,h4 ,,res4 #cde ,in the ,house of ,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41 ,july #ae1 #bjai ,,resolution ,whereas ,article #ai of the ,united ,nations ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 adopted at ,paris1 ,december #aj1 #aidh1 states1 ,everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression2 this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek1 receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers42 ,whereas1 in #aiic1 the ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly proclaimed ,may #c of each year as ,world ,press ,freedom ,day-- 7#a7 to celebrate the fundamental principles of freedom of the press2 7#b7 to evaluate freedom of the press around the world2 7#c7 to defend the media against attacks on its independence2 and 7#d7 to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives while working in their profession2 ,whereas1 on ,december #ah1 #bjac1 the ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly adopted ,resolution #fh_/afc on the safety of journalists and the problem of impunity1 which unequivocally condemns all attacks on1 and violence against1 journalists and media workers1 including torture1 extrajudicial killing1 enforced disappearance1 arbitrary detention1 and intimidation and harassment in conflict and nonconflict situations2 ,whereas the theme for ,world ,press ,freedom ,day #bjai1 is ,media for ,democracy3 ,journalism and ,democracy in ,times of ,disinformation2 ,whereas ,thomas ,jefferson1 who recognized the importance of the press in a constitutional republic1 wisely declared1 99 99 99 were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers1 or newspapers without a government1 ,i should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter42 ,whereas the ,daniel ,pearl ,freedom of the ,press ,act of #bjji 7,public ,law #aaa-aff2 #bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baea note71 signed into law by ,president ,barack ,obama in #bjaj1 expanded the examination of the freedom of the press around the world in the annual country reports on human rights practices of the ,department of ,state2 ,whereas the #bjai ,world ,press ,freedom ,index1 published by ,reporters ,without ,borders1 warns1 ,the number of countries regarded as safe1 where journalists can work in complete security1 continues to decline1 while authoritarian regimes tighten their grip on the media42 ,whereas1 ,freedom ,house's publication ,freedom in the ,world #bjai noted that global freedom of expression has declined each year for the past #ac years2 ,whereas1 according to the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 in #bjah-- 7#a7 at least #ed journalists were killed around the world for their work1 of which at least #cd were singled out for murder2 7#b7 the two deadliest countries for journalists on assignment were ,afghanistan and ,syria2 7#c7 the most dangerous subject for a journalist to report on was politics1 followed by war2 7#d7 #bea journalists worldwide were in prison1 with ,turkey1 ,china1 and ,egypt responsible for more than half of the jailed journalists2 7#e7 #ac percent of the journalists in jail were female1 an increase from #h percent in #bjag2 7#f7 #gj percent of the journalists who were imprisoned around the world faced antistate charges1 such as belonging to or aiding groups deemed by authorities as terrorist organizations2 and 7#g7 the number of journalists imprisoned on charges of false news rose to #bh globally1 compared with #i such imprisonments in #bjaf2 ,whereas the ,people's ,republic of ,china maintains one of the worst media environments in the world and seeks to curtail political speech inside and outside the country including by-- 7#a7 targeting independent and foreign media in ,china through systematic harassment including the denial of visas to foreign journalists1 imprisonment1 the denial of medical care to imprisoned journalists1 and curtailing access to legal representation2 7#b7 pervasively monitoring and censoring online and social media content1 including through the banning of virtual private networks2 7#c7 using the full force of the ,state to stifle internal dissent including dissent online1 particularly dissent that could lead to political change and content that criticizes ,china's leaders1 however trivial1 reportedly even to the point of censoring comparisons of ,xi ,jingping's looks with ,winnie the ,pooh2 7#d7 spreading propaganda to foreign audiences through the ,united ,front ,work ,department and related activities2 7#e7 seeking to intimidate ,american-based journalists working for ,radio ,free ,asia and reporting on gross human rights violations in ,china's ,xinjiang ,uyghur ,autonomous ,region by jailing or otherwise harassing members of their families2 and 7#f7 championing a sovereign ,internet model and exporting technology to enhance the ability of like-minded authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent online and monitor the activity of their people2 ,whereas1 ,reuters journalists ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo1 recipients of the #bjah ,,pen_/,barbey ,freedom to ,write ,award were arrested in ,december #bjag for investigating the murder by the ,burmese military of #aj ,rohingya men in the village of ,inn ,dinn in ,rakhine ,state and were unjustly detained for #ejj days before they were released on ,may #g1 #bjai1 as part of a mass amnesty of #f1ebj prisoners2 ,whereas freedom of the press has been under considerable pressure in recent years throughout ,southeast ,asia1 including in the ,philippines1 where the ,government has waged a campaign of judicial harassment against the news website ,rappler and its editor1 ,maria ,ressa2 ,whereas1 ,nouf ,abdulaziz1 ,loujain ,al-,hathloul1 and ,eman ,al-,nafjan1 recipients of the #bjai ,,pen_/,barbey ,freedom to ,write ,award1 who wrote in opposition to ,saudi ,arabia's repressive ,guardianship system1 have been subjected to imprisonment1 solitary