I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8329 

To reauthorize and modify the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 8, 2024 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. KEATING, Mr. KEAN of New Jersey, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 

in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and 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 reauthorize and modify the Belarus Democracy Act of 

2004. 

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 ‘‘Belarus Democracy, 

5 Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Section 2 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

3 (Public Law 108–347; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended 

4 to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 ‘‘Congress finds the following: 

7 ‘‘(1) The International Covenant on Civil and 

8 Political Rights, done in New York December 19, 

9 1966, was ratified by Belarus in 1973, guaranteeing 

10 Belarusians the freedom of expression and the free11 dom of association. 

12 ‘‘(2) Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ruled Belarus 

13 as an undemocratic dictatorship since the first presi14 dential election in Belarus in 1994, and subsequent 

15 presidential elections have been neither free nor fair, 

16 failing to meet minimal international electoral stand17 ards. 

18 ‘‘(3) In response to the repression and violence 

19 during the 2006 presidential election, Congress 

20 passed the Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act 

21 of 2006 (Public Law 109–480). 

22 ‘‘(4) In 2006, President George W. Bush issued 

23 Executive Order 13405, titled ‘Blocking Property of 

24 Certain Persons Undermining Democratic Processes 

25 or Institutions in Belarus’, which authorized the imVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Jun 06, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8329.IH H8329

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1 position of sanctions against persons responsible 

2 for— 

3 ‘‘(A) undermining democratic processes in 

4 Belarus; or 

5 ‘‘(B) participating in human rights abuses 

6 related to political repression in Belarus. 

7 ‘‘(5) In March 2011, the Senate unanimously 

8 passed Senate Resolution 105, which— 

9 ‘‘(A) condemned the December 2010 elec10 tion in Belarus as ‘illegitimate, fraudulent, and 

11 not representative of the will or the aspirations 

12 of the voters in Belarus’; and 

13 ‘‘(B) called on the Lukashenka regime ‘to 

14 immediately and unconditionally release all po15 litical prisoners in Belarus who were arrested in 

16 association with the December 19, 2010, elec17 tion’. 

18 ‘‘(6) The Government of Belarus continues to 

19 engage in a pattern of clear and persistent gross vio20 lations of internationally recognized human rights, 

21 and basic principles of democratic governance. 

22 ‘‘(7) The Government of Belarus continues to 

23 subject thousands of pro-democracy political activists 

24 and peaceful protesters to harassment, beatings, and 

25 imprisonment, particularly as a result of their atVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Jun 06, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8329.IH H8329

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1 tempts to peacefully exercise their right to freedom 

2 of assembly and association. 

3 ‘‘(8) The Government of Belarus continues to 

4 suppress independent media and journalists and to 

5 restrict access to the internet, including social media 

6 and other digital communication platforms, in viola7 tion of the right to freedom of speech and expression 

8 of those dissenting from the dictatorship of 

9 Alyaksandr Lukashenka. 

10 ‘‘(9) The Government of Belarus continues a 

11 systematic campaign of harassment, repression, and 

12 closure of nongovernmental organizations, including 

13 independent trade unions and entrepreneurs, cre14 ating a climate of fear that inhibits the development 

15 of civil society and social solidarity. 

16 ‘‘(10) The Government of Belarus has pursued 

17 a policy undermining the country’s sovereignty and 

18 independence by making Belarus’ political, economic, 

19 cultural, and societal interests subservient to those 

20 of Russia. 

21 ‘‘(11) The Government of Belarus continues to 

22 reduce the independence of Belarus through integra23 tion into a so-called ‘Union State’ that is under the 

24 control of Russia. 


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1 ‘‘(12) In advance of the August 2020 presi2 dential elections in Belarus, authorities acting on be3 half of President Lukashenka arrested journalists, 

4 bloggers, political activists, and the leading political 

5 opposition candidates, leading to demonstrations in 

6 support of democracy. 

7 ‘‘(13) On August 9, 2020, the Government of 

8 Belarus conducted a presidential election that was 

9 held under undemocratic conditions, did not meet 

10 international standards, involved government malfea11 sance and serious irregularities with ballot counting 

12 and the reporting of election results, and included 

13 restrictive measures that impeded the work of local 

14 independent observers and did not provide sufficient 

15 notice to the Organization for Security and Coopera16 tion in Europe (OSCE) to allow for the OSCE to 

17 monitor the elections, as is customary. 

18 ‘‘(14) Illegitimate president Alyaksandr 

19 Lukashenka declared a landslide victory in the elec20 tion and claimed to have received more than 80 per21 cent of the votes cast in the election. 

22 ‘‘(15) The leading opposition candidate, 

23 Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, formally disputed the re24 ported results and was detained by government au25 thorities before being forced into exile in Lithuania. 


