,,iii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ih ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bf1 #bjbe,mr4 ,risch 7for himself and ,mrs4 ,shaheen7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,condemning ,beijing's destruction of ,hong ,kong's democracy and rule of law4 ,whereas1 in #aiig1 ,great ,britain handed ,hong ,kong over to ,chinese rule under guarantees that ,hong ,kong would become a ,special ,administrative ,region under the one country1 two systems principle1 pursuant to which ,hong ,kong's ,basic ,law would apply and would enshrine fundamental rights of ,hong ,kong residents and a political structure1 including an independent judiciary1 the right to vote1 and freedoms of assembly and speech1 among others2 ,whereas the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china 7,,prc7 has repeatedly undermined ,hong ,kong's autonomy since the #aiig handover1 including actions which resulted in political protests in ,hong ,kong1 including the #bjad ,umbrella ,movement protesting ,beijing's attempt to reform ,hong ,kong's electoral system1 and the #bjai-bjbj protests1 which opposed the ,hong ,kong government's decision to implement an extradition law that would have subjected ,hong ,kongers to prosecution in mainland ,china2 ,whereas the ,hong ,kong ,police ,force used excessive force to try to quell the #bjai-bjbj protestors1 many of whom were under the age of #cj2 ,whereas the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china responded to these protests by passing and implementing the ,law of the ,people's ,republic of ,china on ,safeguarding ,national ,security in the ,hong ,kong ,special ,administrative ,region 7commonly referred to as the ,hong ,kong national security law7 a poorly defined criminal statute with extraterritorial reach that includes overly broad charges to punish people for exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms2 ,whereas1 since its enactment in ,june #bjbj1 this law has been used by the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china as a pretext to crack down on legitimate and peaceful expression1 including the exercise of freedoms of assembly1 speech1 and religious belief guaranteed to ,hong ,kong under the ,basic ,law1 to replace the ,hong ,kong legislature with individuals loyal to the ,chinese ,communist ,party1 and to pass new immigration laws that subject ,hong ,kong citizens and residents1 as well as ,,prc nationals and foreign nationals1 to exit bans in ,hong ,kong similar to those implemented in mainland ,china2 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjbd1 the ,hong ,kong government enacted national security legislation to implement ,article #bc of the ,basic ,law1 officially called the ,safeguarding ,national ,security ,ordinance and also referred to as the ,article #bc ,ordinance1 which expanded the number of broadly defined national security criminal offenses to include1 among other things1 external interference and sabotage1 weakened legal protections for suspects accused of national security offenses1 authorized new punitive measures targeting ,hong ,kong citizens and non-citizens overseas1 and created risks for ,hong ,kong residents who interact with foreigners2 ,whereas nearly #cjj people have been arrested under the ,hong ,kong national security law and the ,article #bc ,ordinance2 ,whereas the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china uses the ,hong ,kong national security law and the ,article #bc ,ordinance to harass1 target1 and threaten non-,hong ,kong citizens and those outside of ,hong ,kong1 and has become a significant perpetrator of transnational repression1 including by posting cash bounties for democracy activists living in self-exile outside of ,hong ,kong2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ai1 #bjbd1 the ,hong ,kong government sentenced a group of pro-democracy activists1 journalists1 and former lawmakers commonly known as the 8,hong ,kong #dg0 to jail terms ranging between #d and #aj years as a demonstration of the ,hong ,kong government's willingness to intimidate and persecute its political opponents2 ,whereas1 ,mr4 ,jimmy ,lai1 a #gg-year-old ,hong ,kong pro-democracy advocate and media entrepreneur1 has been targeted and persecuted for decades1 most recently through multiple prosecutions1 including related to exercising his rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression1 his sentencing to over five years in prison under politically motivated fraud charges and the seizure of his multimillion dollar independent media organization ,apple ,daily by the ,hong ,kong authorities2 ,whereas1 ,mr4 ,lai1 one of the highest profile cases under the #bjbj national security law1 has been imprisoned in solitary confinement with inadequate medical treatment since ,december #ca1 #bjbj2 ,whereas #e ,special ,rapporteurs1 as well as the ,united ,nations ,human ,rights ,council ,working ,group on ,arbitrary ,detention1 have found that ,mr4 ,lai is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained and have called for his immediate and unconditional release2 ,whereas the trial of ,mr4 ,lai1 which began on ,december #ah1 #bjbc1 has been delayed repeatedly2 ,whereas international legal experts at the ,united ,nations have expressed concerns regarding prosecutors' use of witness testimony against ,mr4 ,lai that may have been obtained through torture1 ,hong ,kong authorities' interference with the independence of the judiciary throughout the case1 and harassment and intimidation of ,mr4 ,lai's lawyers1 undermining his right to a defense2 ,whereas the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china's undermining of democracy in ,hong ,kong has ramifications for the international order1 including with regard to the future of ,taiwan2 ,whereas the ,hong ,kong government has conducted a public relations campaign to convince global business leaders that ,hong ,kong remains a critical and attractive international financial center1 while simultaneously undermining the independence of institutions that encouraged its growth over the past several decades2 ,whereas ,hong ,kong has increasingly become a hub for the transshipment of export-controlled goods and sanctions evasion relating to the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 the ,democratic ,people's ,republic of ,korea1 the ,russian ,federation1 and the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran1 directly supporting ,russia's defense industrial base and enabling its continuing war of aggression against ,ukraine2 ,whereas ,hong ,kong still maintains a separate voting share from the ,people's ,republic of ,china at many multilateral organizations--including the ,asia ,pacific ,economic ,cooperation forum1 the ,financial ,action ,task ,force1 the ,international ,olympic ,committee1 and the ,world ,trade ,organization--effectively doubling the ,people's ,republic of ,china's voting power at these critical institutions2 and ,whereas the ,hong ,kong ,human ,rights and ,democracy ,act 7,public ,law #aaf-gf2 #bb ,u4,s4,c4 #egja note71 signed into law in ,november #bjai1 requires the ,president to impose sanctions to promote accountability for those responsible for certain conduct that undermines fundamental freedoms and autonomy in ,hong ,kong3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china's ,hong ,kong national security law1 the ,hong ,kong government's ,safeguarding ,national ,security ,ordinance1 and related abuses of internationally recognized human rights2 7#b7 urges all governments that value democracy or autonomy to hold the ,chinese ,communist ,party and the ,hong ,kong authorities accountable for their destruction of ,hong ,kong's autonomy1 rule of law1 and freedoms2 7#c7 supports the people of ,hong ,kong as they fight to exercise fundamental rights and freedoms1 as enumerated by-- 7,a7 the ,joint ,declaration of the ,government of the ,united ,kingdom of ,great ,britain and ,northern ,ireland and the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china on the ,question of ,hong ,kong1 done at ,beijing ,december #ai1 #aihd2 7,b7 the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights1 done at ,new ,york ,december #ai1 #aiff2 and 7,c7 the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 done at ,paris ,december #aj1 #aidh2 7#d7 condemns the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china's practice of bringing false and politically motivated charges against ,hong ,kongers and the expansion of ,hong ,kong's national security regime that destroys the rule of law and undermines citizens' rights in ,hong ,kong2 7#e7 calls upon the ,hong ,kong government to immediately drop all sedition1 national security law1 and ,article #bc-related charges and free all defendants immediately1 including ,jimmy ,lai2 7#f7 expresses extreme concern about the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china' state-directed theft of ,apple ,daily1 and holds that ,hong ,kong no longer has credibility as an international business center due to the erosion of the regulatory1 legal1 and judicial environments that have promoted its economic growth for decades2 7#g7 encourages the ,united ,states ,government and other governments to take steps at multilateral institutions to ensure that voting procedures recognize that there is no longer a meaningful distinction between ,hong ,kong and mainland ,china2 and 7#h7 urges the ,united ,states ,government to use all available and appropriate tools1 including those authorized by the ,hong ,kong ,human ,rights and ,democracy ,act1 in response to the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china's actions in ,hong ,kong4