[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2770 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2770

To impose sanctions on certain officials of Uzbekistan responsible for 
                         the Andijan massacre.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 9, 2006

   Mr. McCain (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Lieberman, and Mr. Leahy) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To impose sanctions on certain officials of Uzbekistan responsible for 
                         the Andijan massacre.

    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 ``Andijan Accountability Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) On May 13, 2005, the Government of Uzbekistan security 
        forces opened fire without warning on anti-government 
        demonstrators in the city of Andijan, killing several hundred 
        unarmed civilians.
            (2) The Government of Uzbekistan has categorically rejected 
        calls by the United States, the European Union, the United 
        Nations, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
        Europe to allow an independent, international investigation of 
        the Andijan massacre.
            (3) In the last year the Government of Uzbekistan has 
        launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful dissent.
            (4) The Government of Uzbekistan has expelled United States 
        forces from the Karshi-Khanabad military base in southern 
        Uzbekistan, despite the continuing urgency of military 
        operations in Afghanistan to the war on terrorism.
            (5) The Government of Uzbekistan has expelled the Peace 
        Corps, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the United States 
        Agency for International Development-funded International 
        Research and Exchanges Board, the United Nations High 
        Commissioner for Refugees, and numerous nongovernmental 
        organizations, including Freedom House and the Eurasia 
        Foundation, from the country.
            (6) The Government of Uzbekistan has applied intense 
        economic and political pressure on its neighbors in Central 
        Asia to return to its security services refugees fleeing 
        persecution.
            (7) The Government of Uzbekistan's persecution of political 
        dissent and suppression of religious freedom risk increasing 
        support for violent, extremist movements in the region.
            (8) On October 3, 2005, the European Union imposed 
        sanctions on Uzbekistan, including an arms embargo and a ban on 
        visas for officials responsible for the massacre in Andijan.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that the repressive policies of the 
Government of Uzbekistan undermine United States efforts to promote 
stability and to combat terrorism and extremism in Central Asia, and 
that the United States has a strong interest in promoting democracy, 
human rights, and the rule of law in that country.

SEC. 4. SANCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the President shall send to the appropriate congressional 
committees a list of officials of the Government of Uzbekistan, 
including any current or former officials of the security services and 
judicial institutions, who played a direct and substantial role in the 
repression of peaceful political dissent, and a list of any other Uzbek 
individuals who provide substantial economic and political support for 
the present leadership in Uzbekistan.
    (b) Imposition of Sanctions.--Not later than 10 days after the list 
described in subsection (a) is submitted to the appropriate 
congressional committees, the following sanctions shall apply:
            (1) Any individual on the list submitted under subsection 
        (a) shall be ineligible for a visa to enter the United States.
            (2) No property or interest in property belonging to an 
        individual on the list submitted under subsection (a), or to a 
        member of the immediate family of such individual if the 
        property is effectively under the control of such individual, 
        may be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise 
        dealt with, if the property is within the United States or 
        within the possession or control of a United States person, 
        including the overseas branch of such person, or after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act comes within the control of such 
        person.
            (3) No United States person may engage in financial 
        transactions with an individual on the list submitted under 
        subsection (a), or with a member of the immediate family of 
        such individual if the transaction will benefit an individual 
        on the list submitted under subsection (a).
    (c) Termination of Sanctions.--The President may terminate the 
sanctions described in subsection (b) if the Secretary of State 
certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the 
Government of Uzbekistan has formally accepted, and is fully 
cooperating with, an independent international inquiry into the May 
2005 Andijan massacre.
    (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this section, the 
term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on International 
Relations of the House of Representatives.
                                 <all>