IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8438 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 30, 2020 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Belarus Democracy, 

3 Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Section 2 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

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

7 to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

9 ‘‘Congress finds the following: 

10 ‘‘(1) The Government of Belarus, led by 

11 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, continues to engage in a 

12 pattern of clear and persistent violations of human 

13 rights and fundamental freedoms. 

14 ‘‘(2) The Government of Belarus, led by 

15 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, continues to engage in a 

16 pattern of clear and uncorrected violations of basic 

17 principles of democratic governance, including 

18 through a series of fundamentally flawed presi19 dential and parliamentary elections undermining the 

20 legitimacy of executive and legislative authority in 

21 that country. 

22 ‘‘(3) The Government of Belarus, led by 

23 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, continues to subject thou24 sands of pro-democracy political activists and peace25 ful protesters to harassment, beatings, and imprison26 ment, particularly as a result of their attempts to 


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1 peacefully exercise their right to freedom of assem2 bly and association. 

3 ‘‘(4) The Government of Belarus, led by 

4 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, continues to suppress inde5 pendent media and journalists and to restrict access 

6 to the internet, including social media and other dig7 ital communication platforms, in violation of the 

8 right to freedom of speech and expression of those 

9 dissenting from the dictatorship of Alyaksandr 

10 Lukashenka. 

11 ‘‘(5) The Government of Belarus, led by 

12 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, continues a systematic 

13 campaign of harassment, repression, and closure of 

14 nongovernmental organizations, including inde15 pendent trade unions and entrepreneurs, creating a 

16 climate of fear that inhibits the development of civil 

17 society and social solidarity. 

18 ‘‘(6) The Government of Belarus, led by 

19 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has pursued a policy un20 dermining the country’s sovereignty and independ21 ence by making Belarus political, economic, cultural, 

22 and societal interests subservient to those of Russia. 

23 ‘‘(7) The Government of Belarus, led by 

24 Alyaksandr Lukashenka, continues to reduce the 

25 independence of Belarus through integration into a 


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1 so-called ‘Union State’ that is under the control of 

2 Russia. 

3 ‘‘(8) On August 9, 2020, the Government of 

4 Belarus conducted a presidential election that was 

5 fraudulent and did not meet international standards. 

6 There were serious irregularities with ballot counting 

7 and the reporting of election results. The Govern8 ment of Belarus also put in place restrictive meas9 ures that impeded the work of local independent ob10 servers and did not provide sufficient notice to the 

11 OSCE to allow for the OSCE to monitor the elec12 tions, as is customary. 

13 ‘‘(9) After the August 9, 2020, presidential 

14 election, the Government of Belarus responded to 

15 the peaceful opposition protests, which are the larg16 est in Belarus history, with a violent crackdown, in17 cluding, according to the United Nations Special 

18 Rapporteur, the detention of more than 10,000 

19 peaceful protestors as of September 18, 2020. 

20 ‘‘(10) Thousands of employees at Belarusian 

21 state-owned enterprises, who have been seen as 

22 Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s traditional base during his 

23 26-year rule, went on strike across the country to 

24 protest Lukashenka’s illegitimate election and the 

25 subsequent crackdowns, including at some of 


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1 Belarus’s largest factories such as the BelAZ truck 

2 plant, the Minsk Tractor Works, and the Minsk 

3 Automobile Plant. 

4 ‘‘(11) Women have served as the leading force 

5 in demonstrations across the country, protesting the 

6 police brutality and mass detentions by wearing 

7 white, carrying flowers, forming ‘solidarity chains’, 

8 and unmasking undercover police trying to arrest 

9 demonstrators. 

10 ‘‘(12) After the August 9, 2020, presidential 

11 election, the Government of Belarus has sought to 

12 stop the work of the Coordination Council, which 

13 was formed by the leading opposition presidential 

14 candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, to facilitate a 

15 peaceful transition of power by subjecting the Coun16 cil’s senior members to violence, detention, and 

17 forced exile. 

