III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 609 

Recognizing widening threats to press freedom and free expression around 

the world, and reaffirming the vital role that a free and independent 

press plays in combating the growing threat of authoritarianism, countering misinformation and disinformation, documenting human rights 

abuses, informing local and international audiences about public health 

crises, and furthering discourse and debate to advance healthy democracies, in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 

2022. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 3, 2022 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. KAINE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. 

CARDIN, Mr. MORAN, Mr. COONS, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. 

VAN HOLLEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing widening threats to press freedom and free expression around the world, and reaffirming the vital role 

that a free and independent press plays in combating 

the growing threat of authoritarianism, countering misinformation and disinformation, documenting human rights 

abuses, informing local and international audiences about 

public health crises, and furthering discourse and debate 

to advance healthy democracies, in commemoration of 

World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2022. 


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Whereas Thomas Jefferson, who championed the necessity of 

a free press for a thriving democratic society, wisely declared, ‘‘Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, 

and that cannot be limited without being lost.’’; 

Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris on December 10, 

1948, states, ‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold 

opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.’’; 

Whereas in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the third day of May of each year to be ‘‘World 

Press Freedom Day’’— 

(1) to celebrate the fundamental principles of press 

freedom; 

(2) to evaluate press freedom around the world; 

(3) to defend the media against attacks on its independence; and 

(4) to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their 

lives while working in their profession; 

Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 

(Public Law 111–166) expanded the examination of the 

freedom of the press around the world in the annual 

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published 

by the Department of State; 

Whereas, on December 18, 2013, and December 18, 2019, 

the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 

68/163 and Resolution 74/157, respectively, on the safety 

of journalists and the problem of impunity by unequivocally condemning all attacks on, and violence against, 

journalists and media workers, including torture, 


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extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and intimidation and harassment in conflict and 

non-conflict situations; 

Whereas the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and various State constitutions protect freedom of 

the press in the United States; 

Whereas the United States Government has used the Global 

Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F 

of title XII of Public Law 114–328) to place targeted 

visa and economic sanctions on individuals, including for 

their roles in the targeted killings of journalists; 

Whereas, in an effort to combat attacks against journalists, 

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in February 2021 

announced the Khashoggi Ban, a new policy allowing the 

Department of State to impose visa restrictions on individuals who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, 

are believed to have been directly engaged in serious, 

extraterritorial counter-dissident activities, including activities that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm 

journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dissidents for their work; 

Whereas the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by 

Reporters Without Borders, warns that the COVID–19 

pandemic ‘‘illustrates the negative factors threatening the 

right to reliable information’’ and amplifies the many crises that threaten media freedom and pluralism; 

Whereas the Freedom in the World 2022 report, published by 

Freedom House, marked the 16th consecutive year of decline in global freedom, with ‘‘some 38 percent of the 

global population liv[ing] in Not Free countries, the highest proportion since 1997’’, and the organization’s FreeVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:24 May 04, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR609.IS SR609

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dom on the Net 2021 report identified 11 consecutive 

years of decline in internet freedom; 

Whereas worsening media freedom has been one of the key 

drivers of these global declines, including attacks and 

prosecutions against journalists, pressure on media outlets, repressive regulatory and legal frameworks, internet 

shutdowns, and blocks on online sources of information; 

Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists— 

(1) at least 27 journalists were killed in 2021, 21 of 

whom were singled out in retaliation for their work; 

(2) India and Mexico had the most retaliatory 

killings in 2021; 

(3) at least 293 journalists were imprisoned in relation to their work on December 1, 2021, marking the 

sixth consecutive year that at least 250 journalists were 

imprisoned globally; 

(4) China, Myanmar, Egypt, Vietnam, Belarus, and 

Turkey were responsible for nearly 50 percent of all 

jailed journalists worldwide; and 

(5) journalists around the world have been targeted 

by sophisticated spyware products that pose a severe risk 

to their safety and the safety of their sources; 

Whereas the Freedom to Write Index 2021, published by 

PEN America, noted that at least 277 writers and public 

intellectuals, including columnists and editorial journalists, were jailed across 36 different countries during 

2021; 

Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, 362 journalists, 93 citizen journalists, and 20 media assistants 

were imprisoned as of April 22, 2022; 


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Whereas since the start of Russia’s full-scale offensive 

against Ukraine, Reporters Without Borders has documented attacks directly targeting journalists wearing a 

‘‘Press’’ armband including— 

(1) the killing of 7 journalists; 

(2) the torture by electric shock, beatings, and mock 

executions of journalists working for the international 

press; and 

(3) the targeted kidnappings of journalists and their 

families in occupied regions of Ukraine to put pressure 

on their reporting; 

Whereas in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, Ukrainian 

journalists and bloggers have repeatedly been threatened, 

arbitrarily arrested, and tortured for resisting Russian 

occupation, such as the detention of Crimean journalist 

Vladyslav Yesipenko and Crimean Tatar journalists 

Osman Arifmemetov, Rustem Sheikhaliev, and Remzi 

Bekirov; 

Whereas media workers face heightened dangers in Russia, 

leading up to and following draconian censorship laws 

passed in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of 

Ukraine have intensified already wide spread harassment, 

repression, and government-driven retaliation, including 

in the cases of— 

(1) Sergey Mikhaylov, publisher of independent 

newspaper Listok, who was arrested for spreading 

‘‘fakes’’ about the Russian military; 

(2) Mikhail Afanasyev, editor-in-chief of the online 

magazine Novy Fokus, who was charged with spreading 

false information about the Russian military; 

(3) Natalya Tyshkevich, Vladimir Metelkin, Alla 

Gutnikova, and Armen Aramyan, the editors of student 


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magazine DOXA, who were detained after refusing to 

take down a video informing Russian youth of their right 

to protest in support of Navalny; and 

(4) Novaya Gazeta, a landmark independent newspaper, which ceased publication in Russia after receiving 

ominous warnings from Russia’s media regulator under 

its foreign agents law; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China, 

which according to Reporters Without Borders is currently detaining at least 127 journalists and forced 18 

foreign correspondents to leave the country in 2020, has 

unleashed an onslaught of attacks on press freedom in 

China and Hong Kong, including through— 

(1) state-sponsored censorship and disinformation 

campaigns limiting access to information about the novel 

coronavirus, including through its censorship of virus-related keywords on social media platforms; 

(2) attacks on press freedom in Hong Kong, including the passage of the National Security Law, which 

poses an existential threat to the city’s tradition of press 

freedom, and the arrest and subsequent conviction of 

Jimmy Lai, owner of Hong Kong’s largest media outlet, 

Apple Daily, and an outspoken democracy advocate; 

(3) arrests or other repressive actions against independent journalists and others in mainland China attempting to share uncensored news or opinion about the 

COVID–19 outbreak, including the detention of citizen 

journalist Chen Qiushi, who disappeared without explanation for longer than 600 days; 

(4) the detention of journalists critical of the Government of China, including Chen Jieren, who remains in 

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lowing 2 years of incommunicado detention, after 

blogging about allegations of corrupt local officials; and 

(5) the 2017 disappearance of Uyghur journalist 

and poet Qurban Mamut following a visit to the United 

States to visit his son, and his subsequent detention and 

15-year prison sentence for alleged ‘‘political crimes’’; 

Whereas Afghanistan under the Taliban remains one of the 

most repressive countries for journalists, with journalists 

subject to arrest, beatings and arbitrary restrictions on 

their work; 

Whereas Belarus has witnessed sweeping attacks against the 

press since Alexander Lukashenka’s fraudulent election 

in August 2020, with journalists and media workers harassed, assaulted, imprisoned, or otherwise retaliated 

against for their work, including— 

(1) Raman Pratasevich, a journalist in exile whose 

plane from Greece to Lithuania was illegally diverted by 

Belarusian authorities and forced to land in Minsk, allowing Pratasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega to be 

arrested; 

(2) Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist who, while working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained 

in November 2021 and is facing unspecified charges; 

(3) Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Daria Chultsova, 

journalists sentenced to 2 years in prison (on charges of 

violating public order) for filming live coverage of the violent dispersal of a protest against President Lukashenka; 