confinement1 and torture by the ,government of the ,kingdom of ,saudi ,arabia since ,may #bjah in an apparent effort to suppress dissent and silence the voices of women2 ,whereas1 ,washington ,post journalist and ,united ,states resident ,jamal ,khashoggi was murdered by a team of ,saudi operatives while visiting the ,saudi ,arabian consulate in ,istanbul1 ,turkey2 ,whereas the ,senate unanimously approved a resolution stating that ,mr4 ,khashoggi's murder was carried out at the behest of ,crown ,prince ,mohammed bin ,salman2 ,whereas journalist ,mimi ,mefo ,takambou was jailed for #d days in ,cameroon in ,november #bjah on charges of spreading false news while investigating the death of an ,american missionary1 where four out of the seven total journalists imprisoned in ,cameroon were jailed for spreading false news1 which is a rising trend in ,cameroon and elsewhere around the world2 ,whereas according to the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 at least #bf journalists were killed in ,honduras since #bjjg1 making it one of the most deadly countries for journalists in the ,americas1 and where journalist ,leonardo ,gabriel ,hernandez was murdered in ,march #bjai after receiving threats related to his work2 ,whereas in ,nicaragua1 ,miguel ,mora and ,luca ,pineda ,ubau1 the directors of the country's only #bd-;hour cable news network1 have been jailed since ,december #bjah on charges of fomenting hate1 spreading fake news1 and terrorism1 and prominent journalist ,carlos ,fernando ,chamorro has fled the country as ,president ,daniel ,ortega cracks down on free expression in a bid to silence dissent and end the protests against him2 ,whereas in ,mexico1 which remains the most dangerous country in the ,western ,hemisphere for journalists-- 7#a7 murders1 death threats1 and legal impunity cause journalists to self-censor their reporting out of fear2 7#b7 investigative journalist ,carlos ,dominguez ,ramirez1 who wrote frequently on local politics and corruption1 was brutally murdered in front of family members on ,january #ac1 #bjah1 in ,nuevo ,laredo1 and a politician he was investigating was subsequently arrested in connection with this heinous act2 and 7#c7 ,rafael ,mura ,manrquez was abducted and murdered in ,january #bjai after reporting threats from an official in the municipal government for critical reporting2 ,whereas ,slovakian journalist ,jn ,kuciak and his partner ,martina ,kunrov were murdered in ,february #bjah1 allegedly in retaliation for his investigative reporting of tax fraud in connection to a businessman with close ties to ,slovakia's ruling party1 where the perpetrator awaits trial1 just #d months after the murder of another ,european journalist1 ,malta's ,daphne ,caruana ,galizia1 for her reporting on corruption2 ,whereas the world's growing cadre of ethical and hard-hitting investigative journalists1 including those contributing to the ,organized ,crime and ,corruption ,reporting ,project-- 7#a7 adhere to the highest professional standards2 7#b7 uncover abuses and corruption being committed in their own countries2 and 7#c7 deserve the international community's support and praise for taking on the risky job of fostering accountability and transparency in their respective countries2 ,whereas1 under the auspices of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,global ,media1 the ,united ,states ,government provides financial assistance to several editorially independent media outlets1 including ,voice of ,america1 ,radio ,free ,europe_/,radio ,liberty1 ,radio ,free ,asia1 ,radio y ,television ,marti1 and the ,middle ,east ,broadcast ,networks-- 7#a7 which report and broadcast news1 information1 and analysis in critical regions around the world2 and 7#b7 whose journalists regularly face harassment1 fines1 and imprisonment for their work2 and ,whereas freedom of the press-- 7#a7 is a key component of democratic governance1 activism in civil society1 and socioeconomic development2 and 7#b7 enhances public accountability1 transparency1 and participation in civil society and democratic governance3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 condemns threats to freedom of the press and free expression around the world2 7#b7 remembers the bravery of journalists and media workers around the world who1 despite threats to their safety1 play an essential role in-- 7,a7 promoting government accountability2 7,b7 defending democratic activity2 and 7,c7 strengthening civil society2 7#c7 remembers journalists who have lost their lives carrying out their work2 7#d7 calls on governments abroad to implement ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly ,resolution #afc 7#bjac7 by thoroughly investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of violence against journalists1 including murders and kidnappings1 while ensuring the protection of witnesses2 7#e7 condemns all actions around the world that suppress freedom of the press2 7#f7 reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press to efforts of the ,united ,states ,government to support democracy1 mitigate conflict1 and promote good governance around the world2 and 7#g7 calls on the ,president and the ,secretary of ,state-- 7,a7 to preserve and build upon the leadership of the ,united ,states on issues relating to freedom of the press1 on the basis of the protections afforded the ,american people under the ,first ,amendment to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states2 7,b7 to improve the rapid identification1 publication1 and response by the ,united ,states ,government to threats against freedom of the press around the world2 7,c7 to urge foreign governments to transparently investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against journalists2 and 7,d7 to highlight the issue of threats against freedom of the press in the annual country reports on human rights practices of the ,department of ,state and through diplomatic channels4 ,clerk4