Title: Condemning the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in Burma and the Burmese military detention of civilian leaders, calling for the release of all those detained and for those elected to serve in Parliament to resume their duties, and for other purposes.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution condemns the military coup that took place in Burma (Myanmar) on February 1, 2021. It also calls on the Burmese military to (1) release all those detained arbitrarily in the coup, (2) restore all forms of communications, and (3) return to power all members of the civilian government.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 134 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 134

 Condemning the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in 
 Burma and the Burmese military detention of civilian leaders, calling 
for the release of all those detained and for those elected to serve in 
       Parliament to resume their duties, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 18, 2021

  Mr. Levin of Michigan (for himself, Mr. Auchincloss, Mr. Baird, Mr. 
   Bera, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Burchett, Mr. 
  Carson, Mr. Case, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Costa, Mr. Deutch, 
 Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Hern, Mr. 
 Hill, Mrs. Hinson, Mr. Jackson, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. 
Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Malinowski, 
Ms. Manning, Mr. McCaul, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Meijer, Mr. Moore 
 of Utah, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Price 
of North Carolina, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Tenney, 
  Ms. Titus, Mrs. Wagner, Ms. Wild, and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in 
 Burma and the Burmese military detention of civilian leaders, calling 
for the release of all those detained and for those elected to serve in 
       Parliament to resume their duties, and for other purposes.

Whereas the military of Burma (hereinafter referred to as the ``Tatmadaw'') held 
        power in Burma between 1962 and 2011;
Whereas provisions in the 2008 Constitution of Burma, written by the Tatmadaw, 
        allocate 25 percent of parliamentary seats to the Tatmadaw, conferring 
        powers on the Tatmadaw that have been used to suppress basic rights, 
        including freedoms of expression, assembly, and association;
Whereas, in 2010, Burma conducted its first election, which was neither free nor 
        fair, under the new Constitution, and which was boycotted by the 
        National League for Democracy (NLD);
Whereas Burma conducted elections in November 2015, in which the NLD came to 
        power;
Whereas Burma's November 8, 2020, elections resulted in the NLD securing enough 
        seats in Parliament to form the next government, notwithstanding the 
        disenfranchisement of more than 1,500,000 voters, mostly from ethnic 
        minority communities in Kachin, Karen, Mon, Rakhine, Shan, and Chin 
        states;
Whereas the Tatmadaw conducted a coup against the civilian government on 
        February 1, 2021, hours before Parliament was to convene in a new 
        session;
Whereas the Tatmadaw claimed they had evidence of parliamentary election fraud 
        perpetrated by the NLD and Burma's Union Election Commission, an 
        allegation that contradicted the judgment of several independent 
        election monitoring organizations that the electoral process and outcome 
        were credible despite minor irregularities;
Whereas the Tatmadaw has detained unlawfully State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, 
        President Win Myint, and other leaders of the NLD, as well as 
        prodemocracy activists from the 88 Generation and other civil society 
        leaders;
Whereas the Tatmadaw has charged State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi with importing 
        walkie-talkies illegally and President Win Myint with violating 
        prohibitions on gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas the Tatmadaw has declared a state of emergency until new elections are 
        held in one year;
Whereas the Tatmadaw has restricted freedom of movement, telecommunications, and 
        the media, limiting access to information to and from Burma during a 
        political and public health crisis;
Whereas, on January 31, 2021, the Secretary-General of the United Nations 
        spokesperson released the following condemnation of the coup, which 
        reads, in part, ``The Secretary-General strongly condemns the detention 
        of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and 
        other political leaders on the eve of the opening session of Myanmar's 
        new Parliament. He expresses his grave concern regarding the declaration 
        of the transfer of all legislative, executive and judicial powers to the 
        military. These developments represent a serious blow to democratic 
        reforms in Myanmar.'';
Whereas, on February 1, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., condemned the coup 
        in a statement that read, in part, ``The military's seizure of power in 
        Burma, the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials, 
        and the declaration of a national state of emergency are a direct 
        assault on the country's transition to democracy and the rule of law.'';
Whereas protests opposing the coup have swept Burma;
Whereas the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1091 on December 13, 2018, 
        expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the atrocities 
        committed against the Rohingya by the Tatmadaw and security forces 
        beginning in August 2017 constituted crimes against humanity and 
        genocide; and
Whereas the United States has sanctioned Tatmadaw officials previously, 
        including Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing, for the atrocities 
        committed against the Rohingya, and the International Court of Justice 
        is investigating the Tatmadaw's conduct: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the military coup that took place on February 
        1, 2021;
            (2) stands with the people of Burma in their ambition for 
        sustainable peace, a genuine democracy, and the realization of 
        human rights for all, including for ethnic minorities whose 
        human rights have been violated repeatedly and who have been 
        disenfranchised historically;
            (3) condemns any attacks on civilians and supports the use 
        of all diplomatic and development tools to ensure that 
        civilians are safe during conflict;
            (4) calls on the Tatmadaw to--
                    (A) release all those currently detained 
                arbitrarily as a result of the February 1st coup;
                    (B) restore all forms of communications, including 
                internet services;
                    (C) remove all impediments to free travel that have 
                been imposed as a result of the coup, apart from 
                legitimate travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 
                pandemic;
                    (D) return to power all members of the civilian 
                government;
                    (E) allow for freedom of expression, including the 
                right to protest, press freedom, and freedom of 
                movement;
                    (F) allow unfettered reporting from local, 
                national, and international media; and
                    (G) refrain from mass evictions; and
            (5) calls on the President of the United States and the 
        Secretary of State to--
                    (A) encourage both the return to power of all 
                members of the civilian government and, subsequently, 
                constitutional reforms to address the power conferred 
                to the Tatmadaw in Parliament and the 
                disenfranchisement of ethnic minorities in Burma;
                    (B) reinstate sanctions and impose new restrictions 
                aimed at the Tatmadaw and those responsible for the 
                February 1st coup;
                    (C) work with the international partners and 
                multilateral institutions, including the United Nations 
                Security Council, to condemn the coup and enact 
                multilateral, targeted sanctions on the military, 
                military-owned businesses, including the Myanmar 
                Economic Corporation and Myanmar Economic Holdings 
                Limited, and others connected to the coup, including an 
                international arms embargo;
                    (D) coordinate with international partners and 
                allies, especially those with economic investments in 
                Burma, with respect to planned economic consequences 
                for the coup and ensuring those consequences are 
                tailored to avoid impacting Burmese civilians;
                    (E) ensure that targeted sanctions allow all 
                necessary exemptions to permit the delivery of 
                humanitarian assistance to civilians in need;
                    (F) ensure that United States-based social media 
                companies, including Facebook, not allow their 
                platforms to be used as vehicles for disinformation 
                campaigns or advocating violence against the Burmese 
                people;
                    (G) implement restrictions on diplomatic, economic, 
                and security relations with Burma until a full 
                restoration of civilian-controlled Parliament, and 
                release of those detained in connection with the coup; 
                and
                    (H) direct the United States Permanent 
                Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, 
                vote, and influence of the United States to bring about 
                greater international cooperation to pursue justice and 
                accountability in Burma.
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