(4) 15 journalists and other employees of leading 

independent media outlet Tut.By, including respected 

chief editor, Maryna Zolotava, were arrested in May 

2021, and most of them remain in custody on charges of 

tax evasion; 


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(5) Ihar Losik, a blogger who is also affiliated with 

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was sentenced to 15 

years in prison in December 2021 for allegedly violating 

public order; and 

(6) Aleh Hruzdzilovich, a Narodnaya Volya and 

former Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondent 

who was sentenced in March 2022 to 11⁄2 years in prison 

for allegedly participating in protests; 

Whereas Reporters Without Borders asserts that ‘‘press freedom in [Burma] has been set back ten years in ten days’’ 

after the February 2021 military coup, since— 

(1) media workers were forced into hiding and confronted censorship, harassment, internet blocks, beatings, 

interrogations, threats, and injuries at the hands of the 

military; 

(2) multiple independent media outlets had to cease 

operations or close altogether or had their licenses revoked by the military; and 

(3) journalists were detained at alarming rates, with 

26 journalists in prison at the end of 2021; 

Whereas Cuba remains a highly restricted environment for 

independent media, marked by internet restrictions and 

constant harassment of journalists and news outlets, including— 

(1) Luz Escobar, a journalist who was repeatedly 

barred by security forces from leaving her home; 

(2) new regulations imposed in August 2021 that 

criminalize the online dissemination of ‘‘false’’ or ‘‘offensive’’ information; and 

(3) the detention of at least 7 journalists during the 

July 2021 anti-government protests; 


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Whereas Egypt’s restrictions on the media have accelerated 

under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi since 2013, with at 

least 25 journalists imprisoned during 2021, including— 

(1) Alaa Abd El Fattah, a blogger, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison for ‘‘broadcasting false news’’ 

after having already endured torture and a hunger strike 

during his time in jail; 

(2) Ismail Alexandrani, an Egyptian freelance journalist, who was detained in November 2015 and later 

sentenced to 10 years in prison by a military court for 

his counterterrorism research in the North Sinai; 

(3) Hisham Abdel Aziz, an Al Jazeera journalist 

who is on the verge of losing his eyesight following untreated glaucoma while in prison; and 

(4) Mahmoud Abou Zeid, who was released after 5 

years in prison, but remains subject to a 5-year probation 

term that requires his continuous presence at a police 

station between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. every night; 

Whereas assaults on press freedom in El Salvador imperil its 

fragile democracy and include both verbal attacks on 

journalists by political leaders and the use of state power 

to intimidate independent media, such as— 

(1) the ongoing criminal investigation against outlet 

El Faro, which was launched after it reported damaging 

information about the administration; 

(2) the online attacks and threats to journalists 

from the outlet Revista Factum, which has been banned 

from press conferences at the presidential residence; and 

(3) the adoption of a new law that imposes prison 

sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years for certain reporting on criminal groups, such as gangs; 


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Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House, Indian authorities have recently imposed 

internet and communication blackouts, detained and 

charged journalists covering political demonstrations, and 

called for the temporary blockage of journalists and 

media accounts on Twitter; 

(1) Gautam Navlakha, a journalist and activist, who 

has been awaiting trial since April 2020 on charges of 

‘‘instigating caste violence’’, has been denied bail on medical grounds multiple times, and is currently detained in 

solitary confinement; and 

(2) Anand Teltumbde, a columnist and writer, who 

has been detained since April 2020, charged with illegally 

associating with a Maoist group, and has been denied bail 

3 times despite a serious medical condition and overcrowded jails during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas Iran remains the fourth-highest jailer of writers and 

public intellectuals worldwide, promoting an extremely 

hostile environment for the press, severely restricting 

freedoms of the press and of speech, and subjecting 

media workers to aggressive intimidation, arbitrary summons, arrests, travel bans, conditional releases, torture, 

inhumane treatment, and unsubstantiated and unjust 

sentences, including— 

(1) freelance journalist Fariborz Kalantari, who was 

sentenced on February 7, 2021, to 7 years in prison and 

74 lashes for using his telegram channel to circulate articles about corruption charges brought against the ex-Vice 

President’s brother; 

