I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7175 

To protect individuals who face reprisals for defending human rights and 

democracy by enhancing the capacity of the United States Government 

to prevent, mitigate, and respond in such cases, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 31, 2024 

Mr. MCGOVERN (for himself, Mr. RASKIN, Mrs. TORRES of California, Ms. 

OMAR, and Mr. CROW) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 

on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To protect individuals who face reprisals for defending 

human rights and democracy by enhancing the capacity 

of the United States Government to prevent, mitigate, 

and respond in such cases, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Human Rights Defend5 ers Protection Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Around the world, human rights defenders 

4 form the backbone of democratic societies and move5 ments, advocating for human rights and political 

6 freedoms, protecting the environment, fighting cor7 ruption, and supporting good governance, inde8 pendent media, and labor rights. 

9 (2) Reprisals against human rights defenders 

10 are on the rise as autocratic and illiberal regimes in11 creasingly target human rights defenders with fab12 ricated legal charges, threats and violence for exer13 cising civil, political, economic, social, and cultural 

14 rights, often collaborating with transnational crimi15 nal organizations, paramilitary groups, private sector 

16 actors, and others to carry out such reprisals. 

17 (3) According to the United Nations High Com18 missioner for Human Rights, every year hundreds of 

19 human rights defenders are murdered and thousands 

20 more are subjected to torture, enforced disappear21 ance, sexual violence, hate crimes, unlawful or arbi22 trary detention, judicial harassment, unlawful or ar23 bitrary digital surveillance, and forced exile. 

24 (4) The lack of accountability for attacks on 

25 human rights defenders engenders further violence 


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1 and leaves human rights defenders hesitant or un2 able to continue their work out of fear of retaliation. 

3 (5) Foreign governments are no longer oppress4 ing only individuals within the borders of their coun5 tries and are increasingly resorting to transnational 

6 repression tactics, both digital and physical, to tar7 get human rights defenders outside of their coun8 tries of origin, often where such human rights de9 fenders are seeking asylum or temporary refuge. 

10 (6) Human rights defenders facing the highest 

11 levels of violence include individuals advocating for 

12 land rights and environmental issues, Indigenous 

13 communities, the freedoms of expression, assembly, 

14 and association, minority communities, and 

15 LGBTQI+, women’s, youth, and religious rights. 

16 (7) Environmental human rights defenders are 

17 vulnerable to reprisals because such human rights 

18 defenders pose challenges to financial interests and 

19 often live in remote areas where government over20 sight is weak and powerful actors can use corrupt 

21 practices and brute force to seize resources with im22 punity. 

23 (8) Women human rights defenders often face 

24 additional grave risks, including gender-based vio25 lence, reprisals against their children, use of digital 


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1 disinformation campaigns against them, and stig2 matization from their families, workplaces, and com3 munities. 

4 (9) Many human rights defenders who have 

5 been forced into exile desire to continue their advo6 cacy from abroad, yet such human rights defenders 

7 lack the legal protections and support they need to 

8 continue such advocacy. 

9 (10) The United States has a strong legacy of 

10 supporting human rights defenders. Given the rising 

11 number of human rights defenders at risk, the 

12 United States should elevate and enhance such sup13 port, especially at embassies, consulates, and foreign 

14 missions of the United States. 

15 (11) The training and guidance for individuals 

16 and organizations working with the United States 

17 Government, including members of the Foreign 

18 Service, on recognizing and responding to reprisals 

19 against human rights defenders is insufficient, lead20 ing to ad hoc and inconsistent responses, while 

21 human rights defenders who are at risk are fre22 quently unaware of how to safely work with United 

23 States officials abroad and the resources that are 

24 available to human rights defenders. 


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1 (12) The United States has neither a coherent 

2 strategy to strengthen protections for human rights 

3 defenders, nor adequate measures to prevent and re4 spond to cases in which members of foreign security 

5 forces, law enforcement, judicial institutions, crimi6 nal groups, or private companies contribute to at7 tacks on human rights defenders. The United States 

8 also lacks adequate consular resources and authori9 ties to facilitate temporary evacuation of human 

10 rights defenders facing immediate lethal danger. 

