Sec. 4. Assistance to promote democracy, civil society, and sovereignty in Belarus
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Section 4 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 ( Public Law 109–480 ; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended— in the section heading to read as follows: ; assistance to promote democracy, civil society, and sovereignty in belarus . in subsection (a)— in paragraph (1), by striking European and inserting Trans-Atlantic ; and by redesignating paragraphs
(2)and
(3)as paragraphs
(3)and 4, respectively; and by inserting after paragraph
(1)the following: To assist the people of Belarus in building the sovereignty and independence of their country. ; in subsection (b)— by inserting and Belarusian groups outside of Belarus after indigenous Belarusian groups ; and by inserting and Belarusian sovereignty before the period at the end; in subsection (c)— by striking paragraph (8); by redesignating paragraphs
(3)through
(7)as paragraphs
(4)through (8), respectively; by inserting after paragraph
(2)the following: countering internet censorship and repressive surveillance technology that seek to limit free association, control access to information, and prevent citizens from exercising their rights to free speech; ; in paragraph
(8)(as redesignated), by striking and at the end; and by adding at the end the following: supporting the work of women advocating freedom, human rights, and human progress; supporting the development of Belarusian language education; enhancing the development of the private sector, particularly the information technology sector, and its role in the economy of Belarus, including by increasing the capacity of private sector actors, developing business support organizations, offering entrepreneurship training, and expanding access to finance for small and medium enterprises; supporting political refugees in neighboring European countries fleeing the crackdown in Belarus; supporting the gathering of evidence on and investigating of the human rights abuses in Belarus; supporting the public health response, including filling the information void, in Belarus during the COVID-19 pandemic; and other activities consistent with the purposes of this Act. ; by redesignating subsection
(d)as subsection (g); by inserting after subsection
(c)the following: It is the sense of Congress that, in light of the political crisis in Belarus and the unprecedented mobilization of the Belarusian people, United States foreign assistance to Belarusian civil society should be reevaluated and increased to carry out the purposes described in subsection
(a)and to include the activities described in subsection (c). In order to maximize impact, eliminate duplication, and further the achievement of the purposes described in subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall ensure coordination with the European Union and its institutions, the governments of countries that are members of the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020, the Secretary of State, acting through the Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, and in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the programs and activities carried out to achieve the purposes described in subsection (a), including an assessment of whether or not progress was made in achieving those purposes. ; and in subsection
(g)(as redesignated)— by striking and all that follows through authorization of appropriations There are and inserting ; authorization of appropriations .—There are by striking fiscal years 2007 and 2008 and inserting fiscal years 2021 and 2022 ; and by striking paragraph (2).
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- Pub. L. 109-480
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Sec. 4
Assistance to promote democracy, civil society, and sovereignty in Belarus
Pub. L.Pub. L. 109-480
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