18 ‘‘(13) After the August 9, 2020, presidential 

19 election, the Government of Belarus restricted the 

20 free flow of information to silence the opposition and 

21 to conceal the regime’s violent crackdown on peace22 ful protestors, including by stripping the accredita23 tion of journalists from major foreign news outlets, 

24 disrupting internet access, limiting access to social 


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1 media and other digital communication platforms, 

2 and detaining and harassing countless journalists. 

3 ‘‘(14) Before the European Parliament on Au4 gust 25, 2020, Tsikhanouskaya stressed that a 

5 ‘peaceful revolution’ was underway in Belarus, and 

6 that ‘It is neither a pro-Russian nor anti-Russian 

7 revolution. It is neither an anti-European Union nor 

8 a pro-European Union revolution. It is a democratic 

9 revolution.’. 

10 ‘‘(15) Against the will of the majority of the 

11 Belarusian people, Russian President Vladimir Putin 

12 has propped up the Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime, 

13 including by offering security assistance, providing 

14 significant financial support, and sending Russian 

15 propagandists to help disseminate pro-regime propa16 ganda on Belarus state television. 

17 ‘‘(16) After the August 9, 2020, presidential 

18 election, the United States, the European Union, the 

19 United Kingdom, and Canada condemned the violent 

20 crackdown on peaceful protestors, refused to accept 

21 the results of the fraudulent election and called for 

22 new free and fair elections under independent obser23 vation. 

24 ‘‘(17) On September 8, 2020, Secretary of 

25 State Michael R. Pompeo said, ‘The United States, 


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1 in coordination with our partners and Allies, is con2 sidering additional targeted sanctions to promote ac3 countability for those involved in human rights 

4 abuses and repression in Belarus.’. 

5 ‘‘(18) Following Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s Sep6 tember 23, 2020, secret inauguration, the United 

7 States, the European Union, numerous European 

8 Union member states, the United Kingdom, and 

9 Canada announced they did not recognize him as the 

10 legitimately elected leader of Belarus.’’. 

11 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

12 Section 3 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

13 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended 

14 to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

16 ‘‘It is the policy of the United States to— 

17 ‘‘(1) condemn the conduct of the August 9, 

18 2020, presidential election and crackdown on opposi19 tion candidates, senior members of the Coordination 

20 Council, peaceful protestors, employees from state21 owned enterprises participating in strikes, inde22 pendent election observers, and independent journal23 ists and bloggers; 

24 ‘‘(2) continue to call for the immediate release 

25 without preconditions of all political prisoners in 


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1 Belarus, including all those individuals detained in 

2 connection with the August 9, 2020, presidential 

3 election, a leading opposition figure Maryia 

4 Kalesnikava, and United States citizen Vitali 

5 Shkliarov; 

6 ‘‘(3) continue to support the aspirations of the 

7 people of Belarus for democracy, human rights, and 

8 the rule of law; 

9 ‘‘(4) continue to support the aspirations of the 

10 people of Belarus to exercise their religion freely, in11 cluding the head of the Catholic Church in Belarus 

12 Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz who was barred 

13 from entering the country after criticizing 

14 Belarusian authorities; 

15 ‘‘(5) continue to support actively the aspirations 

16 of the people of the Republic of Belarus to preserve 

17 the independence and sovereignty of their country; 

18 ‘‘(6) not to recognize any incorporation of 

19 Belarus into a ‘Union State’ with Russia, as this so20 called ‘Union State’ would be both an attempt to ab21 sorb Belarus and a step to reconstituting the totali22 tarian Soviet Union; 

23 ‘‘(7) continue to reject the results of the fraud24 ulent August 9, 2020, presidential election in 

25 Belarus, and to support calls for new presidential 


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1 and parliamentary elections, conducted in a manner 

2 that is free and fair according to OSCE standards 

3 and under the supervision of OSCE observers and 

4 independent domestic observers; 

5 ‘‘(8) refuse to recognize Alyaksandr 

6 Lukashenka as the legitimately elected leader of 

7 Belarus; 

8 ‘‘(9) continue to call for the fulfillment by the 

9 Government of Belarus of Belarus’s freely under10 taken obligations as an OSCE participating state 

11 and as a signatory of the Charter of the United Na12 tions; 

