Title: Condemning the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's inhumane treatment of Salma al-Shehab and other women's rights defenders.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution denounces Saudi Arabia's treatment of journalists and activists, including Salma al-Shehab (a human rights defender who was detained for protesting the guardianship system).

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1444 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1444

 Condemning the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's inhumane treatment of Salma 
             al-Shehab and other women's rights defenders.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 21, 2022

Ms. Speier (for herself and Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's inhumane treatment of Salma 
             al-Shehab and other women's rights defenders.

Whereas, on January 15, 2018, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrested Salma al-
        Shehab under suspicion of terrorism for ``assisting those who seek to 
        cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security by 
        following their twitter accounts'';
Whereas these charges cited statements made on Twitter in which al-Shehab 
        supported women's rights defenders who had been detained for protesting 
        the Kingdom's guardianship system;
Whereas al-Shehab was detained without trial for over 9 months and initially 
        sentenced to 6 years in prison by the Specialized Criminal Court;
Whereas, on or around August 9, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court resentenced 
        al-Shehab to 34 years in prison and a nonconcurrent 34-year travel ban;
Whereas the Specialized Criminal Court's sentence is the longest punishment 
        known of a peaceful women's rights activist in the Kingdom;
Whereas al-Shehab has been subjected to solitary confinement, prolonged 
        interrogation, abuse, harassment, and given medications which caused 
        drowsiness;
Whereas, on August 29, 2022, 35 nongovernmental organizations, including Freedom 
        House, condemned al-Shehab's arrest and sentencing as arbitrary and 
        unlawful, and characterized her sentence as ``an alarming deterioration 
        of the human rights situation in the country'';
Whereas, on August 29, 2022, the same nongovernmental organizations warned that 
        activists and human rights defenders continue to be ``ruthlessly 
        targeted and silenced, with repressive laws being used to criminalize 
        their peaceful expression and activism'';
Whereas, in May 2018, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrested 12 women's rights 
        defenders including, Loujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef, Eman al-
        Nafjan, Nouf Abdelaziz, Mayaa al-Zahrani, Samar Badawi, Nassima al-
        Saada, and Hatoon al-Fassi;
Whereas Human Rights Watch reported that at least 3 of the detained activists 
        were subjected to torture, including electrical shocks, whipping, and 
        sexual assault;
Whereas while Loujain al-Hathloul was released from prison in February 2021, the 
        ongoing travel ban and threat of the suspended sentence prevents her 
        freedom of expression as she could be reimprisoned at any time;
Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia targets human rights defenders under severe 
        terrorism and cybercrime laws and they are routinely subject to 
        arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions;
Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia fails to investigate and reform the penal 
        system which allows for the aforementioned torture and mistreatment of 
        human right defenders like Salma al-Shehab; and
Whereas the United States supports the freedom of speech and expression, right 
        to fair and open judicial proceedings, and humane treatment of prisoners 
        globally: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) denounces the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's guardianship 
        system and the arbitrary arrests, unlawful sentences, and 
        inhumane treatments of Salma al-Shehab and other human rights 
        defenders;
            (2) denounces the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's draconian use 
        of travel bans and suspended sentences to silence human rights 
        defenders, journalists, activists, and others;
            (3) urges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to immediately 
        release Salma al-Shehab and other unjustly detained human 
        rights defenders; and
            (4) urges the President to direct the Department of State 
        to leverage diplomatic pressure on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
        to release Salma al-Shehab and other human rights defenders and 
        discourage the Kingdom from future arrests and detentions of 
        this nature.
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