II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2351 

To promote human rights and accountability in Saudi Arabia, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 31, 2019 

Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. GRAHAM) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To promote human rights and accountability in Saudi 

Arabia, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Saudi Arabia Human 

5 Rights and Accountability Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REPORT ON INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY ASSESS2 MENT RELATING TO THE KILLING OF WASH3 INGTON POST COLUMNIST JAMAL KHASHOG4 GI. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National 

7 Intelligence shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

8 committees a report consisting of— 

9 (1) a determination and presentation of evi10 dence with respect to the advance knowledge and 

11 role of any current or former official of the Govern12 ment of Saudi Arabia or any current or former sen13 ior political figure of Saudi Arabia in the directing, 

14 ordering, or tampering of evidence in the killing of 

15 Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi; and 

16 (2) a list of foreign persons that the Director 

17 has high confidence— 

18 (A) were responsible for, or complicit in, 

19 ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing an 

20 act or acts causing or contributing to the death 

21 of Jamal Khashoggi; 

22 (B) knowingly and materially assisted, 

23 sponsored, or provided financial, material, or 

24 technological support for, or goods or services 

25 in support of, an act described in subparagraph 

26 (A); or 


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1 (C) impeded the impartial investigation of 

2 the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, including 

3 through the tampering of evidence relating to 

4 the investigation. 

5 (b) FORM.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The report required by sub7 section (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

8 but may include a classified annex. 

9 (2) NAMES OF FOREIGN PERSONS LISTED.— 

10 The name of each foreign person on the list required 

11 by subsection (a)(2) shall be included in the unclas12 sified portion of the report required by subsection 

13 (a) unless the Director determines that disclosing 

14 the name of the person would undermine United 

15 States intelligence sources and methods or threaten 

16 the national security interests of the United States. 

17 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT19 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com20 mittees’’ means— 

21 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

22 and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 

23 Senate; and 


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1 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

2 the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 

3 of the House of Representatives. 

4 (2) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 

5 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 

6 means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 

7 have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 

8 result. 

9 SEC. 3. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PERSONS 

10 THAT ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED IN 

11 SECTION 2(a)(2). 

12 (a) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—On and after the 

13 date that is 120 days after the date of the enactment of 

14 this Act, the sanctions described in subsection (b) shall 

15 be imposed with respect to each foreign person on the list 

16 required by section 2(a)(2). 

17 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

18 (1) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—A foreign 

19 person on the list required by section 2(a)(2) is— 

20 (A) inadmissible to the United States; 

21 (B) ineligible to receive a visa or other doc22 umentation to enter the United States; and 

23 (C) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or 

24 paroled into the United States or to receive any 


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1 other benefit under the Immigration and Na2 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 

3 (2) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—A foreign person on the 

5 list required by section 2(a)(2) is subject to rev6 ocation of any visa or other entry documenta7 tion, regardless of when the visa or other entry 

8 documentation is or was issued. 

9 (B) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revocation 

10 under subparagraph (A) shall— 

11 (i) take effect immediately; and 

12 (ii) automatically cancel any other 

13 valid visa or entry documentation that is in 

14 the alien’s possession. 

15 (c) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTERNATIONAL

16 OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under subsection (b) shall not 

17 apply with respect to a foreign person if admitting or pa18 roling the person into the United States is necessary to 

19 permit the United States to comply with the Agreement 

20 regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 

21 at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 

22 November 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the 

23 United States, or other applicable international obliga24 tions. 


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1 (d) WAIVER IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECU2 RITY.—The President may waive the application of sub3 section (b) with respect to a foreign person who is A–1 

4 visa eligible and who is present in or seeking admission 

5 into the United States for purposes of official business if 

6 the President— 

7 (1) determines that such a waiver is in the na8 tional security interests of the United States; and 

9 (2) not later than 15 days before granting of 

10 the waiver, submits to the appropriate congressional 

11 committees written notice of, and justification for, 

12 the waiver. 

13 (e) SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may suspend 

15 in whole or in part the imposition of sanctions other16 wise required under this section for periods not to 

17 exceed 180 days if the President certifies to the ap18 propriate congressional committees that the fol19 lowing criteria have been met in Saudi Arabia: 

20 (A) The Government of Saudi Arabia has 

21 released any individual who is a journalist, 

22 blogger, human rights defender, advocate for 

23 religious liberty, or civil society activist detained 

24 by the Government of Saudi Arabia. 


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1 (B) The Government of Saudi Arabia is 

2 cooperating in outstanding criminal proceedings 

3 in the United States in which a citizen or na4 tional of Saudi Arabia departed from the 

5 United States while the citizen or national was 

6 awaiting trial or sentencing for a criminal of7 fense committed in the United States. 

