*Subcommittee hearing has been added*

**Subcommittee markup has been added**

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) announced the following upcoming Committee events:

Wednesday, September 14

Markup: H.R. 5931, Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act

10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 14 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Wednesday, September 14

Subcommittee Hearing: Eritrea: A Neglected Regional Threat

2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Panel I
The Honorable Linda Thomas–Greenfield
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Panel II
Father Habtu Gebre-Ab
Director of External Relations
Canonical Eritrean Orthodox Church in Diaspora

Khaled Beshir, Ph.D.
Board Member
Awate Foundation

Ms. Bronwyn Bruton
Deputy Director
Africa Center
Atlantic Council

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “For decades, Eritrea has been an antagonistic neighbor in the Horn of Africa region and has been relentless in its denial of human rights and freedoms for its citizens. In recent months, there have been quiet contacts between the U.S. Government and the Government of Eritrea concerning the potential for détente. This hearing will examine how U.S. policy toward Eritrea and the potential for some level of renewed relations between our two governments could encourage the Government of Eritrea to provide their citizens the rights they deserve.”

Wednesday, September 14

Subcommittee Hearing: Turkey After the July Coup Attempt

2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Ms. Nina Ognianova
Coordinator
Europe and Central Asia Program
Committee to Protect Journalists

Mr. Alan Makovsky
Senior Fellow
Center for American Progress

Aaron Stein, Ph.D.
Resident Senior Fellow
Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Atlantic Council

Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “On July 15th Turkey’s democratically elected government experienced a coup attempt by portions of its armed forces. The coup failed, but not before over 200 civilians were killed and the Turkish parliament building was bombed from the air. While the violence and instability is tragic, the Turkish government quickly squandered the world’s sympathy by announcing a state of emergency and immediately launching a massive purge. Tens of thousands of government employees have been fired, including hundreds of judges and prosecutors. Thousands more have been arrested, most on spurious charges.  This continues an already disturbing trend of Turkey’s government, especially President Erdogan, centralizing power and weakening Turkey’s democratic institutions. Just as concerning has been an apparent shift from democratic, towards Islamic government, as well as indicators of expanding corruption in the Turkish establishment. A good friend seems to be slipping away. I am both alarmed and saddened by what clearly is a deteriorating situation in Turkey.”

*Wednesday, September 14

Subcommittee Hearing: North Korea’s Perpetual Provocations: Another Dangerous, Escalatory Nuclear Test

3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14 in 2255 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Victor Cha, Ph.D.
Senior Adviser and Korea Chair
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mr. Bruce Klingner
Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia
The Heritage Foundation

Sue Mi Terry, Ph.D.
Managing Director
Bower Group Asia

Mr. David Albright
President and Founder
Institute for Science and International Security

Chairman Salmon on the hearing: “The world has expressed outrage at North Korea’s dizzying descent into nuclear confrontation so often that it threatens to become mundane.  This latest step, however, directly threatens the very existence of two of our closest allies, Japan and South Korea.  The combination of submarine missile launches and large-scale nuclear detonations threaten catastrophe.  The administration’s policies have not deterred the North Korean regime from these dangerous provocations.  The world needs to contain North Korea’s radical ambitions with every tool at our disposal.  The Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific will hold a hearing Wednesday to discuss the full range of diplomatic, economic, and security tools at hand.”

Thursday, September 15

Subcommittee Markup: H. Res. 851, H.R. 5708

(See below for information on the Nicaragua hearing immediately following the markup.)

10 a.m. on Thursday, September 15 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Chairman

Measures to be Marked Up Include:

H. Res. 851, Expressing profound concern about the ongoing political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, urging the release of political prisoners, and calling for respect of constitutional and democratic processes; and

H.R. 5708, Nicaragua Investment Conditionality Act (NICA) of 2016.

Thursday, September 15

Subcommittee Hearing: Nicaragua’s Democratic Collapse

Hearing will begin immediately following the conclusion of the above markup.

Approximately 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, September 15 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Mr. Juan Gonzalez
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Marcela Escobari
Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
U.S. Agency for International Development

Chairman Duncan on the hearing: “The U.S. and Nicaragua enjoy good trade relations and cooperation on counter-drug activities. However, President Ortega has used his multiple terms in office to steal freedom from the Nicaraguan people. He has abused democracy to consolidate his power, implemented a socialist model that has left the country the second-poorest in the region, and brazenly undermined the rule of law in the country. Ortega’s actions this year alone – expelling multiple Americans from the country; ousting opposition lawmakers from the National Assembly; prohibiting Christian missionaries from entering the country; and announcing his wife as his vice presidential candidate – are all harmful to a stable and prosperous country.  Despite the wishes of a majority of his own citizens, Ortega has even blocked international observation of the national elections. The U.S. Congress is paying close attention to these issues, and this hearing will also provide needed oversight to the Obama Administration’s policies and programs in Nicaragua.”

**Thursday, September 15

Subcommittee Markup: H. Res. 220, Condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights

9:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 15 in 2255 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

 

***See www.foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.

***Coverage note:  All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.

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