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1 ‘‘(16) Later in August, 2020, the United States 

2 Deputy Secretary of State, Stephen Biegun, and Eu3 ropean Union High Representative for Foreign and 

4 Security Policy, Josep Borrell, issued statements de5 claring the Belarus elections to be fraudulent and 

6 neither free nor fair. 

7 ‘‘(17) Following the illegitimate election results, 

8 tens of thousands of Belarusian protestors took to 

9 the streets, led predominately by women, resulting in 

10 the largest protest rallies in Belarus’ modern his11 tory, with over 1,400 reported as injured by 

12 Belarusian police in August and September 2020, 

13 over 37,000 detained by May 2021, and several 

14 killed for protesting the fraudulent election. 

15 ‘‘(18) The Government of Belarus has consist16 ently restricted the free flow of information to si17 lence the opposition and to conceal the regime’s vio18 lent crackdown on peaceful protestors, including 

19 through the suppression of independent media and 

20 journalists, and disruption of free internet access. 

21 ‘‘(19) After the employees of state media out22 lets walked off the job in protest rather than help 

23 report misleading government propaganda, 

24 Lukashenka confirmed that he ‘asked the Russians’ 


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1 to send teams of Russian journalists to replace local 

2 employees. 

3 ‘‘(20) Following Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s Sep4 tember 23, 2020, inauguration, the United States, 

5 the European Union, numerous European states, the 

6 United Kingdom, and Canada announced that they 

7 cannot consider Mr. Lukashenka as the legitimately 

8 elected leader of Belarus. 

9 ‘‘(21) As a result of the Lukashenka regime’s 

10 violence against the Belarusian people and depriva11 tion of their fundamental rights, the United States 

12 Congress passed and the President signed into law 

13 the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sov14 ereignty Act of 2020 to demand the rights of the 

15 Belarusian people be respected and to hold account16 able those who undermine them. 

17 ‘‘(22) As a result of the Lukashenka regime’s 

18 violence against its own people, in December 2020, 

19 Members of Congress and transatlantic parliamen20 tarians wrote a letter to the International Ice Hock21 ey Federation President demanding the Champion22 ship be relocated from Belarus. 

23 ‘‘(23) In response to the Government of 

24 Belarus’ repressive actions following the 2020 elec25 tion, the United States, along with the European 


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1 Union, imposed various sanctions packages on indi2 viduals and entities involved with the suppression of 

3 democracy in Belarus, including— 

4 ‘‘(A) the Central Election Commission of 

5 the Republic of Belarus and officials deter6 mined to be responsible for undermining democ7 racy in Belarus; 

8 ‘‘(B) entities and persons determined to be 

9 involved in the violent suppression of protestors, 

10 such as the Minsk Special Purpose Police Unit, 

11 the Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the 

12 Minsk City Executive Committee, and KGB 

13 Alpha; and 

14 ‘‘(C) state-owned enterprises that provide 

15 revenue to support Lukashenka’s authoritarian 

16 regime. 

17 ‘‘(24) In April 2021, the House of Representa18 tives passed House Resolution 124 reaffirming that 

19 the August 2020 elections were neither free nor fair 

20 and that the House of Representatives does not rec21 ognize Alyaksandr Lukashenka as Belarus’ legiti22 mate president. 

23 ‘‘(25) On May 23, 2021, the Government of 

24 Belarus forced Ryanair Flight 4978 to land in 

25 Belarus as it neared the border of Lithuania after 


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1 calling in a false bomb report and subsequently ar2 rested independent Belarusian opposition blogger 

3 and political activist Raman Pratasevich and his 

4 girlfriend, threatening the safety of every passenger 

5 aboard the civilian flight, and ultimately detaining 

6 Pratasevich as a political prisoner. 

7 ‘‘(26) In May 2021, the European Union 

8 pledged a comprehensive plan of economic support 

9 worth up to 3 billion euros to assist in the develop10 ment of a future, democratic Belarus following a 

11 democratic transition. 

12 ‘‘(27) As of April 2024, the Government of 

13 Belarus, led illegally by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, un14 lawfully holds nearly 1,400 people as political pris15 oners, including dozens of journalists such as Ihar 

16 Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk from Radio Free Eu17 rope/Radio Liberty. 

18 ‘‘(28) The Government of Belarus, led illegally 

19 by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has consistently 

20 weaponized migrants and asylum seekers by trans21 porting them to Belarus’ borders with the NATO 

22 and European Union countries of Latvia, Lithuania, 

23 and Poland in an attempt to destabilize each country 

24 by creating diplomatic border crises, and in violation 

25 of the migrant and asylum seekers’ human rights. 


