IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 129 

Condemning the Government of Saudi Arabia’s continued detention and 

alleged abuse of women’s rights activists. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 

Ms. FRANKEL (for herself, Mrs. WAGNER, Mr. CICILLINE, and Ms. WILD) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the Government of Saudi Arabia’s continued 

detention and alleged abuse of women’s rights activists. 

Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been an important strategic partner of the United States, and the 

United States and Saudi Arabia share broad interests, 

including defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria 

(ISIS), regional stability, and countering Iran’s malign 

activities in the Middle East; 

Whereas, in June 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia reversed the longstanding ban on women driving; 

Whereas Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system requires 

women to attain the permission of their male guardian 

for a vast array of decisions, including health care, emVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Feb 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR129.IH HR129

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•HRES 129 IH 

ployment, applying for a passport, international travel, 

getting married, or even leaving prison; 

Whereas, since May 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia 

has arrested prominent women’s rights advocates and imposed travel bans on numerous others, many of them 

longtime supporters of ending the ban on women driving 

and abolishing the male guardianship system; 

Whereas none of the jailed activists has been convicted of any 

crimes, and many reportedly have been held in solitary 

confinement for prolonged periods; 

Whereas Aziza al-Yousef, a United States resident who 

helped lead a campaign against the male guardianship 

system in Saudi Arabia, was imprisoned in May 2018; 

Whereas at least 10 women’s rights activists have been subjected to psychological and physical abuse, including sexual violence, beatings, electric shocks, and sleep deprivation; 

Whereas one of the detained activists, Loujain al-Hathloul, 

was reportedly beaten, waterboarded, given electric 

shocks, sexually harassed, and threatened with rape and 

murder; 

Whereas the Department of State has undertaken some diplomatic measures to bring concerns about the detention of 

these women’s rights activists to the attention of the 

Government of Saudi Arabia; 

Whereas, on January 14, 2019, Secretary of State Mike 

Pompeo said he had raised the case of the imprisoned activists with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; 

Whereas the 2017 Department of State Country Report on 

Human Rights Practices for Saudi Arabia stated that, 

‘‘Women continued to face significant discrimination 


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•HRES 129 IH 

under law and custom, and many remained uninformed 

about their rights’’, and ‘‘women also faced discrimination in courts, where in most cases the testimony of one 

man equals that of two women’’; 

Whereas serious impediments to women’s freedoms in Saudi 

Arabia remain, including a high prevalence of forced 

marriages, inequality in marriage, divorce, child custody 

and inheritance, laws that prevents women from directly 

transmitting citizenship to their children, and the male 

guardianship system; 

Whereas, on April 21, 2005, Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi, an associate professor of history at King Saud University and 

prominent women’s rights activist currently detained by 

Saudi Arabia, testified before Congress that a Saudi 

woman ‘‘is considered legally and socially a minor; she is 

confined to limited areas of educational opportunities; she 

is restricted in employment opportunities; there are no 

legal bodies where women could seek support; and finally, 

she is distanced from any decisionmaking position’’; and 

Whereas the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability 

Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114–328) authorizes the President to deny travel visas and freeze the 

United States-based assets of foreign government officials 

responsible for ‘‘extrajudicial killings, torture, or other 

gross violations of internationally recognized human 

rights’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms that promoting human rights and 

3 democracy has long been a bedrock of United States 

4 foreign policy, including advancing the rights and 

5 empowerment of women and girls; 


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•HRES 129 IH 

1 (2) condemns the Government of Saudi Ara2 bia’s continued detention and alleged abuse of wom3 en’s rights advocates jailed for peacefully exercising 

4 their human rights; 

5 (3) urges Government of Saudi Arabia officials 

6 to immediately and unconditionally release the im7 prisoned women’s rights advocates and other polit8 ical prisoners, and hold accountable those involved in 

9 perpetrating abuses; 

10 (4) urges Government of Saudi Arabia officials 

11 to end the male guardianship system that restricts 

12 the ability of Saudi women to make decisions about 

13 their lives; and 

14 (5) calls on the United States Government to— 

15 (A) continue publicly and privately de16 manding the release of individuals wrongfully 

17 detained; 

18 (B) use the Global Magnitsky Human 

19 Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title 

20 XII of Public Law 114–328) to identify and im21 pose travel and financial restrictions on all Gov22 ernment of Saudi Arabia officials responsible 

23 for gross violations of internationally recognized 

24 human rights; 


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•HRES 129 IH 

1 (C) document relevant details of alleged 

2 torture and abuse in future annual Country Re3 ports on Human Rights Practices; and 

4 (D) prioritize human rights, including 

5 women’s rights, as a key component of the rela6 tionship between the United States and Saudi 

7 Arabia. 

Æ 


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