H.Res. 877

H.Res. 877 is expected to be considered on the floor of the House on Friday, November 6, 2009, under a motion to suspend the rules, requiring a two-thirds vote for passage. The legislation was introduced by Rep. David Wu (D-OR) on October 29, 2009.

H.Res. 877 would resolve that the House of Representatives:
• "Expresses its support for Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren for engaging in peaceful expression as they seek answers and justice for the parents whose children were killed in the Sichuan earthquake of May 12, 2008; and
• "Calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to-
o "Provide Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren with the rights that all Chinese citizens have under article 35 and article 41 of China's Constitution, namely freedom of speech and association and the right to make suggestions to officials free from suppression and retaliation;
o "Ensure that Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren are afforded the rights guaranteed to all defendants under the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China; and
o "Implement its own National Human Rights Action Plan by allowing parents, concerned citizens, and the news media to conduct their own investigations into the role inferior construction and corruption may have played in the collapse of school buildings during the Sichuan earthquake, free from government harassment and official interference, and by ensuring that citizens have full access to effective legal remedies for their grievances."

According to the resolution's findings, Chinese human rights activists Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren both sought to help the parents whose children were killed as a result of the collapse of numerous school buildings during the Sichuan earthquake of May 12, 2008.