IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 441 

Condemning the authoritarian repression of the Belarusian democracy movement by the Lukashenka regime and calling for the release of all political 

prisoners as well as free and fair elections. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2023 

Mr. KEATING (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. 

WILSON of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the authoritarian repression of the Belarusian 

democracy movement by the Lukashenka regime and 

calling for the release of all political prisoners as well 

as free and fair elections. 

Whereas the Republic of Belarus is an authoritarian state 

currently under the rule of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who 

maintains tight control over military and security forces; 

Whereas Freedom House has rated Belarus 8 on a scale of 

100, classifying the country as ‘‘not free’’ and stating 

that ‘‘Belarus is an authoritarian state in which elections 

are openly rigged and civil liberties are severely restricted’’; 


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•HRES 441 IH 

Whereas the Republic of Belarus held a Presidential election 

on August 9, 2020, that was found neither free nor fair 

by international observation groups; 

Whereas the August 2020 Presidential election took place 

without appropriate observation from local independent 

groups and international delegations; 

Whereas, since the Presidential election, Belarusians have 

demonstrated their strong desire and commitment to a 

democratic future by organizing peaceful protests in 

Minsk, across the country, and around the world; 

Whereas women play a leading role in the Belarusian democratic movement as both opposition leaders and organizers of peaceful demonstrations; 

Whereas Belarus’ democratic opposition, led by Sviatlana 

Tsikhanouskaya, and Belarusian civil society have called 

for the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, as well as 

the peaceful transition of power, the organization of new, 

free, and fair elections, and the release of all political 

prisoners; 

Whereas Belarusian opposition leaders have faced intimidation, harassment, and detention, including direct threats 

leading to the forced exile of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya 

in Lithuania as well as the kidnapping and imprisonment 

of countless opposition leaders and activists; 

Whereas, since the 2020 election, Belarusian authorities have 

arbitrarily detained and brutally assaulted tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, journalists, and opposition 

figures, of which 1,516 remain in detention; 

Whereas human rights groups have documented hundreds of 

horrific accounts of torture, including sexual violence and 

rape, along with other instances of ill-treatment and exVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 May 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR441.IH HR441

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•HRES 441 IH 

cessive force used against detainees arrested for peaceful 

protest; 

Whereas human rights groups have also documented specific 

acts of violence intended to focus on female detainees, including restricting access to hygiene products and sanitary pads; 

Whereas the Lukashenka regime has penalized the celebration of Belarusian culture and cracked down on the use 

of Belarusian language in media, books, and schools; 

Whereas thousands of Belarusians have fled to neighboring 

countries seeking political asylum; 

Whereas independent journalists and the free media in 

Belarus have faced intimidation, violence, mass arrests, 

and prosecution, with many foreign journalists being 

stripped of their accreditation; 

Whereas Belarusian blogger and Radio Free Europe/Radio 

Liberty journalist Ihar Losik was unlawfully arrested in 

June 2020 and has been sentenced to 15 years in a maximum security prison on charges which represent a violation of the rule of law and the tenets of a free press, and 

his wife has also been arrested and sentenced unlawfully 

on the unjust charge of facilitating extremist activity; 

Whereas a transatlantic community of legislators has 

emerged in support of uplifting the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people; 

Whereas in response to an increase in antidemocratic policies 

by the Lukashenka regime, the United States has enacted a series of punitive measures against Belarus; 

Whereas the United States, the European Union, the United 

Kingdom, and Canada have enacted sanctions and other 

punitive measures against dozens of individuals and entiVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 May 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR441.IH HR441

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•HRES 441 IH 

ties found responsible for the perpetration of violence 

against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members, and 

journalists, among others; 

Whereas Executive Order 14038 issued on August 9, 2021, 

which expanded the scope of Executive Order 13405, 

found that ‘‘the Belarusian regime’s harmful activities 

and long-standing abuses aimed at suppressing democracy and the exercise of human rights and fundamental 

freedoms in Belarus—including illicit and oppressive activities stemming from the August 9, 2020, fraudulent 

Belarusian presidential election and its aftermath, such 

as the elimination of political opposition and civil society 

organizations and the regime’s disruption and endangering of international civil air travel—constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security 

and foreign policy of the United States’’; 

Whereas, as of March 2023, the United States Government 

has designated 94 individuals, 69 entities, and 3 aircrafts 

pursuant to Executive Orders 13405 and 14038 including Alyaksandr Lukashenka, other Government officials, 

and State-owned companies and has utilized other mechanisms such as the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Program 

to impose punitive measures on Belarusians who commit 

human rights violations; 

