•HRES 1398 IH 
from holding national ID cards, pursuing postsecondary 
education, seeking government jobs and contracts, and 
owning, inheriting, and bequeathing property; and 
Whereas the Baathist Syrian regime has consistently denied 
the people of Syria their most basic political, civil, and 
human rights, including freedom of thought and expres-
sion, freedom of association and assembly, freedom of 
movement, and the protection of their persons and prop-
erty under the rule of law: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns and deplores— 
(A) the consistent pattern of gross viola-
tions of the most basic political, civil, and 
human rights of the Syrian people by the Gov-
ernment of the Syrian Arab Republic, including 
freedom of thought and expression, freedom of 
association and assembly, freedom of move-
ment, and the protection of persons and prop-
erty under the rule of law; and 
(B) the arbitrary arrest and unjust convic-
tion and imprisonment of prisoners of con-
science (among whom are Anwar al-Bunni, Aref 
Dalila, Mahmoud Issa, Michael Kilo, Kamal al- 
Labwani, Faik al-Mir, Riad Seif, Dr. Fidaa al- 
Horani, Ahmad Tomei, Akram al-Bounni, Ali 
al-Abdallah, Yasser al-Eiti, Jabr al-Shoofi, 
Walid al-Bounni, Muhammad Hajji Darweesh, 
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•HRES 1398 IH 
Marwan al-Ish, Fayiz Sarah, and Talal Abu 
Danand), calls for the immediate and uncondi-
tional release of all political prisoners, and calls 
for the dropping of all politically-motivated 
charges; 
(2) calls urgently for the Government of 
Syria— 
(A) to ensure that all torture and mistreat-
ment of prisoners cease immediately; 
(B) to allow political prisoners prompt and 
regular access to their lawyers, doctors, and 
families; 
(C) to allow impartial international mon-
itors unfettered access to these prisoners; 
(D) to lift the state of emergency that has 
been imposed for over 44 years; 
(E) to cease obstructing and denying 
human rights organizations, civil society asso-
ciations, and political parties the ability to orga-
nize and operate freely; 
(F) to allow individuals to exercise their 
fundamental political, civil, and human rights, 
and to engage in the full range of peaceful po-
litical and civil activities; and 
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•HRES 1398 IH 
(G) to cease from harassing the family 
members and friends of political, civil, and 
human rights activists and dissidents, and to 
allow for the safe return of exiled opposition 
members; 
(3) reminds the Government of Syria that on 
August 23, 1976, it acceded to the International 
Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and is obli-
gated to guarantee the civil and political rights of 
persons in its territory; 
(4) expresses its support for the people of Syria 
in their struggle for freedom, respect for their polit-
ical, civil and human rights, democratic self-govern-
ance, and the establishment of the rule of law; and 
(5) calls on the President and the Secretary of 
State to— 
(A) consider pursuing further actions at 
the United Nations to draw attention to the 
Government of Syria’s deplorable record on 
human rights and the plight of Syrian political 
prisoners and prisoners of conscience including, 
but not limited to, publicizing Syria’s non-
compliance 
with 
United 
Nations 
special 
rapporteurs, pursuing a resolution condemning 
Syria before the Social, Humanitarian, and Cul-
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•HRES 1398 IH 
tural Committee of the United Nations General 
Assembly, or pursuing a resolution to establish 
a 
country-specific 
United 
Nations 
special 
rapporteur charged with monitoring the human 
rights situation in Syria; 
(B) make the legal status and humani-
tarian needs of Anwar al-Bunni, Aref Dalila, 
Mahmoud Issa, Michael Kilo, Kamal al- 
Labwani, Faik al-Mir, Riad Seif, Dr. Fidaa al- 
Horani, Ahmad Tomei, Akram al-Bounni, Ali 
al-Abdallah, Yasser al-Eiti, Jabr al-Shoofi, 
Walid al-Bounni, Muhammad Hajji Darweesh, 
Marwan al-Ish, Fayiz Sarah, Talal Abu 
Danand, and other political prisoners an ongo-
ing item of concern in bilateral relations with 
Syria, and call for their immediate release; 
(C) support, encourage, and reach out to 
dissidents, activists, and nonviolent democratic 
opposition in Syria and assist them in their ef-
forts to create a democratic Syria; and 
(D) make political, civil, and human rights, 
particularly the freedom of thought and expres-
sion, the freedom of assembly and association, 
the freedom of movement, and the protection of 
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persons and property under the rule of law a 
priority in bilateral relations with Syria. 
Æ 
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