IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 441 
Condemning the authoritarian repression of the Belarusian democracy move-
ment 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 re-
stricted’’; 
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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 demo-
cratic movement as both opposition leaders and orga-
nizers 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 intimida-
tion, 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 thou-
sands 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 ex-
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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, in-
cluding restricting access to hygiene products and sani-
tary pads; 
Whereas the Lukashenka regime has penalized the celebra-
tion 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 max-
imum security prison on charges which represent a viola-
tion 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 aspira-
tions of the Belarusian people; 
Whereas in response to an increase in antidemocratic policies 
by the Lukashenka regime, the United States has en-
acted 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 enti-
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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 democ-
racy and the exercise of human rights and fundamental 
freedoms in Belarus—including illicit and oppressive ac-
tivities 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 endan-
gering of international civil air travel—constitute an un-
usual 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 includ-
ing Alyaksandr Lukashenka, other Government officials, 
and State-owned companies and has utilized other mech-
anisms 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 Sus-
pending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and 
Belarus Act (Public Law 117–110) and further restricted 
exports to Belarus under the Export Administration Reg-
ulations; 
Whereas, since the fraudulent August 2020 Presidential elec-
tion, 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 Cham-
pionship; 
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 ille-
gal 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 over-
whelming, bipartisan support for the democratic move-
ment in Belarus; 
Whereas the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 124 in 
support of the people of Belarus and their democratic as-
pirations and condemning the election rigging and subse-
quent violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters by the il-
legitimate Lukashenka regime; and 
Whereas the House Friends of Belarus Caucus continues to 
seek ways to support democracy in Belarus: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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