IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 156 
Supporting Charter 08 and the ideals of the Charter 08 movement. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2009 
Mr. MCCOTTER (for himself and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting Charter 08 and the ideals of the Charter 08 
movement. 
Whereas since seizing power in 1949, the Chinese Communist 
Party (CCP) has brutally ruled the Chinese people using 
murder, imprisonment, beatings, torture, confiscation of 
private property, and fear in its efforts to destroy Chi-
nese culture, and the inherent dignity and religious faiths 
of the Chinese people; 
Whereas the CCP’s efforts to build and maintain a totali-
tarian Communist dictatorship have resulted in the 
deaths of tens of millions of Chinese citizens, egregious 
human rights violations, stifling corruption, and tremen-
dous environmental damage; 
Whereas, on December 9, 2008, 303 Chinese signatories an-
nounced the creation of Charter 08; 
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•HRES 156 IH 
Whereas Charter 08 documents the widespread failings of the 
CCP, calls for urgent and extensive political reforms in 
Communist China, enumerates and endorses the ideas 
and principles of freedom, human rights, equality, Repub-
licanism, democracy, and constitutional rule, and enumer-
ates 19 recommendations for political reform within Com-
munist China; 
Whereas the signatories of Charter 08 represent numerous 
strata of Chinese society, including former members of 
the CCP; 
Whereas despite detentions, interrogations, threats, job har-
assment, and confiscation of personal property by the 
Communist Chinese authorities to suppress the an-
nouncement of Charter 08, the CCP ultimately failed in 
its endeavor; 
Whereas the CCP has directed the Communist Chinese Gov-
ernment to censor references to Charter 08 in Com-
munist Chinese media and on the Internet; 
Whereas Communist Chinese authorities have harassed and 
threatened over 100 of the 303 original signers of Char-
ter 08 with the intent of coercing them to remove their 
names from Charter 08; and 
Whereas since December 9, 2008, more than 8,100 Chinese 
citizens have signed Charter 08: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports Charter 08 and the ideals of the 
Charter 08 movement; 
(2) commends and respects the courage and 
bravery of the framers and signers of Charter 08; 
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•HRES 156 IH 
(3) supports the Chinese people in their ongo-
ing efforts to secure liberty, justice, the rule of law, 
representative government, political parties separate 
and independent from the CCP, and the protection 
of human rights through political reforms which 
would necessarily undermine the CCP’s totalitarian 
authority over all aspects of Communist China’s so-
ciety; 
(4) notes the concern demonstrated by the CCP 
over the spread of the Charter 08 movement; 
(5) notes CCP efforts to destroy the Charter 08 
movement, underscore the necessity of the reforms 
contained in the Charter 08, and highlight the grow-
ing influence of the Charter 08 movement in China; 
(6) calls upon the CCP to release Liu Xiaobo, 
an original signer of Charter 08 who has been de-
tained since December 8, 2008; and 
(7) calls upon the CCP to cease its efforts to 
intimidate and coerce signers of Charter 08, end its 
state-enforced censorship of Charter 08 in Chinese 
media, and enter into negotiations with the leaders 
of the Charter 08 movement to adopt the principles 
and enact the political reforms contained in Charter 
08. 
Æ 
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