11 (13) While the United States possesses multiple 

12 tools to hold perpetrators of reprisals accountable, 

13 including sanctions, export controls, visa restrictions, 

14 and diplomatic pressure, the United States deploys 

15 such tools unevenly and without clear connections to 

16 a broader strategic framework to strengthen protec17 tions for human rights defenders. 

18 (14) Given the dramatic increase in attacks on 

19 human rights defenders globally, the current ap20 proach by the United States Government to address 

21 such attacks is insufficient to adequately respond to 

22 the threats human rights defenders face, weakening 

23 the ability of the United States to advance human 

24 rights and democratic principles, respond to the cliVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:35 Feb 06, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7175.IH H7175

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1 mate crisis, counter corruption, and combat 

2 transnational crime. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act— 

5 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT6 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com7 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations 

8 of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

9 of the House of Representatives. 

10 (2) DEMOCRACY ADVOCATE AT RISK.—The 

11 term ‘‘democracy advocate at risk’’ means a human 

12 rights defender or other individual engaging in 

13 peaceful democratic advocacy or political protest who 

14 participates in the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fel15 lows Program. 

16 (3) HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘human 

18 rights defender’’ means an individual, working 

19 alone or in a group, who uses nonviolent means 

20 to promote or protect human rights and funda21 mental freedoms, in a manner consistent with 

22 the principles described in the United Nations 

23 Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. 

24 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘human 

25 rights defender’’ may include members of civil 


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1 society organizations, journalists, activists, law2 yers, community leaders, land and environ3 mental defenders, labor leaders and activists, 

4 anti-corruption activists, whistleblowers, polit5 ical prisoners, members of opposition political 

6 parties, and any other individual engaging in 

7 peaceful advocacy, actions, or political protest. 

8 (4) REPRISAL.—The term ‘‘reprisal’’ means an 

9 act or omission that— 

10 (A) violates, intends to violate, or encour11 ages a violation of the rights of a human rights 

12 defender; or 

13 (B) otherwise prevents a human rights de14 fender from carrying out his or her work. 

15 (5) UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON HUMAN

16 RIGHTS DEFENDERS.—The term ‘‘United Nations 

17 Declaration on Human Rights Defenders’’ means 

18 the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of 

19 Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Pro20 mote and Protect Universally Recognized Human 

21 Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (United Nations 

22 General Assembly Resolution 53/144 (1998)), adopt23 ed by the United Nations General Assembly on De24 cember 9, 1998. 


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1 SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 It shall be the policy of the United States— 

3 (1) to reaffirm the commitment of the United 

4 States to— 

5 (A) the Universal Declaration of Human 

6 Rights, adopted by the United Nations on De7 cember 10, 1948; 

8 (B) the United Nations Declaration on 

9 Human Rights Defenders; and 

10 (C) human rights defenders, who, often at 

11 great risk to themselves, work nonviolently to 

12 protect and advance human rights and demo13 cratic principles; 

14 (2) to integrate support for human rights de15 fenders and democracy advocates and their protec16 tion from reprisals as part of bilateral and multilat17 eral diplomatic, development, defense, economic, law 

18 enforcement, security assistance, export control, cli19 mate, and anti-corruption activities of the United 

20 States; 

21 (3) to engage with the private sector to respect, 

22 support, and, when possible, protect human rights 

23 defenders and prevent human rights violations 

24 throughout business operations, investments, and 

25 supply chains in accordance with the Guiding Prin26 ciples on Business and Human Rights published by 


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1 the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 

2 Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational 

3 Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct; 

4 (4) to work in solidarity with front-line human 

5 rights defenders and democracy advocates to inte6 grate prevention, mitigation, and response measures 

7 into development and foreign assistance activities to 

8 strengthen physical and digital safety, well-being, 

9 protection measures, and the resiliency of local orga10 nizations in the country of concern; 

11 (5) to assist human rights defenders and their 

12 immediate family members living in exile so they can 

13 safely continue their work, free from threats or acts 

14 of transnational repression; 

15 (6) to end impunity for reprisals against human 

16 rights defenders by strengthening accountability for 

17 perpetrators, including through appropriate inves18 tigations and prosecutions, exercise of sanctions au19 thorities such as the Global Magnitsky Human 

20 Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.), 

21 and support for other mechanisms and measures; 

22 (7) to strengthen access to justice and provide 

23 legal representation for human rights defenders; 


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1 (8) to affirm that support for human rights de2 fenders and their protection from reprisals is central 

3 to the policy interests of the United States; and 

4 (9) to coordinate assistance strategies and di5 rect assistance for human rights defenders with bi6 lateral partners, non-governmental foundations and 

7 charities, and other advocates and service providers. 

