,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bdff  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #aa1     
#bjad ,mr4 ,cardin 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,risch7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,foreign ,relations  ,a  
,,bill  ,to amend the ,international    
,religious ,freedom ,act of #aiih to    
include the desecration of cemeteries   
among the many forms of violations of   
the right to religious freedom4  #a4    
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,cemeteries are sacred sites that 
are of great spiritual1 cultural1 and   
historical significance to many         
religious and ethnic groups4  7#b7      
,congress is committed to protecting and
 preserving the heritage and sacred     
sites of national1 religious1 and ethnic
 groups1 which include cemeteries in the
 ,united ,states and abroad4  7#c7      
,cemeteries around the world have1 and  
continue to be1 defaced or destroyed as 
a direct result of their affiliation    

with a particular religious or spiritual
 group4  7#d7 ,such attacks constitute  
an assault on the fundamental right to  
freedom of religion1 and are especially 
egregious when sponsored or tolerated by
 the local or national governments in   
the countries in which such offenses    
occur4  #b4 ,amendment to the           
,international ,religious ,freedom ,act 
of #aiih ,section #b7;a77#d7 of the     
,international ,religious ,freedom ,act 
of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #fdja7;a77#d77  
is amended by inserting desecration of  
cemeteries1 after confiscations of      
property14