement of laws against apostasy;
            (2) requests the President to continue to work with the 
        Government of Afghanistan to establish better protections for 
        religious minorities, including converts to minority religions, 
        and to enhance human rights protections in Afghanistan; and
            (3) calls upon the Government of Afghanistan, and 
        especially President Hamid Karzai, to continue to conform 
        Afghan laws to Afghanistan's international human rights treaty 
        obligations, thereby protecting Afghan citizens who have 
        converted or plan to convert to other religions from 
        prosecution.
                                 <all>
```