I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 839 
To protect journalists and other members of the press from gross violations 
of internationally recognized human rights, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2021 
Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. 
COHEN, Mr. SIRES, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 
PORTER, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. HASTINGS, and Mr. MOULTON) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To protect journalists and other members of the press from 
gross violations of internationally recognized human 
rights, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Jamal Khashoggi 
Press Freedom Accountability Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) A free and independent press is necessary 
for citizens to make informed choices on issues of 
public concern, to have the information necessary to 
recognize truth from falsehood, and to hold the pow-
erful and government officials to account. 
(2) As reflected in the First Amendment to the 
United States Constitution, a free press is essential 
to safeguard democracy. 
(3) The suppression of the press is historically 
associated with authoritarian rule. 
(4) As provided in Article 19 of the United Na-
tions Universal Declaration of Human Rights and 
the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights, all people enjoy the right to freedom of opin-
ion and expression, which includes the right to seek, 
receive, and impart information. 
(5) An informed public is fundamental to a free 
society. 
(6) In accordance with a long United States 
history of championing freedom of the press around 
the globe, the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press 
Act of 2009 was enacted into law (Public Law 111– 
166). 
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(7) Since the passage of the Daniel Pearl Free-
dom of the Press Act of 2009, the global environ-
ment for a free and independent press has become 
more repressive. 
(8) According to 2020 data from the Committee 
to Protect Journalists, for the fifth consecutive year, 
at least 250 journalists were imprisoned globally in 
2020, and there was complete impunity in an esti-
mated 86 percent of cases of murdered journalists in 
the last decade. 
(9) According to 2019 data from Freedom 
House, in seven of the last 10 years, more countries 
have seen declines in press freedom scores than im-
provements. In the last five years, nearly 50 percent 
more countries have seen a net decline in press free-
dom. 
(10) According to 2019 data from Reporters 
Without Borders, 63 percent of the journalists killed 
last year were deliberately targeted and 59 percent 
were killed outside warzones. 
(11) In 2018, the brutal murder of Jamal 
Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi intelligence officers 
acting on explicit orders of the Saudi Government 
underscored the extent to which those in power will 
go to stifle the freedom of expression, silence their 
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critics, and eliminate the threat they believe inde-
pendent journalists pose to their rule. 
SEC. 3. EXPANDING SCOPE OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTS 
WITH RESPECT TO VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN 
RIGHTS OF JOURNALISTS. 
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 
et seq.) is amended as follows: 
(1) In paragraph (12) of section 116(d)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘or online harass-
ment’’ after ‘‘direct physical attacks’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘or surveillance’’ 
after ‘‘sources of pressure’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking 
‘‘ensure the prosecution’’ and all that follows to 
the end of the clause and inserting ‘‘ensure the 
investigation, prosecution, and conviction of 
government officials or private individuals who 
engage in or facilitate digital or physical at-
tacks, including hacking, censorship, surveil-
lance, harassment, unlawful imprisonment, or 
bodily harm, against journalists and others who 
perform, or provide administrative support to, 
the dissemination of print, broadcast, internet- 
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(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) an identification of countries in which 
there were gross violations of internationally recog-
nized human rights committed against journalists;’’. 
SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS ON PERSONS RESPON-
SIBLE FOR THE COMMISSION OF GROSS VIO-
LATIONS OF INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED 
HUMAN RIGHTS AGAINST JOURNALISTS. 
(a) LISTING OF PERSONS WHO HAVE COMMITTED 
GROSS VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED 
HUMAN RIGHTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—On or after the date on 
which a person is listed pursuant to paragraph (2), 
the President shall impose the sanctions described in 
subsection (b) on each foreign person the President 
determines, based on credible information, has per-
petrated, 
ordered, 
or 
otherwise 
directed 
the 
extrajudicial killing of or other gross violation of 
internationally recognized human rights committed 
against a journalist or other person who performs, 
or provides administrative support to, the dissemina-
tion of print, broadcast, internet-based, or social 
media intended to report newsworthy activities or in-
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formation, or communicate facts or fact-based opin-
ions. 
(2) PUBLICATION OF LIST.—The Secretary of 
State shall publish on a publicly available website of 
the Department of State a list of the names of each 
foreign person determined pursuant to paragraph 
(1) to have perpetrated, ordered, or directed an act 
described in such paragraph. Such list shall be up-
dated at least annually. 
(3) EXCEPTION.—The President may waive the 
imposition of sanctions under paragraph (1) (and 
omit a foreign person from the list published in ac-
cordance with paragraph (2)) or terminate such 
sanctions and remove a foreign person from such 
list, if the President certifies to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate— 
(A) that public identification of the indi-
vidual is not in the national interest of the 
United States, including an unclassified de-
scription of the factual basis supporting such 
certification, which may contain a classified 
annex; or 
(B) that appropriate foreign government 
authorities have credibly— 
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(i) investigated the foreign person 
and, as appropriate, held such person ac-
countable for perpetrating, ordering, or di-
recting the acts described in paragraph 
(1); 
(ii) publicly condemned violations of 
the freedom of the press and the acts de-
scribed in paragraph (1); 
(iii) complied with any requests for in-
formation from international or regional 
human rights organizations with respect to 
the acts described in paragraph (1); and 
(iv) complied with any United States 
Government requests for information with 
respect to the acts described in paragraph 
(1). 
