URGING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE TO RESTORE THE PRIOR FORMAT, ORGANIZATION, AND SUBSTANTIVE COMPLETENESS OF THE COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES.

SR136

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

136

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

URGING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE TO RESTORE
THE PRIOR FORMAT, ORGANIZATION, AND SUBSTANTIVE COMPLETENESS OF THE COUNTRY
REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES
.

����
WHEREAS, the
United States has long asserted a national commitment to democracy, liberty,
justice, and the rule of law; and

����
WHEREAS,
the United States Department of
State's
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
have, for decades,
served as a significant public record of internationally recognized human
rights conditions throughout the world
; and

����
WHEREAS,
those reports have historically
informed Congress, policymakers, advocates, journalists, scholars, and the
international community regarding abuses committed by foreign governments and
other actors, including arbitrary detentions, denials of due process, examples
of corruption, restrictions on political participation, suppressions of speech
and assembly, mistreatment of prisoners, and violence against vulnerable
populations
; and

����
WHEREAS,
comprehensive and candid reporting
on human rights conditions advances accountability, promotes transparency, and
reinforces the credibility of the United States in matters involving democracy
and fundamental freedoms
; and

����
WHEREAS, federal
law contemplates the submission of full and complete reports concerning
internationally recognized human rights; and

����
WHEREAS, on April
18, 2025, National Public Radio indicated that the United States Department of
State had revised the format and scope of these reports to remove or reduce
discussions of certain categories of concern that had traditionally appeared in
prior reports, including discussions on prison conditions, corruption,
restrictions on freedom of movement and peaceful assembly, political-process
restrictions, interference with privacy, internet freedom, harassment of human
rights organizations, gender-based violence, and certain due-process concerns;
and

����
WHEREAS,
the omission or minimization of this
information may impair the usefulness, comparability, and credibility of the
Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices
as instruments of public accountability
;
and

����
WHEREAS, official
reporting that is thorough, consistent, and specific is especially important
for persons subjected to repression, arbitrary detention, political
imprisonment, or other abuses in jurisdictions governed by authoritarian or
repressive regimes; and

����
WHEREAS, the
preservation of meaningful reporting on human rights is consistent with the
principles of freedom, liberty, and justice for all and with the role of
democratic institutions in bearing witness to abuse and affirming the dignity
of all persons; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026,
that the United States Department of State is urged to restore
the prior format, organization, and substantive completeness of the
Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices
so that the reports continue to provide full,
credible, and comprehensive accounts of internationally recognized human rights
conditions
; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that this body affirms the importance of accountability for human
rights violations and the continuing value of democratic institutions that
protect and promote freedom, liberty, justice, and the rule of law; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED
that
this body condemns the federal government's decision to substantially revise
the
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
in a manner that
diminishes the reporting of serious abuses, undermines the reports'
completeness and credibility, erodes transparency, weakens a longstanding
instrument of democratic accountability for human rights violations, represents
a serious retreat from the principles of democratic governance and the rule of
law, and departs from the United States' established commitment to candid and
comprehensive human rights reporting
; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED
that this body
respectfully urges the United States Department of State to ensure that future
Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices
fully and consistently document all material
categories of abuse and conditions relevant to evaluating the protection of
human rights around the world
; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, Vice
President of the United States, Secretary of State, Chair of the United States
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives, and members of Hawaii's congressional delegation
.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

United
States Department of State; Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; Format
and Content