Whereas, on April 8, 2022, President Biden signed the Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and 

Belarus Act (Public Law 117–110) and further restricted 

exports to Belarus under the Export Administration Regulations; 

Whereas, since the fraudulent August 2020 Presidential election, the Belarusian economy has been effectively isolated 


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•HRES 441 IH 

from the global market as punishment for their domestic 

human rights abuses; 

Whereas international advocacy, including by cohost Latvia, 

succeeded in preventing the illegitimate Government of 

Belarus from hosting the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship; 

Whereas Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues to undermine the 

sovereignty and independence of Belarus through efforts 

to integrate Belarus into a so-called ‘‘Union State’’ under 

the control of Russia; 

Whereas Alyaksandr Lukashenka is complicit in Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine by allowing Belarusian territory 

to be used as a staging ground for Russian attacks into 

Ukraine; 

Whereas Belarusian partisans have worked to undermine 

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine including by sabotaging 

Russian positions and bases in Belarus; 

Whereas the House of Representatives passed the Belarus 

Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020 

with unanimous consent, sending a clear message of overwhelming, bipartisan support for the democratic movement in Belarus; 

Whereas the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 124 in 

support of the people of Belarus and their democratic aspirations and condemning the election rigging and subsequent violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters by the illegitimate Lukashenka regime; and 

Whereas the House Friends of Belarus Caucus continues to 

seek ways to support democracy in Belarus: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 441 IH 

1 (1) finds that the August 9, 2020, Presidential 

2 election in Belarus was neither free nor fair and, 

3 therefore, does not recognize the government-an4 nounced results or Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the 

5 legitimate President of Belarus; 

6 (2) calls for new free and fair elections under 

7 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Eu8 rope observation; 

9 (3) affirms that the people of Belarus have the 

10 right to determine the future of Belarus without un11 welcome intervention from the Russian Federation 

12 or any outside actors in violation of Belarusian inde13 pendence and sovereignty; 

14 (4) condemns the human rights violations com15 mitted by Belarusian authorities, including against 

16 peaceful demonstrators, civil society activists, opposi17 tion leaders, students, educators, employees at 

18 State-owned enterprises, medical personnel, and 

19 journalists; 

20 (5) calls for the immediate release of all polit21 ical prisoners and those unlawfully detained in con22 nection with the peaceful demonstrations including 

23 independent journalists; 

24 (6) recognizes the sacrifices and bravery of the 

25 Belarusian people to peacefully demand a free and 


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•HRES 441 IH 

1 fair democratic process while enduring the State2 sponsored violence that followed the August 9, 2020, 

3 election; 

4 (7) calls on Alyaksandr Lukashenka and 

5 Belarusian authorities to engage in an open and 

6 constructive dialogue with the opposition members 

7 and other stakeholders to bring about a peaceful 

8 transition of power; 

9 (8) calls for the protection of civil society actors 

10 and members of the opposition against arbitrary ar11 rest and violence; 

12 (9) recognizes the Coordination Council estab13 lished by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as a legitimate 

14 institution to participate in a dialogue on a peaceful 

15 transition of power; 

16 (10) urges continued cooperation among the 

17 United States and its transatlantic allies and part18 ners to explore avenues in support of the democratic 

19 movement in Belarus; 

20 (11) calls for further targeted actions coordi21 nated between the United States, the European 

22 Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other al23 lies and partners against Belarusian authorities who 

24 committed human rights violations and engaged in 

25 activities that resulted in the falsification of the AuVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 May 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR441.IH HR441

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•HRES 441 IH 

1 gust 9, 2020, election results including on individ2 uals and entities who violate the fundamental free3 dom of the press, are involved in the harassment, as4 sault, jailing, or arrest of journalists or their fami5 lies as a result of their journalism or otherwise party 

6 to or involved in the suppression of a free and open 

7 press; 

8 (12) calls on the administration to consider the 

9 implications of sanctions on Belarusian entities 

10 which may further the goals of Russian or Chinese 

11 malign actors in Belarus; 

12 (13) supports increasing funds available for for13 eign assistance to Belarusian civil society groups as 

14 well as legal assistance for activists and independent 

15 journalists, among others, as called for in the 

16 Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty 

17 Act of 2020; and 

18 (14) continues to support the aspirations of the 

19 people of Belarus for democracy, human rights, and 

20 the rule of law, and reaffirms that the fulfillment of 

21 such aspirations is critical to ensuring the continued 

22 strength of Belarusian sovereignty and territorial in23 tegrity. 

Æ 


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