8 SEC. 5. GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DEFEND9 ERS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act, and once every 3 years 

12 thereafter, the President, in consultation with the heads 

13 of relevant Federal agencies, shall develop and submit to 

14 the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive 

15 interagency strategy to support and protect human rights 

16 defenders abroad to be known as the Global Human 

17 Rights Defenders Strategy (referred to in this section as 

18 the ‘‘Strategy’’). 

19 (b) ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY.—The Strategy 

20 shall include detailed information on the following ele21 ments: 

22 (1) An assessment of tools and resources avail23 able at United States embassies and missions to 

24 support human rights defenders, including— 


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1 (A) measures to monitor and respond to 

2 reprisals against human rights defenders, in3 cluding human rights defenders located outside 

4 of their country, and their immediate family 

5 members; and 

6 (B) information on implementation of the 

7 training required by subparagraph (E) of sec8 tion 708(a)(1) of the Foreign Service Act of 

9 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028(a)(1)), as added by sec10 tion 8. 

11 (2) Bolstering the ability of United States em12 bassies and missions to prioritize the protection of 

13 human rights defenders, including— 

14 (A) ensuring the policy objectives described 

15 in section 4 are addressed in each country-spe16 cific Integrated Country Strategy of the De17 partment of State; 

18 (B) developing guidance for United States 

19 embassies and missions on assessing when and 

20 how to prevent and respond to reprisals against 

21 human rights defenders, including in countries 

22 that host human rights defenders in exile; 

23 (C) identifying a designated point of con24 tact at each United States embassy or mission 

25 who— 


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1 (i) reports directly to the chief of mis2 sion; and 

3 (ii) shall be responsible for— 

4 (I) conducting regular consulta5 tions with human rights defenders, in6 cluding individuals based outside of 

7 major urban areas, individuals who 

8 are not members of registered civil so9 ciety organizations, and individuals in 

10 exile, consistent with measures to en11 sure the protection of such individ12 uals; 

13 (II) tracking patterns of reprisals 

14 and managing responses to reprisals, 

15 including by assessing the impact of 

16 such responses; and 

17 (III) immediately notifying the 

18 chief of mission, the head of the rel19 evant regional bureau of the Depart20 ment of State and the United States 

21 Agency for International Develop22 ment, the Director of the Bureau of 

23 Democracy, Human Rights, and 

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1 racy, Human Rights, and Governance 

2 in the event of any imminent threat to 

3 the life or grave threat to the personal 

4 safety of a human rights defender; 

5 (D) publishing guidelines in local lan6 guages on the website of each United States 

7 embassy and mission on how to reach relevant 

8 embassy points of contact; 

9 (E) integrating consideration of reprisals 

10 against human rights defenders into engage11 ments by United States embassies and missions 

12 with the private sector, and foreign govern13 ments; 

14 (F) including requests for any additional 

15 resources needed to engage with and support 

16 human rights defenders in annual Mission Re17 source Requests; 

18 (G) acknowledging and rewarding efforts 

19 by United States diplomatic personnel, includ20 ing Foreign Service officers from the United 

21 States Agency for International Development 

22 and the Department of State, to protect human 

23 rights defenders as part of annual performance 

24 reviews; 


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1 (H) strengthening the efforts of host coun2 tries to bolster human rights, protect human 

3 rights defenders, and prevent human rights 

4 abuses and violations; and 

5 (I) identifying additional authorities or ca6 pabilities that need to be developed to address 

7 the growing threats facing human rights de8 fenders. 

