Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SR204 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	III
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. RES. 204
5	5	Recognizing escalating threats to freedom of the press and freedom of speech
6	6	worldwide, including increasing harm to journalists reporting in conflict
7	7	zones and under repressive regimes, reaffirming the vital role that a
8	8	free and independent press plays in upholding democracy, fostering eco-
9	9	nomic prosperity, and keeping the public informed, and reaffirming free-
10	10	dom of the press as a priority of the United States Government in
11	11	supporting democracy, human rights, and good governance in commemo-
12	12	ration of ‘‘World Press Freedom Day’’ on May 3, 2025.
13	13	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
14	14	MAY5, 2025
15	15	Mr. S
16	16	CHATZ(for himself and Mr. TILLIS) submitted the following resolution;
17	17	which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
18	18	RESOLUTION
19	19	Recognizing escalating threats to freedom of the press and
20	20	freedom of speech worldwide, including increasing harm
21	21	to journalists reporting in conflict zones and under re-
22	22	pressive regimes, reaffirming the vital role that a free
23	23	and independent press plays in upholding democracy,
24	24	fostering economic prosperity, and keeping the public
25	25	informed, and reaffirming freedom of the press as a
26	26	priority of the United States Government in supporting
27	27	democracy, human rights, and good governance in com-
28	28	memoration of ‘‘World Press Freedom Day’’ on May
29	29	3, 2025.
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32	32	•SRES 204 IS
33	33	Whereas freedom of the press is foundational to American de-
34	34	mocracy and has been enshrined in the First Amendment
35	35	to the United States Constitution and in various State
36	36	constitutions;
37	37	Whereas a free and independent press around the world sup-
38	38	ports United States foreign policy goals of countering
39	39	authoritarianism and promoting democratic governance
40	40	by refuting propaganda and enhancing public account-
41	41	ability, transparency, and participation in civil society;
42	42	Whereas a robust independent press plays a key role in ex-
43	43	posing and refuting malign influence campaigns used by
44	44	authoritarian governments, including the Russian Fed-
45	45	eration and the People’s Republic of China;
46	46	Whereas the censorship, victimization, and killing of journal-
47	47	ists around the world, particularly in war zones, has pro-
48	48	found implications for the ability of the public, including
49	49	Americans, to be informed about conflicts with local, re-
50	50	gional, and global ramifications and other issues;
51	51	Whereas the United States has advanced press freedom glob-
52	52	ally, including by leading the drafting of the Universal
53	53	Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the
54	54	United Nations in Paris on December 10, 1948, and
55	55	states, in Article 19, ‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom
56	56	of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to
57	57	hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive
58	58	and impart information and ideas through any media and
59	59	regardless of frontiers.’’;
60	60	Whereas, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly pro-
61	61	claimed the third day of May of each year to be ‘‘World
62	62	Press Freedom Day’’—
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65	65	•SRES 204 IS
66	66	(1) to celebrate the fundamental principles of press
67	67	freedom;
68	68	(2) to evaluate press freedom around the world;
69	69	(3) to defend the media against attacks on its inde-
70	70	pendence; and
71	71	(4) to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their
72	72	lives while working in their profession;
73	73	Whereas Congress has passed legislation supporting press
74	74	freedom abroad, including—
75	75	(1) the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of
76	76	2009 (Public Law 111–166), which expanded the exam-
77	77	ination of the freedom of the press around the world in
78	78	the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
79	79	published by the Department of State; and
80	80	(2) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Account-
81	81	ability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114–
82	82	328), which has been used to place targeted visa and eco-
83	83	nomic sanctions on individuals for their roles in the tar-
84	84	geted killings of journalists;
85	85	Whereas, in 2021, in an effort to combat attacks against
86	86	journalists, the Department of State adopted the
87	87	Khashoggi Ban pursuant to section 212(a)(3)(C) of the
88	88	Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
89	89	1182(a)(3)(C)), which imposes visa restrictions on indi-
90	90	viduals who, acting on behalf of a foreign government,
91	91	are believed to have been directly engaged in serious,
92	92	extraterritorial counter-dissident activities, including ac-
93	93	tivities that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm
94	94	journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dis-
95	95	sidents for their work;
96	96	Whereas the United States Government has—
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99	99	•SRES 204 IS
100	100	(1) supported broadcast journalism around the world
101	101	to provide news to millions of people living under authori-
102	102	tarian regimes; and
103	103	(2) provided emergency assistance to journalists fac-
104	104	ing immediate risks to their lives as a result of their re-
105	105	porting;
106	106	Whereas 2024 marked the 19th consecutive year of decline
107	107	in global freedom, with an estimated 40 percent of the
108	108	global population living in countries deemed ‘‘Not Free’’;
109	109	Whereas 2024 marked the 14th consecutive year of decline
110	110	in global internet freedom, with people in at least 56
111	111	countries who are facing legal repercussions for express-
112	112	ing themselves online and people in 43 countries who are
113	113	facing physical assaults or death for their online com-
114	114	mentary;
115	115	Whereas infringement on freedom of expression, including
116	116	media freedom, has been one of the key drivers of broad-
