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HRES 399 104th Congress House International Affairs Africa (Sub-Saharan) Aggression American economic assistance Armed Forces and National Security Arrest Civil War Civil-military relations Crime and Law Enforcement Democracy Extortion Genocide Government Operations and Politics Human rights Immigration International courts International propaganda Law Military training Nongovernmental organizations

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the promotion of democracy and civil society in Zaire.

Introduced: March 29, 1996 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 11, 1996
Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa.
Mar 29, 1996
Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
Mar 29, 1996
Introduced in House
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Expresses support for Zairian nongovernmental organizations seeking to promote the protection of fundamental human rights and the transition to democracy in Zaire.

Encourages all Zairian political parties to include representatives of civil society in every stage of the electoral process.

Condemns: (1) the continuing intimidation of those groups by Zairian military authorities and the practice of torture, arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial execution, and extortion by elements of the Zairian armed forces; and (2) the human rights violations and the intimidation of local civil society groups by such armed forces, with President Mobutu's implicit approval.

Urges: (1) President Clinton to continue indefinitely the sanctions already imposed upon Zaire; (2) the United States to work through the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Zaire and pressure the Zairian Government to allow him to open an office in Kinshasa and to facilitate this process; (3) the President to pressure President Mobutu to respect his commitments to prevent the use of Zairian territory for military incursions into Rwanda or for military or militia training and to halt the flow of arms to Hutu extremists living in Eastern Zaire; and (4) the President to assist the United Nations Arms Investigators in removing from the refugee camps intimidators who compel refugees to follow a political agenda of the Zairian Government, to combat extremist propaganda in the refugee camps that is designed to undermine voluntary repatriation efforts of the Commission, and to cooperate with the International Tribunal's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide to justice.

Recommends that the United States, in collaboration with its allies, investigate and implement other means of continuing and reinforcing international pressure on President Mobutu, his family, and his associates.

What's happening now April 11, 1996

Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2