Sec. 6533. Authorization of assistance for Burma political prisoners
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/bill/117/hr/7900/pcs/section-6533·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of Congress that— the freedom of expression, including for members of the press, is an inalienable right and should be upheld and protected in Burma and everywhere; the Burmese military must immediately cease the arbitrary arrest, detention, imprisonment, and physical attacks of journalists, which have created a climate of fear and self-censorship among local journalists; the Government of Burma should repeal or amend all laws that violate the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, or association, and ensure that laws such as the Telecommunications Law of 2013 and the Unlawful Associations Act of 1908, and laws relating to the right to peaceful assembly all comply with Burma’s human rights obligations; all prisoners of conscience and political prisoners in Burma should be unconditionally and immediately released; the Burmese military should immediately and unconditionally release Danny Fenster and other journalists unjustly detained for their work; the Government of Burma must immediately drop defamation charges against all individuals unjustly detained, including the three Kachin activists, Lum Zawng, Nang Pu, and Zau Jet, who led a peaceful rally in Mytkyina, the capital of Kachin State in April 2018, and that the prosecution of Lum Zawng, Nang Pu, and Zau Jet is an attempt by Burmese authorities to intimidate, harass, and silence community leaders and human rights defenders who speak out about military abuses and their impact on civilian populations; and the United States Government should use all diplomatic tools to seek the unconditional and immediate release of all prisoners of conscience and political prisoners in Burma.
The Secretary of State is authorized to continue to provide assistance to civil society organizations in Burma that work to secure the release of and support prisoners of conscience and political prisoners in Burma, including— support for the documentation of human rights violations with respect to prisoners of conscience and political prisoners; support for advocacy in Burma to raise awareness of issues relating to prisoners of conscience and political prisoners; support for efforts to repeal or amend laws that are used to imprison individuals as prisoners of conscience or political prisoners; support for health, including mental health, and post-incarceration assistance in gaining access to education and employment opportunities or other forms of reparation to enable former prisoners of conscience and political prisoners to resume normal lives; and the creation, in consultation with former political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, their families, and their representatives, of an independent prisoner review mechanism in Burma— to review the cases of individuals who may have been charged or deprived of their liberty for peacefully exercising their human rights; to review all laws used to arrest, prosecute, and punish individuals as political prisoners and prisoners of conscience; and to provide recommendations to the Government of Burma for the repeal or amendment of all such laws.
The authority to provide assistance under this section shall terminate on the date that is 8 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.