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April 30, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSENATE RESOLUTION 715—RECOGNIZING ESCALATING THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE
JOURNALISTS REPORTING IN CONFLICT ZONES AND UNDER REPRESSIVE REGIMES, REAFFIRMING THE VITAL ROLE THAT A FREE AND INDEPENDENT PRESS PLAYS IN
PUBLIC INFORMED, AND REAFFIRMING FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AS A PRIORITY OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN SUPPORTING DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN COMMEMORATION OF “WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY” ON MAY
3, 2026
Mr. SCHATZ (for himself, Mr. Welch, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Coons, and Mr. Bennet) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 715
Whereas freedom of the press is foundational to American
democracy and has been enshrined in the First Amendment to
the United States Constitution and in various State
constitutions;
Whereas a free and independent press around the world
supports United States foreign policy goals of countering
authoritarianism and promoting democratic governance and
human rights, including rights enshrined in the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) and other
laws, by refuting propaganda and enhancing public
accountability, transparency, and participation in civil
society;
Whereas a robust independent press plays a key role in
exposing and refuting malign influence campaigns used by
authoritarian governments, including the Russian Federation
and the People's Republic of China;
Whereas the censorship, victimization, and killing of
journalists around the world, particularly in war zones, has
profound implications for the ability of the public,
including Americans, to be informed about conflicts with
local, regional, and global ramifications and other issues;
Whereas the United States has advanced press freedom
globally, including by leading the drafting of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United
Nations in Paris on December 10, 1948, and states, in Article
19, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions
without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.”;
Whereas, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly
proclaimed the third day of May of each year to be “World
Press Freedom Day”—
(1) to celebrate the fundamental principles of press
freedom;
(2) to evaluate press freedom around the world;
(3) to defend the media against attacks on its
independence; and
(4) to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives
while working in their profession;
Whereas Congress has passed legislation supporting press
freedom abroad, including—
(1) the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009
(Public Law 111-166), which expanded the examination of the
freedom of the press around the world in the annual Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the Department
of State; and
(2) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act
(subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328), which has
been used to place targeted visa and economic sanctions on
individuals for their roles in the targeted killings of
journalists;
Whereas in 2021, in an effort to combat attacks against
journalists, the Department of State adopted the Khashoggi
Ban pursuant to section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(C)), which imposes visa
restrictions on individuals who, acting on behalf of a
foreign government, are believed to have been directly
engaged in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident
activities, including activities that suppress, harass,
surveil, threaten, or harm journalists, activists, or other
persons perceived to be dissidents for their work;
Whereas the United States Government has—
(1) supported broadcast journalism around the world to
provide news to millions of people living under authoritarian
regimes; and
(2) provided emergency assistance to journalists facing
immediate risks to their lives as a result of their
reporting;
Whereas Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2026 report
marked the 20th consecutive year of decline in global
freedom, with an estimated 40 percent of the global
population living in countries deemed “Not Free”;
Whereas media freedom declined more than any other rights
tracked by the Freedom in the World report during the last 20
years, fueled by attacks and prosecutions against
journalists, pressure on media outlets, repressive regulatory
and legal frameworks, internet shutdowns, unlawful efforts to
undermine strong encryption, and blocks on online sources of
information;
Whereas, according to the Reporters Without Borders' World
Press Freedom Index, press freedom is at a 25-year low and,
for the first time in the history of this Index, more than
\1/2\ of the world's countries now fall into the
“difficult” or “very serious” categories for press
freedom;
Whereas Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2025 report
marked the 15th consecutive year of decline in global
internet freedom, with people in at least 57 of the 72
countries covered facing legal repercussions for expressing
themselves online (a record high) and people in 44 countries
facing physical assaults or death for their online
commentary;
Whereas there are alarming indications about growing
divisions resulting from the spread of authoritarian
information campaigns with the potential to weaken democratic
societies;
Whereas United States journalists have been killed,
injured, and imprisoned while reporting abroad, including—
(1) Christopher Allen, who was killed while covering the
conflict in South Sudan on August 26, 2017, and for whom
there has been no credible investigation to pursue justice
after nearly 8 years;
(2) Austin Tice, who was kidnaped in Syria and has been
missing since August 13, 2012;
(3) Brent Renaud, who was killed by Russian forces while
covering the war in Ukraine on March 13, 2022;
(4) Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces on
May 11, 2022, while reporting in the West Bank;
(5) Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully detained in Russia
from March 2023 to August 2024 on baseless charges of
espionage;
(6) Alsu Kurmasheva, who was wrongfully detained in Russia
from October 2023 to August 2024 on bogus charges of failure
to register as a foreign agent; and
(7) Dylan Collins, a journalist at Agence France-Presse
(AFP), who was injured in an attack on a group of journalists
in southern Lebanon by Israeli forces on October 13, 2023;
Whereas more journalists and media workers were killed in
2025 than in any other year since the Committee to Protect
Journalist began collecting data more than 3 decades ago;
Whereas since October 7, 2023, at least 227 journalists and
media workers have been killed in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon,
207 of whom were Palestinians killed in Gaza by the Israeli
military, making the Gaza conflict the deadliest on record
for journalists, according to the Committee to Protect
Journalists;
Whereas for the fifth year in a row, more than 300
journalists were imprisoned worldwide at the end of 2025,
according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, including
Zhang Zhan in the People's Republic of China, Yeris Curbelo
Aguilera in Cuba, Mzia Amaglobeli in Georgia, RFE/RL
journalist Nika Novak in Russia, RFE/RL journalist Farid
Mehralizada in Azerbaijan, and former RFE/RL journalist and
dual United States-Iranian national Reza Valizadeh in Iran;
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists
2025 census, more than \1/3\ of these detained journalists
are serving terms exceeding 5 years, including—
(1) French journalist Christophe Gleizes in Algeria;
(2) Sevinj Vagifgizi in Azerbaijan;
(3) Dzianis Ivashyn in Belarus; and
(4) Thomas Awah, Jr., Tsi Conrad, Amadou, Vamoulke, and
Mancho Bibixy in Cameroon;
(5) Ilham Tohti, Jimmy Lai, and Dong Yuyu in the People's
Republic of China and Hong Kong;
(6) Frenchie Mae Cumpio in the Philippines;
(7) Rukhshona Khakimova in Tajikistan;
(8) Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov in Uzbekistan; and
(9) Pham Doan Trang and Le Huu Minh Tuan in Vietnam;
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists
2025 census, nearly \1/2\ of these detained journalists have
never been sentenced, including—
(1) Dawit Isaak and Seyoum Tsehaye in Eritrea; and
(2) Palestinian journalist Ali Al-Samoudi in Israel;
(3) Elsbeth D'Anda in Nicaragua; and
(4) Ukrainian journalists Anastasiya Glukhovska and Iryna
Levchenko in Russia;
Whereas, according to PEN America, more than 400 writers
and public intellectuals, including columnists and editorial
journalists, were imprisoned across 40 different countries
during 2025;
Whereas journalists and media outlets are targeted by
government actors with sophisticated spyware products that
pose a severe risk to their privacy and the security of their
sources and families;
Whereas the censorship, victimization, and killing of
journalists around the world, particularly in conflict zones,
has obvious and profound implications for the ability of the
public, including Americans, to be informed, including about
conflicts with local, regional, and global ramifications;
Whereas press freedom—
(1) is a key component of democratic governance, human
rights, activism in civil society, and socioeconomic
development; and
(2) enhances public accountability, transparency, and
participation in civil society and democratic governance:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) declares that a free press—
(A) is a central component of free societies and democratic
governance;
(B) contributes to an informed civil society and government
accountability;
(C) helps to expose corruption;
(D) enhances public accountability and transparency of
governments at all levels; and
(E) disseminates information that is essential to improving
public health and safety;
(2) expresses concerns about threats to the exercise of
freedom of expression, including by the press, around the
world;
(3) recognizes and commends journalism's role in providing
trusted, accurate, and timely information and in holding
governments and leaders accountable to citizens, including
for human rights abuses;
(4) recognizes the indispensable role of journalists and
media outlets in informing voters and the international
community about elections in multiple countries worldwide in
2025;
(5) recognizes the critical importance of international
journalists' access to conflict zones to conduct independent
reporting;
(6) pays tribute to journalists who made tremendous
sacrifices, including the loss of their lives, in the pursuit
of truth and justice;
(7) condemns all actions around the world that suppress
press freedom and endanger the safety of journalists;
(8) calls for the unconditional and immediate release of
all wrongfully detained journalists;
(9) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to efforts of
the United States Government to support democracy, mitigate
conflict, and promote human rights and good governance
domestically and around the world; and
(10) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State—
(A) to preserve and build upon the leadership of the United
States on issues relating to press freedom and journalist
safety, on the basis of the protections for freedom of the
press afforded the American people under the First Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States;
(B) to transparently investigate and bring to justice the
perpetrators of attacks and threats against American
journalists;
(C) to support transparent investigations and efforts to
ensure accountability for attacks against journalists of
other nationalities; and
(D) to promote the respect and protection of press freedom
around the world.