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1 ‘‘(29) The Government of Belarus has been 

2 complicit in Russia’s illegal and full-scale invasion of 

3 Ukraine. 

4 ‘‘(30) In advance of Russia’s unprovoked war of 

5 aggression against Ukraine, Alyaksandr Lukashenka 

6 opened Belarus’ borders to the Russian military, 

7 serving as a staging area, providing bases for train8 ing and for launching air strikes and invasion forces, 

9 and providing logistical support to the Russian inva10 sion force which attacked Ukraine in February 

11 2022. 

12 ‘‘(31) In February 2022, just days after Rus13 sia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Alyaksandr 

14 Lukashenka held a constitutional referendum de15 scribed by the Department of State as ‘not free or 

16 fair’ which, among other provisions, would endow 

17 Lukashenka with lifetime immunity from prosecu18 tion for his crimes, allow Russian nuclear weapons 

19 to be stationed on the territory of Belarus, and for20 mally revoke Belarus’ status as a neutral nation. 

21 ‘‘(32) Since the start of Russia’s brutal and 

22 unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, the Gov23 ernment of Belarus has consistently worked to fur24 ther the so-called ‘Union State’ with the Russian 


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1 Federation and deepen joint military and economic 

2 ties to support Russia’s war effort. 

3 ‘‘(33) Throughout Russia’s brutal and 

4 unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, the Gov5 ernment of Belarus has participated in the abduc6 tion and illegal deportation of Ukrainian civilians 

7 from territory occupied by the Russian Federation, 

8 including thousands of children sent to facilities in 

9 Belarus for ‘re-education’ as detailed in a November 

10 2023 report by the Yale University Humanitarian 

11 Research Lab’s Conflict Observatory. 

12 ‘‘(34) The now-suspended Belarusian branch of 

13 the Red Cross has publicly confirmed its involvement 

14 in transferring children from Ukraine to the terri15 tory of Belarus, and the illegitimate leader of the 

16 Government of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, 

17 has publicly confirmed that he permitted these 

18 transfers. 

19 ‘‘(35) In Spring 2023, the Government of 

20 Belarus announced plans for the deployment of nu21 clear weapons from the Russian Federation to the 

22 territory of Belarus, which reportedly began in the 

23 summer of this same year. 

24 ‘‘(36) The Government of Belarus has harbored 

25 the Wagner Group, a private military company the 


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1 United States has designated as a Transnational 

2 Criminal Organization, and provided facilities, re3 sources, and a staging ground for the group’s crimi4 nal operations. 

5 ‘‘(37) The Government of Belarus has report6 edly provided the Government of the Russian Fed7 eration with tens of thousands of tons of ammuni8 tion throughout Russia’s unprovoked war of aggres9 sion in Ukraine. 

10 ‘‘(38) As a result of the Government of 

11 Belarus’ support to the Russian Federation during 

12 its unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, 

13 the United States, the European Union, and the 

14 United Kingdom have repeatedly issued further 

15 sanctions packages against the Lukashenka regime 

16 to target Belarusian military officers as well as indi17 viduals in the military sector, restrictions on entities 

18 in Belarus’ defense and industrial sectors, and enti19 ties that provide support to Belarus’ military and in20 dustrial sectors. 

21 ‘‘(39) The Government of Belarus is reportedly 

22 engaging in the purchase of significant amount of 

23 military equipment from the sanctioned Islamic Re24 public of Iran. 


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1 ‘‘(40) On August 6, 2023, the Belarusian 

2 democratic opposition issued a declaration express3 ing their objective of developing democracy in 

4 Belarus and pursuing membership in the European 

5 Union and, by extension, joining the Trans-Atlantic 

6 community. 

7 ‘‘(41) The democratic opposition of Belarus 

8 have called on the Government of Belarus, led ille9 gally by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, to end its com10 plicity and involvement in the war in Ukraine, and 

11 urged against the conscription of men into the 

12 Belarusian military. 

13 ‘‘(42) On February 28, 2022, the Department 

14 of State ordered the departure of United States Gov15 ernment employees and the suspension of operations 

16 of the United States Embassy in Minsk. 

17 ‘‘(43) On August 21, 2023, the United States 

18 Government directed all United States citizens to 

19 leave Belarus immediately due to the illegitimate 

20 Belarusian authorities’ continued cooperation with 

21 the Russian military and facilitation of Russia’s 

22 unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, and 

23 the risk of detention and arbitrary enforcement of 

24 local laws against United States citizens. 


