S 2611

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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

July 31, 2025

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Schatz, and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To safeguard the integrity of the Department of State’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Safeguarding the Integrity of the Human Rights Reports Act of 2025”.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Around the world, a rise in democratic backsliding, authoritarian practices, and armed conflict threaten the observance of internationally recognized human rights, disproportionately impacting girls, women, youth, ethnic minorities, indigenous communities, LGBTQI+ persons, individuals with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.

(2) Progress in advancing human rights must be grounded in facts. The Department of State’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (“Human Rights Reports”) provides a record of the state of human rights in the world. These reports are an essential tool for activists who courageously struggle to protect rights in communities around the world, for journalists and scholars who document rights violations, and for governments, including our own, as they work to craft strategies to better protect victims of human rights violations, encourage greater observance of human rights, and protect United States taxpayer funding from flowing to violators.

(3) Any effort to reduce the scope or tailor the content of the Human Rights Report based on political considerations undermines its legitimacy and the credibility of the United States as an honest promoter of human rights. Such actions also embolden authoritarians and perpetrators of human rights violations, threatening grave risks to the brave women and men working tirelessly to advance these rights.

(4) Maintaining the veracity and integrity of the Human Rights Report through mandatory and comprehensive reporting on the full scope of internationally recognized human rights is critical to sustain the value and international legitimacy of the reports and to hold human rights violators accountable.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It shall be the policy of the United States—

(1) to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights by all countries as a principal goal of our foreign policy;

(2) to regularly engage with human rights defenders, journalists, democracy advocates, victims of human rights violations, and other stakeholders to gather information and accounts for inclusion in the Human Rights Reports; and

(3) to publish credible, fact-based Human Rights Reports on an annual basis that cover the full scope of internationally recognized human rights, as required by law, and to ensure that Human Rights Reports are devoid of political favoritism or targeting.

SEC. 4. COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES.

Section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (2), by striking “and involuntary sterilization” and inserting “, involuntary or coercive medical or psychological practices, and discrimination against people in accessing maternal, sexual, and reproductive health care, including obstetric violence, involuntary or coerced abortion, involuntary or coerced pregnancy, and coerced sterilization”;

(2) in paragraph (5), by inserting “whether such country has facilitated the return of persons to a country where they would face torture or persecution (refoulement) and” after “including”;

(3) in paragraph (11)(C), by striking “Secretary; and” and inserting “Secretary;”;

(4) in paragraph (12)—

(A) in subparagraph (A)—

(i) by inserting “and freedom of expression” after “status of freedom of the press”; and

(ii) inserting “or freedom of expression” after “in favor of freedom of the press”;

(B) in subparagraph (B)—

(i) by inserting “or freedom of expression” after “violations of freedom of the press”; and

(ii) by striking “and censorship” and inserting “censorship and restrictions on internet freedom or access to information”; and

(C) in subparagraph (C)—

(i) by inserting “or freedom of expression” after “violations of freedom of the press”;

(ii) in clause (i), by striking “of the freedom of the press”; and

(iii) in clause (ii), by striking “journalists.” and inserting “journalists;”;

(5) in paragraph (13)—

(A) by striking “Wherever” and inserting “wherever”;

(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) through (E) as subparagraphs (C) through (F), respectively;

(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new subparagraph:

“(B) harassment or punishment of family members residing in the country for alleged offenses by a relative, including relatives forced into exile or residing outside of the country for fear of political persecution;”; and

(D) in subparagraph (F), as redesignated by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, by striking “occur.” and inserting “occur;”; and

(6) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:

“(14) wherever applicable, a description of restrictions on freedom of movement and residence within and travel to and from the country;

“(15) wherever applicable, whether a country facilitates or maintains laws, policies, or practices that create or perpetuate stateless persons or discriminate against internally displaced persons in that country;

“(16) wherever applicable, arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy;

“(17) wherever applicable, a description of serious and unreasonable restrictions on political participation or the ability of citizens to elect public representatives through free and fair elections and universal and equal suffrage, including—

“(A) substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly or association; and

“(B) government efforts to restrict civic space and the ability of civil society, including nongovernmental organizations, academia, media, labor unions, and social movements, to engage in public life;

“(18) wherever applicable, a description of serious government corruption and its impact on human rights in the country;

“(19) wherever applicable, a description of laws, discrimination, violence, or threats of violence targeting members of groups, including women and girls, persons with disabilities, national, racial, ethnic groups, indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+ individuals, or vulnerable migrant populations; and

“(20) wherever applicable, a description of any factors undermining due process or an independent and impartial judiciary free of corruption and political influence and whether trials are fair and public and afford criminal defendants the minimum fair trial guarantees recognized internationally as necessary for a criminal defense, including—

“(A) whether persons have been convicted, imprisoned, or detained essentially for political beliefs or nonviolent acts of dissent or expression, particularly based on overly broad and sweeping charges intended to stifle the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms; and

“(B) whether prison and detention center conditions or mistreatment in such facilities has resulted in deaths or forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and unusual punishment.”. <all>