,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #cd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #bi1 #bjai ,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,young1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,ms4 ,harris1 and ,mr4 ,peters7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,senate that the ,governments of ,burma and ,bangladesh ensure the safe1 dignified1 voluntary1 and sustainable return of the ,rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by the ,burmese military and to immediately release unjustly imprisoned journalists1 ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo4 ,whereas1 on ,august #be1 #bjag1 attacks on security posts in ,burma by the ,arakan ,rohingya ,salvation ,army militant group resulted in a brutal1 systematic1 and disproportionate reprisal by the ,burmese military and security forces on ,rohingya villages in ,rakhine ,state2 ,whereas approximately #gjj1jjj ,rohingya refugees have fled to ,bangladesh since the ,burmese military commenced its scorched-earth campaign1 with the burning of villages and local monuments1 and reports of widespread gang rape1 starvation1 killing1 and forcible deportation2 ,whereas the ,august #bjah ,united ,nations report of the ,independent ,international ,fact-,finding ,mission on ,myanmar states in paragraph #hg that 8the ,mission concluded ''' that there is sufficient information to warrant the investigation and prosecution of senior officials in the ,tatmadaw chain of command1 so that a competent court can determine their liability for genocide in relation to the situation in ,rakhine ,state02 ,whereas1 on ,august #bh1 #bjah1 then-,united ,states ,ambassador to the ,united ,nations ,nikki ,haley reported to the ,united ,nations ,security ,council that the ,department of ,state had conducted interviews with #a1jbd ,rohingya refugees in camps throughout ,cox's ,bazar and that the results of the interviews were consistent with the ,united ,nations ,independent ,international ,fact-,finding ,mission on ,myanmar2 ,whereas1 on ,september #bd1 #bjah1 the ,department of ,state report titled1 8,documentation of ,atrocities in ,northern ,rakhine ,state01 concluded that the military's attacks in ,burma's ,northern ,rakhine ,state were 8large-scale1 widespread and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the ,rohingya residents0 and that the 8scope and scale of the military's operations indicate that they were well-planned and coordinated02 ,whereas1 on ,december #c1 #bjah1 the ,united ,states ,holocaust ,memorial ,museum concluded that 8there is compelling evidence that the ,burmese military committed ethnic cleansing1 crimes against humanity1 and genocide against the ,rohingya02 ,whereas the ,government of ,burma has consistently denied access to the ,united ,nations ,fact-,finding ,mission on ,myanmar established to investigate human rights violations around the country2 ,whereas the fundamental operational principles of voluntary repatriation are safety1 to include legal and physical safety1 and dignity1 to include treatment with respect and full acceptance by their national authorities1 including the full restoration of refugees' rights2 ,whereas approximately #bcf1jjj ,rohingya refugees returned to ,burma from ,bangladesh under the terms of a #aiib agreement after a previous bout of violence against the ,rohingya forced them to flee1 only to continue to be denied citizenship1 face prejudice1 violence1 and persecution1 and in many instances be forced to live in internally displaced persons 7,,idp7 camps with their freedom of movement restricted2 ,whereas ,burma's #aihb citizenship law stripped ,rohingya of their ,burmese citizenship1 rendering them stateless2 ,whereas the ,government of ,burma continues to systematically discriminate against the ,rohingya people1 a long-persecuted ,muslim minority within ,burma1 including by continuing to restrict registration of ,rohingya births and to deny them freedom of movement1 access to healthcare1 land1 education1 marriage1 voting rights1 and political participation2 ,whereas the ,government of ,burma has repeatedly abused land use laws to unjustly seize land from ,rohingya refugees2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,high ,commission on ,refugees 7,,unhcr7 is working closely with the ,government of ,bangladesh and partners to provide protection and assistance to the ,rohingya refugees and to support the host populations affected by the influx2 ,whereas1 on ,november #bc1 #bjag1 the ,government of ,burma and the ,government of ,bangladesh signed an agreement1 known as the 