To protect individuals who face reprisals for defending human rights and democracy by enhancing the capacity of the United States Government to prevent, mitigate, and respond in such cases, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · January 31, 2024
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Human Rights Defenders Protection Act of 2024 establishes a comprehensive U.S. government strategy to protect activists, journalists, lawyers, and other human rights defenders facing reprisals from governments and nonstate actors worldwide. The bill creates a new visa category for human rights defenders in urgent danger, allowing up to 500 principal applicants per year plus their families to enter the United States, with authority to work and visas valid for three years. It directs the State Department to develop a detailed Global Human Rights Defenders Strategy within 180 days and every three years thereafter, requiring designated human rights officers at every U.S. embassy to coordinate protection efforts and track reprisals. The legislation also authorizes $5 million annually from 2024 through 2028 for strategy implementation and training, plus $10 million annually for human rights officer positions and $5 million for expanded democracy fellowship programs. The bill affects human rights workers and their families seeking protection, U.S. diplomatic staff who will receive new training requirements, and foreign governments whose actions toward activists will face increased U.S. scrutiny through sanctions, visa restrictions, and diplomatic pressure.
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