9 (3) Seeking to reduce impunity for reprisals 

10 against human rights defenders by strengthening ac11 countability for perpetrators, including— 

12 (A) using diplomatic engagement to en13 courage foreign governments to investigate and 

14 prosecute persons who order, plan, and carry 

15 out reprisals; 

16 (B) using diplomatic engagement to re17 spond to patterns of non-lethal reprisals that 

18 have an adverse impact on civic space, including 

19 the criminalization of nonviolent advocacy, 

20 smear campaigns, and illegal surveillance; and 

21 (C) increasing support for multilateral ini22 tiatives that seek to curb the misuse of tech23 nologies by foreign governments to monitor, 

24 harass, or threaten human rights defenders and 

25 their families. 


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1 (4) How the United States intends to imple2 ment the policy objectives under section 4, includ3 ing— 

4 (A) specific and measurable goals; 

5 (B) metrics to measure progress against 

6 such goals; and 

7 (C) a timeline for implementation. 

8 (c) IMPLEMENTATION.—In implementing the Strat9 egy, the President shall— 

10 (1) designate an employee of the National Secu11 rity Council to be responsible for the coordination of 

12 the interagency process for implementing the Strat13 egy; 

14 (2) require each relevant Federal agency to pro15 vide a specific implementation plan for the Strategy; 

16 and 

17 (3) regularly consult with relevant human 

18 rights defenders and civil society organizations both 

19 in the United States and abroad on the design and 

20 implementation of the Strategy. 

21 (d) FORM AND AVAILABILITY.— 

22 (1) FORM.—The Strategy shall be submitted in 

23 unclassified form, but may include a classified 

24 annex, if necessary. 


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1 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days prior to 

2 publication of the Strategy in accordance with para3 graph (3), the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, 

4 Democracy, and Human Rights, in consultation with 

5 the Assistant to the Administrator for Democracy, 

6 Human Rights, and Governance, shall brief the ap7 propriate congressional committees on the Strategy. 

8 (3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassified 

9 portion of the Strategy shall be made available to 

10 the public, including through publication in the Fed11 eral Register. 

12 SEC. 6. NONIMMIGRANT VISAS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DE13 FENDERS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 101(a) of the Immigra15 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (15)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (U)(iii), by striking ‘‘; 

18 or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

19 (B) in subparagraph (V)(ii)(II), by striking 

20 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(W)(i) subject to section 214(t), an alien 

23 who— 

24 ‘‘(I) demonstrates a credible fear of 

25 an urgent threat to his or her physical 


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1 safety by a state or nonstate actor in the 

2 alien’s country of nationality or last habit3 ual residence based on the nature of the 

4 alien’s work as a human rights defender, 

5 including formal and informal employment 

6 and volunteer activities; and 

7 ‘‘(II) has not advocated violence or 

8 terrorism; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) the children and spouse or part10 ner of the alien described in clause (i) if 

11 accompanying, or following to join, such 

12 alien.’’; and 

13 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(53) The term ‘urgent threat’, with respect to 

15 an individual described in paragraph (15)(W)(i)(I), 

16 means any action, communication, or threat made 

17 against the individual that causes or has the intent 

18 to cause physical, legal, financial, psychological, or 

19 reputational harm.’’. 

20 (b) APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION.—Section 214 of 

21 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184) is 

22 amended by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(t)(1) In the case of a nonimmigrant described in 

24 section 101(a)(15)(W)— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the Secretary of State shall issue a visa 

2 that is valid for 1 or more admissions to the United 

3 States during a 3-year period; and 

4 ‘‘(B) the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 

5 authorize the alien to engage in employment in the 

6 United States during the period of authorized ad7 mission and shall provide the alien with an ‘employ8 ment authorized’ endorsement or other appropriate 

9 document signifying authorizing employment. 

