July 13, 2022
At this time, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced eight amendments he authored centered on press freedom, human rights, and civil liberties can be up for a vote this week as a part of the 2023 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act.
“Vladimir Putin’s brutal struggle in opposition to Ukraine has underscored the menace to democracy all over the world, whilst we battle to guard our personal establishments. It has by no means been extra essential that we guarantee we live as much as our commitments on human rights and freedoms at house and overseas,” mentioned Schiff. “These amendments will strengthen our nation’s management on the values we cherish most, from civil liberties, to authorities transparency, to freedom of the press. I’m glad these amendments will quickly come up for a vote on the Home Flooring, and look ahead to pushing for his or her inclusion and passage.”
The amendments authored by Schiff embrace:
- Defending Individuals’ civil liberties by stopping the U.S. army from getting used inappropriately in home legislation enforcement capabilities. Initially launched after the earlier administration pre-positioned active-duty U.S. army models to answer nationwide protests in opposition to police brutality, this modification strengthens the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 — which prohibits the Armed Forces from implementing U.S. legal guidelines with out authorization — by excluding any data or different proof unlawfully collected by or with the help of the army from getting used throughout authorized proceedings. For extra data on the invoice, which the Home handed by voice vote final yr, click on right here.
- Demanding Azerbaijan instantly and unconditionally launch Armenian prisoners of struggle and captured civilians. This modification calls on Azerbaijan to launch all Armenian prisoners of struggle and captured civilians presently detained within the aftermath of the 2020 struggle in Nagorno-Karabakh — also called Artsakh — and urges the Biden administration to have interaction with Azerbaijani authorities on all ranges to facilitate their launch, together with via the OSCE Minsk Group course of.
- Calling on Iran to right away finish its human rights violations and facilitate the unconditional, speedy launch of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. This modification additionally authorizes the Secretary of State to proceed to offer help to civil society organizations that assist political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
- Establishing measures to guard the human rights of journalists. This modification expands the scope of required studies associated to violations of the human rights of journalists, requires the President to impose sure property- and visa-blocking sanctions on individuals accountable for gross violations of the human rights of journalists, and prohibits sure international help to a governmental entity of a rustic if an official appearing beneath authority of the entity has dedicated a gross violation of human rights in opposition to a journalist.
- Finding out the implementation of Schiff’s Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, a 2010 legislation to name out governments that search to silence media opposition. This modification requires the GAO to conduct a examine and concern a report on the implementation of the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, which Schiff co-authored and was signed into legislation by President Obama. The laws requires the State Division to determine nations during which there have been violations of press freedom; decide whether or not the federal government authorities of these nations take part in, facilitate, or condone the violations; and report the actions such governments have taken to protect the security and independence of the media and make sure the prosecution of people who assault or homicide journalists.
- Honoring the “Misplaced 74” of the united statesFrank E. Evans on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This modification directs the Secretary of Protection to authorize that the names of the Evans’ 74 crew members, who tragically misplaced their lives throughout a coaching train within the South China Sea on June 3, 1969, are included on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. This has been a long-standing Schiff precedence. A second, associated modification would direct the Secretary of Protection to conduct a feasibility examine on including the names of the “Misplaced 74”.
- Making all public army fee proceedings out there on-line. This modification authorizes army judges to make any army fee continuing that’s open to the general public in-person additionally out there to the general public remotely via the web, together with at Guantanamo Bay.
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