I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1685
To establish an Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring, to provide for
the imposition of sanctions against countries engaged in a pattern of
religious persecution, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 20, 1997
Mr. WOLF (for himself, Mr. PORTER, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr. HALL
of Ohio, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. PELOSI, Mr.
HUTCHINSON, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BISH-
OP, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. MANTON, Mr. OLVER, Mr.
GILCHREST, Mr. KING, Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado, Mr. GILLMOR,
Mr. COOKSEY, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. CANADY of Florida, Mr. GILMAN, Mr.
DICKEY, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. EHLERS, and Mr. WAMP) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Rela-
tions, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judici-
ary, Banking and Financial Services, and Rules, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish an Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring,
to provide for the imposition of sanctions against coun-
tries engaged in a pattern of religious persecution, 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 ‘‘Freedom From Reli-
gious Persecution Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Governments have a primary responsibility
to promote, encourage, and protect respect for the
fundamental and internationally recognized right to
freedom of religion.
(2) The right to freedom of religion is recog-
nized by numerous international agreements and
covenants, including the following:
(A) Article 18 of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights states that ‘‘Everyone has the
right to freedom of thought, conscience and re-
ligion; this right includes freedom to change his
religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or
in community with others and in public or pri-
vate, to manifest his religion or belief in teach-
ing, practice, worship and observance’’.
(B) Article 18 of the Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights declares that ‘‘Everyone
shall have the right to freedom of thought, con-
science, and religion . . .’’ and further delin-
eates the privileges under this right.
(3) Persecution of religious believers, particu-
larly Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant
Christians, in Communist countries, such as Cuba,
Laos, the People’s Republic of China, North Korea,
and Vietnam, persists and in some cases is increas-
ing.
(4) In many Islamic countries and regions
thereof, governments persecute non-Muslims and re-
ligious converts from Islam using means such as
‘‘blasphemy’’ and ‘‘apostasy’’ laws, and militant
movements seek to corrupt a historically tolerant Is-
lamic faith and culture through the persecution of
Baha’is, Christians, and other religious minorities.
(5) The militant, Islamic Government of Sudan
is waging a self-described religious war against
Christian, non-Muslim, and moderate Muslim per-
sons by using torture, starvation, enslavement, and
murder.
(6) In Tibet, where Tibetan Buddhism is inex-
tricably linked to the Tibetan identity, the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China has intensi-
fied its control over the Tibetan people by perverting
the selection of the Panchen Lama, propagandizing
against the religious authority of the Dalai Lama,
restricting religious study and traditional religious