13 ‘‘(10) support an OSCE role in mediating a 

14 dialogue within Belarus between the government and 

15 genuine representatives of Belarusian society; 

16 ‘‘(11) recognize the Coordination Council as a 

17 legitimate institution to participate in a dialogue on 

18 a peaceful transition of power; 

19 ‘‘(12) urge an expanded United States diplo20 matic presence in Belarus to advocate for the aspira21 tions of the people of Belarus for democracy, human 

22 rights, and the rule of law; 

23 ‘‘(13) continue to work closely with the Euro24 pean Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and 

25 other countries and international organizations, to 


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1 promote the principles of democracy, the rule of law 

2 and human rights in Belarus; and 

3 ‘‘(14) remain open to reevaluating United 

4 States policy toward Belarus as warranted by de5 monstrable progress made by the Government of 

6 Belarus consistent with the aims of this Act as stat7 ed in this section.’’. 

8 SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY, CIVIL SO9 CIETY, AND SOVEREIGNTY IN BELARUS. 

10 Section 4 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

11 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) in the section heading to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY, CIVIL

15 SOCIETY, AND SOVEREIGNTY IN BELARUS.’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (a)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Euro18 pean’’ and inserting ‘‘Trans-Atlantic’’; and 

19 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

20 (3) as paragraphs (3) and 4, respectively; and 

21 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(2) To assist the people of Belarus in building 

24 the sovereignty and independence of their country.’’; 

25 (3) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) by inserting ‘‘and Belarusian groups 

2 outside of Belarus’’ after ‘‘indigenous 

3 Belarusian groups’’; and 

4 (B) by inserting ‘‘and Belarusian sov5 ereignty’’ before the period at the end; 

6 (4) in subsection (c)— 

7 (A) by striking paragraph (8); 

8 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 

9 through (7) as paragraphs (4) through (8), re10 spectively; 

11 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(3) countering internet censorship and repres14 sive surveillance technology that seek to limit free 

15 association, control access to information, and pre16 vent citizens from exercising their rights to free 

17 speech;’’; 

18 (D) in paragraph (8) (as redesignated), by 

19 striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

20 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

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

22 freedom, human rights, and human progress; 

23 ‘‘(10) supporting the development of Belarusian 

24 language education; 


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1 ‘‘(11) enhancing the development of the private 

2 sector, particularly the information technology sec3 tor, and its role in the economy of Belarus, including 

4 by increasing the capacity of private sector actors, 

5 developing business support organizations, offering 

6 entrepreneurship training, and expanding access to 

7 finance for small and medium enterprises; 

8 ‘‘(12) supporting political refugees in neigh9 boring European countries fleeing the crackdown in 

10 Belarus; 

11 ‘‘(13) supporting the gathering of evidence on 

12 and investigating of the human rights abuses in 

13 Belarus; 

14 ‘‘(14) supporting the public health response, in15 cluding filling the information void, in Belarus dur16 ing the COVID-19 pandemic; and 

17 ‘‘(15) other activities consistent with the pur18 poses of this Act.’’; 

19 (5) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub20 section (g); 

21 (6) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con24 gress that, in light of the political crisis in Belarus and 

25 the unprecedented mobilization of the Belarusian people, 


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1 United States foreign assistance to Belarusian civil society 

2 should be reevaluated and increased to carry out the pur3 poses described in subsection (a) and to include the activi4 ties described in subsection (c). 

5 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION WITH EUROPEAN PARTNERS.— 

6 In order to maximize impact, eliminate duplication, and 

7 further the achievement of the purposes described in sub8 section (a), the Secretary of State shall ensure coordina9 tion with the European Union and its institutions, the gov10 ernments of countries that are members of the European 

11 Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada. 