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1 ‘‘(44) In September 2023, the Government of 

2 Belarus deprived Belarusians living abroad of their 

3 ability to renew their passports through Belarusian 

4 embassies in an attempt to make life difficult for 

5 and to force exiles, critics, and expats to return to 

6 Belarus for document renewal and possibly face per7 secution. 

8 ‘‘(45) In December 2023, the United States 

9 Government held a Strategic Dialogue with the 

10 Belarusian democratic opposition and civil society 

11 and subsequently announced a continuation of ef12 forts to hold Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his regime 

13 accountable for their crimes, a commitment to sup14 porting Belarusian culture, sovereignty, and national 

15 identity, as well as the need for future working 

16 groups with the democratic opposition.’’. 

17 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

18 Section 3 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

19 (Public Law 108–347; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended 

20 to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

22 ‘‘It is the policy of the United States— 

23 ‘‘(1) to condemn— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the conduct of the August 9, 2020, 

2 presidential election in Belarus, which was nei3 ther free nor fair; 

4 ‘‘(B) the Belarusian authorities’ unrelent5 ing crackdown on, arbitrary arrests of, and vio6 lence against opposition candidates, democratic 

7 opposition, peaceful protestors, human rights 

8 activists, employees from state-owned enter9 prises participating in strikes, independent elec10 tion observers, and independent journalists and 

11 bloggers; and 

12 ‘‘(C) the unjustified detention and forced 

13 or attempted deportation of members of the Co14 ordination Council and United Transitional 

15 Cabinet in Belarus; 

16 ‘‘(2) to condemn the illegitimate Belarusian au17 thorities’ allowance of Russian nuclear weapons to 

18 be deployed to Belarusian territory, their continued 

19 political and material support for Russia’s 

20 unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, and their 

21 continued participation in abducting and deporting 

22 Ukrainian children from territory occupied by the 

23 Russian Federation to the territory of Belarus; 

24 ‘‘(3) to condemn the presence of Russian forces 

25 on Belarusian territory and demand the cessation of 


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1 the use of Belarusian territory by Russian forces as 

2 a staging ground for Russia’s illegal, full-scale war 

3 of aggression against Ukraine or for the prevention 

4 of a peaceful democratic transition in Belarus; 

5 ‘‘(4) to demand accountability for the illegal 

6 Lukashenka regime’s complicity in the crime of ag7 gression against Ukraine through international jus8 tice mechanisms; 

9 ‘‘(5) to condemn the weaponization of migrants 

10 wherein the Government of Belarus, led illegally by 

11 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has sent thousands of mi12 grants to the borders of Poland and Lithuania in an 

13 attempt to destabilize the border region; 

14 ‘‘(6) to continue demanding the immediate re15 lease without preconditions of all political prisoners 

16 in Belarus and those arrested for peacefully pro17 testing, including all those individuals detained in 

18 connection with the August 9, 2020, fraudulent 

19 presidential election; 

20 ‘‘(7) to stand in solidarity with the people of 

21 Belarus, including human rights defenders, bloggers, 

22 and journalists, who are exercising their right to 

23 freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and rule 

24 of law and to continue supporting the aspirations of 


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1 the people of Belarus for democracy, human rights, 

2 and the rule of law; 

3 ‘‘(8) to continue actively supporting the aspira4 tions of the people of the Republic of Belarus to pre5 serve the independence and sovereignty of their 

6 country; 

7 ‘‘(9) to continue refusing to recognize 

8 Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s illegitimate regime and to 

9 continue supporting calls for Belarusian presidential 

10 and parliamentary elections to be conducted in a 

11 manner that is free and fair according to Organiza12 tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe 

13 (OSCE) standards and under the supervision of 

14 OSCE observers and independent domestic observ15 ers, including in the 2025 presidential elections; 

16 ‘‘(10) to continue calling for the Government of 

17 Belarus to fulfill its freely undertaken obligations as 

18 an OSCE participating state and as a signatory of 

19 the Charter of the United Nations; 

20 ‘‘(11) to recognize the Coordination Council 

21 and the United Transitional Cabinet as legitimate 

22 institutions to participate in a dialogue on a peaceful 

23 transition of power, and to support these institutions 

24 prior to and during such a transition should it take 

25 place; 


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1 ‘‘(12) to condemn the deprivation of consular 

2 services to Belarusian citizens living abroad, includ3 ing representatives of the Belarusian democratic op4 position, and urge the United States to raise this to 

5 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu6 gees, the International Organization for Migration, 

7 the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Se8 curity and Cooperation in Europe; 

9 ‘‘(13) to encourage the United States Govern10 ment to continue working closely with the European 

11 Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other 

12 countries and international organizations to continue 

13 to impose targeted sanctions against officials in 

14 Belarus who are responsible for— 

15 ‘‘(A) undermining democratic processes in 

16 Belarus; 

17 ‘‘(B) participating in gross violations of 

18 internationally recognized human rights related 

19 to political repression in Belarus and under20 mining rule of law for the people of Belarus; or 

