IIB 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 515 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 7, 2011 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
AN ACT 
To reauthorize the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Belarus Democracy 
and Human Rights Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
Sections 2 and 3 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 
2004 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
‘‘Congress finds the following: 
‘‘(1) The Government of Belarus has engaged 
in a pattern of clear and uncorrected violations of 
human rights and fundamental freedoms. 
‘‘(2) The Government of Belarus has engaged 
in a pattern of clear and uncorrected violations of 
basic principles of democratic governance, including 
through a series of fundamentally flawed presi-
dential and parliamentary elections undermining the 
legitimacy of executive and legislative authority in 
that country. 
‘‘(3) The Government of Belarus has subjected 
thousands of pro-democratic political activists to 
harassment, beatings, and jailings, particularly as a 
result of their attempts to peacefully exercise their 
right to freedom of assembly and association. 
‘‘(4) The Government of Belarus has attempted 
to maintain a monopoly over the country’s informa-
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tion space, targeting independent media, including 
independent journalists, for systematic reprisals and 
elimination, while suppressing the right to freedom 
of speech and expression of those dissenting from 
the dictatorship of Aleksandr Lukashenka, and 
adopted laws restricting the media, including the 
Internet, in a manner inconsistent with international 
human rights agreements. 
‘‘(5) The Government of Belarus continues a 
systematic campaign of harassment, repression, and 
closure of nongovernmental organizations, including 
independent trade unions and entrepreneurs, and 
this crackdown has created a climate of fear that in-
hibits the development of civil society and social soli-
darity. 
‘‘(6) The Government of Belarus has subjected 
leaders and members of select ethnic and religious 
minorities to harassment, including the imposition of 
heavy fines and denying permission to meet for reli-
gious services, sometimes by selective enforcement of 
the 2002 Belarus religion law. 
‘‘(7) The Government of Belarus has attempted 
to silence dissent by persecuting human rights and 
pro-democracy activists with threats, firings, expul-
sions, beatings and other forms of intimidation, and 
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restrictions on freedom of movement and prohibition 
of international travel. 
‘‘(8) The dictator of Belarus, Aleksandr 
Lukashenka, established himself in power by orches-
trating an illegal and unconstitutional referendum 
that enabled him to impose a new constitution, abol-
ishing the duly elected parliament, the 13th Su-
preme Soviet, installing a largely powerless National 
Assembly, extending his term in office, and removing 
applicable term limits. 
‘‘(9) The Government of Belarus has failed to 
make a convincing effort to solve the cases of dis-
appeared opposition figures Yuri Zakharenka, Viktor 
Gonchar, and Anatoly Krasovsky and journalist 
Dmitry Zavadsky, even though credible allegations 
and evidence links top officials of the Government to 
these disappearance. 
‘‘(10) The Government of Belarus has re-
stricted freedom of expression on the Internet by re-
quiring Internet Service Providers to maintain data 
on Internet users and the sites they view and to pro-
vide such data to officials upon request, and by cre-
ating a government body with the authority to re-
quire Internet Service Providers to block Web sites. 
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‘‘(11) On December 19, 2010, the Government 
of Belarus conducted a presidential election that 
failed to meet the standards of the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for 
democratic elections. 
‘‘(12) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election the Government of Belarus re-
sponded to opposition protests by beating scores of 
protestors and detaining more than 600 peaceful 
protestors. 
‘‘(13) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election the Government of Belarus jailed 
seven of the nine opposition presidential candidates 
and abused the process of criminal prosecution to 
persecute them. 
‘‘(14) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, the Government of Belarus dis-
rupted independent broadcast and Internet media, 
and engaged in repressive actions against inde-
pendent journalists. 
‘‘(15) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, Belarusian security services and po-
lice conducted raids targeting civil society groups, 
individual pro-democracy activists, and independent 
media. 
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‘‘(16) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, Belarusian officials refused to ex-
tend the mandate of the OSCE Office in Minsk. 
‘‘(17) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, opposition candidates and activists 
have been persecuted and detainees have been phys-
ically mistreated, and denied access to family, de-
fense counsel, medical treatment, and open legal 
proceedings. 
‘‘(18) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, lawyers representing those facing 
criminal charges related to the post-election protest 
have been subjected to the revocation of licenses, 
disbarment, and other forms of pressure. 
‘‘(19) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, the Government of Belarus has con-
victed political detainees to harsh prison sentences. 
‘‘(20) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, the United States and European 
Union imposed targeted travel and financial sanc-
tions on an expanded list of officials of the Govern-
ment of Belarus. 
‘‘(21) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, the United States fully restored 
sanctions against Belarus’s largest state-owned pe-
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troleum and chemical conglomerate and all of its 
subsidiaries. 
‘‘(22) After the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election, the United States has engaged in 
assistance efforts to provide legal and humanitarian 
assistance to those facing repression and preserving 
access to independent information, and has pledged 
resources to support human rights advocates, trade 
unions, youth and environmental groups, business 
associations, think-tanks, democratic political parties 
and movements, independent journalists, newspapers 
and electronic media operating both inside Belarus 
and broadcasting from its neighbors, and to support 
access of Belarusian students to independent higher 
education and expand exchange programs for busi-
ness and civil society leaders. 
‘‘(23) The Department of State, the Depart-
ment of the Treasury, and other executive branch 
agencies have heretofore made effective use of this 
Act to promote the purposes of this Act, as stated 
in section 3 of this Act. 
