III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 73 

Calling on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to immediately release Saudi Women’s Rights activists and respect the fundamental rights of all Saudi 

citizens. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2019 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. MORAN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. SASSE, 

Mr. KAINE, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. 

MURPHY, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Mr. MARKEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to immediately 

release Saudi Women’s Rights activists and respect the 

fundamental rights of all Saudi citizens. 

Whereas the United States Government and the Government 

of Saudi Arabia share an important security partnership; 

Whereas Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said 

during an April 2018 interview with The Atlantic magazine, ‘‘I support women . . . In our religion there is no 

difference between men and women . . . We don’t want 

divided treatment for different people’’; 

Whereas Saudi authorities, since Mohammed bin Salman became Crown Prince, have relaxed some repressive restrictions on women, including by allowing women to drive, 


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•SRES 73 IS 

attend certain sporting events, and enter some professions which were previously closed to them; 

Whereas, in May 2018, Saudi authorities began arresting 

women’s rights activists and their supporters, including 

those who had campaigned for the right to drive ahead 

of the government’s announcement granting women the 

right to drive effective June 24, 2018; 

Whereas those detained included— 

(1) Samar Badawi, who petitioned Saudi authorities 

to allow women the right to drive, vote, and run in municipal elections; 

(2) Nouf Abdelaziz, who expressed solidarity with 

arrested women’s rights activists; 

(3) Mayaa al-Zahrani, an activist and friend of 

Abdelaziz; 

(4) Nassima al-Sadah, who campaigned for the right 

to drive and against the government’s male guardianship 

laws; 

(5) Hatoon al-Fassi, a professor of women’s history 

who was one of the first Saudi women to acquire a driver’s license; and 

(6) Loujain al-Hathloul who spent 73 days in detention for defying the driving ban in 2014–15; 

Whereas one of the detained women, Aziza al-Youssef, is a 

United States permanent resident who maintains a residence in Virginia; 

Whereas Saudi authorities, on June 2, 2018, announced that 

they would provisionally release eight individuals and 

refer nine individuals to trial, where they could face the 

following serious charges that carry penalties of up to 20 

years in prison ‘‘cooperating with entities hostile to the 

kingdom,’’ ‘‘recruiting persons in a sensitive government 


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•SRES 73 IS 

agency to obtain confidential information to harm the interests of the kingdom,’’ and ‘‘providing financial and 

moral support to hostile elements abroad’’; 

Whereas, in 2012, Samar Badawi, one of the activists detained by the Saudi authorities, received the International Women of Courage Award from the United 

States Department of State; 

Whereas Samar Badawi’s brother, Raif Badawi, has remained imprisoned in Saudi Arabia since 2012 and was 

publically flogged for his work calling for free speech on 

his website ‘‘Free Saudi Liberals’’ and his lawyer, Waleed 

Abu al-Khair, is serving a 15-year sentence for his work 

defending human rights; 

Whereas, according to a 2018 Human Rights Watch report, 

‘‘Saudi interrogators tortured at least three of the Saudi 

women activists detained beginning in May 2018’’; 

Whereas the reports of torture include electric shocks, 

whippings, beatings, and sexual harassment and assault; 

Whereas, according to news reports, a top adviser of Crown 

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saud al-Qahtani, has 

been present during interrogation sessions with the women’s rights activists; 

Whereas, on January 16, 2019, more than 200 academics 

from around the world sent a letter to the Saudi King 

calling on the Government of Saudi Arabia to release 

‘‘Dr Hatoon Aiwad-al-Fassi and other women’s rights advocates who remain in detention’’; 

Whereas the United States Senate resolved on International 

Women’s Day on March 8, 2018, that the empowerment 

of women is inextricably linked to the potential of a counVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:00 Feb 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR73.IS SR73

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try to generate economic growth, sustainable democracy, 

and inclusive security; 

Whereas the Department of State’s 2017 report on human 

rights practices in Saudi Arabia stated that the Government of Saudi Arabia’s review of guardianship laws had 

not yet been completed, that the Government of Saudi 

Arabia restricts the foreign travel of women, and that the 

Government of Saudi Arabia continues to discriminate 

against women; 

Whereas the arrests of women’s rights activists and their 

supporters since May 2018 are contrary to the Government of Saudi Arabia’s stated reform goals; and 

Whereas the detention and reported abuse of women’s rights 

activists and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and United States resident, demonstrate a blatant disregard for human rights and the 

freedom of expression: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 

3 immediately release and drop any politically moti4 vated charges against the detained Saudi women’s 

5 rights activists related to peaceful activities to ad6 vance human rights in Saudi Arabia, which are pro7 tected under international law; 

8 (2) expresses concern over the reported use of 

9 torture by the Government of Saudi Arabia against 

10 the women’s activists, and urges investigation into 


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1 such allegations and the holding accountable of per2 petrators; 

3 (3) recognizes that the strategic relationship 

4 with Saudi Arabia is in the national interest of the 

5 United States; 

6 (4) reaffirms that the global recognition and 

7 protection of basic human rights, including women’s 

8 rights, is in the national security interest of the 

9 United States; 

10 (5) urges the Government of Saudi Arabia to 

11 reform its laws that restrict basic human rights, in12 cluding women’s rights, such as by abolishing the 

13 male guardianship system; 

14 (6) urges the President and the Secretary of 

15 State to affirm the support of the United States for 

16 the right of activists to peacefully advocate for the 

17 protection of universal human rights; 

18 (7) calls on the President to press the Govern19 ment of Saudi Arabia to immediately release all po20 litical prisoners, human rights defenders, journalists, 

21 and bloggers, including Raif Badawi, Waleed Abu al22 Khair, and others who support religious freedom, 

23 and the women’s rights activists detained after May 

24 2018; and 


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1 (8) calls on the President to comply with the re2 quest submitted under subsection (d) of section 

3 1263 of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Ac4 countability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public 

5 Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) for a deter6 mination under subsection (a) of that section with 

7 respect to the persons responsible for the murder of 

8 Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Æ 


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