(2) the editor of weekly Agrin Rozh, Mahmoud 

Mahmoudi, who was arrested by agents of the Ministry 

of Intelligence in Sanandaj after issuing an open letter 

calling for the release of detained Kurdish activists; 


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(3) freelance blogger and activist Seyed Hossein 

Ronaghi Maleki, who was forcefully taken to an unknown 

location by unidentified security forces on February 23, 

2022, after condemning the ratification of the ‘‘User Protection Bill,’’ a piece of legislation that restricts Iranians’ 

access to the internet; 

(4) freelance photojournalist Nooshin Jafari, who 

was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to a 4-year prison 

term for ‘‘spreading anti-state propaganda’’ and ‘‘insulting sanctities’’; 

(5) Iranian journalist Navid Seyed-Mohammadi, a 

Kurdish reporter for the state-run Islamic Republic 

Radio and Television broadcaster, who was arrested in 

May 2020 and is serving a 7-year prison sentence for 

‘‘espionage for hostile states’’; and 

(6) Iranian journalist Khosrow Sadeghi Borojeni, 

who is serving a 7-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison 

for ‘‘colluding against national security and insulting the 

Islamic republic’s founder’’ in relation to his critical writing. After being arrested and released on bail in May 

2019, he began his prison sentence in August 2020; 

Whereas Reporters Without Borders reported that Mexico 

continues to be one of the world’s deadliest countries for 

journalists, where reporters covering stories on political 

corruption and organized crime are frequently assaulted 

and murdered, including— 

(1) 8 journalists killed during the first 4 months of 

2022; 

(2) Gustavo Sa ́nchez Cabrera, a reporter who covered crime and politics and who was gunned down in 

front of his son; 

(3) Ricardo Domı ́nguez Lo ́pez, the founder and editor of news website InfoGuaymas; and 


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(4) broadcast journalist Lourdes Maldonado Lo ́pez 

and photojournalist Margarito Martinez, who were killed 

in Tijuana within a week of each other in January 2022; 

Whereas Haiti is the second deadliest country in the Western 

Hemisphere for journalists, with 3 journalists killed during the first 4 months of 2022, following a steady uptick 

of near-fatal and fatal violence against the press over the 

last several years; 

Whereas the years-long persecution of journalists in Nicaragua continues, including news outlets forced to close 

and individual journalists being threatened, harassed, 

sued, surveilled, jailed, and forced into exile, including— 

(1) Miguel Mendoza, who was given a 9-year prison 

sentence in February for undermining national integrity 

and disseminating false news; and 

(2) Miguel Mora, former director of 100% Noticias, 

who was given 13-year prison sentence in February 2022 

for ‘‘conspiracy to undermine national integrity’’; 

Whereas Honduras remains one of the Western Hemisphere’s 

deadliest countries for journalists, where those working 

for opposition media or who are outspoken critics of the 

government are subjected to harassment, intimidation, 

and death threats by the country’s security forces and its 

affiliates; 

Whereas in Peru, criminal defamation lawsuits and legislation have been used to harass and silence investigative 

journalists who write about prominent political figures; 

Whereas the Office of the Director of National Intelligence 

has concluded that the murder of Washington Post journalist and American resident Jamal Khashoggi in 


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Istanbul in 2018 was approved by Saudi Crown Prince 

Mohamed bin Salman; 

Whereas impunity continues for the Saudi officials involved 

in the 2018 assassination of Saudi columnist Jamal 

Khashoggi; 

Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia maintains an especially hostile environment towards journalists through 

systematic and arbitrary arrests, torture and inhumane 

or degrading treatment, lengthy pre-trial detentions, political persecution, and conditional release restrictions, 

which inhibit reporters and columnists from traveling or 

returning to their professional work post-detention, including— 

(1) Maha Al-Rafidi Al-Qahtani, a journalist and 

writer arrested in September 2019, held in solitary confinement, and physically abused while in prison; 

(2) Abdulrahman Farhana, a columnist detained in 

February 2019, charged with membership in a terrorist 

organization; 

(3) Zuhair Kutbi, a journalist jailed in January 

2019, who reportedly suffers from torture, 

malnourishment, and denial of cancer treatment in prison; and 

(4) Raif Badawi, a blogger who recently completed 

a 10-year prison sentence on blasphemy charges, and who 

remains subjected to a further 10-year travel ban which 

prevents him from uniting with his family who received 

asylum in Canada; 