12 ‘‘(f) REPORT ON ASSISTANCE.—Not later than one 

13 year after the date of the enactment of the Belarus De14 mocracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020, the 

15 Secretary of State, acting through the Office of the Coor16 dinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, and 

17 in coordination with the Administrator of the United 

18 States Agency for International Development, shall submit 

19 to the appropriate congressional committees a report on 

20 the programs and activities carried out to achieve the pur21 poses described in subsection (a), including an assessment 

22 of whether or not progress was made in achieving those 

23 purposes.’’; and 

24 (7) in subsection (g) (as redesignated)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘AUTHORIZATION OF AP2 PROPRIATIONS’’ and all that follows through 

3 ‘‘There are’’ and inserting ‘‘AUTHORIZATION OF

4 APPROPRIATIONS.—There are’’; 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2007 and 

6 2008’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2021 and 

7 2022’’; and 

8 (C) by striking paragraph (2). 

9 SEC. 5. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING, INTERNET FREE10 DOM, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN 

11 BELARUS. 

12 Section 5 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

13 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended 

14 to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 5. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING, INTERNET FREE16 DOM, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN 

17 BELARUS. 

18 ‘‘(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that— 

20 ‘‘(1) the President should support and reallo21 cate resources to radio, television, and internet 

22 broadcasting in languages spoken in Belarus by 

23 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to the people of 

24 Belarus; 


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

2 other independent media providing objective infor3 mation to the Belarusian people, particularly in the 

4 Belarusian language; 

5 ‘‘(3) the President should provide the United 

6 States Agency for Global Media with a surge capac7 ity (as such term is defined in section 316 of the 

8 United States International Broadcasting Act (22 

9 U.S.C. 6216)) for programs and activities in 

10 Belarus; 

11 ‘‘(4) the Chief Executive Officer of the United 

12 States Agency for Global Media, working through 

13 the Open Technology Fund and in coordination with 

14 the Secretary of State, should expand and prioritize 

15 efforts to provide anti-censorship technology and 

16 services to journalists and civil society in Belarus in 

17 order to enhance their ability to safely access or 

18 share digital news and information without fear of 

19 repercussions or surveillance; and 

20 ‘‘(5) the United States should continue to con21 demn the Belarusian authorities’ crackdown on inde22 pendent media, including the harassment and mass 

23 detentions of independent and foreign journalists 

24 and the denial of accreditation. 


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1 ‘‘(b) STRATEGY TO PROMOTE EXPANDED BROAD2 CASTING, INTERNET FREEDOM, AND ACCESS TO INFOR3 MATION IN BELARUS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

5 after the date of the enactment of the Belarus De6 mocracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 

7 2020, the Chief Executive Officer of the United 

8 States Agency for Global Media and the Secretary of 

9 State shall jointly submit to the appropriate congres10 sional committees a comprehensive strategy, includ11 ing a cost estimate, to carry out the following: 

12 ‘‘(A) Expand independent radio, television, 

13 live stream, and social network broadcasting 

14 and communications in Belarus to provide news 

15 and information, particularly in the Belarusian 

16 language, that is credible, comprehensive, and 

17 accurate. 

18 ‘‘(B) Support the development and use of 

19 anti-censorship and circumvention technologies 

20 by the Open Technology Fund and the Bureau 

21 of Democracy Human Rights and Labor that 

22 enable the citizens of Belarus to communicate 

23 securely and undertake internet activities with24 out interference from the Government of 

25 Belarus. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Assist efforts to overcome attempts 

2 by the Government of Belarus to disrupt inter3 net access and block content online. 

4 ‘‘(D) Monitor the cooperation of the Gov5 ernment of Belarus with any foreign govern6 ment or organization for purposes related to the 

7 censorship or surveillance of the internet, in8 cluding an assessment of any such cooperation 

9 in the preceding ten years. 

10 ‘‘(E) Monitor the purchase or receipt by 

11 the Government of Belarus of any technology or 

12 training from any foreign government or orga13 nization for purposes related to the censorship 

14 or surveillance of the internet, including an as15 sessment of any such purchase or receipt in the 

16 preceding ten years. 

17 ‘‘(F) Assist with the protection of journal18 ists who have been targeted for free speech ac19 tivities, including through the denial of accredi20 tation. 

21 ‘‘(G) Provide cyber-attack mitigation serv22 ices to civil society organizations in Belarus. 

23 ‘‘(H) Provide resources for educational ma24 terials and training on digital literacy, bypass25 ing internet censorship, digital safety, and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:16 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8438.RFS H8438

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1 vestigative and analytical journalism for inde2 pendent journalists working in Belarus. 