21 ‘‘(C) enabling or facilitating Russia’s war 

22 in Ukraine; 

23 ‘‘(14) to call on the Government of Belarus to 

24 uphold its human rights obligations, including those 


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1 rights enumerated in the International Covenant on 

2 Civil and Political Rights; 

3 ‘‘(15) to encourage the United States to expedi4 tiously appoint a U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus to 

5 fill the role vacated in June 2022; and 

6 ‘‘(16) to support the use of the Strategic Dia7 logue between the United States Government as a 

8 means of furthering ties between the United States 

9 Government and the representatives of the demo10 cratic opposition of Belarus in pursuit of objectives, 

11 including— 

12 ‘‘(A) accountability for the Lukashenka re13 gime’s gross violations of internationally recog14 nized human rights and domestic repressions; 

15 ‘‘(B) increasing partnerships with the 

16 Belarusian people by supporting investments 

17 such as the United States Agency for Inter18 national Development’s dedicated Belarus 

19 Country Representative Office in Vilnius, Lith20 uania; and 

21 ‘‘(C) initiating cultural programming dedi22 cated to protecting Belarusian language, cul23 ture, and national identity.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY, CIVIL SO2 CIETY, AND SOVEREIGNTY IN BELARUS. 

3 Section 4 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

4 (Public Law 108–347; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend5 ed— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, the 

8 United Transitional Cabinet, and the Coordina9 tion Council’’ after ‘‘the Republic of Belarus’’; 

10 and 

11 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(5) To assist in the cessation of Belarus’ sup13 port for the Government of Russia in Russia’s 

14 unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine.’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end be16 fore the period the following ‘‘, including political 

17 party strengthening’’; 

18 (3) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(c) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Activities that may 

21 be supported by assistance under subsection (b) include— 

22 ‘‘(1) expanding independent radio and television 

23 broadcasting to and within Belarus; 

24 ‘‘(2) facilitating the development of independent 

25 broadcast, print, and internet media working within 


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1 Belarus and from locations outside the country and 

2 supported by nonstate-controlled printing facilities; 

3 ‘‘(3) countering internet censorship and repres4 sive surveillance technology that seek to limit free 

5 association, control access to information, and pre6 vent citizens from exercising their rights to free 

7 speech; 

8 ‘‘(4) raising awareness both within Belarus and 

9 globally about Lukashenka’s complicity in Russia’s 

10 unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, including 

11 how the Lukashenka regime is providing support to 

12 the Russian military and committing crimes against 

13 Ukrainian children; 

14 ‘‘(5) aiding the development of civil society 

15 through assistance to nongovernmental organizations 

16 promoting democracy and supporting human rights, 

17 including youth groups, entrepreneurs, and inde18 pendent trade unions; 

19 ‘‘(6) supporting programming that contributes 

20 to the defense of Belarusian sovereignty and inde21 pendence from encroachment by the Russian Fed22 eration; 

23 ‘‘(7) supporting the work of human rights de24 fenders; 


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1 ‘‘(8) enhancing the development of democratic 

2 political parties; 

3 ‘‘(9) assisting the promotion of free, fair, and 

4 transparent electoral processes; 

5 ‘‘(10) enhancing international exchanges and 

6 advanced professional training programs for leaders 

7 and members of the democratic opposition in skill 

8 areas central to the development of civil society; 

9 ‘‘(11) supporting the work of women advocating 

10 for freedom, human rights, and human progress in 

11 Belarus given the significant and vital role women 

12 have played in the Belarus democracy movement; 

13 ‘‘(12) supporting the development of Belarusian 

14 language and cultural education and exchanges to 

15 preserve and protect Belarusian national identity; 

16 ‘‘(13) supporting further iterations of the Stra17 tegic Dialogue between the United States and the 

18 Belarusian democratic opposition and civil society as 

19 a platform to work on issues of mutual concern; 

20 ‘‘(14) enhancing the development of the private 

21 sector, particularly the information technology sec22 tor, and its role in the economy of Belarus, including 

23 by increasing the capacity of private sector actors, 

24 developing business support organizations, offering 


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1 entrepreneurship training, and expanding access to 

2 finance for small and medium enterprises; 

3 ‘‘(15) supporting political refugees in neigh4 boring European countries fleeing the crackdown in 

5 Belarus; 

6 ‘‘(16) supporting the education of Belarusians 

7 in exile; 

8 ‘‘(17) supporting the gathering of evidence on 

9 and investigating of gross violations of internation10 ally recognized human rights in Belarus; and 

11 ‘‘(18) other activities consistent with the pur12 poses of this Act.’’; 

13 (4) in subsection (f)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘the Belarus Democracy, 

15 Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘the Belarus Democracy, Human 

17 Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2024’’; and 

18 (B) by adding at the end before the period 

19 the following: ‘‘as well as the methodology and 

20 benchmarks used to assess the effectiveness of 

21 such funds’’; and 

22 (5) by amending subsection (g) to read as fol23 lows: 


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1 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to the President to carry 

3 out this section— 

4 ‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2025 an amount equal to 

5 not less than the amount made available to carry out 

6 this section for fiscal year 2024; and 

7 ‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2026 an amount equal to 

8 not less than the amount made available to carry out 

9 this section for fiscal year 2025.’’. 