Whereas the battle for a free press continues to be fought in 

South and Southeast Asia, where— 

(1) Bangladeshi journalists have repeatedly been arrested and charged under the Digital Security Act, some 


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of whom have been subjected to torture and one of whom 

died in custody; 

(2) journalist and Nobel Prize laureate, Maria Ressa 

has been targeted by the Government of the Philippines’ 

aggressive campaign against independent media after her 

reporting on, among other topics, President Duterte’s 

‘‘war on drugs’’; 

(3) Vietnamese journalists Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen 

Tuong Thuy, and Le Huu Minh Tuan were each sentenced to more than 10 years in prison; and 

(4) Pham Doan Trang, a Vietnamese journalist and 

writer, following a year in detention, was sentenced to 9 

years in prison for ‘‘anti-state propaganda’’ in a judicial 

proceeding and imprisonment declared ‘‘arbitrary’’ by the 

United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; 

Whereas press freedom continues to face challenges in subSaharan Africa, including in— 

(1) Ethiopia, where a crackdown on the press amid 

the ongoing civil conflict has included— 

(A) the 1-week suspension of the independent 

publication Addis Standard; 

(B) the expulsion of New York Times reporter 

Simon Marks; 

(C) the arbitrary arrests of numerous journalists who have been detained for up to several 

months, making the country the second-worst jailer 

of journalists in Sub-Saharan Africa; 

(D) the exile of several other journalists who 

left the country afraid of persecution, according to 

the Committee to Protect Journalists; 

(E) the November 2021 arrest of Bikila Amenu 

and Dessu Dulla, 2 journalists who remain imprisoned as of April 2022; 


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(F) the May 2021 killing of journalist Sisay 

Fida, which was documented by the Committee to 

Protect Journalists to have occurred in connection to 

his journalistic work; and 

(G) the January 2021 killing of another journalist, Dawit Kebede Araya, for reasons that remain 

unclear; 

(2) Nigeria, where journalist Luke Binniyat was arrested in November 2021, was released on bail in February 2022, and faces 3 years in prison if convicted of 

sending false information under the Cybercrimes Act; and 

(3) Eritrea, where— 

(A) Medhanie Haile, co-founder of the Keste 

Debena newspaper, has been detained incommunicado since September 2001 and is suffering from serious health issues due to harsh prison conditions; 

(B) Temesgen Ghebreyesus, editor of the Keste 

Debena newspaper, has also been detained incommunicado since September 2001; 

(C) Idris Said Aba Arre, a freelance journalist 

and author, has been detained incommunicado and 

without charges since October 2001 after denouncing the mass arrest of a group of politicians known 

as the G–15; 

(D) Dawit Isaak, co-owner of the newspaper 

Setit, since his arrest in September 2001, has been 

tortured, has been held in solitary confinement, and 

has been suffering from medical conditions which 

have worsened during detention; and 

(E) Amanuel Asrat, a poet and editor-in-chief 

of Zemen, has been detained incommunicado since 

2001; 

Whereas the Turkish Journalists’ Association reported that— 


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(1) in 2021— 

(A) 115 journalists faced physical violence; and 

(B) 73 journalists were detained, with at least 

44 journalists remaining in prison at the end of the 

year; 

(2) 3 out of every 5 journalists face threats during 

their career; and 

(3) Turkey is maintaining its standing as— 

(A) one of the world’s most oppressive environments for press freedom; and 

(B) one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists; 

Whereas in Turkey, the continued persecution of journalists 

and writers, initially targeted in 2016 during a nationwide crackdown on dissent following the failed 2016 coup 

against President Recep Tayyip Erdog ̆an, has resulted in 

lengthy sentences and judicial harassment, including 

Gu ̈ltekin Avc(, a writer and former columnist with nowshuttered Bugu ̈n, who was sentenced to life in prison 

without the possibility of parole in December 2020 for 

‘‘conspiracy’’, where his columns were used as evidence of 

his alleged crime; 

