A resolution condemning the coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in Burma and the Burmese military's detention of civilian leaders, calling for an immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, promoting accountability and justice for those killed by the Burmese military, and calling for those elected to serve in parliament to resume their duties without impediment, and for other purposes.

III Calendar No. 154 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 20 Condemning the coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in Burma and the Burmese military’s detention of civilian leaders, calling for an imme- diate and unconditional release of all those detained, promoting account- ability and justice for those killed by the Burmese military, and calling for those elected to serve in parliament to resume their duties without impediment, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 31, 2023 Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. KAINE, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, and Mr. PADILLA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations JULY 25, 2023 Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment, and an amendment to the preamble, and an amendment to the title [Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] [Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] RESOLUTION Condemning the coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in Burma and the Burmese military’s detention of civil- ian leaders, calling for an immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, promoting accountability and justice for those killed by the Burmese military, and calling for those elected to serve in parliament to VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •SRES 20 RS resume their duties without impediment, and for other purposes. Whereas, on February 1, 2021, the Burmese military and its aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) conducted a coup against the civilian government hours before Parliament was to convene in a new session, re- sulting in the military junta illegally detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and members of Parliament, as well as pro-democracy activ- ists from the 88 Generation and other civil society lead- ers; Whereas, since February 1, 2021, the Burmese military has detained more than 13,000 people for exercising their rights of freedom of speech and assembly and killed more than 2,800 civilians, including children; Whereas the Burmese military put the democratically elected civilian leadership of Burma, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, through sham trials for fabricated crimes and sentenced them to lengthy prison terms in order to remove them from polit- ical competition; Whereas Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 33 years in prison for multiple spurious charges; Whereas the Burmese military has become the world’s second largest detainer of journalists, with over 100 journalists imprisoned since the coup; Whereas the Burmese military’s actions have driven hundreds of thousands from their homes and driven thousands to flee across Burma’s borders into Thailand, India, and Bangladesh; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •SRES 20 RS Whereas fighting between the Burmese military and several ethnic armed groups continues, with government forces committing increasingly violent abuses against ethnic Karen, Kayah, Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Shan, and Rohingya minority populations; Whereas the Burmese military restricted freedom of move- ment, telecommunications, and the media, limiting access to information to and from Burma during the COVID– 19 pandemic, which exacerbated the political crisis initi- ated by the February 1, 2021 coup; Whereas senior generals of the Burmese military have been sanctioned by the United States Government for serious human rights abuses and for their role in the coup and are subject to ongoing investigations into their conduct by the International Criminal Court and the Inter- national Court of Justice; Whereas, on January 28, 2021, the Union Election Commis- sion rejected allegations by the Burmese military that fraud played a significant role in determining the out- come of the November 2020 elections; Whereas Burma’s November 2020 elections resulted in the National League for Democracy party securing enough seats in Parliament to form the next government; Whereas Burmese military general Min Aung Hlaing has an- nounced his intentions for Burmese parliamentary elec- tions to be held by August 1, 2023; Whereas, without full participation from relevant political forces in the country, including civil society groups and opposition parties, and without a robust presence of cred- ible international observers, the results of any parliamen- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •SRES 20 RS tary election run by the military regime will not gain widespread acceptance, domestically or internationally; Whereas, in July 2022, the Burmese military executed four male activists accused of aiding insurgents to fight Bur- ma’s army following secret trials; Whereas, in response to the Civil Disobedience Movement’s opposition protests, the Burmese military has used live fire, water cannons, and rubber bullets against peace protestors; Whereas, in December 2021, violent reprisals against peace- ful protests resulted in the torture and subsequent deaths of over 40 civilians in Sagaing; Whereas the Burmese military has a long history of commit- ting atrocities against the people of Burma, including the targeting of specific ethnic groups; Whereas, as of October 2022, over 943,000 stateless Rohingya refugees reside in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas, Bangladesh, the vast majority of whom live in 34 ex- tremely congested camps; Whereas, on March 21, 2022, the United States Secretary of State formally determined that members of the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya in 2016 and 2017; Whereas the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN member states continue to play an important role in addressing the crisis in Burma, in- cluding through the provision of humanitarian assistance in Burma and by preventing junta leadership from par- ticipating in ASEAN meetings, absent progress on the 5 Point Consensus; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •SRES 20 RS Whereas United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Thomas H. Andrews and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer continue to provide ongoing reporting and analysis of the dire and deteriorating situation for the men, women, and children of Burma, inside the coun- try and as refugees, including through presentations to the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly, and through reports that document the illegitimacy of the Burmese junta and urge member states to engage in coordinated sanctions and weapon embargos against the junta; Whereas the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar continues to collect, consolidate, preserve, and analyze evidence of serious international crimes and viola- tions of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011, and helps to facilitate and expedite fair and inde- pendent criminal proceedings; and Whereas, in December 2022, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2669 on Burma, the first res- olution on Burma since the country was admitted as a member state in 1948, calling for the immediate end to all forms of violence and urging restraint and the release of all prisoners: Now, therefore, be it Whereas, on February 1, 2021, Burma’s military regime and its aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) conducted a coup against the civilian government of Burma hours before Parliament was to convene in a new session, resulting in the military junta illegally de- taining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and members of Parliament, as well as pro- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •SRES 20 RS democracy activists from the 88 Generation and other civil society leaders; Whereas, since February 1, 2021, Burma’s military regime has detained more than 13,000 people for exercising their rights of freedom of speech and assembly and killed more than 2,800 civilians, including children; Whereas Burma’s military regime put the democratically elect- ed civilian leadership of Burma, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, through sham trials for fabricated crimes and sentenced them to lengthy prison terms in order to remove them from polit- ical competition; Whereas, in March 2023, Burma’s military regime-controlled Union Election Commission abolished 40 political parties on legally spurious grounds, including the National League for Democracy; Whereas Burma’s military regime has become one of the world’s largest detainer of journalists, with over 100 jour- nalists imprisoned since the coup; Whereas the actions of Burma’s military regime have driven hundreds of thousands from their homes and driven thou- sands to flee across Burma’s borders into Thailand, India, and Bangladesh; Whereas fighting between Burma’s military regime and several ethnic armed groups continues, with government forces committing increasingly violent abuses against ethnic Karen, Kayah, Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Shan, and Rohingya minority populations; Whereas senior generals of Burma’s military regime have been sanctioned by the United States Government for serious human rights abuses and for their role in the coup; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •SRES 20 RS Whereas cases of Burma’s military regime and individual members of the security forces responsible for atrocities are being investigated and adjudicated in ongoing judicial processes, including at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice; Whereas, in December 2021, violent reprisals against peaceful protests resulted in the torture and subsequent deaths of over 40 civilians in Sagaing; Whereas Burma’s military regime has a long history of com- mitting atrocities against people across Burma, including the targeting of specific ethnic groups; Whereas, on March 21, 2022, the United States Secretary of State announced his determination that members of Bur- ma’s military regime committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya; and Whereas the governments of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation have taken advantage of the coup to extend their own security interests and commercial pri- orities, neither of which are in the interest of the people of Burma, the United States, or the military and economic interests of the United States in the Indo-Pacific: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) supports the people of Burma in their quest 2 for democracy, sustainable peace, and genuine ethnic 3 and religious reconciliation, and the realization of 4 internationally recognized human rights for all, in- 5 cluding for ethnic and religious groups whose human 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •SRES 20 RS rights have been violated repeatedly and who have 1 been disenfranchised historically; 2 (2) calls on the Burmese military to— 3 (A) immediately and unconditionally re- 4 lease all political prisoners detained as a result 5 of the coup on February 1, 2021; 6 (B) immediately restore all forms of com- 7 munication, including access to the internet 8 without surveillance; 9 (C) immediately end the use of violence 10 and allow for a legal process for accountability 11 and justice for those unlawfully detained, in- 12 jured, and killed by the Burmese military; 13 (D) remove all impediments to free travel 14 that have been imposed as a result of the coup; 15 (E) return to power all members of the ci- 16 vilian government elected in the November 8, 17 2020, elections and allow them to fulfill their 18 mandate without impediment; 19 (F) allow for freedom of expression, includ- 20 ing the right to protest, peaceful assembly, 21 press freedom, and freedom of movement; and 22 (G) allow unfettered reporting from local, 23 national, and international media; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •SRES 20 RS (3) calls on social media companies to suspend 1 the accounts of the Union Solidarity and Develop- 2 ment Party and the Burmese military that have 3 used their platforms to spread disinformation, fear, 4 and threats of violence; 5 (4) supports the use of all diplomatic, economic, 6 and development tools to ensure that vulnerable 7 groups, including ethnic and religious groups, as well 8 as all children, youth, and teachers in educational 9 settings are safe, and schools and universities are 10 not targeted for attacks or use by the Burmese mili- 11 tary; 12 (5) expresses grave concern for the safety and 13 security of the more than 1,000,000 internally dis- 14 placed persons (referred to in this resolution as 15 ‘‘IDPs’’) and refugees who have been displaced by 16 the Burmese military and now face challenging con- 17 ditions in camps; 18 (6) expresses grave concern for the 17,600,000 19 people of Burma who are in need of humanitarian 20 aid, including the 1,500,000 IDPs in Burma, of 21 which some 165,000 remain in the southeast, adding 22 to those already displaced in Rakhine, Chin, Shan, 23 and Kachin states; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •SRES 20 RS (7) appreciates the generosity of Burma’s 1 neighboring countries, including Thailand, India, 2 and Bangladesh, and encourages them to meaning- 3 fully assist refugees who have fled and continue to 4 flee the Burmese military, including through the de- 5 livery of cross-border humanitarian assistance and 6 with recognition of the protracted nature of the con- 7 flict; and 8 (8) calls on the President, the Secretary of 9 State, and the Secretary of Defense to fully imple- 10 ment section 7008 of the Department of State, For- 11 eign Operations, and Related Programs Appropria- 12 tions Act, 2021 (division K of Public Law 116–260), 13 the BUR [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]