,i  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dbfd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #af1 #bjae 
,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey introduced  
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 
and in addition to the ,committees on   
the ,judiciary and ,financial ,services1
 for a period to be subsequently        
determined by the ,speaker1 in each case
 for consideration of such provisions as
 fall within the jurisdiction of the    
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
promote ,united ,states national        
security and foreign policy objectives  
through consolidation and strengthening 
of the rule of law and respect for human
 rights in the ,republic of ,azerbaijan4
  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be    
cited as the ,azerbaijan ,democracy ,act
 of #bjae4  #b4 ,findings ,congress     
makes the following findings3  7#a7 ,the
 ,united ,states and the ,republic of   
,azerbaijan have many areas of mutual   
interest and cooperation1 but the       

,united ,states ability to more fully   
cooperate with ,azerbaijan has been     
severely hindered by the ,government of 
,azerbaijan's gross violations of human 
rights and fundamental freedoms1        
including violations of basic principles
 of democratic governance1 standards to 
which ,azerbaijan has committed itself  
to adhere as a participating ,state in  
the ,organization for ,security and     
,cooperation in ,europe 7,,osce7 and    
other multilateral institutions4  7#b7  
,on ,december #e1 #bjad1 the ,government
 of ,azerbaijan arrested investigative  
reporter ,khadija ,ismayilova1 who also 
was a radio host on ,radio ,free_/,radio
 ,liberty 7,,rfe_/,,rl74 ,the charge    
against her was incitement to suicide1  
and she was held in pretrial detention  
and not allowed out on bail4 ,on        
,december #bf1 #bjad1 the ,government of
 ,azerbaijan raided the ,baku ,office of
 ,,rfe_/,,rl and closed its operations4 
,over the course of a year in pretrial  
detention1 the original charges against 

,ms4 ,ismayilova were dropped after     
government-called witnesses refused to  
cooperate with the case4 ,however1 ,ms4 
,ismayilova remained in detention and   
the ,government of ,azerbaijan          
subsequently charged her with           
embezzlement1 illegal entrepreneurship1 
tax evasion1 and abuse of power4 ,she   
was convicted and is now serving a      
#ga_/b-year sentence in prison4 ,the    
,,rfe_/,,rl ,baku ,bureau has not been  
allowed to reopen4  7#c7 ,according to  
the ,united ,states ,state ,department  
report for #bjad1 the ,government of    
,azerbaijan did not respect its own laws
 on freedom of speech and press         
censorship4 ,the report said1 ,the      
government continued to limit freedom of
 speech and media independence4         
,journalists faced intimidation and at  
times were beaten and imprisoned44  7#d7
 ,the ,committee to ,protect            
,journalists stated that ,azerbaijan is 
the leading jailer of journalists in    
,europe and ,central ,asia1 and is the  

fifth most censored country in the      
world4  7#e7 ,as an ,,osce participating
 ,state1 the ,government of ,azerbaijan 
has committed itself to work toward a   
standard of free and fair elections4    
,since its independence in #aiib1 no    
election held in ,azerbaijan has met the
 minimum requirements as outlined by the
 ,,osce4 ,elections for ,president and  
for the ,parliament have shown a pattern
 of disregard for the conduct of        
democratic elections and have been      
marred by the arbitrary use of state    
power1 disregard for the basic rights of
 freedom of assembly1 association1 and  
expression4 ,the conduct of the         
elections demonstrates the unwillingness
 of authorities in ,azerbaijan to       
tolerate political competition4  7#f7   
,according to the ,united ,states       
,department of ,state's ,country        
,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices   
for #bjad1 ,azerbaijan has used ''' the 
judicial system to punish peaceful      
dissent--including increased reports of 

arbitrary arrest and detention1         
politically motivated imprisonment1 lack
 of due process1 and lengthy pretrial   
detention--by secular and religious     
individuals perceived as a threat by    
government officials1 while crimes      
against such individuals or their family
 members went unpunished44  7#g7        
,according to the #bjae report on       
religious freedom by the ,united ,states
 ,commission on ,international          
,religious ,freedom 7,,uscirf71 ,despite
 societal religious tolerance in        
,azerbaijan1 governmental respect for   
religious freedom continued to          
deteriorate in #bjad44 ,the report      
details the ,government's use of the    
#bjji religion law to limit religious   
freedom and to justify fines1 police    
raids1 detentions1 and imprisonment44   
,there are #dd names on the list of     
religious prisoners published by        
,,uscirf4  7#h7 ,,uscirf cited poor     
conditions for religious minorities in  
,azerbaijan1 reporting that most        