8,arrangement01 on the return of displaced persons from ,rakhine ,state1 which is modeled after the #aiib repatriation agreement between ,burma and ,bangladesh2 ,whereas the ,arrangement includes references to restoring normalcy and human rights in ,rakhine ,state1 for refugee returns to comply with international standards of safety1 dignity1 and voluntariness1 and to commencing a process to address root causes in line with the ,rakhine ,advisory ,commission recommendations2 ,whereas the ,department of ,state has assessed that ,burma has not made progress on the 8more crucial0 of the #hh recommendations of the ,rakhine ,advisory ,commission that are identified by ,rohingya refugees as prerequisites to repatriation including freedom of movement1 civil documentation1 and a transparent pathway to citizenship2 ,whereas1 on ,june #f1 #bjah1 the ,government of ,burma reached a tripartite ,memorandum of ,understanding 7,,mou7 with the ,,unhcr and the ,united ,nations ,development ,agency 7,,undp7 on its role in the safe1 dignified1 and voluntary return of ,rakhine ,state refugees2 ,whereas ,rohingya refugees currently hosted in ,bangladesh demonstrated in protest against an initial ,november #bjah repatriation plan between the ,governments of ,bangladesh and ,burma1 citing concerns for their security and the lack of meaningful political reforms in ,burma to include full citizenship2 ,whereas ,,unhcr1 on ,january #d1 #bjai1 reported that conditions in ,burma's ,rakhine ,state remain 8not conducive to return0 on the heels of the ,government of ,india's regrettable decision to repatriate #af1jjj ,rohingya to ,burma without having first ascertained the voluntariness of their decision to return2 ,whereas1 throughout this process1 the ,government of ,burma has restricted media freedom and jailed journalists2 ,whereas1 on ,december #ab1 #bjag1 ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo1 two journalists reporting and documenting atrocities against the ,rohingya1 were arrested and on ,january #aj1 #bjah1 formally prosecuted with violating the 8,official ,secrets ,act02 ,whereas ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,soo had uncovered a massacre of #aj ,rohingya men perpetrated by ,burma's security forces and aided by local ,buddhist villagers in the village of ,inn ,din in ,rakhine ,state2 ,whereas1 on ,september #c1 #bjah1 ,yangon northern district judge ,ye ,lwin ruled that ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo breached the colonial-era ,official ,secrets ,act and sentenced them each to seven years in prison with hard labor2 ,whereas1 on ,january #aa1 #bjai1 ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo's appeal of their conviction before the ,yangon ,regional ,high ,court was denied2 ,whereas ,time ,magazine named ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo as co-recipients of #bjah ,time ,magazine's 8,person of the ,year0 in recognition for their courageous reporting2 ,whereas ,vice ,president ,mike ,pence tweeted his concern over the sentence against ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo for 8doing their job reporting on the atrocities being committed on the ,rohingya people02 ,whereas ,united ,states ,ambassador to the ,united ,nations ,nikki ,haley described the conviction as 8another terrible stain on the ,burmese government0 and called for 8their immediate and unconditional release02 ,whereas the ,department of ,state's annual ,human ,rights ,report on ,burma for the year #bjag states that-- 7#a7 legal provisions that allow the government to manipulate the courts for political ends1 and these provisions were sometimes used to deprive citizens of due process and the right to a fair trial1 particularly with regards to the freedom of expression2 7#b7 ,the government continued to detain and arrest journalists1 activists1 and critics of the government and the military during the year42 and 7#c7 ,threats against and arrests of journalists increased4 ''' ,freedom of expression was more restricted during the year compared with #bjaf4 ,this included a higher number of detentions of journalists using various laws1 including laws carrying more severe punishments than those used previously42 ,whereas1 according to ,,pen ,america1 the discontinuation of ,radio ,free ,asia's broadcasting in ,myanmar on a domestic channel constitutes a further shrinking of the space for free expression in the country2 and ,whereas1 additionally1 ,,pen ,america reports that-- 7#a7 there continues to be increased legal threats1 imprisonment1 and physical harassment of journalists2 7#b7 there continues to be