Title: Condemning the Government of Saudi Arabia’s continued detention and alleged abuse of women’s rights activists.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution reaffirms that the promotion of human rights and democracies, including the empowerment of women and girls, is a longstanding bedrock of U.S. foreign policy. It also condemns Saudi Arabia's continued detention and alleged abuse of women's rights advocates and urges the immediate and unconditional release of such advocates. The resolution also urges Saudi Arabia to end its male guardianship system and calls on the United States to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabian government officials responsible for gross human rights violations.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 129 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 129

  Condemning the Government of Saudi Arabia's continued detention and 
               alleged abuse of women's rights activists.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2019

  Ms. Frankel (for herself, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Cicilline, and Ms. Wild) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Condemning the Government of Saudi Arabia's continued detention and 
               alleged abuse of women's rights activists.

Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been an important strategic partner of 
        the United States, and the United States and Saudi Arabia share broad 
        interests, including defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria 
        (ISIS), regional stability, and countering Iran's malign activities in 
        the Middle East;
Whereas, in June 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia reversed the longstanding 
        ban on women driving;
Whereas Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system requires women to attain the 
        permission of their male guardian for a vast array of decisions, 
        including health care, employment, applying for a passport, 
        international travel, getting married, or even leaving prison;
Whereas, since May 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia has arrested prominent 
        women's rights advocates and imposed travel bans on numerous others, 
        many of them longtime supporters of ending the ban on women driving and 
        abolishing the male guardianship system;
Whereas none of the jailed activists has been convicted of any crimes, and many 
        reportedly have been held in solitary confinement for prolonged periods;
Whereas Aziza al-Yousef, a United States resident who helped lead a campaign 
        against the male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia, was imprisoned in 
        May 2018;
Whereas at least 10 women's rights activists have been subjected to 
        psychological and physical abuse, including sexual violence, beatings, 
        electric shocks, and sleep deprivation;
Whereas one of the detained activists, Loujain al-Hathloul, was reportedly 
        beaten, waterboarded, given electric shocks, sexually harassed, and 
        threatened with rape and murder;
Whereas the Department of State has undertaken some diplomatic measures to bring 
        concerns about the detention of these women's rights activists to the 
        attention of the Government of Saudi Arabia;
Whereas, on January 14, 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had raised 
        the case of the imprisoned activists with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed 
        bin Salman;
Whereas the 2017 Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 
        for Saudi Arabia stated that, ``Women continued to face significant 
        discrimination under law and custom, and many remained uninformed about 
        their rights'', and ``women also faced discrimination in courts, where 
        in most cases the testimony of one man equals that of two women'';
Whereas serious impediments to women's freedoms in Saudi Arabia remain, 
        including a high prevalence of forced marriages, inequality in marriage, 
        divorce, child custody and inheritance, laws that prevents women from 
        directly transmitting citizenship to their children, and the male 
        guardianship system;
Whereas, on April 21, 2005, Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi, an associate professor of 
        history at King Saud University and prominent women's rights activist 
        currently detained by Saudi Arabia, testified before Congress that a 
        Saudi woman ``is considered legally and socially a minor; she is 
        confined to limited areas of educational opportunities; she is 
        restricted in employment opportunities; there are no legal bodies where 
        women could seek support; and finally, she is distanced from any 
        decisionmaking position''; and
Whereas the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of 
        title XII of Public Law 114-328) authorizes the President to deny travel 
        visas and freeze the United States-based assets of foreign government 
        officials responsible for ``extrajudicial killings, torture, or other 
        gross violations of internationally recognized human rights'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms that promoting human rights and democracy has 
        long been a bedrock of United States foreign policy, including 
        advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls;
            (2) condemns the Government of Saudi Arabia's continued 
        detention and alleged abuse of women's rights advocates jailed 
        for peacefully exercising their human rights;
            (3) urges Government of Saudi Arabia officials to 
        immediately and unconditionally release the imprisoned women's 
        rights advocates and other political prisoners, and hold 
        accountable those involved in perpetrating abuses;
            (4) urges Government of Saudi Arabia officials to end the 
        male guardianship system that restricts the ability of Saudi 
        women to make decisions about their lives; and
            (5) calls on the United States Government to--
                    (A) continue publicly and privately demanding the 
                release of individuals wrongfully detained;
                    (B) use the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
                Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public 
                Law 114-328) to identify and impose travel and 
                financial restrictions on all Government of Saudi 
                Arabia officials responsible for gross violations of 
                internationally recognized human rights;
                    (C) document relevant details of alleged torture 
                and abuse in future annual Country Reports on Human 
                Rights Practices; and
                    (D) prioritize human rights, including women's 
                rights, as a key component of the relationship between 
                the United States and Saudi Arabia.
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