10 ‘‘(2) In determining whether an alien is eligible 

11 to be admitted to the United States as a non12 immigrant under section 101(a)(15)(W)(i)— 

13 ‘‘(A) a foreign service officer, outside of 

14 consular services, including political and eco15 nomic officers and officers of the United States 

16 Agency for International Development, located 

17 at the United States Embassy in the country 

18 concerned, an official in the Bureau for Democ19 racy, Human Rights and Labor, or an official 

20 of Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and 

21 Governance, may submit a visa referral for the 

22 alien to the United States consulate in the 

23 country concerned; 


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1 ‘‘(B) a consular officer, located at the 

2 United States Embassy or consulate in the 

3 country concerned— 

4 ‘‘(i) shall conduct an interview of the 

5 alien not later than 72 hours after the 

6 alien submits an application for admission 

7 as a nonimmigrant under that section; 

8 ‘‘(ii) shall make a determination with 

9 respect to whether the alien’s fear of an 

10 urgent threat is credible within the context 

11 of such country; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) shall consult with and seek ref13 erences from relevant national or inter14 national human rights organizations or the 

15 United Nations with respect to the alien, 

16 including references suggested by the alien 

17 and the referring human rights officer; and 

18 ‘‘(C) the Bureau of Consular Affairs shall 

19 carry out all security screening through the ap20 propriate databases. 

21 ‘‘(3) An unmarried alien who seeks to accom22 pany or follow to join a parent granted status under 

23 section 101(a)(15)(W)(i), and who was under 21 

24 years of age on the date on which such parent ap25 plied for such status, shall continue to be classified 


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1 as a child for purposes of section 101(a)(15)(W)(ii), 

2 if the alien attains 21 years of age after such par3 ent’s application was filed, but while it was pending. 

4 ‘‘(4)(A) The number of aliens who may be 

5 issued visas or otherwise provided status as non6 immigrants under section 101(a) (15)(W) in any fis7 cal year shall not exceed 500. 

8 ‘‘(B) The numerical limitation in subparagraph 

9 (A) shall only apply to principal aliens described in 

10 section 101(a)(15)(W)(i) and not to the children or 

11 spouses or partners of such aliens.’’. 

12 SEC. 7. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICERS. 

13 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con14 gress that the Secretary of State should— 

15 (1) increase the number of Foreign Service offi16 cer positions dedicated to democracy and human 

17 rights graded at mid-level rank levels and posted to 

18 missions in countries facing complex democracy and 

19 human rights crises, including countries facing high 

20 levels of violence against human rights defenders; 

21 and 

22 (2) increase the number of democracy, human 

23 rights, and labor positions graded at mid-level rank 

24 levels at overseas posts, incorporating recommenda25 tions from the Director of the Bureau of Democracy, 


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1 Human Rights, and Labor regarding scope of work 

2 and the location of posts. 

3 (b) RECLASSIFICATION TO MID-LEVEL.— 

4 (1) RECOMMENDATION.—Not later than 90 

5 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

6 Secretary of State shall submit a recommendation to 

7 the appropriate congressional committees to reclas8 sify not less than 10 human rights officers to the 

9 FS–3, –2, or –1 level. 

10 (2) RECLASSIFICATION.—Not later than 270 

11 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, not 

12 less than 10 human rights officers shall be reclassi13 fied in accordance with this section. 

14 (c) INCREASED HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICERS AT

15 POSTS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec18 retary shall increase the number of personnel who 

19 are responsible for democracy and human rights 

20 issues, with the goal of having at least one officer 

21 dedicated to democracy and human rights at every 

22 mission. 

23 (2) RESPONSIBILITY.—The Bureau of Democ24 racy, Human Rights, and Labor shall lead selection 


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1 and placement of such officers at diplomatic mis2 sions, consulting with regional bureaus. 

3 (d) DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE TRAINING.—De4 mocracy, human rights, and governance should be a core 

5 competency course for foreign service officers at each level 

6 of required training, including those at the entry (A–100), 

7 mid, and Senior Foreign Service levels. 