restrictions on the ability to report from and receive information on conflict areas2 and 7#c7 the lack of reform of media laws and institutions is driving a decline in media freedom3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns the violence and displacement inflicted on ,burma's ,rohingya and other ethnic minorities2 7#b7 urges the ,secretary of ,state to make a determination whether the actions by the ,myanmar military constitute crimes against humanity or genocide and to work with interagency partners to impose targeted sanctions on ,myanmar military officials1 to include ,senior ,general ,min ,aung ,hlaing1 responsible for these heinous acts through existing authorities2 7#c7 condemns the attacks by the ,arakan ,rohingya ,salvation ,army militant group2 7#d7 calls on the ,government of ,burma to allow full access to ,rakhine ,state and ensure the full participation of ,,unhcr1 the internationally endorsed organization tasked with ensuring that refugee returns are voluntary1 safe1 dignified1 and meet international refugee and human rights standards1 and that the voices of refugees are represented in order to ensure the sustainability of such returns and to prevent further waves of displacement2 7#e7 commends the positive role of the ,government of ,bangladesh in receiving ,rohingya refugees to date and urges the ,government of ,bangladesh to continue allowing the full participation of ,,unhcr and human rights organization in accessing refugee camps2 7#f7 calls on ,,unhcr and international nongovernmental organizations to continue to play a role in monitoring repatriation efforts by the ,governments of ,bangladesh and ,burma to ensure a process that meets international norms for voluntary1 safe1 and dignified repatriation2 7#g7 agrees that any return of ,rohingya should include guarantees that any returns of refugees will be voluntary and dignified1 that there will be no threats to protection or security upon return1 that refugees will be able to return to their places of origin or other locations as desired1 and be able to enjoy equal rights with others in ,burma1 including the restoration or granting of full citizenship1 freedom of movement1 and access to basic services2 7#h7 recognizes that any forced relocation of ,rohingya refugees into temporary settlements1 ,,idp camps1 model villages1 or other areas not of refugees' choosing is unacceptable2 7#i7 calls on the ,government of ,burma to allow for a flexible and practical approach to dealing with evidence of ,rohingya residence in ,burma1 recognizing that the ,rohingya refugees in ,bangladesh possess a wide range of documents and that some refugees have no documents and will need to establish their residence by other means2 7#aj7 calls on the ,government of ,burma to address root causes consistent with the ,rakhine ,advisory ,commission recommendations and fully implement all of the recommendations of the ,commission1 including providing equal access to full restoration or granting of full citizenship for the ,rohingya population2 7#aa7 calls on the ,government of ,burma to acknowledge and address the issue of statelessness for the ,rohingya1 the deprivation of rights1 and institutionalized and pervasive discrimination of the ,rohingya population in order to bring about any sustainable solutions2 7#ab7 commends the ,government and the people of ,bangladesh for their extraordinary generosity and efforts to provide shelter and relief for nearly #a1jjj1jjj ,rohingya refugees forced to flee their homes in ,burma2 7#ac7 calls on the ,government of ,bangladesh to ensure all refugees have freedom of movement and under no circumstances are subject to unsafe1 involuntary1 precipitous1 or uninformed returns to ,burma2 7#ad7 calls for all the convictions against ,wa ,lone and ,kyaw ,soe ,oo to be nullified1 for the similar charges against many other journalists currently awaiting trial to be dropped1 and for the immediate and unconditional release of these journalists2 7#ae7 expresses concern about the ,government of ,myanmar's crackdown on journalists and press freedom throughout the country2 7#af7 reaffirms the central role that independent and professional journalism plays in strengthening democratic governance1 upholding the rule of law1 mitigating conflict1 and informing public opinion around the world2 and 7#ag7 calls upon the ,united ,states ,government to continue the ,united ,states status as a top global donor nation to the humanitarian response in ,burma and ,bangladesh and for the ,president's fiscal year #bjbj budget request to reflect that longstanding ,united ,states commitment4