,protestant denominations do not have   
legal status1 including ,baptists1      
,seventh-day ,adventists1 and           
,pentecostals1 as well as ,jehovah's    
,witnesses44  7#i7 ,the ,government of  
,azerbaijan has further attempted to    
silence dissent through retribution     
against the political opposition1       
journalists1 independent ,n,g,os1 and   
their family members1 through physical  
threats and beatings1 dismissal from    
employment1 travel restrictions and     
other forms of intimidation4  7#aj7     
,those jailed opposition candidates and 
activists have been treated harshly in  
pretrial detention and in prison1       
including physical beatings1 denied     
access to family1 defense counsel1      
medical treatment1 and open legal       
proceedings4  #c4 ,statement of policy  
,it is the policy of the ,united        
,states-- 7#a7 to secure ,united ,states
 national security and economic         
interests in the region through         
promotion of a stable and democratic    

government in ,azerbaijan2  7#b7 to call
 for the immediate release without      
preconditions of all political prisoners
 in ,azerbaijan2  7#c7 to support the   
aspirations of the people of ,azerbaijan
 for democracy1 internationally         
recognized human rights1 and the rule of
 law2  7#d7 to support the growth of the
 rule of law and democratic institutions
 in ,azerbaijan2  7#e7 to work closely  
with other countries and international  
organizations1 including the ,,osce1 to 
bring ,azerbaijan in compliance with its
 multilateral commitments2 and  7#f7    
reassess ,united ,states policy toward  
the ,government of ,azerbaijan          
reevaluating ,united ,states policy     
toward ,azerbaijan as warranted by      
demonstrable progress made by the       
,government of ,azerbaijan consistent   
with the policy of the ,united ,states  
as stated in this section4  #d4 ,denial 
of entry into the ,united ,states of    
senior leadership of the ,government of 
,azerbaijan and others  7a7 ,denial of  

entry ,notwithstanding any other        
provision of law1 the ,secretary of     
,state may not issue any visa to1 and   
the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security   
shall deny entry to the ,united ,states 
of1 any alien described in subsection   
7c74  7b7 ,current visas revoked        
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 the ,secretary of ,state shall     
revoke1 in accordance with section      
#bba7;i7 of the ,immigration and        
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4         
#abja7;i771 the visa or other           
documentation of any alien who would be 
ineligible to receive such a visa or    
documentation under subsection 7a74  7c7
 ,aliens described ,an alien described  
in this subsection is any alien who--   
7#a7 holds a position in the senior     
leadership of the ,government of        
,azerbaijan2  7#b7 is an immediate      
family member of a person described in  
paragraph 7#a72  7#c7 through his or her
 business dealings with senior          
leadership of the ,government of        

,azerbaijan derives significant         
financial benefit from policies or      
actions1 including electoral fraud1     
human rights abuses1 or corruption1 that
 undermine or injure democratic         
institutions or impede the transition to
 democracy in ,azerbaijan2 and  7#d7 is 
a member of any branch of the security1 
judicial1 or law enforcement services of
 ,azerbaijan and has participated in the
 persecution or harassment of           
independent media or journalists1 human 
rights defenders1 opposition groups1 or 
religious groups4  7d7 ,exception ,the  
requirements under subsections 7a7 and  
7b7 shall not apply with respect to an  
alien who is an official of the         
,government of ,azerbaijan and who is   
seeking entry into the ,united ,states  
for the purpose of participation in     
talks related to resolution of the      
,nagorno ,karabakh conflict under the   
auspices of the ,,osce ,minsk ,group4   
#e4 ,sense of ,congress on sanctions    
against the ,government of ,azerbaijan  

and senior leadership of the ,government
 of ,azerbaijan and others  7a7         
,prohibition on loans and investment    
7#a7 ,united states government financing
 ,it is the sense of ,congress that no  
loan1 credit guarantee1 insurance1      
financing1 or other similar financial   
assistance be extended by any agency of 
the ,government of the ,united ,states  
7including the ,export-,import ,bank of 
the ,united ,states and the ,overseas   
,private ,investment ,corporation7 to   
the ,government of ,azerbaijan1 except  
with respect to the provision of        
humanitarian goods and agricultural or  
medical products4  7#b7 ,trade and      
development agency ,it is the sense of  
,congress that no funds available to the
 ,trade and ,development ,agency should 
be available for activities of the      
,agency in or for ,azerbaijan4  7b7     
,multilateral financial assistance ,the 
,secretary of the ,treasury should      
instruct the ,united ,states ,executive 
,director at each international         

financial institution of which the      
,united ,states is a member to use the  
voice and vote of the ,united ,states to
 oppose any extension by those          
institutions of any financial assistance
 7including any technical assistance or 
grant7 of any kind to the ,government of
 ,azerbaijan1 except for loans and      
assistance that serve humanitarian      
needs4  7c7 ,blocking of assets and     
other prohibited activities  7#a7       
,blocking of assets ,it is the sense of 
,congress that the ,president should    
block all property and interests in     
property1 including all commercial1     
industrial1 or public utility           
undertakings or entities1 that1 on or   
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act--  7,a7 are owned1 in whole or in  
part1 by any member of the senior       
leadership of the ,government of        
,azerbaijan1 or by any member or family 
member closely linked to any member of  
the senior leadership of the ,government
 of ,azerbaijan1 or any person who      

