,,iii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eef ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #be1 #bjah ,mr4 ,rubio 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,nelson1 ,mr4 ,perdue1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 and ,mr4 ,lee7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,reaffirming the commitment of the ,united ,states to hold the ,ortega regime accountable for acts of violence and human rights abuses perpetrated against the ,nicaraguan people4 ,whereas1 on ,april #ai1 #bjah1 protests began in ,managua1 ,nicaragua1 as a result of changes made to the social security system by the ,ortega regime that would have raised workers' contributions and cut retirees' pensions2 ,whereas ,transparency ,international's #bjag ,corruption ,perceptions ,index ranks ,nicaragua as tied for #aea of #ahj1 the third worst ranking for a country in the ,western ,hemisphere1 after ,venezuela and ,haiti2 ,whereas numerous media outlets have reported on allegations regarding the involvement of ,nicaraguan government officials in corruption1 including misappropriating billions of dollars provided to ,nicaragua by the ,government of ,venezuela2 ,whereas1 on ,april #bc1 #bjah1 tens of thousands of people--workers1 students1 farmers1 and representatives of the private sectors--demonstrated in ,managua demanding an end to the repression1 with some calling for the departure of the ,president of ,nicaragua ,daniel ,ortega2 ,whereas1 on ,april #bd1 #bjah1 the ,united ,nations called on the ,government of ,nicaragua to carry out prompt1 thorough1 independent and transparent investigations into these deaths1 saying a number of the killings may have been unlawful2 ,whereas1 on ,may #ac1 #bjah1 the ,catholic ,church organized a national dialogue between the protesters and the ,government of ,nicaragua2 ,whereas1 on ,may #ag1 #bjah1 the ,executive ,secretary of the ,inter-,american ,commission on ,human ,rights of the ,organization of ,american ,states1 ,paulo ,abro1 arrived in ,nicaragua to investigate the human rights violations that took place during the recent protests2 ,whereas1 on ,may #ba1 #bjah1 the ,inter-,american ,commission on ,human ,rights of the ,organization of ,american ,states issued a statement that described the excessive use of force by ,nicaraguan security forces and armed irregular groups that resulted in dozens of persons killed and hundreds wounded2 illegal and arbitrary detentions2 practices of torture1 cruel1 inhuman and degrading treatment2 censorship and attacks on the press2 and other forms of intimidation2 ,whereas1 on ,may #ba1 #bjah1 the ,inter-,american ,commission on ,human ,rights of the ,organization of ,american ,states emphatically condemned the deaths1 attacks and arbitrary detentions of students1 demonstrators1 journalists and other citizens that have occurred in ,nicaragua since the beginning of the protests2 ,whereas1 on ,may #bc1 #bjah1 ,cardinal ,leopoldo ,brenes declared that talks had been suspended between the ,ortega regime1 the opposition1 and civil society2 ,whereas1 on ,may #bi1 #bjah1 ,amnesty ,international released a report entitled ,shoot to ,kill3 ,nicaragua's ,strategy to ,repress ,protest1 which documented the lethal use of weapons1 specifically noting that gunshots fired by pro-government groups were aimed to kill and targeted specific individuals2 ,whereas1 on ,may #cj1 #bjah1 a peaceful ,mother's ,day protest turned deadly1 with an estimated #af people killed and #hh injured during clashes2 ,whereas1 on ,june #ae1 #bjah1 the ,national ,dialogue resumed1 resulting in a ceasefire agreement2 ,whereas1 the next day1 on ,june #af1 #bjah1 armed irregular groups killed #f members of a family in an arson attack against their home and business2 ,whereas1 on ,june #ah1 #bjah1 the ,department of ,state released a statement that affirmed1 ,the ,united ,states condemns the ongoing government-sponsored violence and intimidation campaign in ,nicaragua ''' ,we urge immediate and full implementation of the ,june #ae ,national ,dialogue agreement on human rights42 ,whereas the ,june #bjah statement released by the ,department of ,state stated1 ,we note the widespread call among ,nicaraguans for early elections4 ,the ,united ,states believes early elections represent a constructive way forward42 and ,whereas1 as of ,june #ah1 #bjah1 there were at least #agh deaths and more than #a1jjj people injured as a result of the protests1 according to data from the ,centro ,nicaraguense de ,derechos ,humanos 7,nicaraguan ,center for ,human ,rights1 or ,cenidh73 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns the violence perpetrated against the citizens of ,nicaragua by the ,ortega regime and affiliated armed irregular groups2 7#b7 calls on the ,government of ,nicaragua to end the repressive practices of its security forces and enact constitutional and legal reforms to better protect its citizens2 7#c7 supports efforts by the ,inter-,american ,commission on ,human ,rights of the ,organization of ,american ,states to conduct a credible1 independent investigation into the killing of at least #agh protestors2 7#d7 encourages the ,government of ,nicaragua to commit to negotiations with representatives of the ,catholic ,church1 civil society1 student movement1 private sector1 and political opposition to bring about an end to the current political crisis1 which should include a commitment to hold early elections that meet democratic standards and include international observation2 7#e7 urges the international community to denounce the human rights abuses and violence perpetrated against the ,nicaraguan people by the ,ortega regime2 and 7#f7 calls on the ,president of the ,united ,states to exercise the authorities included in the ,global ,magnitsky ,human ,rights ,accountability ,act 7subtitle ,f of title ,,xii of ,public ,law #aad-cbh2 #bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bfef note7 to impose sanctions with respect to any person who-- 7,a7 is responsible for extrajudicial killings1 torture1 or other gross violations of human rights in ,nicaragua2 or 7,b7 is responsible for or complicit in ordering1 controlling1 or otherwise directing acts of significant corruption in ,nicaragua4