3 ‘‘(I) Build the capacity of civil society, 

4 media, and other nongovernmental and organi5 zations to identify, track, and counter 

6 disinformation, including from proxies of the 

7 Government of Russia working at Belarusian 

8 state television. 

9 ‘‘(2) FORM.—The report required by paragraph 

10 (1) shall be transmitted in unclassified form but 

11 may contain a classified annex.’’. 

12 SEC. 6. SANCTIONS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF 

13 BELARUS. 

14 Section 6 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

15 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in subsection (b)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘December 19, 2010’’ each 

19 place it appears and inserting ‘‘August 9, 

20 2020’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, 

22 peaceful protesters,’’ after ‘‘all opposition activ23 ists’’; and 


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1 (C) by striking paragraphs (3) and (6) and 

2 redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and (7) as 

3 paragraphs (3), (4), and (5), respectively; 

4 (2) in subsection (c)— 

5 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

6 ‘‘AND RUSSIAN INDIVIDUALS COMPLICIT IN

7 THE CRACKDOWN THAT OCCURRED AFTER

8 THE AUGUST 9, 2020, ELECTION’’ after 

9 ‘‘BELARUS’’; 

10 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and 

11 (5) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; 

12 (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(4) is a member of the Central Election Com15 mission of Belarus or assisted the Commission in 

16 manipulating the presidential election of August 9, 

17 2020;’’; 

18 (D) in paragraph (5) (as redesignated) to 

19 read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(5) is a member of any branch of the security 

21 or law enforcement services of Belarus, including the 

22 KGB, Interior Ministry, and OMON special police 

23 unit, and is responsible for, or complicit in, ordering, 

24 controlling, materially assisting, sponsoring, or pro25 viding financial, material, or technological support 


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1 for, or otherwise directing, the crackdown on opposi2 tion leaders, journalists, and peaceful protestors that 

3 occurred in connection with the presidential election 

4 of August 9, 2020; or’’; and 

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

6 ‘‘(7) is a government official, including at the 

7 Information Ministry, responsible for the crackdown 

8 on independent media, including revoking the ac9 creditation of journalists, disrupting internet access, 

10 and restricting online content; 

11 ‘‘(8) is an official in the so-called ‘Union State’ 

12 between Russia and Belarus (regardless of nation13 ality of the individual); or 

14 ‘‘(9) is a Russian individual that has signifi15 cantly participated in the crackdown on independent 

16 press or human rights abuses related to political re17 pression in Belarus, including the Russian propa18 gandists sent to replace local employees at 

19 Belarusian state media outlets.’’; 

20 (3) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘the Over21 seas Private Investment Corporation’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘the United States International Development Fi23 nance Corporation’’; 

24 (4) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘(including 

25 any technical assistance or grant) of any kind’’; and 


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1 (5) in subsection (f)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘or 

3 by any member or family member closely linked 

4 to any member of the senior leadership of the 

5 Government of Belarus’’ and inserting ‘‘or by 

6 the senior leadership of the Government of 

7 Belarus or by any member or family member 

8 closely linked to the senior leadership of the 

9 Government of Belarus, or an official of the so10 called ‘Union State’ with Russia’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (i) in subparagraph (A), by adding at 

13 the end before the semicolon the following: 

14 ‘‘, or an official of the so-called ‘Union 

15 State’ with Russia’’; and 

16 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

17 ‘‘, or the so-called ‘Union State’ with Rus18 sia,’’ after ‘‘the Government of Belarus’’. 

19 SEC. 7. MULTILATERAL COOPERATION. 

20 Section 7 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

21 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended 

22 to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 7. MULTILATERAL COOPERATION. 

