Led by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), all 20 female members of the U.S. Senate introduced a resolution last week urging nations to release female political prisoners.
The resolution supports the #FreeThe20 campaign, a government campaign introduced by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) Samantha Power earlier this month, to urge governments around the world to release female prisoners who are unjustly held.
Last week marked the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, which produced the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action commemorating that benchmark, which promised to advance gender equality and women’s rights.
To commemorate the event, the U.N. hosted the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Commitment to Action on Sunday. Yet, Ernst and others have pointed out that many of the governments that attended the meeting are the same countries unjustly imprisoning women for political reasons.
“As 20 women serving in the United States Senate, we stand unified in calling on governments to recognize the universal human rights of women and to release women who have been imprisoned unjustly for exercising those rights,” the Senators stated. “Our message is simple – world leaders and foreign governments, including those attending the U.N.-hosted meeting this month, should empower women, not imprison them.”