Sec. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY

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A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

## SEC. 3 STATEMENT OF POLICY It is the policy of the United States— ####

(1)to condemn— #####

(A)the conduct of the August 9, 2020, presidential election in Belarus, which was neither free nor fair; #####

(B)the Belarusian authorities’ unrelenting crackdown on, arbitrary arrests of, and violence against opposition candidates, peaceful protestors, human rights activists, employees from state-owned enterprises participating in strikes, independent election observers, and independent journalists and bloggers; and #####

(C)the unjustified detention and forced or attempted expulsion of members of the Coordination Council in Belarus; ####

(2)to continue demanding the immediate release without preconditions of all political prisoners in Belarus and those arrested for peacefully protesting, including all those individuals detained in connection with the August 9, 2020, presidential election; ####

(3)to stand in solidarity with the people of Belarus, including human rights defenders, bloggers, and journalists, who are exercising their right to freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and rule of law and to continue supporting the aspirations of the people of Belarus for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; ####

(4)to continue actively supporting the aspirations of the people of the Republic of Belarus— #####

(A)to preserve the independence and sovereignty of their country; and #####

(B)to freely exercise their religion, including the head of the Catholic Church in Belarus, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who was barred from entering the country after criticizing Belarusian authorities; ####

(5)to recognize the leading role of women in the peaceful protests and pro-democracy movement in Belarus; ####

(6)to continue— #####

(A)rejecting the invalid results of the fraudulent August 9, 2020 presidential election in Belarus announced by the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Belarus; and #####

(B)supporting calls for new presidential and parliamentary elections, conducted in a manner that is free and fair according to OSCE standards and under the supervision of OSCE observers and independent domestic observers; ####

(7)to refuse to recognize Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the legitimately elected leader of Belarus; ####

(8)to not recognize any incorporation of Belarus into a “Union State” with Russia, since this so-called “Union State” would be both an attempt to absorb Belarus and a step to reconstituting the totalitarian Soviet Union; ####

(9)to continue calling for the fulfillment by the Government of Belarus of Belarus’s freely undertaken obligations as an OSCE participating state and as a signatory of the Charter of the United Nations; ####

(10)to support an OSCE role in mediating a dialogue within Belarus between the government and genuine representatives of Belarusian society; ####

(11)to recognize the Coordination Council as a legitimate institution to participate in a dialogue on a peaceful transition of power; ####

(12)to applaud the commitment by foreign diplomats in Minsk to engage with Coordination Council member and Nobel Laureate, Svetlana Alexievich, and to encourage an ongoing dialogue with her and with other leaders of the democratically-oriented political opposition in Belarus; ####

(13)to urge an expanded United States diplomatic presence in Belarus to advocate for the aspirations of the people of Belarus for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; ####

(14)to encourage the United States Government— #####

(A)to continue working closely with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries and international organizations to promote the principles of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Belarus; and #####

(B)to impose targeted sanctions, in coordination with the European Union and other international partners, against officials in Belarus who are responsible for— ######

(i)undermining democratic processes in Belarus; or ######

(ii)participating in human rights abuses related to political repression in Belarus; ####

(15)to call on the Government of Belarus to uphold its human rights obligations, including those rights enumerated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and ####

(16)to support— #####

(A)the continued territorial integrity of Belarus; and #####

(B)the right of the Belarusian people to determine their future.