‘‘SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
‘‘It is the policy of the United States to— 
‘‘(1) condemn the conduct of the December 19, 
2010, presidential election and crackdown on opposi-
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tion candidates, political leaders, and activists, civil 
society representatives, and journalists; 
‘‘(2) continue to call for the immediate release 
without preconditions of all political prisoners in 
Belarus, including all those individuals detained in 
connection with the December 19, 2010, presidential 
election; 
‘‘(3) continue to support the aspirations of the 
people of Belarus for democracy, human rights, and 
the rule of law; 
‘‘(4) continue to support the aspirations of the 
people of Belarus to preserve the independence and 
sovereignty of their country; 
‘‘(5) continue to support the growth of demo-
cratic movements and institutions in Belarus, which 
empower the people of Belarus to end tyranny in 
their country; 
‘‘(6) continue to refuse to accept the results of 
the fundamentally flawed December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election held in Belarus, and to support calls 
for new presidential and parliamentary elections, 
conducted in a manner that is free and fair accord-
ing to OSCE standards; 
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‘‘(7) continue to call for the fulfillment by the 
Belarusian government of Belarus’s freely under-
taken obligations as an OSCE participating state; 
‘‘(8) continue to call for a full accounting of the 
disappearances of opposition leaders and journalists 
in Belarus, including Victor Gonchar, Anatoly 
Krasovsky, Yuri Zakharenka, and Dmitry Zavadsky, 
and the prosecution of those individuals who are in 
any way responsible for the disappearance of those 
opposition leaders and journalists; 
‘‘(9) continue to work closely with the Euro-
pean Union and other countries and international 
organizations, to promote the conditions necessary 
for the integration of Belarus into the European 
family of democracies; 
‘‘(10) call on the International Ice Hockey Fed-
eration to suspend its plan to hold the 2014 Inter-
national World Ice Hockey championship in Minsk 
until the Government of Belarus releases all political 
prisoners; and 
‘‘(11) remain open to reevaluating United 
States policy toward Belarus as warranted by de-
monstrable progress made by the Government of 
Belarus consistent with the aims of this Act as stat-
ed in this section.’’. 
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SEC. 
3. 
RADIO 
AND 
TELEVISION 
BROADCASTING 
TO 
BELARUS. 
Section 5 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 
(Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 5. RADIO, TELEVISION, AND INTERNET BROAD-
CASTING TO BELARUS. 
‘‘It is the sense of Congress that the President should 
continue to support radio, television, and Internet broad-
casting to the people of Belarus in languages spoken in 
Belarus, by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Voice 
of America, European Radio for Belarus, and Belsat.’’. 
SEC. 
4. 
SANCTIONS 
AGAINST 
THE 
GOVERNMENT 
OF 
BELARUS. 
Section 6 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 
(Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or ex-
pression, including those individuals jailed 
based on political beliefs or expression in con-
nection with repression that attended the presi-
dential election of December 19, 2010’’ before 
the period at the end; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding politically motivated legal charges made 
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in connection with repression that attended the 
presidential election of December 19, 2010’’ be-
fore the period at the end; 
(C) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘and 
violations of human rights, including violations 
of human rights committed in connection with 
the presidential election of December 19, 2010’’ 
before the period at the end; and 
(D) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘inter-
nationally recognized observers’’ and inserting 
‘‘OSCE observers’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(4) is a member of any branch of the security 
or law enforcement services of Belarus and has par-
ticipated in the violent crackdown on opposition 
leaders, journalists, and peaceful protestors that oc-
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curred in connection with the presidential election of 
December 19, 2010; or 
‘‘(5) is a member of any branch of the security 
or law enforcement services of Belarus and has par-
ticipated in the persecution or harassment of reli-
gious groups, human rights defenders, democratic 
opposition groups, or independent media or journal-
ists.’’; 
(3) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘of each inter-
national financial institution to which’’ and inserting 
‘‘at each international financial institution of 
which’’; and 
(4) in subsection (f)(2)(B)(ii), by striking ‘‘(as 
defined in section 40102 of title 49, United States 
Code)’’. 
SEC. 5. REPORT. 
Section 8(a) of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 
(Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘the Belarus De-
mocracy and Human Rights Act of 2011’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sale or deliv-
ery of weapons or weapons-related technologies’’ and 
inserting ‘‘sale or delivery or provision of weapons or 
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weapons-related technologies or weapons-related 
training’’; 
(3) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘involved in 
the sale’’ and inserting ‘‘or weapons-related training 
involved in the sale or delivery or provision’’; 
(4) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or weapons- 
related training described in paragraph (1)’’ before 
the period at the end; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(5) The cooperation of the Government of 
Belarus with any foreign government or organization 
for purposes related to the censorship or surveillance 
of the Internet, or the purchase or receipt by the 
Government of Belarus of any technology or training 
from any foreign government or organization for 
purposes related to the censorship or surveillance of 
the Internet.’’. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 9 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 
(Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Committee 
on International Relations’’ and inserting ‘‘Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs’’; and 
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(2) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking 
‘‘and prosecutors’’ and inserting ‘‘, prosecutors, 
and heads of professional associations and edu-
cational institutions’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘Lukashenka regime’’ and inserting ‘‘Govern-
ment of Belarus’’. 
SEC. 7. FUNDING FOR REPORT. 
The requirement to prepare and transmit the report 
required under section 8 of the Belarus Democracy Act 
of 2004 (Public Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note), as 
amended by section 5 of this Act, shall be performed with-
in current levels of authorized and appropriated funding. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 6, 2011. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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