,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #abi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ac1 #bjai,ms4 ,frankel 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 and ,ms4 ,wild7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,condemning the ,government of ,saudi ,arabia's continued detention and alleged abuse of women's rights activists4 ,whereas the ,kingdom of ,saudi ,arabia has been an important strategic partner of the ,united ,states1 and the ,united ,states and ,saudi ,arabia share broad interests1 including defeating the ,islamic ,state in ,iraq and ,syria 7,,isis71 regional stability1 and countering ,iran's malign activities in the ,middle ,east2 ,whereas1 in ,june #bjah1 the ,government of ,saudi ,arabia reversed the longstanding ban on women driving2 ,whereas ,saudi ,arabia's male guardianship system requires women to attain the permission of their male guardian for a vast array of decisions1 including health care1 employment1 applying for a passport1 international travel1 getting married1 or even leaving prison2 ,whereas1 since ,may #bjah1 the ,government of ,saudi ,arabia has arrested prominent women's rights advocates and imposed travel bans on numerous others1 many of them longtime supporters of ending the ban on women driving and abolishing the male guardianship system2 ,whereas none of the jailed activists has been convicted of any crimes1 and many reportedly have been held in solitary confinement for prolonged periods2 ,whereas ,aziza al-,yousef1 a ,united ,states resident who helped lead a campaign against the male guardianship system in ,saudi ,arabia1 was imprisoned in ,may #bjah2 ,whereas at least #aj women's rights activists have been subjected to psychological and physical abuse1 including sexual violence1 beatings1 electric shocks1 and sleep deprivation2 ,whereas one of the detained activists1 ,loujain al-,hathloul1 was reportedly beaten1 waterboarded1 given electric shocks1 sexually harassed1 and threatened with rape and murder2 ,whereas the ,department of ,state has undertaken some diplomatic measures to bring concerns about the detention of these women's rights activists to the attention of the ,government of ,saudi ,arabia2 ,whereas1 on ,january #ad1 #bjai1 ,secretary of ,state ,mike ,pompeo said he had raised the case of the imprisoned activists with ,saudi ,crown ,prince ,mohammed bin ,salman2 ,whereas the #bjag ,department of ,state ,country ,report on ,human ,rights ,practices for ,saudi ,arabia stated that1 ,women continued to face significant discrimination under law and custom1 and many remained uninformed about their rights1 and women also faced discrimination in courts1 where in most cases the testimony of one man equals that of two women2 ,whereas serious impediments to women's freedoms in ,saudi ,arabia remain1 including a high prevalence of forced marriages1 inequality in marriage1 divorce1 child custody and inheritance1 laws that prevents women from directly transmitting citizenship to their children1 and the male guardianship system2 ,whereas1 on ,april #ba1 #bjje1 ,dr4 ,hatoon al-,fassi1 an associate professor of history at ,king ,saud ,university and prominent women's rights activist currently detained by ,saudi ,arabia1 testified before ,congress that a ,saudi woman is considered legally and socially a minor2 she is confined to limited areas of educational opportunities2 she is restricted in employment opportunities2 there are no legal bodies where women could seek support2 and finally1 she is distanced from any decisionmaking position2 and ,whereas the ,global ,magnitsky ,human ,rights ,accountability ,act 7subtitle ,f of title ,,xii of ,public ,law #aad-cbh7 authorizes the ,president to deny travel visas and freeze the ,united ,states-based assets of foreign government officials responsible for extrajudicial killings1 torture1 or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 reaffirms that promoting human rights and democracy has long been a bedrock of ,united ,states foreign policy1 including advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls2 7#b7 condemns the ,government of ,saudi ,arabia's continued detention and alleged abuse of women's rights advocates jailed for peacefully exercising their human rights2 7#c7 urges ,government of ,saudi ,arabia officials to immediately and unconditionally release the imprisoned women's rights advocates and other political prisoners1 and hold accountable those involved in perpetrating abuses2 7#d7 urges ,government of ,saudi ,arabia officials to end the male guardianship system that restricts the ability of ,saudi women to make decisions about their lives2 and 7#e7 calls on the ,united ,states ,government to-- 7,a7 continue publicly and privately demanding the release of individuals wrongfully detained2 7,b7 use the ,global ,magnitsky ,human ,rights ,accountability ,act 7subtitle ,f of title ,,xii of ,public ,law #aad-cbh7 to identify and impose travel and financial restrictions on all ,government of ,saudi ,arabia officials responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights2 7,c7 document relevant details of alleged torture and abuse in future annual ,country ,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices2 and 7,d7 prioritize human rights1 including women's rights1 as a key component of the relationship between the ,united ,states and ,saudi ,arabia4