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Whereas Thomas Jefferson, who recognized the importance 
of the press in a constitutional republic, wisely declared, 
‘‘were it left to me to decide whether we should have a 
government without newspapers, or newspapers without a 
government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the 
latter.’’; 
Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 
(Public Law 111–166; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note), signed into 
law by President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded the 
examination of the freedom of the press around the world 
in the annual country reports on human rights practices 
of the Department of State; 
Whereas, Freedom House’s publication ‘‘Freedom in the 
World 2022’’ noted that global freedom has declined for 
16 consecutive years and a total of 60 countries suffered 
declines over the past year, while only 25 improved, and, 
as of today, some 38 percent of the global population live 
in ‘‘Not Free’’ countries, the highest proportion since 
1997; 
Whereas according to the International Center for Not-for- 
Profit Law and the European Center for Not-for-Profit 
Law— 
(1) some governments have incorporated surveillance 
technology into their efforts to halt the spread of 
COVID–19 without fully considering the privacy and 
human rights implications, including building sunset pro-
visions into emergency declarations; 
(2) at least 112 countries have declarations of emer-
gency in place in response to COVID–19 pandemic; and 
(3) at least 62 countries have enacted measures in 
response to COVID–19 that negatively affect freedom of 
expression; 
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Whereas the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, published by 
Reporters Without Borders, notes, ‘‘journalism, which is 
arguably 
the 
best 
vaccine 
against 
the 
virus 
of 
disinformation, is totally blocked or seriously impeded in 
73 countries and constrained in 59 others [out of 180], 
which together represent 73 percent of the countries eval-
uated’’; 
Whereas Reporters Without Borders also reports that since 
2020, more journalists were deliberately targeted and 
killed in countries considered ‘‘at peace’’ than in conflict 
zones; 
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
in 2021— 
(1) at least 27 journalists were killed around the 
world for their work, of which at least 21 were singled 
out for murder; 
(2) the two deadliest countries for journalists on as-
signment were India and Mexico; 
(3) the vast majority of journalists killed were citi-
zens covering the news in their home countries; 
(4) 293 journalists worldwide were in prison, a new 
global record, with China, Myanmar, Egypt, Vietnam, 
and Belarus responsible for more than half of the jailed 
journalists; and 
(5) at least 250 journalists were jailed in retaliation 
for their work for the sixth consecutive year; 
Whereas online violence against female journalists has in-
creased ‘‘significantly’’ according to a United Nations 
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and 
International Center for Journalists 2021 report, with 
three-quarters of the 900 female journalists from 125 
countries surveyed responding that they had experienced 
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•HRES 1095 IH 
online abuse, and one-quarter responding that they had 
been physically threatened, which is especially troubling 
given increasing evidence that online harassment against 
female journalists is correlated with increased violence 
offline; 
Whereas the People’s Republic of China maintains one of the 
worst media environments in the world and seeks to cur-
tail political speech inside and outside the country, in-
cluding by— 
(1) targeting independent and foreign media in 
China through systematic harassment including the de-
nial of visas to foreign journalists, imprisonment, the de-
nial of medical care to imprisoned journalists, and cur-
tailing access to legal representation; 
(2) pervasively monitoring and censoring online and 
social media content, including through the banning of 
virtual private networks; 
(3) spreading propaganda to foreign audiences 
through the United Front Work Department and related 
activities; 
(4) indiscriminately stifling dissent and freedom of 
expression in Hong Kong, especially through the arbi-
trary use of the 2020 National Security Law, which has 
led to the suppression of all meaningful political dissent, 
including the closure of several independent news organi-
zations and the imprisonment of numerous journalists, 
including Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, who is 
facing charges that could result in life imprisonment; and 
(5) championing a ‘‘sovereign Internet’’ model and 
exporting technology to enhance the ability of like-minded 
authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent online and 
monitor the activity of their people; 
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Whereas the Russian Federation has escalated from restrict-
ing freedom of the press and expression to a full assault 
against all independent media actors both inside Russia 
and across the Caucasus region, including by— 
(1) passing broad legislation which criminalizes any 
public opposition to or independent news reporting about 
the war against Ukraine; 
(2) labeling independent news outlets as ‘‘foreign 
agents’’ and relying on restrictive legislation as justifica-
tion to harass, fine, and freeze the assets of organiza-
tions, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; 
(3) arresting and detaining journalists covering 
peaceful protests; 
(4) allegedly kidnapping, torturing, detaining, and 
disappearing journalists in Russian-controlled territories 
of Ukraine; and 
(5) excessive blocking of internet access and applica-
tions, including independent news sites, social media plat-
forms, and other tools Russian citizens rely on to access 
independent information and opinions and to connect 
with each other and the outside world; 
Whereas the Belarussian regime has stripped the accredita-
tion of and detained numerous journalists to suppress 
independent information and freedom of expression, in-
cluding former Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journal-
ists Ilhar Losik and Aleh Hurzdzilovich, who have been 
sentenced to 15 years and 18 months in prison, respec-
tively, and Andrey Kuznechyk, who has been held in pre-
trial detention on unpublished charges since November 
2021; 
Whereas a 2021 survey by Reporters Without Borders and 