117	117	er declines in global freedom during the last 50 years, in-
118	118	cluding attacks and prosecutions against journalists,
119	119	pressure on media outlets, repressive regulatory and legal
120	120	frameworks, internet shutdowns, unlawful efforts to un-
121	121	dermine strong encryption, and blocks on online sources
122	122	of information;
123	123	Whereas there are alarming indications about growing divi-
124	124	sions resulting from the spread of authoritarian informa-
125	125	tion campaigns with the potential to weaken democratic
126	126	societies;
127	127	Whereas punishments against women journalists are increas-
128	128	ing disproportionately, with 30 percent more women jour-
129	129	nalists being held in prison in 2022 than in the previous
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132	132	•SRES 204 IS
133	133	year, and with most of the longest prison sentences hand-
134	134	ed down against journalists in 2023 given to women;
135	135	Whereas journalists and media workers are murdered, impris-
136	136	oned, attacked, and harassed around the world, includ-
137	137	ing—
138	138	(1) at least 124 journalists and media workers who
139	139	were killed worldwide during 2024 and at least 15 jour-
140	140	nalists who have been killed during the first 4 months of
141	141	2025;
142	142	(2) approximately 361 journalists who were impris-
143	143	oned during 2024, with 50 of these journalists impris-
144	144	oned by the People’s Republic of China;
145	145	(3) between September 1, 2014 and August 31,
146	146	2024, impunity for the killing of journalists persisted,
147	147	with nearly 80 percent of the 241 journalist murders dur-
148	148	ing this period occurring without accountability; and
149	149	(4) journalists and media outlets targeted by govern-
150	150	ment actors with sophisticated spyware products that
151	151	pose a severe risk to their privacy and the security of
152	152	their sources and families;
153	153	Whereas more than 375 writers and public intellectuals, in-
154	154	cluding columnists and editorial journalists, were impris-
155	155	oned across 40 different countries during 2024; and
156	156	Whereas United States journalists have been killed, injured,
157	157	and imprisoned while reporting abroad, including—
158	158	(1) Christopher Allen, who was killed while covering
159	159	the conflict in South Sudan on August 26, 2017, and for
160	160	whom there has been no credible investigation to pursue
161	161	justice after nearly 8 years;
162	162	(2) Austin Tice, who was kidnaped in Syria and has
163	163	been held in captivity since August 13, 2012;
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166	166	•SRES 204 IS
167	167	(3) Brent Renaud, who was killed by Russian forces
168	168	while covering the war in Ukraine on March 13, 2022;
169	169	(4) Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli
170	170	forces on May 11, 2022, while reporting in the West
171	171	Bank;
172	172	(5) Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully detained
173	173	in Russia on baseless charges of espionage from March
174	174	2023 to August 2024;
175	175	(6) Alsu Kurmasheva who was wrongfully detained
176	176	in Russia on bogus charges of failure to register as a for-
177	177	eign agent from October 2023 to August 2024; and
178	178	(7) Dylan Collins, a journalist at Agence France-
179	179	Presse (AFP), who was injured in an attack on a group
180	180	of journalists in southern Lebanon by Israeli forces on
181	181	October 13, 2023: Now, therefore, be it
182	182	Resolved, That the Senate— 1
183	183	(1) declares that a free press— 2
184	184	(A) is a central component of free societies 3
185	185	and democratic governance; 4
186	186	(B) contributes to an informed civil society 5
187	187	and government accountability; 6
188	188	(C) helps to expose corruption; 7
189	189	(D) enhances public accountability and 8
190	190	transparency of governments at all levels; and 9
191	191	(E) disseminates information that is essen-10
192	192	tial to improving public health and safety; 11
193	193	(2) expresses concerns about threats to the ex-12
194	194	ercise of freedom of expression, including by the 13
195	195	press, around the world; 14
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198	198	•SRES 204 IS
199	199	(3) recognizes and commends journalism’s role 1
200	200	in providing trusted, accurate, and timely informa-2
201	201	tion and in holding governments and leaders ac-3
202	202	countable to citizens; 4
203	203	(4) recognizes the indispensable role of journal-5
204	204	ists and media outlets in informing voters and the 6
205	205	international community about elections in multiple 7
206	206	countries worldwide in 2025; 8
207	207	(5) pays tribute to journalists who made tre-9
208	208	mendous sacrifices, including the loss of their lives, 10
209	209	in the pursuit of truth and justice; 11
210	210	(6) condemns all actions around the world that 12
211	211	suppress press freedom and endanger the safety of 13
212	212	journalists; 14
213	213	(7) calls for the unconditional and immediate 15
214	214	release of all wrongfully detained journalists; 16
215	215	(8) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to 17
216	216	efforts of the United States Government to support 18
217	217	democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good gov-19
218	218	ernance domestically and around the world; and 20
219	219	(9) calls upon the President and the Secretary 21
220	220	of State— 22
221	221	(A) to preserve and build upon the leader-23
222	222	ship of the United States on issues relating to 24
223	223	press freedom and journalist safety, on the 25
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226	226	•SRES 204 IS
227	227	basis of the protections for freedom of the press 1
228	228	afforded the American people under the First 2
229	229	Amendment to the Constitution of the United 3
230	230	States; 4
231	231	(B) to transparently investigate and bring 5
232	232	to justice the perpetrators of attacks against 6
233	233	American journalists; 7
234	234	(C) to support transparent investigations 8
235	235	and efforts to ensure accountability for attacks 9
236	236	against journalists of other nationalities; and 10
237	237	(D) to promote the respect and protection 11
238	238	of press freedom around the world. 12
239	239	Æ
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