8 (C) The Government of Saudi Arabia is re9 fraining from the obstruction of the free expres10 sion of opinion and restriction of individuals 

11 from engaging in public criticism of the political 

12 sphere. 

13 (D) The Government of Saudi Arabia has 

14 made verifiable commitments to cease the prac15 tice of harming citizens of Saudi Arabia con16 ducting peaceful dissent, whether or not those 

17 citizens reside in Saudi Arabia, including en18 forced repatriation, disappearance, arrest, im19 prisonment, or harassment. 

20 (E) The Government of Saudi Arabia has 

21 taken verifiable steps to hold accountable citi22 zens and nationals of Saudi Arabia who violate 

23 human rights, whether or not those violations 

24 took place in Saudi Arabia. 


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1 (F) The Government of Saudi Arabia has 

2 taken verifiable steps to repeal any law or regu3 lation that requires women in Saudi Arabia to 

4 obtain approval from a male guardian in order 

5 to leave the country. 

6 (G) The Government of Saudi Arabia— 

7 (i) has made public the names of all 

8 individuals under prosecution for the mur9 der of Jamal Khashoggi and associated 

10 crimes and the details of the charges such 

11 individuals face; 

12 (ii) has made public the trial pro13 ceedings and all evidence against the ac14 cused; 

15 (iii) has invited international, inde16 pendent experts to monitor the trials; 

17 (iv) has made public details of efforts 

18 to establish the location of Jamal Kha19 shoggi’s remains and associated findings 

20 and returned his body to his family; and 

21 (v) has made public the rationale for 

22 why 10 of the individuals initially detained 

23 relating to his death were later released 

24 without charge. 


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1 (H) The Government of Saudi Arabia has 

2 disbanded any units of its intelligence or secu3 rity apparatus dedicated to the forced repatri4 ation of dissidents in other countries. 

5 (I) The Government of Saudi Arabia is co6 operating with efforts to investigate the murder 

7 of Jamal Khashoggi being conducted by law en8 forcement authorities in the United States and 

9 Turkey, or by the United Nations. 

10 (2) REPORT.—The President shall submit to 

11 the appropriate congressional committees with the 

12 certification under paragraph (1) a report that con13 tains a detailed description of the adherence of 

14 Saudi Arabia to the criteria described in the certifi15 cation. 

16 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 (1) ADMITTED; ALIEN; NATIONAL.—The terms 

18 ‘‘admitted’’, ‘‘alien’’, and ‘‘national’’ have the mean19 ings given those terms in section 101 of the Immi20 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

21 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT22 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com23 mittees’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

2 the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Select 

3 Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and 

4 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

5 Committee on the Judiciary, and the Perma6 nent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 

7 House of Representatives. 

8 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per9 son’’ means an individual who is a citizen or na10 tional of a foreign country (including any such indi11 vidual who is also a citizen or national of the United 

12 States). 

13 (4) FOREIGN PERSON WHO IS A–1 VISA ELIGI14 BLE.—The term ‘‘foreign person who is A–1 visa eli15 gible’’ means an alien described in section 

16 101(a)(15)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality 

17 Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(A)(i)). 

18 (5) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

19 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

20 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law21 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

22 United States; or 

23 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

24 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 


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1 United States, including a foreign branch of 

2 such an entity. 

3 SEC. 4. REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD OF SAUDI 

4 ARABIA. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 

7 in accordance with section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assist8 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(c)), shall submit to the 

9 appropriate congressional committees a report in writing 

10 that— 

11 (1) includes the information required under 

12 paragraph (1) of such section 502B(c) with respect 

13 to Saudi Arabia; 

14 (2) assesses the extent to which officials of the 

15 Government of Saudi Arabia, including members of 

16 the military or security services, are responsible for 

17 or complicit in gross violations of internationally rec18 ognized human rights, including violations of the 

19 human rights of journalists, bloggers, human rights 

20 defenders, civil society activists, and individuals who 

21 support women’s rights or religious freedom; 

22 (3) describes those violations of human rights; 

23 (4) describes United States actions to address 

24 those violations of human rights, including demands 

25 for clemency review of the cases; 


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1 (5) describes any intolerant content in edu2 cational materials published by the Ministry of Edu3 cation of Saudi Arabia that are used in schools in4 side Saudi Arabia and at schools throughout the 

5 world; and 

6 (6) describes United States actions to encour7 age the Government of Saudi Arabia to retrieve and 

8 destroy materials with intolerant material and revise 

9 teacher manuals and retrain teachers to reflect 

10 changes in educational materials and promote toler11 ance. 

12 (b) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 

13 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 

14 a classified annex. 

15 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE16 FINED.—In the section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres17 sional committees’’ means— 

18 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

19 the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; 

20 and 

21 (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

22 Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 

23 House of Representatives. 

Æ 


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