IV
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 347
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the human
rights situation in China and Tibet and encouraging the United States
to sponsor and press for the enactment of a resolution condemning
the human rights situation in China and Tibet at the annual meeting
of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 25, 1996
Mr. PORTER (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. ENGEL,
Mr. GILMAN, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. BERMAN) submitted the following reso-
lution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives con-
cerning the human rights situation in China and Tibet
and encouraging the United States to sponsor and press
for the enactment of a resolution condemning the human
rights situation in China and Tibet at the annual meet-
ing of the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights.
Whereas the already intolerable human rights situation in
China and Tibet has deteriorated over the past year;
Whereas thousands of political prisoners are in detention in
China and Tibet;
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Whereas many leading Chinese and Tibetan intellectuals, aca-
demics and religious figures have been intimidated, im-
prisoned and denied due process;
Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China
prosecuted Wei Jinsheng, known as the father of democ-
racy in China, for acts arising out of his peaceful exercise
of internationally recognized and guaranteed human
rights, and convicted and sentenced him on December 13,
1995, to 14 years’ imprisonment;
Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China
has interfered in the selection of the Panchen Lama, po-
liticizing a purely religious matter, further alienating the
Tibetan people, and violating the universal right to free-
dom of religion;
Whereas for three consecutive years, the United States has
been a primary sponsor at the annual meetings of the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights of resolu-
tions criticizing the human rights practices of the Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China in China and
Tibet;
Whereas these resolutions have called upon the Government
of the People’s Republic of China to ensure the observ-
ance of human rights and to cooperate with United Na-
tions special rapporteurs and working groups, and these
resolutions have requested the Secretary General of the
United Nations to prepare a report for the United Na-
tions Commission on Human Rights on the human rights
situation in China and Tibet;
Whereas at the March 1995 meeting of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, the United
States-sponsored resolution on human rights in the Peo-
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ple’s Republic of China failed to be enacted by a margin
of only one vote;
Whereas in May 1994 the President of the United States
pledged strong support for efforts through international
forums to call attention to and criticize the human rights
practices of the Government of the People’s Republic of
China and to press for changes in these practices;
Whereas active and aggressive efforts by the United States
at the March 1996 session of the United Nations in sup-
port of a resolution concerning the human rights situa-
tion in China and Tibet could lead to the successful adop-
tion of such a resolution; and
Whereas the adoption of such a resolution by the United Na-
tions Commission on Human Rights would send a strong
message to the Government of the People’s Republic of
China that the international community will not tolerate
its continued violations of internationally recognized
human rights in China and Tibet: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that the United States should sponsor and
vigorously press for passage of a resolution at the 1996
meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights that calls attention to and criticizes human rights
violations in China and Tibet and that calls on the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China to ensure the ob-
servance of human rights.
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