Captive Nations Week, 2020

• Published date: 22 July 2020
• Record Number: 2020-16035
• Section: Presidential Documents
• Court: Executive Office Of The President

Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 141 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
                [Presidential Documents]
                [Pages 44449-44450]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2020-16035]
                [[Page 44447]]
                Vol. 85
                Wednesday,
                No. 141
                July 22, 2020
                Part III
                The President
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                Proclamation 10056--Captive Nations Week, 2020
                 Presidential Documents
                Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 141 / Wednesday, July 22, 2020 /
                Presidential Documents
                ___________________________________________________________________
                Title 3--
                The President
                [[Page 44449]]
                 Proclamation 10056 of July 17, 2020
                
                Captive Nations Week, 2020
                 By the President of the United States of America
                 A Proclamation
                 Tragically, hundreds of millions of people around the
                 world continue to suffer under repressive regimes.
                 During Captive Nations Week, we condemn the cold grip
                 of tyranny that holds nations under unjust rule, and we
                 reaffirm our commitment to all who are fighting to
                 overcome oppression. We renew our deep devotion to the
                 principles of liberty, justice, and the rule of law,
                 and we know the United States will continue to shine as
                 an unparalleled example for all nations.
                 President Dwight D. Eisenhower first proclaimed Captive
                 Nations Week in 1959 to declare our Nation's steadfast
                 support for people throughout the world who are denied
                 fundamental rights by their governments. The belief
                 that a just government's powers are derived from the
                 consent of the governed is sacrosanct in our country,
                 but it is not shared universally. In many countries,
                 citizens who peacefully speak their views, practice
                 their religion, or strive to hold their governments
                 accountable for abuses experience reckless disregard
                 for their rights. Recently, authoritarian regimes have
                 used the coronavirus pandemic to justify increased
                 restrictions on individual human rights. These regimes
                 have suppressed the free flow of timely and accurate
                 information about the pandemic by censoring or
                 imprisoning people who dare to share unapproved
                 information or opinions. The most notable example today
                 is China, where the virus originated and government
                 suppression led directly to this global pandemic. In
                 addition, the Chinese government has seized upon this
                 opportunity to snuff out freedom in Hong Kong, which
                 had been the only bastion of liberty in that captive
                 nation.
                 The United States encourages all nations to respect
                 individual liberty, uphold the rule of law, and be
                 accountable to their people through consent-based
                 governments. Authoritarian regimes that do not respect
                 the inherent dignity of every individual hold the
                 dreams and potential of their people captive, enabling
                 poverty, repression, and anguish to flourish as they
                 deny their people their God-given rights. We will never
                 waver in our firm belief that liberty, justice, and the
                 rule of law unleash the fullness of life that God
                 intended for everyone. This week and always, we stand
                 with all people who yearn to live freely, securely, and
                 prosperously under rights-respecting, transparent, and
                 accountable governments rooted in the consent of the
                 governed.
                 The Congress, by Joint Resolution approved July 17,
                 1959 (73 Stat. 212), has authorized and requested the
                 President to issue a proclamation designating the third
                 week of July of each year as ``Captive Nations Week.''
                 NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
                 United States of America, by virtue of the authority
                 vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
                 United States, do hereby proclaim July 19 through July
                 25, 2020, as Captive Nations Week. I call upon all
                 Americans to reaffirm our commitment to supporting
                 those around the world striving for liberty, justice,
                 and the rule of law.
                [[Page 44450]]
                 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
                 seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two
                 thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United
                 States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
                
                
                 (Presidential Sig.)
                [FR Doc. 2020-16035
                Filed 7-21-20; 11:15 am]
                Billing code 3295-F0-P