April 4, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2279 legal rights and due process; political pris- Whereas, on July 20, 2017, the Tom Lantos S. RES. 143 oners; killings of and threats against jour- Human Rights Commission of the United Whereas Israeli-Americans are a vibrant nalists; official corruption and abuse of States Congress held a hearing on The immigrant community contributing to the power; threats of violence against human Human Rights Consequences of the War on diversity of the United States; rights activists; violence against women; and Drugs in the Philippines, during which Whereas Israeli-Americans, including forced labor.’’; Human Rights Watch testified about the ‘‘re- those on college campuses in the United Whereas, on February 23, 2017, an arrest lentless government campaign’’ against Sen- States, have been subject to forms of dis- warrant was issued for Philippine Senator ator De Lima ‘‘in evident response to her crimination and desire to connect with their Leila De Lima for allegations related to drug outspoken criticism of Duterte’s ‘war on culture and celebrate their heritage free trafficking, and as of April 4, 2019, Senator drugs’ and her calls for accountability’’; from bigotry and bias; de Lima had been detained for 770 days; Whereas Amnesty International finds Sen- Whereas the United States is a nation of Whereas the charges brought against Sen- ator De Lima’s detention to be based solely immigrants, and Israeli-Americans con- ator De Lima followed a history of criti- on her criticism of the Government of the tribute invaluable skills that promote the cizing extrajudicial killings in the Phil- Philippines, her political beliefs, and her economy and protect the national security of ippines and the Rodrigo R. Duterte adminis- peaceful defense of human rights, and con- the United States; tration’s antidrug campaign, including— siders her a Prisoner of Conscience; and Whereas the contributions of Israeli-Amer- (1) in 2009, in her capacity as Chair of the Whereas the immediate release of Senator icans in the fields of astrophysics, mathe- Commission on Human Rights, Senator De De Lima has been called for by nongovern- matics, chemistry, aerospace engineering, Lima investigated the alleged involvement mental organizations, human rights groups, biotech, agriculture, and Internet tech- of then-Mayor of Davao City Rodrigo R. parliamentary bodies, and individuals in- nologies have been invaluable to the United Duterte in the extrajudicial killings exe- cluding the European Parliament, the Aus- States; cuted by the so-called ‘‘Davao Death Squad’’; tralian Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Whereas Israeli-Americans have helped to (2) on December 15, 2014, then-Secretary of Union, Amnesty International, Human form a strong bond between the people of the Justice De Lima led a raid of the national Rights Watch, Liberal International, ASEAN United States and the people of Israel, rein- penitentiary which resulted in the confisca- Parliamentarians for Human Rights, and forcing the shared values and interests be- tion of drugs, firearms, and contraband many of Senator De Lima’s colleagues in the tween the two countries; and items and the extraction of 19 drug lords and Senate minority bloc; Whereas countless Israeli-Americans have high-profile inmates involved in the facili- Whereas Maria Ressa, an investigative enriched the society of the United States: ty’s drug network; journalist who founded the online news plat- Now, therefore, be it (3) on July 13, 2016, Senator De Lima, in form Rappler, has been arrested several times Resolved, That the Senate— her capacity as Chair of the Senate Com- on charges against her and her news organi- (1) affirms that the Israeli-American com- mittee on Justice and Human Rights, filed zation widely viewed by human rights ob- munity has contributed immensely to the so- Senate Resolution No. 9 calling for an inves- servers and a number of governments as part ciety and culture of the United States; and tigation into extrajudicial killings and sum- of a pattern of ‘‘weaponizing the rule of law’’ (2) condemns all forms of discrimination mary executions of suspected drug offenders to repress independent media; and that aim to marginalize or disenfranchise arising from President Duterte’s ‘‘War on Whereas Ms. Ressa has been released on members of the Israeli-American commu- Drugs’’; bail, but she and Rappler still face charges nity. (4) on August 22, 2016, Senator De Lima and will soon be standing trial: Now, there- f conducted Senate hearings during which al- fore, be it leged former death squad members detailed Resolved, That the Senate— SENATE RESOLUTION 144—DESIG- extrajudicial killings executed as part of the (1) condemns— NATING MAY 5, 2019, AS THE antidrug campaign and one member testified (A) the Government of the Philippines for ‘‘NATIONAL