IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 143
Expressing the sense of Congress that the continued participation of the 
Russian Federation in the Group of 8 nations should be conditioned 
on the Russian Government voluntarily accepting and adhering to the 
norms and standards of democracy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 3, 2005
Mr. COX (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. WOLF, Mr. ACKER-
MAN, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Ms. 
WATSON, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, and Mr. CANNON) submitted the fol-
lowing concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the continued partici-
pation of the Russian Federation in the Group of 8 
nations should be conditioned on the Russian Govern-
ment voluntarily accepting and adhering to the norms 
and standards of democracy.
Whereas the countries that comprise the Group of 7 nations 
are pluralistic societies with democratic political institu-
tions and practices, committed to the observance of uni-
versally recognized standards of human rights, respect 
for individual liberties, and democratic political practices; 
Whereas in 1991 and subsequent years, the leaders of the 
Group of 7 nations, heads of the governments of the
•HCON 143 IH 
major free-market economies of the world who meet an-
nually in a summit meeting, invited then-Russian Presi-
dent Boris Yeltsin to a post-summit dialogue; 
Whereas in 1998, the leaders of the Group of 7 nations for-
mally invited the President of the Russian Federation to 
participate in an annual gathering that subsequently was 
known as the Group of 8 nations, although the Group of 
7 nations have continued to hold informal summit meet-
ings and ministerial meetings that do not include the 
Russian Federation; 
Whereas the invitation to President Yeltsin to participate in 
the annual summits was in recognition of the commit-
ment of President Yeltsin to democratization and eco-
nomic liberalization, despite the fact that the Russian 
economy remained weak and the commitment of the Gov-
ernment of the Russian Federation to democratic prin-
ciples was uncertain; 
Whereas under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, 
the Government of the Russian Federation has attempted 
to control the activities of independent media enterprises, 
nongovernmental organizations, religious organizations, 
and other pluralistic elements of Russian society in an at-
tempt to mute criticism of the government; 
Whereas under the leadership of President Putin, the Gov-
ernment of the Russian Federation has suppressed the 
activities of independent journalists, international observ-
ers, and human rights monitoring organizations, and has 
blocked the renewal of the mandate of the Organization 
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to oper-
ate inside Chechnya in an attempt to block public scru-
tiny of the war in Chechnya;
•HCON 143 IH 
Whereas the suppression by the Government of the Russian 
Federation of independent media enterprises has resulted 
in widespread government control and influence over the 
media in the Russian Federation, stifling freedom of ex-
pression and individual liberties that are essential to any 
functioning democracy; 
Whereas the arrest and prosecution of prominent Russian 
business leaders who had supported the political opposi-
tion to President Putin are examples of selective applica-
tion of the rule of law for political purposes; 
Whereas the courts of the United States, the United King-
dom, Spain, and Greece have consistently ruled against 
extradition warrants issued by the Government of the 
Russian Federation after finding that the cases presented 
by the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation 
have been inherently political in nature; 
Whereas the rise to influence within the Government of the 
Russian Federation of unelected security officials from 
the KGB of the former Soviet Union is increasingly un-
dermining the Russian Government’s commitment to 
democratic principles, accountability, and transparency; 
Whereas Russian military forces continue to commit brutal 
atrocities against the civilian population in Chechnya and 
have been implicated in abductions of Chechen civilians 
who filed cases before the European Court of Human 
Rights; 
Whereas leaders of the Group of 7 nations have repeatedly 
expressed that a military solution in Chechnya is not pos-
sible; 
Whereas in the aftermath of the tragic siege of School No. 
1 in Beslan, Russia that occurred during September
•HCON 143 IH 
2004, which was an act of terrorism abhorrent to all civ-
ilized people, President Putin cited violence in the North 
Caucasus as a pretext for consolidating centralized power 
and proposed to abolish the popular election of regional 
governors in favor of presidential appointment of such of-
ficials; 
Whereas the catastrophic consequences of the siege of School 
No. 1 in Beslan and of the continued violence in 
Chechnya demonstrate the need to search for political so-
lutions and to commence negotiations between the Gov-
ernment of Russia and moderate Chechen leaders, giving 
moderates credence over extremist elements; 
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation initially 
supported the undemocratic results of the November 21, 
2004, runoff in the Ukrainian presidential election, in 
spite of widespread election fraud and mass demonstra-
tions in support of a new, legitimate election, which 
raised concerns among the Group of 7 nations that the 
commitment of the Russian Government to democratic 
standards is waning; 
Whereas a wide range of observers at think tanks and non-
governmental organizations have expressed deep concern 
that the Russian Federation is moving away from the po-
litical and legal underpinnings of a market economy, and 
have identified the continuing war in Chechnya as a 
major threat to stability and democracy in Russia; and 
Whereas the continued participation of the Russian Federa-
tion in the Group of 8 nations, including the Russian 
Government’s opportunity to host the G–8 summit in 
2006 as planned, is a privilege that is premised on the 
Russian Government voluntarily accepting and adhering
•HCON 143 IH 
to the norms and standards of democracy: Now, there-
fore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the selective prosecution of political oppo-
nents and the suppression of free media by the Rus-
sian Federation, and the continued commission of 
widespread atrocities in the conduct of the brutal 
war in Chechnya, do not reflect the minimum stand-
ards of civilized nations that characterize every other 
member state in the Group of 8 nations; 
(2) the continued participation of the Russian 
Federation in the Group of 8 nations, including the 
Russian Government’s opportunity to host the G–8 
summit in 2006 as planned, should be conditioned 
on the Russian Government voluntarily accepting 
and adhering to the norms and standards of free, 
democratic societies as generally practiced by every 
other member state of the Group of 8 nations, in-
cluding—
(A) the rule of law, including protection 
from selective prosecution and protection from 
arbitrary state-directed violence; 
(B) a court system free of political influ-
ence and manipulation; 
(C) a free and independent media;
•HCON 143 IH 
(D) a political system open to participation 
by all citizens and which protects freedom of ex-
pression and association; and 
(E) the protection of universally recognized 
human rights; and 
(3) the President of the United States and the 
Secretary of State should work with the other mem-
bers of the Group of 7 nations to take all necessary 
steps to suspend the participation of the Russian 
Federation in the Group of 8 nations until the Presi-
dent, after consultation with the other members of 
the Group of 7, determines and reports to Congress 
that the Government of the Russian Federation is 
committed to respecting and upholding the demo-
cratic principles described in paragraph (2).
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