through his or her business dealings    
with the senior leadership of the       
,government of ,azerbaijan derives      
significant financial benefit from      
policies or actions1 including electoral
 fraud1 human rights abuses1 or         
corruption1 that undermine or injure    
democratic institutions or impede the   
transition to democracy in ,azerbaijan2 
and  7,b7 are in the ,united ,states1   
that hereafter come within the ,united  
,states1 or that are or hereafter come  
within the possession or control of any 
,united ,states person4  7#b7           
,prohibited activities ,activities      
prohibited by reason of the blocking of 
property and interests in property under
 paragraph 7#a7 should include payments 
or transfers of any property1 or any    
transactions involving the transfer of  
anything of economic value by any       
,united ,states person to any person    
described in subparagraph 7,a7 of such  
paragraph4  7#c7 ,payment of expenses   
,all expenses incident to the blocking  

and maintenance of property blocked     
under paragraph 7#a7 should be charged  
to the owners or operators of such      
property4 ,such expenses may not be paid
 from blocked funds4  7#d7 ,rule of     
construction ,nothing in this subsection
 should be construed to prohibit any    
contract or other financial transaction 
with any private or nongovernmental     
organization or business in ,azerbaijan4
  7#e7 ,exceptions ,paragraphs 7#a7 and 
7#b7 should not apply with respect to   
the provision of medicine1 medical      
equipment or supplies1 food1 as well as 
any other form of humanitarian          
assistance provided to ,azerbaijan as   
relief in response to a humanitarian    
crisis4  7#f7 ,penalties ,any person who
 violates any prohibition or restriction
 imposed under this subsection should be
 subject to the penalties under section 
#bjf of the ,international ,emergency   
,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4   
#agje7 to the same extent as for a      
violation under that ,act4  #f4         

,termination of sanctions ,the sanctions
 described in section #d shall apply    
with respect to an alien described in   
that section1 and the sanctions         
described in section #e should apply    
with respect to the ,government of      
,azerbaijan1 the senior leadership of   
the ,government of ,azerbaijan1 and any 
other person described in section #e1   
until the ,president determines and     
certifies to the appropriate            
congressional committees that the       
,government of ,azerbaijan has made     
significant progress in meeting the     
following conditions3  7#a7 ,the release
 of individuals in ,azerbaijan who have 
been jailed based on political or       
religious beliefs or expression4  7#b7  
,the cessation of all forms of          
harassment and repression against the   
independent media1 nongovernmental      
organizations1 youth groups1 religious  
organizations 7including their          
leadership and members71 and the        
political opposition in ,azerbaijan4    

7#c7 ,progress toward free1 fair and    
transparent elections and the rule of   
law consistent with ,,osce commitments4 
#g4 ,multilateral cooperation ,it is the
 sense of ,congress that the ,president 
should continue to seek the support of  
other countries1 particularly ,european 
countries1 for a comprehensive1         
multilateral strategy to further the    
purposes of this ,act1 including1 as    
appropriate1 encouraging other countries
 to take measures with respect to the   
,republic of ,azerbaijan that are       
similar to measures described in this   
,act4  #h4 ,report  7a7 ,report ,not    
later than #ij days after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 and annually
 thereafter1 the ,president shall submit
 to the appropriate congressional       
committees a report that describes1 with
 respect to the preceding #ab-month     
period and to the extent practicable1   
the following3  7#a7 ,the cooperation of
 the ,government of ,azerbaijan with any
 foreign government or organization for 

purposes related to the censorship or   
surveillance of the ,internet1 or the   
purchase or receipt by the ,government  
of ,azerbaijan of any technology or     
training from any foreign government or 
organization for purposes related to the
 censorship or surveillance of the      
,internet4  7#b7 ,the personal assets   
and wealth of ,president ,ilham ,aliyev 
and other senior leadership of the      
,government of ,azerbaijan4  7b7 ,form  
,a report transmitted pursuant to       
subsection 7a7 shall be in unclassified 
form but may contain a classified annex4
  #i4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7  
,appropriate congressional committees   
,the term appropriate congressional     
committees means the ,committee on      
,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of      
,representatives and the ,committee on  
,foreign ,relations of the ,senate4     
7#b7 ,senior leadership of the          
government of azerbaijan ,the term      
senior leadership of the ,government of 
,azerbaijan includes-- 7,a7 the         

,president1 ,prime ,minister1 ,deputy   
,prime ,ministers1 government ministers1
 ,chairmen of ,state ,committees1       
governors1 heads of state enterprises1  
and members of the ,presidential        
,administration of ,azerbaijan2  7,b7   
any official of the ,government of      
,azerbaijan who-- 7i7 is personally and 
substantially involved in the           
suppression of freedom in ,azerbaijan1  
including judges1 prosecutors1 and heads
 of professional associations and       
educational institutions2 or  7ii7 is   
otherwise engaged in public corruption  
in ,azerbaijan2 and  7,c7 any other     
individual determined by the ,secretary 
of ,state 7or the ,secretary's designee7
 to be personally and substantially     
involved in the formulation or execution
 of the policies of the ,government of  
,azerbaijan that are in contradiction of
 internationally recognized human rights
 standards4