,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eie ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ba1 #bjbj,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,ms4 ,collins1 and ,mr4 ,casey7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,recognizing widening threats to freedoms of the press and expression around the world1 reaffirming the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of free societies and democracies1 and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the ,united ,states in promoting democracy1 human rights1 and good governance in commemoration of ,world ,press ,freedom ,day on ,may #c1 #bjbj4 ,whereas ,article #ai of the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 adopted in ,paris ,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 #crd 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_/afc1 regarding the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity for crimes against journalists1 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 ,thomas ,jefferson1 who recognized the importance of the press in a constitutional republic1 wisely declared1 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 ,first ,amendment to the ,united ,states ,constitution and various ,state constitutions protect freedom of the press in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,daniel ,pearl ,freedom of the ,press ,act of #bjji 7,public ,law #aaa-aff2 #bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baea note71 which was passed by unanimous consent in the ,senate and 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 a vigilant commitment to freedom of the press is especially necessary in the wake of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic-- 7#a7 as governments around the world are using emergency laws to restrict access to information1 impose press restrictions1 and suppress free speech2 and 7#b7 as journalists around the world are being censored and imprisoned for their reporting on the virus2 ,whereas in ,china1 ,chen ,qiushi disappeared after reporting on the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china's ,,covid-#ai response in ,february #bjbj1 ,xu ,zhiyong was reportedly detained in ,february #bjbj during a ,,covid-#ai prevention check after criticizing ,chinese authorities1 and reporters from ,the ,new ,york ,times1 ,wall ,street ,journal1 ,the ,washington ,post1 ,voice of ,america1 and ,time were expelled in ,march #bjbj2 ,whereas authorities in numerous countries1 including ,russia1 ,iran1 ,cuba1 ,burma 7,myanmar71 and ,venezuela have-- 7#a7 restricted journalist movement2 7#b7 hindered access to information2 7#c7 removed content2 and 7#d7 threatened1 harassed1 attacked1 and arrested journalists for their reporting on the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 ,whereas1 even prior to the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 freedom of the press remained under considerable pressure throughout the world2 ,whereas ,reporters ,without ,borders found that1 as of ,april #bj1 #bjbj1 at least #bbi journalists1 #aaf citizen journalists1 and #ad media assistants were imprisoned worldwide2 ,whereas according to the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 at least #be journalists were killed around the world for their work in #bjai2 ,whereas ,freedom ,house's publication ,freedom in the ,world #bjbj noted that global freedom of expression has declined every year for the past #ad years2 ,whereas1 according to the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 the world's most censored countries include ,eritrea1 ,north ,korea1 ,turkmenistan1 ,saudi ,arabia1 ,china1 ,vietnam1 ,iran1 ,equatorial ,guinea1 ,belarus1 and ,cuba2 ,whereas the ,government of the ,philippines has waged a campaign of judicial harassment against a variety of independent press outlets1 including the news website ,rappler and its editor1 ,maria ,ressa1 who has been arrested twice2 ,whereas in ,russia1 ,crimean ,tatar freelance journalist ,nariman ,memedeminov was sentenced to #cj months in prison for reporting on human rights violations by ,russian authorities in ,crimea2 ,whereas in ,cuba1 the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists and ,amnesty ,international have written to the ,cuban authorities to request the immediate release of journalist ,roberto ,quiones1 who has been imprisoned since ,september #bjai2 ,whereas in ,venezuela1 freelance journalist ,darvinson ,rojas has been detained since ,march #ba1 #bjbj1 for reporting on presumed ,,covid-#ai cases that were unacknowledged by the ,government of ,venezuela2 ,whereas in ,mexico1 ,quinto ,poder de ,veracruz founder ,mara ,elena ,ferral1 ,el ,graffico reporter ,jorge ,celestino ,ruiz ,vzquez1 and journalists ,nevith ,condes ,jaramilla1 ,rogelio ,barragn ,perz1 and ,norma ,sarabia were all murdered between ,june #bjai and ,march #bjbj2 ,whereas in ,niger1 independent journalist ,kaka ,touda ,mamane ,goni was arrested on ,march #e1 #bjbj1 and faces up to #c years in prison for publishing news reports on social media about potential ,,covid-#ai cases2 ,whereas in ,burundi1 ,iwacu journalists ,christine ,kamikazi1 ,agns ,ndirubusa1 ,egide ,harerimana1 and ,trence ,mpozenzi were convicted on charges of attempting to undermine state security and sentenced to #b years in prison2 ,whereas in ,tanzania1 journalist ,azory ,gwanda has been missing since ,november #bjag2 ,whereas ,turkey remains one of the top jailers of independent journalists around the world1 and the ,government of ,turkey closed down more than #ajj news outlets during #bjai2 ,whereas in ,egypt1 prominent blogger and activist ,alaa ,abdelfattah was rearrested in ,september #bjai1 human rights activist and journalist ,esraa ,abdel ,fattah was rearrested in ,october #bjai1 and ,guardian reporter ,ruth ,michaelson's press credentials were withdrawn for questioning official ,,covid-#ai figures on ,march #af1 #bjbj2 ,whereas ,american journalist ,austin ,tice has been detained in ,syria since ,august #ad1 #bjab2 ,whereas female journalists and writers in ,saudi ,arabia face harsh personal consequences for their work1 and ,zana ,al-,shari of the daily ,al-,riyadh1 ,maha al-,rafidi al-,qahtani of the daily ,al-,watan1 and recipients of the #bjai ,,pen_/,barbey ,freedom to ,write ,award ,nouf ,abdulaziz1 ,loujain ,al-,hathloul1 and ,eman ,al-,nafjan remain missing1 imprisoned1 or on trial due to their writing and outspoken women's rights advocacy2 ,whereas the ,senate has concluded that ,washington ,post journalist and ,united ,states resident ,jamal ,khashoggi was murdered by a team of ,saudi operatives at the behest of ,crown ,prince ,mohammed ,bin ,salman2 ,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 ,radio1 the ,office of ,cuba ,broadcasting1 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 is a key element of public transparency1 civil society participation1 socioeconomic development1 and democratic governance3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 declares that a free press-- 7,a7 is a central component of free societies1 democratic governance1 and contributes to an informed civil society1 and government accountability2 7,b7 helps expose corruption1 and enhances public accountability and transparency of governments at all levels2 and 7,c7 disseminates information essential to improving public health and safety2 7#b7 condemns threats to freedom of the press and free expression around the world2 and 7#c7 in remembrance of journalists who have lost their lives carrying out their vital work-- 7,a7 calls on governments abroad to implement ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly ,resolution #fh_/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,b7 condemns all actions around the world that suppress freedom of the press2 7,c7 calls for the unconditional and immediate release of all imprisoned journalists2 7,d7 reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press to efforts of the ,united ,states ,government to support democracy1 mitigate conflict1 and promote good governance domestically and around the world2 and 7,e7 calls upon the ,president and the ,secretary of ,state-- 7i7 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 7ii7 to improve the rapid identification1 publication1 and response by the ,united ,states ,government to threats against freedom of the press around the world2 7iii7 to urge foreign governments to protect the free flow of information and to transparently investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against journalists2 and 7iv7 to promote the respect and protection of freedom of the press around the world4