24 ‘‘It is the sense of Congress that the President should 

25 continue to coordinate with the European Union and its 


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1 institutions, European Union member states, the United 

2 Kingdom, and Canada to develop a comprehensive, multi3 lateral strategy to— 

4 ‘‘(1) further the purposes of this Act, including, 

5 as appropriate, encouraging other countries to take 

6 measures with respect to the Republic of Belarus 

7 that are similar to measures described in this Act; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(2) deter the Government of Russia from un10 dermining democratic processes and institutions in 

11 Belarus or threatening the independence, sov12 ereignty, and territorial integrity of Belarus.’’. 

13 SEC. 8. REPORTS. 

14 Section 8 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

15 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended 

16 to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 8. REPORTS. 

18 ‘‘(a) REPORT ON THREAT TO SOVEREIGNTY AND

19 INDEPENDENCE OF BELARUS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

21 after the date of the enactment of the Belarus De22 mocracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 

23 2020, the Secretary of State, in coordination with 

24 the Director of National Intelligence, shall transmit 

25 to the appropriate congressional committees a report 


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1 on the threat the Government of Russia poses to the 

2 sovereignty and independence of Belarus. 

3 ‘‘(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

4 required by paragraph (1) shall include the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(A) An assessment of how the Govern7 ment of Russia is exploiting the current polit8 ical crisis in Belarus to push for deeper political 

9 and economic control of or integration with 

10 Belarus. 

11 ‘‘(B) A description of the economic and en12 ergy assets in Belarus that the Government of 

13 Russia, including Russian state-owned or state14 controlled companies, controls. 

15 ‘‘(C) A description of Belarus major enter16 prises that are vulnerable of being taken over 

17 by Russian entities amid the country’s wors18 ening financial crisis. 

19 ‘‘(D) A description of how and to what 

20 ends the Government of Russia seeks to aug21 ment its military presence in Belarus. 

22 ‘‘(E) A description of Russian influence 

23 over the media and information space in 

24 Belarus and how the Government of Russia 

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1 niques to undermine Belarusian history, cul2 ture, and language. 

3 ‘‘(F) A description of other actors in 

4 Belarus that the Government of Russia uses to 

5 advance its malign influence, including vet6 erans’ organizations and extrajudicial networks. 

7 ‘‘(G) A description of efforts to undermine 

8 Belarusian language, cultural, and national 

9 symbols, including the traditional red and white 

10 flag and the ‘Pahonia’ mounted knight. 

11 ‘‘(H) An identification of Russian individ12 uals and government agencies that are signifi13 cantly supporting or involved in the crackdown 

14 on peaceful protestors and the opposition or the 

15 repression of independent media following the 

16 August 9, 2020, presidential election. 

17 ‘‘(3) FORM.—The report required by this sub18 section shall be transmitted in unclassified form but 

19 may contain a classified annex. 

20 ‘‘(b) REPORT ON PERSONAL ASSETS OF

21 ALYAKSANDR LUKASHENKA.— 

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

23 after the date of the enactment of the Belarus De24 mocracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 

25 2020, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 


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1 with the Secretary of State and the Director of Na2 tional Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate 

3 congressional committees a report on— 

4 ‘‘(A) the total assets under the direct or 

5 indirect control of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, in6 cluding estimated assets and known sources of 

7 income of Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his im8 mediate family members, including assets, in9 vestments, bank accounts, and other business 

10 interests; and 

11 ‘‘(B) an identification of the most signifi12 cant senior foreign political figures in Belarus, 

13 as determined by their closeness to Alyaksandr 

14 Lukashenka. 

15 ‘‘(2) FORM.—The report required by this sub16 section shall be transmitted in unclassified form but 

17 may contain a classified annex.’’. 

18 SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 

19 Section 9 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 

20 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

23 following: 


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HR 8438 RFS

1 ‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com3 mittees’ means— 

4 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

5 the Committee on Financial Services, and the 

6 Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

7 Representatives; and 

8 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

9 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

10 Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Appro11 priations of the Senate.’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

13 (A) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘members of 

14 the security and intelligence services,’’ after 

15 ‘‘prosecutors,’’; and 

16 (B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘, electoral 

17 fraud, online censorship, or restrictions on inde18 pendent media and journalists’’ after ‘‘public 

19 corruption’’. 

20 SEC. 10. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

21 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

22 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

23 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

24 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

25 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 


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HR 8438 RFS

1 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro2 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

3 vote on passage. 

Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 

2020. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS