Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to continuing human rights abuses and the conduct of Soviet military forces in Afghanistan

HRES 43 IH

101st CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 43 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to continuing human rights abuses and the conduct of Soviet military forces in Afghanistan.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 19, 1989 Mr. SOLOMON (for himself, Mr. PETRI, Mr. MCCRERY, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. DREIER of California, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. COBLE, Mr. PENNY, Mr. DORNAN of California, Mr. COX, and Mr. ARMEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to continuing human rights abuses and the conduct of Soviet military forces in Afghanistan.

Whereas December 27, 1988, marked the 9th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union;

Whereas the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan has been characterized by extreme brutality and a campaign of indiscriminate violence that has taken the lives of an estimated 1,000,000 Afghans and that has displaced more than 4,000,000 others;

Whereas the 43rd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations has found that (1) violations of human rights persist with the same frequency as in the past, (2) over 2,000 persons remain in prisons of the Soviet-supported Afghan regime for political reasons, (3) allegations of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners and disappearances of individuals continue, and (4) the economic, social, and cultural situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated and has now become critical after years of conflict; and

Whereas it is reported that Soviet military forces continue to place thousands of hard-to-detect, plastic, antipersonnel mines in areas from which they are now withdrawing: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) renews its condemnation of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, which has been conducted in a manner that violates all acceptable military standards of conduct and which contravenes all recognized principles of international law;

(2) finds the Soviet-supported Afghan regime to be equally responsible for the continuing abuses of human rights in Afghanistan;

(3) calls upon the Soviet Union to halt the further emplacement of antipersonnel mines and other lethal weapons and substances in the Afghan countryside;

(4) calls upon the Soviet Union to complete the withdrawal of all its military forces from that country by February 15, 1989;

(5) calls for the restoration of a truly independent, broad-based, and freely chosen Afghan government;

(6) calls upon the international community to keep human rights abuses in Afghanistan under close scrutiny; and

(7) renews its commitment, should the Soviet Union fail to withdraw its military forces from Afghanistan by February 15, 1989, to support the people of Afghanistan through the provision of appropriate material support.