,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ifb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #bc1 #bjbc,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,coons1 and ,mr4 ,murphy7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to protect individuals who face reprisals for defending human rights and democracy by enhancing the capacity of the ,united ,states ,government to prevent1 mitigate1 and respond in such cases4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,global ,voices of ,freedom ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,seventy-five years ago1 the ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly1 with leadership from the ,united ,states1 adopted the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 done at ,paris ,december #aj1 #aidh 7referred to in this section as the ,declaration71 and since the adoption of the ,declaration1 human rights defenders have mobilized communities around the vision of a world free and equal in dignity and rights described in the ,declaration4 7#b7 ,twenty-five years ago1 the ,united ,nations unanimously adopted the ,united ,nations ,declaration on ,human ,rights ,defenders1 which calls upon all ,states to respect the role of individual citizens and civil society organizations in defending human rights and democratic principles4 7#c7 ,human rights defenders advocate for human rights and democratic principles1 fight corruption1 support good governance1 seek to end impunity1 support victims of human rights violations1 and speak truth to power1 creating safeguards against autocratic regimes and backsliding democracies4 7#d7 ,increasingly1 human rights defenders around the world face threats and violence in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights1 and reprisals against such defenders have grown in number1 scale1 and sophistication1 with online and digital threats evolving rapidly4 7#e7 ,according to the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights1 every year hundreds of human rights defenders are murdered and thousands more are subjected to torture1 enforced disappearance1 sexual violence1 hate crimes1 unlawful or arbitrary detention1 judicial harassment1 unlawful or arbitrary digital surveillance1 and forced exile4 7#f7 ,today1 autocratic regimes are engaging in increasingly brutal crackdowns on human rights defenders by co-opting states or collaborating with transnational criminal organizations1 paramilitary groups1 and other actors to silence critical voices4 7#g7 ,such tactics are not limited to autocratic regimes and are now used in every region of the world1 accelerating a global decline in respect for human rights and democratic principles4 7#h7 ,few attacks against human rights defenders are investigated or prosecuted1 and rampant impunity has only spurred further violence1 creating a chilling effect on the work of others seeking to promote human rights and democratic principles4 7#i7 ,human rights defenders who speak up on behalf of communities that have historically faced discrimination face the highest levels of violence1 such as those advocating for ,indigenous communities1 environmental and climate change justice1 and respect for ,,lgbtq1 women's1 and religious rights4 7#aj7 ,attacks on human rights defenders are not limited to individuals residing in-country1 and many foreign governments engage in transnational repression1 reaching across borders to target human rights defenders outside of their country of origin4 7#aa7 ,although the ,united ,states has long played a critical role in supporting human rights defenders1 the ,united ,states must increase support at ,united ,states embassies1 consulates1 and foreign missions in order to meet the needs of the growing number of human rights defenders at risk4 7#ab7 ,diplomats of the ,united ,states often lack sufficient training or guidance on how to best respond to reprisals against human rights defenders1 while human rights defenders often lack clear guidance on how to safely contact ,united ,states officials abroad and what support human rights defenders can request when threatened1 imprisoned1 in exile1 or in hiding4 7#ac7 ,given the dramatic increase in attacks on human rights defenders globally1 the current approach by the ,united ,states ,government to address such attacks is insufficient to adequately respond to the threats human rights defenders face1 weakening the ability of the ,united ,states to advance human rights and democratic principles at a time when authoritarianism is on the rise4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act-- 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,human rights defender 7,a7 ,in general ,the term human rights defender means an individual1 working alone or in a group1 who uses nonviolent means to promote or protect human rights and fundamental freedoms1 in a manner consistent with the principles described in the ,united ,nations ,declaration on ,human ,rights ,defenders4 7,b7 ,inclusions ,the term human rights defender may include members of civil society organizations1 journalists1 activists1 lawyers1 community leaders1 whistleblowers1 and others4 7#c7 ,reprisal ,the term reprisal means an act or omission that-- 7,a7 violates1 intends to violate1 or encourages a violation of the rights of a human rights defender2 or 7,b7 otherwise prevents a human rights defender from carrying out his or her work4 7#d7 ,strategy ,the term ,strategy means the ,global ,voices of ,freedom ,strategy submitted in accordance with section #e4 7#e7 ,united ,nations ,declaration on ,human ,rights ,defenders ,the term ,united ,nations ,declaration on ,human ,rights ,defenders means the ,declaration on the ,right and ,responsibility of ,individuals1 ,groups and ,organs of ,society to ,promote and ,protect ,universally ,recognized ,human ,rights and ,fundamental ,freedoms 7,united ,nations ,general ,assembly ,resolution #ec_/add 7#aiih771 adopted by the ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly on ,december #i1 #aiih4 #d4 ,statement of policy ,it shall be the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to reaffirm the commitment of the ,united ,states to the ,united ,nations ,declaration on ,human ,rights ,defenders and to human rights defenders1 who1 often at great risk to themselves1 work to protect and advance human rights and democratic principles2 7#b7 to integrate support for human rights defenders and their protection from reprisals as part of bilateral and multilateral diplomatic1 economic1 humanitarian1 development1 law enforcement1 security assistance1 and anti-corruption activities of the ,united ,states2 and 7#c7 to view support for human rights defenders and their protection from reprisals as critical foreign policy interests of the ,united ,states4 #e4 ,development of a government-wide strategy for human rights defenders 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president1 in consultation with the heads of relevant ,federal agencies1 shall develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive interagency strategy to support and protect human rights defenders abroad to be known as the ,global ,voices of ,freedom ,strategy4 7b7 ,elements of the ,strategy ,the ,strategy shall include detailed information on the following elements3 7#a7 ,how the ,united ,states intends to implement the policy objectives under section #d1 including-- 7,a7 specific and measurable goals2 7,b7 metrics to measure progress against such goals2 and 7,c7 a timeline for implementation4 7#b7 ,an assessment of tools and resources available at ,united ,states embassies and missions to support human rights defenders1 including-- 7,a7 measures to monitor and respond to reprisals against human rights defenders2 and 7,b7 information on implementation of the training required by subparagraph 7,e7 of section #gjh7;a77#a7 of the ,foreign ,service ,act of #aihj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #djbh7;a77#a771 as added by section #h4 7#c7 ,bolstering the ability of ,united ,states embassies and missions to prioritize the protection of human rights defenders1 including-- 7,a7 ensuring the policy objectives under section #d are addressed in each country-specific ,integrated ,country ,strategy of the ,department of ,state2 7,b7 developing guidance for ,united ,states embassies and missions on assessing when and how to respond to reprisals against human rights defenders2 7,c7 identifying a designated point of contact at each ,united ,states embassy or mission who-- 7i7 reports directly to the chief of mission2 and 7ii7 shall be responsible for-- 7,i7 conducting regular consultations with human rights defenders1 including individuals based outside of major urban areas2 and 7,,ii7 tracking patterns of reprisals and managing responses to reprisals1 including by assessing the impact of such responses2 7,d7 integrating consideration of reprisals against human rights defenders into engagements by ,united ,states embassies and missions with the private sector2 7,e7 providing a secure means1 where feasible1 by which human rights defenders can contact each ,united ,states embassy or mission1 respectively publicized on the website of each ,united ,states embassy or mission2 7,f7 including requests for additional resources to engage with and support human rights defenders in annual ,mission ,resource ,requests2 and 7,g7 acknowledging and rewarding efforts by ,united ,states diplomatic personnel to protect human rights defenders as part of annual performance reviews4 7#d7 ,seeking to reduce impunity for reprisals against human rights defenders by strengthening accountability for perpetrators1 including-- 7,a7 using diplomatic pressure to encourage foreign governments to investigate and prosecute persons who order1 plan1 and carry out reprisals2 7,b7 using diplomatic pressure to respond to patterns of non-lethal reprisals that have an adverse impact on civic space1 including the criminalization of nonviolent advocacy1 smear campaigns1 and illegal surveillance2 and 7,c7 increasing support for multilateral initiatives that seek to curb the misuse of dual-use technologies by foreign governments to monitor1 harass1 or threaten human rights defenders and their families4 7c7 ,implementation ,in implementing the ,strategy1 the ,president shall-- 7#a7 establish within the ,national ,security ,council an interagency working group that shall be responsible for coordinating implementation of the ,strategy2 7#b7 require each relevant ,federal agency to provide a specific implementation plan for the ,strategy2 and 7#c7 consult with human rights defenders and civil society organizations on the design and implementation of the ,strategy4 7d7 ,form and availability 7#a7 ,form ,the ,strategy shall be submitted in unclassified form1 but may include a classified annex1 if necessary4 7#b7 ,briefing ,not later than #cj days prior to publication of the ,strategy in accordance with paragraph 7#c71 the ,under ,secretary for ,civilian ,security1 ,democracy1 and ,human ,rights shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on the ,strategy4 7#c7 ,public ,availability ,the unclassified portion of the ,strategy shall be made available to the public1 including through publication in the ,federal ,register4 #f4 ,protecting human rights defenders at the ,united ,nations and other multilateral bodies ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,united ,states ,permanent ,representative to the ,united ,nations shall use the voice1 vote1 and influence of the ,united ,states at the ,united ,nations and other multilateral bodies-- 7#a7 to promote full participation and oppose efforts that prevent the full participation of human rights defenders and block the accreditation of bona fide human rights organizations at the ,united ,nations and other multilateral bodies2 7#b7 to ensure that the ,united ,nations bolsters the protection and safe participation of human rights defenders who are subject to transnational repression1 state harassment1 and reprisals2 7#c7 to increase monitoring and reporting to identify and track reprisals against human rights defenders1 including human rights defenders who engage with the ,united ,nations and other multilateral bodies2 7#d7 to urge member states to engage with the mandate for the ,special ,rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders 7referred to in this section as the ,special ,rapporteur71 to cooperate with the ,special ,rapporteur1 and to take steps to implement the recommendations of the ,special ,rapporteur2 and 7#e7 to support the use of targeted sanctions1 censure of member states1 and all diplomatic tools available to hold responsible persons that engage in reprisals against human rights defenders4 #g4 ,annual country reports on human rights practices ,section #aaf7;f77#a7 of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baean7f77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,c7 as subparagraph 7,e72 and 7#b7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,b7 the following3 7,c7 ,a description of the treatment of human rights defenders 7as defined in section #c of the ,global ,voices of ,freedom ,act of #bjbc71 in each foreign country including patterns of reprisals 7as defined in such section7 against human rights defenders residing in-country1 including information on the underlying types of activities targeted and the types of tactics being used4 7,d7 ,when feasible1 details on the total number of investigations opened into reprisals against human rights defenders1 including1 for such reprisals1 the number of prosecutions1 the details of the individuals sentenced1 and the percentage of individuals acquitted4 4 #h4 ,training ,section #gjh7;a77#a7 of the ,foreign ,service ,act of #aihj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #djbh7;a77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in subparagraph 7,d71 by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,e7 for ,foreign ,service ,officers and ,presidential appointees1 including chiefs of mission1 in missions abroad who work on political1 economic1 public diplomacy1 security1 or development issues1 a dedicated module of instruction on support for human rights defenders2 and 4 #i4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #e1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbh to carry out-- 7#a7 the ,strategy and reporting requirements described in sections #e and #g2 and 7#b7 the training required by section #h4