H. R. 515 
One Hundred Twelfth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE FIRST SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, 
the fifth day of January, two thousand and eleven 
An Act 
To reauthorize the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Belarus Democracy and Human 
Rights Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
Sections 2 and 3 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 (Public 
Law 109–480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
‘‘Congress finds the following: 
‘‘(1) The Government of Belarus has engaged in a pattern 
of clear and uncorrected violations of human rights and funda-
mental freedoms. 
‘‘(2) The Government of Belarus has engaged in a pattern 
of clear and uncorrected violations of basic principles of demo-
cratic governance, including through a series of fundamentally 
flawed presidential and parliamentary elections undermining 
the legitimacy of executive and legislative authority in that 
country. 
‘‘(3) The Government of Belarus has subjected thousands 
of pro-democratic political activists to harassment, beatings, 
and jailings, particularly as a result of their attempts to peace-
fully exercise their right to freedom of assembly and association. 
‘‘(4) The Government of Belarus has attempted to maintain 
a monopoly over the country’s information space, targeting 
independent media, including independent journalists, for 
systematic reprisals and elimination, while suppressing the 
right to freedom of speech and expression of those dissenting 
from the dictatorship of Aleksandr Lukashenka, and adopted 
laws restricting the media, including the Internet, in a manner 
inconsistent with international human rights agreements. 
‘‘(5) The Government of Belarus continues a systematic 
campaign of harassment, repression, and closure of nongovern-
mental organizations, including independent trade unions and 
entrepreneurs, and this crackdown has created a climate of 
fear that inhibits the development of civil society and social 
solidarity. 
‘‘(6) The Government of Belarus has subjected leaders and 
members of select ethnic and religious minorities to harass-
ment, including the imposition of heavy fines and denying
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permission to meet for religious services, sometimes by selective 
enforcement of the 2002 Belarus religion law. 
‘‘(7) The Government of Belarus has attempted to silence 
dissent by persecuting human rights and pro-democracy activ-
ists with threats, firings, expulsions, beatings and other forms 
of intimidation, and restrictions on freedom of movement and 
prohibition of international travel. 
‘‘(8) The dictator of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenka, estab-
lished himself in power by orchestrating an illegal and unconsti-
tutional referendum that enabled him to impose a new constitu-
tion, abolishing the duly elected parliament, the 13th Supreme 
Soviet, installing a largely powerless National Assembly, 
extending his term in office, and removing applicable term 
limits. 
‘‘(9) The Government of Belarus has failed to make a con-
vincing effort to solve the cases of disappeared opposition fig-
ures Yuri Zakharenka, Viktor Gonchar, and Anatoly Krasovsky 
and journalist Dmitry Zavadsky, even though credible allega-
tions and evidence links top officials of the Government to 
these disappearance. 
‘‘(10) The Government of Belarus has restricted freedom 
of expression on the Internet by requiring Internet Service 
Providers to maintain data on Internet users and the sites 
they view and to provide such data to officials upon request, 
and by creating a government body with the authority to 
require Internet Service Providers to block Web sites. 
‘‘(11) On December 19, 2010, the Government of Belarus 
conducted a presidential election that failed to meet the stand-
ards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe 
(OSCE) for democratic elections. 
‘‘(12) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election 
the Government of Belarus responded to opposition protests 
by beating scores of protestors and detaining more than 600 
peaceful protestors. 
‘‘(13) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election 
the Government of Belarus jailed seven of the nine opposition 
presidential candidates and abused the process of criminal 
prosecution to persecute them. 
‘‘(14) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
the Government of Belarus disrupted independent broadcast 
and Internet media, and engaged in repressive actions against 
independent journalists. 
‘‘(15) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
Belarusian security services and police conducted raids tar-
geting civil society groups, individual pro-democracy activists, 
and independent media. 
‘‘(16) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
Belarusian officials refused to extend the mandate of the OSCE 
Office in Minsk. 
‘‘(17) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
opposition candidates and activists have been persecuted and 
detainees have been physically mistreated, and denied access 
to family, defense counsel, medical treatment, and open legal 
proceedings. 
‘‘(18) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
lawyers representing those facing criminal charges related to
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the post-election protest have been subjected to the revocation 
of licenses, disbarment, and other forms of pressure. 
‘‘(19) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
the Government of Belarus has convicted political detainees 
to harsh prison sentences. 
‘‘(20) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
the United States expanded its visa ban list, imposed additional 
financial sanctions on certain state-owned enterprises, and initi-
ated preparations to freeze the assets of several individuals 
in Belarus. The European Union imposed targeted travel and 
financial sanctions on an expanded list of officials of the Govern-
ment of Belarus. 
‘‘(21) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
the United States fully restored sanctions against Belarus’s 
largest state-owned petroleum and chemical conglomerate and 
all of its subsidiaries. 
‘‘(22) After the December 19, 2010, presidential election, 
the United States has engaged in assistance efforts to provide 
legal and humanitarian assistance to those facing repression 
and preserving access to independent information, and has 
pledged resources to support human rights advocates, trade 
unions, youth and environmental groups, business associations, 
think-tanks, democratic political parties and movements, inde-
pendent journalists, newspapers and electronic media operating 
both inside Belarus and broadcasting from its neighbors, and 
to support access of Belarusian students to independent higher 
education and expand exchange programs for business and 
civil society leaders. 
‘‘(23) The Department of State, the Department of the 
Treasury, and other executive branch agencies have heretofore 
made effective use of this Act to promote the purposes of 
this Act, as stated in section 3 of this Act. 
‘‘SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
‘‘It is the policy of the United States to— 
‘‘(1) condemn the conduct of the December 19, 2010, presi-
dential election and crackdown on opposition candidates, polit-
ical leaders, and activists, civil society representatives, and 
journalists; 
‘‘(2) continue to call for the immediate release without 
preconditions of all political prisoners in Belarus, including 
all those individuals detained in connection with the December 
19, 2010, presidential election; 
‘‘(3) continue to support the aspirations of the people of 
Belarus for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; 
‘‘(4) continue to support the aspirations of the people of 
Belarus to preserve the independence and sovereignty of their 
country; 
‘‘(5) continue to support the growth of democratic move-
ments and institutions in Belarus, which empower the people 
of Belarus to end tyranny in their country; 
‘‘(6) continue to refuse to accept the results of the fun-
damentally flawed December 19, 2010, presidential election 
held in Belarus, and to support calls for new presidential and 
parliamentary elections, conducted in a manner that is free 
and fair according to OSCE standards;