10 SEC. 5. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING, INTERNET FREE11 DOM, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN 

12 BELARUS. 

13 Section 5 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

14 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend15 ed— 

16 (1) in subsection (a)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘(a) SENSE OF CON18 GRESS.—’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

20 the end; 

21 (C) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe22 riod at the end and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘and advocate for the release of journalists that 

24 are detained by political reasons; and’’; and 

25 (D) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(6) the United States should also support 

2 independent media outlets and other sources of in3 formation in providing accurate and truthful infor4 mation about Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression 

5 in Ukraine, and the illegitimate Lukashenka re6 gime’s complicity in Russia’s crimes of aggression.’’; 

7 and 

8 (2) by striking subsection (b). 

9 SEC. 6. SANCTIONS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF 

10 BELARUS. 

11 Section 6 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

12 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend13 ed— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘The sanctions’’ and in16 serting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions’’; and 

18 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(2) MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING SANC20 TIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any sanctions im22 posed pursuant to the Executive orders de23 scribed in subparagraph (B) that were imposed 

24 in connection with conduct relating to, con25 cerning, or occurring in Belarus should remain 


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1 in effect until the President determines and cer2 tifies to the appropriate congressional commit3 tees that the Government of Belarus has made 

4 significant progress in meeting the conditions 

5 described in subsection (c). 

6 ‘‘(B) EXECUTIVE ORDERS DESCRIBED.— 

7 The Executive orders described in this subpara8 graph are the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) Executive Order 13405 (71 Fed. 

10 Reg. 35485; relating to blocking property 

11 of certain persons undermining democratic 

12 processes or institutions in Belarus). 

13 ‘‘(ii) Executive Order 14024 (86 Fed. 

14 Reg. 20249; relating to blocking property 

15 with respect to specified harmful foreign 

16 activities of the Government of the Russian 

17 Federation). 

18 ‘‘(iii) Executive Order 14038 (86 Fed. 

19 Reg. 43905; relating to blocking property 

20 of additional persons contributing to the 

21 situation in Belarus).’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (b)— 

23 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

24 by striking ‘‘subsection (a)’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a)’’; 


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1 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

2 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), 

3 and (5) as paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), respec4 tively; and 

5 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(5) The withdrawal of the armed forces of the 

7 Russian Federation from the Republic of Belarus 

8 and the cessation of Belarusian support for the Rus9 sian Federation’s war against Ukraine. 

10 ‘‘(6) The return of all Ukrainian children ab11 ducted and deported to Belarus from the territory of 

12 Ukraine illegally occupied by the Russian Federa13 tion.’’; 

14 (3) in subsection (c)— 

15 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

16 ‘‘COMPLICIT IN THE CRACKDOWN THAT OC17 CURRED AFTER THE AUGUST 9, 2020, ELEC18 TION’’; 

19 (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

20 by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’; 

21 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘inad22 missible under’’ and inserting ‘‘described in’’; 

23 (D) in paragraph (4), by adding at the end 

24 before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, or future 


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1 elections in Belarus should they be determined 

2 to be neither free nor fair’’; 

3 (E) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end 

4 before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, or future 

5 elections in Belarus should they be determined 

6 to be neither free nor fair’’; 

7 (F) by striking paragraphs (6), (7), (8), 

8 and (9) and inserting the following: 

9 ‘‘(6) is a government official or member of the 

10 security or law enforcement services of Belarus and 

11 has participated in the persecution or harassment of 

12 religious groups, human rights defenders, democratic 

13 opposition groups, or independent media or journal14 ists; 

15 ‘‘(7) is an individual determined by the Presi16 dent to be interfering in the internal affairs of the 

17 Republic of Belarus on behalf of or at the direction 

18 of the Government of the Russian Federation; 

19 ‘‘(8) is an official who provides for, facilitates, 

20 or otherwise enables or engages with the abduction 

21 and deportation of Ukrainian children from terri22 tories illegally occupied by the Russian Federation to 

23 the territory of Belarus; 

24 ‘‘(9) is an official who provides for, facilitates, 

25 or otherwise enables the Russian Federation to use 


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1 the territory or Belarus to further its unprovoked in2 vasion of Ukraine; 

3 ‘‘(10) is an official of the so-called ‘Union 

4 State’ between Russia and Belarus (regardless of 

5 nationality of the individual) or works toward the 

6 furtherance of such Union State; or 

7 ‘‘(11) is a Russian individual that has signifi8 cantly participated in the crackdown on independent 

9 press or human rights abuses related to political re10 pression in Belarus, including the Russian propa11 gandists sent to replace local employees at 

12 Belarusian state media outlets.’’; 

13 (4) by amending subsection (f) to read as fol14 lows: 

15 ‘‘(f) BLOCKING OF ASSETS AND OTHER PROHIBITED

16 ACTIVITIES.— 

17 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY SANCTION.—The President 

18 shall impose the sanction described in paragraph (3) 

19 with respect to each foreign person that the Presi20 dent determines— 

21 ‘‘(A) is a member of the Central Election 

22 Commission of Belarus or assisted the Commis23 sion in manipulating elections in Belarus in24 cluding the presidential election of August 9, 

25 2020; 


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1 ‘‘(B) is a government official or member of 

2 the security or law enforcement services of 

3 Belarus and has participated in the persecution 

4 or harassment of religious groups, human 

5 rights defenders, democratic opposition groups, 

6 or independent media or journalists; 

7 ‘‘(C) is an individual determined by the 

8 President to be knowingly interfering in the in9 ternal affairs of the Republic of Belarus on be10 half of or at the direction of the Government of 

11 the Russian Federation; 

12 ‘‘(D) is an official who knowingly engages 

13 in the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian 

14 children from territories illegally occupied by 

15 the Russian Federation to the territory of 

16 Belarus; 

17 ‘‘(E) is an official who knowingly supports 

18 and provides for, the Russian Federation’s use 

19 of the territory or Belarus to further its 

20 unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; or 

21 ‘‘(F) is an official in the so-called ‘Union 

22 State’ between Russia and Belarus (regardless 

23 of nationality of the individual) or works toward 

24 the furtherance of such ‘Union State’. 


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1 ‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY SANCTION.—The Presi2 dent may impose the sanction described in para3 graph (3) with respect to each foreign person that 

4 the President determines— 

5 ‘‘(A) holds a position in the senior leader6 ship of the Government of Belarus; 

7 ‘‘(B) is an immediate family member of a 

8 person described in subparagraph (A); or 

9 ‘‘(C) through his or her business dealings 

10 with a person described in subparagraph (A) 

11 derives significant financial benefit from policies 

12 or actions, including electoral fraud, gross viola13 tions of internationally recognized human 

14 rights, or corruption, that undermine or injure 

15 democratic institutions or impede the transition 

16 to democracy in Belarus. 

17 ‘‘(3) SANCTION DESCRIBED.—The President 

18 shall exercise all of the powers granted to the Presi19 dent under the International Emergency Economic 

20 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent 

21 necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in 

22 property and interests in property of the foreign per23 son if such property and interests in property are in 

24 the United States, come within the United States, or 


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1 are or come within the possession or control of a 

2 United States person. 

3 ‘‘(4) EXCEPTIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE PRO5 VISION OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.—The 

6 sanction described in paragraph (3) may not be 

7 imposed with respect to transactions or the fa8 cilitation of transactions for— 

9 ‘‘(i) the sale of agricultural commod10 ities, food, medicine, or medical devices; 

11 ‘‘(ii) the provision of humanitarian as12 sistance; 

13 ‘‘(iii) financial transactions relating to 

14 humanitarian assistance; or 

15 ‘‘(iv) transporting goods or services 

16 that are necessary to carry out operations 

17 relating to humanitarian assistance. 

18 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE, LAW

19 ENFORCEMENT, AND NATIONAL SECURITY AC20 TIVITIES.—The sanction described in paragraph 

21 (3) shall not apply to any authorized intel22 ligence, law enforcement, or national security 

23 activities of the United States. 

24 ‘‘(5) WAIVER.—The President may, on a case25 by-case basis and for periods not to exceed 180 days 


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1 each, waive the application of the sanction described 

2 in paragraph (3) imposed with respect to a foreign 

3 person under this subsection if the President cer4 tifies to the appropriate congressional committees 

5 not later than 15 days before such waiver is to take 

6 effect that the waiver is important to the national 

7 security interests of the United States. 

8 ‘‘(6) PENALTIES.—Any person who violates, at9 tempts to violate, or causes a violation of this sub10 section or any regulation, license, or order issued to 

11 carry out this subsection shall be subject to the pen12 alties under section 206 of the International Emer13 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the 

14 same extent as a person that commits an unlawful 

15 act under that Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). 

16 ‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 

17 ‘‘(A) the term ‘air carrier’ has the meaning 

18 given that term in section 40102 of title 49, 

19 United States Code; 

20 ‘‘(B) the term ‘foreign person’ means a 

21 person that is not a United States person; and 

22 ‘‘(C) the term ‘United States person’ 

23 means— 


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1 ‘‘(i) any United States citizen or alien 

2 admitted for permanent residence to the 

3 United States; 

4 ‘‘(ii) any entity organized under the 

5 laws of the United States; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) any person in the United 

7 States.’’. 

8 SEC. 7. MULTILATERAL COOPERATION. 

9 Section 7 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

10 (Public Law 109-480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

12 end; 

13 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 

14 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

15 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(3) to halt the Government of Belarus, led ille17 gally by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, from supporting 

18 and assisting the Russian Federation’s unprovoked 

19 war of aggression against Ukraine including the ab20 duction and deportation of Ukrainian children.’’. 

21 SEC. 8. REPORTS. 

22 Section 8 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

23 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend24 ed— 

25 (1) by striking subsection (a); 


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1 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub2 section (a); 

3 (3) in subsection (a) (as so redesignated)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (i) in the matter preceding subpara6 graph (A), by striking ‘‘the Belarus De7 mocracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty 

8 Act of 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘the Belarus 

9 Democracy, Human Rights, and Sov10 ereignty Act of 2024’’; and 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by adding at 

12 the end before the period the following: ‘‘, 

13 and whether the United States has im14 posed sanctions with respect to such senior 

15 foreign political figures’’; 

16 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 

17 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

18 paragraph (2); and 

19 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(b) REPORT ON CRIMES AND OTHER ACTIONS COM21 MITTED BY BELARUS IN SUPPORT OF RUSSIA’S

22 UNPROVOKED WAR OF AGGRESSION IN UKRAINE.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days 

24 after the date of the enactment of the Belarus De25 mocracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 


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1 2024, the Director of National Intelligence, in con2 sultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the 

3 Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate 

4 congressional committees a report on the following: 

5 ‘‘(A) An assessment of the Russian mili6 tary presence in Belarus, including the presence 

7 of Russian nuclear forces, and the impact this 

8 presence has on North Atlantic Treaty Organi9 zation (NATO) security. 

10 ‘‘(B) The degree to which the Government 

11 of Belarus, led illegally by Alyaksandr 

12 Lukashenka, continues to provide support to 

13 and harbor the forces of the Wagner Group or 

14 other Russian paramilitary groups and enables 

15 their destabilizing actions on the borders of 

16 NATO allies, such as Latvia, Lithuania, and 

17 Poland. 

18 ‘‘(C) Which actors in the Government of 

19 Belarus, led illegally by Alyaksandr 

20 Lukashenka, are most responsible for the illegal 

21 abduction and deportation of Ukrainian chil22 dren from Ukrainian territory occupied by the 

23 Russian Federation to the territory of Belarus, 

24 as well as to what extent organizations such as 

25 the now-suspended Belarus branch of the Red 


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1 Cross are involved in these transfers, and pro2 vide a strategy for holding those involved in 

3 these crimes accountable including through the 

4 use of sanctions. 

5 ‘‘(D) The degree to which the Government 

6 of Belarus, led illegally by Alyaksandr 

7 Lukashenka has purchased weapons from the 

8 governments of the Russian Federation and the 

9 Islamic Republic of Iran, and whether any pur10 chases of such weapons violate the provisions of 

11 section 107 or 231 of the Countering America’s 

12 Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 

13 9406 or 9525). 

14 ‘‘(E) The extent to which the Government 

15 of Belarus, led illegally by Alyaksandr 

16 Lukashenka, is aiding the Russian Federation 

17 is circumventing export controls and evading 

18 sanctions, including with an accounting and es19 timated value of dual-use goods and an identi20 fication of the officials or other persons involved 

21 in facilitating this sanctions evasion. 

22 ‘‘(F) The impact of the Government of 

23 Belarus’ use of illegal migrants to destabilize 

24 the borders of NATO countries, such as Latvia, 

25 Lithuania, and Poland, on NATO security. 


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1 ‘‘(2) FORM.—The report required under this 

2 subsection shall be transmitted in unclassified form, 

3 but may contain a classified annex.’’. 

4 SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 

5 Section 9 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

6 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend7 ed— 

8 (1) in paragraph (3)(A), by adding at the end 

9 before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, led illegally by 

10 Alyaksandr Lukashenka’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(4) UNION STATE.—The term ‘Union State’ 

13 means the supranational union of the Republic of 

14 Belarus and the Russian Federation as outlined in 

15 the December 1999 Treaty on the establishment of 

16 the Union State between the governments of the Re17 public of Belarus and the Russian Federation.’’. 

Æ 


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