III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 645 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Parliamentary elections 

to be held in Venezuela on September 26, 2010. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 

Mr. ENSIGN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Parliamentary elections to be held in Venezuela on September 

26, 2010. 

Whereas both the United States and Venezuela were among 

the 21 original members that founded the Organization 

of American States on May 5, 1948; 

Whereas both the United States and Venezuela joined the 

other 34 Organization of American States member nations and approved and accepted the Inter-American 

Democratic Charter on September 11, 2001; 

Whereas Article 1 of the Organization of American States 

Inter-American Democratic Charter states the peoples of 

the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it; 


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•SRES 645 IS 

Whereas Article 4 of the Organization of American States 

Inter-American Democratic Charter states transparency 

in government activities, probity, responsible public administration on the part of governments, respect for social rights, and freedom of expression and of the press 

are essential components of the exercise of democracy; 

Whereas Article 57 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela guarantees the right of all citizens to 

freely express their thoughts and opinions; 

Whereas Article 106 of the Charter for the Organization of 

American States establishes ‘‘an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, whose principal function shall be 

to promote the observance and protection of human 

rights and to serve as a consultative organ of the Organization in these matters’’; 

Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 

report entitled Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela, published February 24, 2010, found that the government of President Hugo Chavez employs the punitive 

power of the state to intimidate or punish people inside 

Venezuela on account of their political opinions; 

Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 

report entitled Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela found that conditions do not exist for human 

rights defenders and journalists to be able to freely carry 

out their work in Venezuela; 

Whereas the Department of State declared on November 29, 

2009, that the United States ‘‘commends the Honduran 

people for peacefully exercising their democratic right to 

select their leaders in an electoral process that began over 

a year ago’’; 


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•SRES 645 IS 

Whereas, prior to the election in Honduras, President Chavez 

announced on Venezuelan state television that he put the 

military of Venezuela on alert in response to the removal 

by the people of Honduras of Chavez’s ally Manuel 

Zelaya; 

Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 

report entitled Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela concluded that constraints on freedom of expression and the right to protest peaceably and the existence 

of a climate hostile to the free exercise of dissenting political participation contribute to the weakening of the 

rule of law and democracy in Venezuela; 

Whereas, on June 14, 2010, the Department of State described an arrest order issued by the government of 

President Chavez for the owner of Venezuela’s last remaining independent television station as ‘‘the latest example of the government of Venezuela’s continuing assault on the freedom of the press’’ and urged Venezuela 

to ‘‘honor its commitment under the Inter-American 

Democratic Charter to uphold the principle that respect 

for human rights, including freedom of the press, is essential to representative democracies’’; and 

Whereas the people of Venezuela will hold parliamentary elections on September 26, 2010: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the people and Government of the United 

3 States support the right of the people of Venezuela 

4 to free and fair elections as guaranteed by the Orga5 nization of American States Democratic Charter; 


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•SRES 645 IS 

1 (2) the people and Government of the United 

2 States support the right of the people of Venezuela 

3 to the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly, 

4 and their right to freely express their political views 

5 as guaranteed by the Organization of American 

6 States Democratic Charter; and 

7 (3) the people and Government of the United 

8 States summarily reject any effort by President Cha9 vez to invoke the punitive power of the state to in10 timidate or punish the people of Venezuelan who ex11 ercise their right to express their political opinions, 

12 their right to assemble, and their right to vote in a 

13 free and fair elections. 

Æ 


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