DAY OF AWARENESS that Duterte participated in extrajudicial its role in state-sanctioned extrajudicial FOR MISSING AND MURDERED killings as mayor of Davao City; and killings by police and other armed individ- NATIVE WOMEN AND GIRLS’’ (5) on August 2, 2016, and September 19, uals as part of the ‘‘War on Drugs’’; 2016, Senator De Lima delivered two privi- Mr. DAINES (for himself, Mr. (B) the arrest and detention of human leged speeches on the Senate floor calling on ESTER OEVEN OUNDS rights defenders and political leaders who ex- T , Mr. H , Mr. R , Ms. President Duterte to end the killings; ercise their rights to freedom of expression; WARREN, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. Whereas President Duterte vowed to pub- (C) the harassment, arrest, and unjustified LANKFORD, and Ms. MURKOWSKI) sub- licly destroy Senator De Lima; judicial proceedings against the media and mitted the following resolution; which Whereas the charges against Senator De journalists, in particular, the proceeding was referred to the Committee on the Lima were supported by testimony from in- against Rappler and Maria Ressa; and Judiciary: mates whose illegal activities were disrupted (D) the continued detention of Senator by her 2014 raid; S. RES. 144 Leila De Lima; Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Whereas, according to a study commis- (2) considers Senator De Lima to be a pris- Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary De- sioned by the Department of Justice, in some oner of conscience, detained solely on ac- tention adopted an Opinion on August 24, Tribal communities, American Indian count of her political views and the legiti- 2018, finding several categories of arbitrary women face murder rates that are more than mate exercise of her freedom of expression; detention and concluding, ‘‘Ms. De Lima’s 10 times the national average murder rate; (3) calls on the Government of the Phil- political views and convictions are clearly at Whereas, according to the most recently ippines to immediately release Senator De the centre of the present case and that the available data from the Centers for Disease Lima, drop all charges against her, remove authorities have displayed an attitude to- Control and Prevention, in 2017, homicide restrictions on her personal and work condi- wards her that can only be characterized as was the sixth leading cause of death for tions, and allow her to fully discharge her targeted and discriminatory. Indeed, she has American Indian and Alaska Native females legislative mandate, especially as Chair of been the target of partisan persecution and between 1 and 44 years of age; the Committee on Social Justice; there is no explanation for this other than Whereas little data exist on the number of (4) urges the Government of the Phil- her exercise of the right to express such missing American Indian and Alaska Native ippines to recognize the importance of views and convictions as a human rights de- women in the United States; human rights defenders and their work and fender.’’; Whereas, on July 5, 2013, Hanna Harris, a allow them to operate freely without fear of Whereas the Department of State’s 2017 member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, reprisal; and Human Rights Report highlighted due proc- was reported missing by her family in Lame (5) urges the Government of the Phil- ess obstructions in the case of Senator De Deer, Montana; ippines to guarantee the right to the freedom Lima, stating, ‘‘During the year prosecutors Whereas the body of Hanna Harris was of the press, and to drop all the charges used a variety of legal tactics, including fil- found 5 days after she went missing; against Maria Ressa and Rappler. ing new and amending previous charges, to Whereas Hanna Harris was determined to delay arraignment.’’; f have been raped and murdered, and the indi- Whereas the United Nations Working SENATE RESOLUTION 143—RECOG- viduals accused of committing those crimes Group on Arbitrary Detention recommended were convicted; NIZING ISRAELI-AMERICAN CUL- Whereas the case of Hanna Harris is an ex- that the Government of the Philippines TURE AND HERITAGE AND THE adopt certain measures, including— ample of many similar cases; and (1) the immediate release of Senator De CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE Whereas Hanna Harris was born on May 5, Lima; ISRAELI-AMERICAN COMMUNITY 1992: Now, therefore, be it (2) an independent investigation of the cir- TO THE UNITED STATES Resolved, That the Senate— cumstances surrounding the arbitrary deten- (1) designates May 5, 2019, as the ‘‘National Mr. CRAMER (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, tion; and Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered (3) the provision of compensation and other and Mr. CRUZ) submitted the following Native Women and Girls’’; and reparations,