(b) SANCTIONS
DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de-
scribed in this subsection are the following: 
(1) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President shall ex-
ercise all of the powers granted to the President 
under the International Emergency Economic Pow-
ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent nec-
essary to block and prohibit all transactions in prop-
erty and interests in property of a foreign person 
identified in the report required under subsection 
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(a)(1) if such property and interests in property are 
in the United States, come within the United States, 
or come within the possession or control of a United 
States person. 
(2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR 
PAROLE.— 
(A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 
alien described in subsection (a)(1) is— 
(i) inadmissible to the United States; 
(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 
documentation to enter the United States; 
and 
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 
or paroled into the United States or to re-
ceive any other benefit under the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.). 
(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—An alien described 
in subsection (a)(1) is subject to revocation 
of any visa or other entry documentation 
regardless of when the visa or other entry 
documentation is or was issued. 
(ii) IMMEDIATE
EFFECT.—A revoca-
tion under clause (i) shall take effect im-
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mediately, and automatically cancel any 
other valid visa or entry documentation 
that is in the alien’s possession. 
(3) EXCEPTIONS.— 
(A) EXCEPTION
FOR
INTELLIGENCE
AC-
TIVITIES.—The sanctions described in this sub-
section shall not apply to any activity subject to 
the reporting requirements under title V of the 
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 
et seq.) or any authorized intelligence activities 
of the United States. 
(B) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER-
NATIONAL
OBLIGATIONS.—The sanctions de-
scribed in this subsection shall not apply with 
respect to an alien if admitting or paroling the 
alien into the United States is necessary to per-
mit the United States to comply with the 
Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 
United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 
26, 1947, and entered into force November 21, 
1947, between the United Nations and the 
United States, or other applicable international 
obligations. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 
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(1) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may ex-
ercise all authorities provided under sections 203 
and 205 of the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out 
this section. 
(2) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 
subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a foreign person that 
violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
causes a violation of this section to the same extent 
that such penalties apply to a person that commits 
an unlawful act described in subsection (a) of such 
section 206. 
(d) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE IMPORTATION OF 
GOODS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and require-
ments to impose sanctions under this Act shall not 
include any authority or requirement to impose sanc-
tions on the importation of goods. 
(2) GOOD DEFINED.—For purposes of this sub-
section, the term ‘‘good’’ means any article, natural 
or man-made substance, material, supply, or manu-
factured product, including inspection and test 
equipment and excluding technical data. 
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may not be made available to any governmental entity of 
a country if the Secretary of State or the Director of Na-
tional Intelligence has credible information that one or 
more officials associated with, leading, or otherwise acting 
under the authority of such entity has committed a gross 
violation of internationally recognized human rights 
against a journalist or other person who performs, or pro-
vides administrative support to, the dissemination of print, 
broadcast, internet-based, or social media intended to re-
port newsworthy activities or information, or communicate 
facts or fact-based opinions. To the maximum extent prac-
ticable, a list of such governmental entities shall be pub-
lished on publicly available websites of the Department of 
State and of the Office of the Director of National Intel-
ligence and shall be updated on a regular basis. 
(b) PROMPT INFORMATION.—The Secretary of State 
shall promptly inform appropriate officials of the govern-
ment of a country from which assistance is withheld in 
accordance with the prohibition under subsection (a). 
(c) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition under subsection 
(a) shall not apply with respect to the following: 
(1) Humanitarian assistance or disaster relief 
assistance authorized under the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961. 
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(2) Assistance the Secretary determines to be 
essential to assist the government of a country to 
bring the responsible members of the relevant gov-
ernmental entity to justice for the acts described in 
subsection (a). 
(d) WAIVER.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, may 
waive the prohibition under subsection (a) with re-
spect to a governmental entity of a country if— 
(A) the President, acting through the Sec-
retary of State and the Director of National In-
telligence, determines that such a waiver is in 
the national security interest of the United 
States; or 
(B) the Secretary of State has received 
credible information that the government of 
that country has— 
(i) performed a thorough investigation 
of the acts described in subsection (a) and 
is taking effective steps to bring respon-
sible members of the relevant governmental 
entity to justice; 
(ii) condemned violations of the free-
dom of the press and the acts described in 
subsection (a); 
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(iii) complied with any requests for in-
formation from international or regional 
human rights organizations with respect to 
the acts described in subsection (a), in ac-
cordance with international legal obliga-
tions to protect the freedom of expression; 
and 
(iv) complied with United States Gov-
ernment requests for information with re-
spect to the acts described in paragraph 
(a). 
(2) CERTIFICATION.—A waiver described in 
paragraph (1) may only take effect if— 
(A) the Secretary of State certifies, not 
later than 30 days before the effective date of 
the waiver, to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations and the Committee 
on Appropriations of the Senate that such waiv-
er is warranted and includes an unclassified de-
scription of the factual basis supporting the cer-
tification, which may contain a classified annex; 
and 
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(B) the Director of National Intelligence, 
not later than 30 days before the effective date 
of the waiver, submits to the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Select Committee on Intel-
ligence of the Senate a report detailing any un-
derlying information that the intelligence com-
munity (as such term is defined in section 3 of 
the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 
3003)) has regarding the perpetrators of the 
acts described in subsection (a), which shall be 
submitted in unclassified form but may contain 
a classified annex. 
Æ 
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