Whereas Morocco has experienced severe crackdowns on freedom of expression and supporters of a free press, including— 

(1) Taoufik Bouachrine, the publisher and editor-inchief of Akhbar al-Youm, who was arrested in February 

2018 on retaliatory charges related to his journalism and 

is serving a 15-year sentence; 

(2) Soulaimane Raissouni, a columnist and editor-inchief Akhbar al-Youm, who succeeded publisher Taoufik 


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Bouachrine and was arrested on similar retaliatory 

charges in May 2020 and is serving a 5-year sentence; 

(3) Ali Anouzla, a journalist and editor of the news 

website Lakome, who has been repeatedly arrested on retaliatory charges relating to his journalism including 

‘‘appologism for terrorism’’, ‘‘material aid for terrorism’’, 

and ‘‘incitement to terrorism’’; 

(4) Maati Monjib, a historian and advocate for free 

press, who was detained in December 2020 for 3 months 

on specious national security and fraud charges and remains subject to restrictive bail conditions; and 

(5) Omar Radi, a journalist who was arrested on 

suspicion of espionage in June 2020 shortly after Amnesty International reported that the Moroccan authorities hacked his phone and monitored his activities; 

Whereas the Government of Venezuela continues to target 

independent media outlets, restricting the exercise of 

freedom of expression and severely limiting Venezuelan 

access to accurate information; 

Whereas American journalists have been victimized while covering conflicts abroad, including— 

(1) Christopher Allen, who was killed while covering 

the conflict in South Sudan on August 26, 2017, and 

whose killing has yet to be investigated by authorities 

after nearly 5 years; 

(2) Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria and 

has been held in captivity since August 12, 2012; and 

(3) Brent Renaud, who was killed by Russian forces 

while covering the war in Ukraine on March 13, 2022; 

Whereas, under the auspices of the United States Agency for 

Global Media, the United States Government provides financial assistance to several editorially independent 


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media outlets, including Voice of America, Radio Free 

Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Office of 

Cuba Broadcasting, and the Middle East Broadcast Networks— 

(1) which report and broadcast news, information, 

and analysis in critical regions around the world; and 

(2) whose journalists regularly face harassment, 

fines, and imprisonment for their work; and 

Whereas press freedom— 

(1) is a key component of democratic governance, 

activism in civil society, and socioeconomic development; 

and 

(2) enhances public accountability, transparency, 

and participation in civil society and democratic governance: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) declares that a free press— 

3 (A) is a central component of free societies 

4 and democratic governance; 

5 (B) contributes to an informed civil society 

6 and government accountability; 

7 (C) helps to expose corruption; 

8 (D) enhances public accountability and 

9 transparency of governments at all levels; and 

10 (E) disseminates information that is essen11 tial to improving public health and safety; 


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1 (2) expresses concerns about threats to the ex2 ercise of freedom of expression, including by the 

3 press, around the world; 

4 (3) recognizes and commends journalism’s role 

5 in providing trusted, accurate, and timely informa6 tion and in holding governments and leaders ac7 countable to citizens; 

8 (4) is dismayed that, under cover of the 

9 COVID–19 pandemic, many governments have re10 stricted the work of journalists reporting on the pub11 lic health crisis and on peaceful protests on a variety 

12 of issues; 

13 (5) pays tribute to journalists who made tre14 mendous sacrifices, including the loss of their lives, 

15 in the pursuit of truth and justice; 

16 (6) condemns all actions around the world that 

17 suppress press freedom; 

18 (7) calls for the unconditional and immediate 

19 release of all wrongfully detained journalists; 

20 (8) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to 

21 efforts of the United States Government to support 

22 democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good gov23 ernance domestically and around the world; and 

24 (9) calls on the President and the Secretary of 

25 State— 


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1 (A) to preserve and build upon the leader2 ship of the United States on issues relating to 

3 press freedom, on the basis of the protections 

4 for freedom of the press afforded the American 

5 people under the First Amendment to the Con6 stitution of the United States; 

7 (B) to transparently investigate and bring 

8 to justice the perpetrators of attacks against 

9 journalists; and 

10 (C) to promote the respect and protection 

11 of press freedom around the world. 

Æ 


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