the Afghan Independent Journalists Association shows a 
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total of 231 media outlets have had to close and more 
than 6,400 journalists have lost their jobs since the 
Taliban took power in August 2021, and female journal-
ists have been most impacted, with 4 out of 5 no longer 
working; 
Whereas freedom of the press continues to be under assault 
throughout Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam, where 
more than 30 journalists and bloggers are being held in 
jails, some with sentences of up to 15 years for their 
independent reporting, including Pham Doan Trang, a 
female journalist who had been awarded the Reporters 
Without Borders Press Freedom Prize for Impact in 
2019; 
Whereas governments are enacting legislation, such as Cam-
bodia’s proposed National Internet Gateway, which would 
give them unprecedented power to monitor online activity, 
collect user data, and censor communications, further 
threatening already severely restricted freedom of expres-
sion; 
Whereas Washington Post journalist and United States resi-
dent Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a team of Saudi 
operatives while visiting the Saudi Arabian consulate in 
Istanbul, Turkey, and it is likely that the perpetrators’ 
trial in Turkey will be transferred to Saudi Arabia, mak-
ing it unlikely that they will ever be held accountable; 
Whereas the Senate unanimously approved a resolution stat-
ing that Mr. Khashoggi’s murder was carried out at the 
behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; 
Whereas the detention of journalists without charges in Ethi-
opia, including Associated Press Freelance journalist 
Amir Aman Kiyaro who was detained without charges for 
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4 months, serves as an example of the country’s deterio-
rating media freedom, following positive movements after 
the 2018 election of Prime Minister and Nobel Peace 
Prize recipient Abiy Ahmed; 
Whereas across Latin America and the Caribbean, authori-
tarian regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela con-
tinue their long-standing practice of curbing dissent by 
threatening, harassing, and detaining independent jour-
nalists and other media actors; 
Whereas in Mexico, which remains the most dangerous coun-
try in the Western Hemisphere for journalists— 
(1) murders, death threats, and legal impunity cause 
journalists to self-censor their reporting out of fear; 
(2) it is estimated that 12 journalists have been 
murdered in the first three months of 2022; 
(3) the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of 
Human Rights Defenders and Journalists lacks the re-
sources and political support to provide adequate protec-
tion to all journalists under threat who have requested 
protection; and 
(4) Roberto Toledo, a camera operator and video 
editor for news website Monitor Michoaca´n, was shot and 
killed on January 31, 2022, in Zita´cuaro, making him 
the fourth media worker killed in Mexico in less than a 
month; 
Whereas across Western Europe, physical attacks on journal-
ists have more than doubled between 2019 and 2021, 
with 33 attacks recorded in 2019, 51 in 2020, and 76 
in 2021, according to the Council of Europe; 
Whereas the world’s growing cadre of ethical and hard-hitting 
investigative journalists, including those contributing to 
the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project— 
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(1) adhere to the highest professional standards; 
(2) uncover abuses and corruption being committed 
in their own countries; and 
(3) deserve the international community’s support 
and praise for taking on the risky job of fostering ac-
countability and transparency in their respective coun-
tries; 
Whereas, under the auspices of the United States Agency for 
Global Media, the United States Government provides fi-
nancial assistance to several editorially independent 
media outlets, including Voice of America, Radio Free 
Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio y Tele-
vision Marti, and the Middle East broadcast networks— 
(1) which report and broadcast news, information, 
and analysis in critical regions around the world; and 
(2) whose journalists regularly face harassment, 
fines, and imprisonment for their work; and 
Whereas freedom of the press— 
(1) is a key component of democratic governance 
and socioeconomic development; and 
(2) enhances public accountability, transparency, 
and participation in civil society and democratic govern-
ance: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns threats to freedom of the press 
and free expression around the world; 
(2) remembers the bravery of journalists and 
media workers around the world who, despite threats 
to their safety, play an essential role in— 
(A) promoting government accountability; 
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(B) defending democratic activity; and 
(C) strengthening civil society; 
(3) remembers journalists who have lost their 
lives carrying out their work; 
(4) calls on governments abroad to implement 
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 74/157 
(2019) by thoroughly investigating and seeking to 
resolve outstanding cases of violence against journal-
ists, including murders and kidnappings, while en-
suring the protection of witnesses; 
(5) condemns all actions around the world that 
suppress freedom of the press; 
(6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the 
press to efforts of the United States Government to 
support democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote 
good governance around the world; and 
(7) calls on the President and the Secretary of 
State— 
(A) to preserve and build upon the leader-
ship of the United States on issues relating to 
freedom of the press, on the basis of the protec-
tions afforded the American people under the 
First Amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States; 
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(B) to improve the rapid identification, 
publication, and response by the United States 
Government to threats against freedom of the 
press around the world; 
(C) to urge foreign governments to trans-
parently investigate and bring to justice the 
perpetrators of attacks against journalists; and 
(D) to highlight the issue of threats 
against freedom of the press in the annual 
country reports on human rights practices of 
the Department of State and through diplo-
matic channels. 
Æ 
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