8 SEC. 8. PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AT MUL9 TILATERAL AND REGIONAL BODIES. 

10 The Secretary of State and the United States Perma11 nent Representative to the United Nations shall use the 

12 voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the 

13 United Nations, international financial institutions, re14 gional bodies, and other multilateral bodies— 

15 (1) to promote full participation and oppose ef16 forts that prevent the full participation of human 

17 rights defenders or block the accreditation of bona 

18 fide human rights organizations seeking consultative 

19 status at such institutions and bodies; 

20 (2) to ensure that such institutions and bodies 

21 bolster the protection and safe participation of 

22 human rights defenders who are subject to 

23 transnational repression, state harassment, and re24 prisals; 


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1 (3) to increase monitoring and reporting to 

2 identify and track reprisals against human rights de3 fenders, including human rights defenders who en4 gage with such institutions and bodies; 

5 (4) to urge member states to engage with the 

6 United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation 

7 of human rights defenders (referred to in this sec8 tion as the ‘‘Special Rapporteur’’), to cooperate with 

9 the Special Rapporteur, and to take steps to imple10 ment the recommendations of the Special 

11 Rapporteur; and 

12 (5) to support the use of targeted sanctions, 

13 censure of member states, and all diplomatic tools 

14 available to hold responsible persons that engage in 

15 reprisals against human rights defenders. 

16 SEC. 9. SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES AT-RISK. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Congress— 

18 (1) recognizes the importance of democracy ad19 vocates at risk who support democracy, human 

20 rights, transparency and the rule of law; and 

21 (2) remains gravely concerned about concerted 

22 efforts by state and non-state actors to constrain the 

23 activities of democracy advocates at risk through re24 prisals that are intended to frustrate or halt legiti25 mate activities. 


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1 (b) FELLOWSHIPS FOR DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES AT

2 RISK.—The National Endowment for Democracy is au3 thorized to expand the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows 

4 Program to provide additional fellowships, including in 

5 partnership with other institutions and organizations, to 

6 support democracy advocates at risk. 

7 SEC. 10. ANNUAL COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 

8 PRACTICES. 

9 Section 116(f)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 

10 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(f)(1)) is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub12 paragraph (E); and 

13 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(C) A description of the treatment of 

16 human rights defenders (as defined in section 3 

17 of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act 

18 of 2024) in each foreign country, including pat19 terns of reprisals (as defined in such section) 

20 against human rights defenders residing in21 country, including information on the under22 lying types of activities targeted and the types 

23 of tactics being used and descriptions of specific 

24 cases in which the relevant human rights deVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:35 Feb 06, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7175.IH H7175

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1 fender or family member of such human rights 

2 defender has provided prior consent. 

3 ‘‘(D) When feasible, details on the total 

4 number of investigations opened into reprisals 

5 against human rights defenders, including, for 

6 such reprisals, the number of prosecutions, the 

7 details of the individuals sentenced, and the 

8 percentage of individuals acquitted.’’. 

9 SEC. 11. TRAINING. 

10 Section 708(a)(1) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 

11 (22 U.S.C. 4028(a)(1)) is amended— 

12 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

13 the end; 

14 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 

15 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub17 paragraph: 

18 ‘‘(E) for Foreign Service Officers and 

19 Presidential appointees, including chiefs of mis20 sion, in missions abroad who work on political, 

21 economic, public diplomacy, security, or devel22 opment issues, a dedicated module of instruc23 tion on support for human rights defenders, in24 cluding human rights defenders who are inforVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:35 Feb 06, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7175.IH H7175

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1 mally organized outside of registered civil soci2 ety organizations; and’’. 

3 SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) STRATEGY AND TRAINING.—There is authorized 

5 to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

6 2024 through 2028 to carry out— 

7 (1) the Strategy described in section 5; 

8 (2) reporting requirements described in sub9 sections (C) and (D) of section 116(f)(1) of the For10 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

11 2151n(f)(1)), as added by section 14; and 

12 (3) the training required by section 

13 708(a)(1)(E) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 

14 U.S.C. 4028(a)(1)), as added by section 14. 

15 (b) HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICERS.—There is authorized 

16 to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

17 2024 to 2028 to carry out section 7. 

18 (c) SUPPORT OF DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES AT19 RISK.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Na20 tional Endowment for Democracy $5,000,000 for each of 

21 fiscal years 2024 through 2028 for the Reagan-Fascell 

22 Democracy Fellows Program for additional fellowships for 

23 democracy advocates at risk. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB