III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 724 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the practice of politically motivated imprisonment of women around the world and calling on governments for the immediate release of women who are political prisoners. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. COONS, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and 

Mr. KAINE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the practice 

of politically motivated imprisonment of women around 

the world and calling on governments for the immediate 

release of women who are political prisoners. 

Whereas Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human 

Rights guarantees the right to liberty and security of person, Article 9 protects against arbitrary arrest or detention, and Article 18 guarantees the right to freedom of 

thought, conscience, and religion; 

Whereas women across the world face enormous risks to advance human rights and pursue progress for their communities, including— 

(1) discriminatory policies and attitudes; 

(2) repressive governments; 


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•SRES 724 IS 

(3) abusive authorities; and 

(4) critical threats to their health, especially amid 

the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas women activists across the world are being unjustly 

detained in order to silence their voices and end their activism; 

Whereas women journalists are being unjustly detained for 

speaking truth to power and exposing corruption and 

abuses by governments and other authorities; 

Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic presents a severe threat to 

women who are detained unjustly and who are often 

housed in overcrowded prisons with limited access to 

medical care, which can convert unjust prison sentences 

into death sentences for vulnerable detained women; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has waged a brutal 

campaign to suppress political dissent and vibrant ethnic 

minority communities; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has suppressed and 

detained human rights legal professionals, including Li 

Yuhan, who has been severely mistreated in detention 

and who went on a hunger strike in 2018; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has subjected 

Uyghurs in Xinjiang to mass surveillance, forced labor, 

forced birth control, forced sterilization, and extrajudicial 

internment, including— 

(1) Rahile Dawut, a professor of traditional Uyghur 

culture; 

(2) Gulmira Imin, a former website administrator 

and government employee; and 


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•SRES 724 IS 

(3) Nigare Abdushukur, who was sentenced to 19 

years imprisonment after inquiring about her mother’s 

detention; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has targeted Tibetans for celebrating their heritage, including— 

(1) Bonkho Kyi, who was detained for organizing a 

picnic celebration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 

80th birthday; and 

(2) Yeshe Choedron, who was sentenced in 2008 to 

15 years imprisonment after participating in protests; 

Whereas in Iran, human rights defenders have been steadfast 

in their advocacy despite repeated abuse and arrest by 

authorities, including currently detained human rights activists— 

(1) Nasrin Sotoudeh, who spoke out against the 

death penalty and laws forcing women to wear hijabs and 

who is currently on a hunger strike and is in critical condition; 

(2) Atena Daemi, a human rights activist who is 

serving an additional 2 years in prison and facing 74 

lashes for participating in a peaceful sit-in protest in 

Evin prison; and 

(3) Narges Mohammadi, vice president of the Centre 

for Human Rights Defenders, who has experienced severe 

health conditions and lung disease while in prison and 

has suffered from worsening COVID–19 symptoms since 

June 29, 2020; 

Whereas Iranian authorities have also recently arrested and 

imprisoned environmentalists working for the Persian 

Wildlife Heritage Foundation, including Sepideh 

Kashami and McGill University graduate Niloufar 


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Bayani, who previously worked for the United Nations 

Environment Programme; 

Whereas Turkey is the world’s second worst jailer of journalists, with 47 journalists imprisoned in 2019, including— 

(1) Hatice Duman, owner and editor at Atilim, 

which published editorials condemning President 

Erdogan’s policies; and 

(2) Aysenur Parildak and Hanim Bu ̈sra Erdal, journalists for Zaman, which authorities claim has ties to 

Fethulaah Gu ̈len; 

Whereas in Egypt, President Sisi has attempted to quash dissent by jailing and abusing human rights defenders, including— 

(1) Mahienour el-Masry, a human rights lawyer accused of spreading ‘‘false news’’; 

(2) Esraa Abdel Fattah, a human rights activist and 

reporter who was reportedly beaten, hung from handcuffs, and choked with her clothes by authorities; and 

(3) Sanaa Seif, who was detained while filing a complaint at the Public Prosecutor’s office regarding her assault outside Cairo’s Tora prison, which houses her 

brother, who is a political activist; 

Whereas Burundian authorities arrested and convicted 4 

journalists at Iwacu, Burundi’s last remaining independent newspaper, including Christine Kamikazi and 

Agne`s Ndirubusa, after a flawed trial, for allegedly attempting to undermine state security; 

Whereas Saudi Arabian women’s rights and human rights activists Loujain al-Hathloul, Nassima al-Sada, Samar 

Badawi, Nouf Abdualziz, and Maya’a al-Zahrani all remain wrongfully imprisoned; 


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Whereas in the Philippines, Senator Leila de Lima remains 

unjustly imprisoned for her vocal criticism of 

extrajudicial killings carried out during President 

Duterte’s ‘‘war on drugs’’; 

Whereas in Eritrea, political dissident Aster Fissehatsion has 

been held incommunicado without charge or trial since 

2001: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports women who are being unjustly de3 tained around the world; 

4 (2) affirms that a government should never de5 tain its citizens for exercising the rights of freedom 

6 of assembly, association, and speech; 

7 (3) calls on governments that are unjustly de8 taining women for exercising their fundamental 

9 rights to immediately and unconditionally release 

10 these political prisoners; and 

11 (4) urges the United States Government, in all 

12 its interactions with foreign governments— 

13 (A) to raise individual cases of women po14 litical prisoners; and 

15 (B) press for their immediate release. 

Æ 


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