; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note), signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded the examination of the freedom of the press around the world in the annual country reports on human rights practices of the Department of State; Whereas the 2019 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders, warns, The number of countries regarded as safe, where journalists can work in complete security, continues to decline, while authoritarian regimes tighten their grip on the media ; Whereas, Freedom House’s publication Freedom in the World 2019 noted that global freedom of expression has declined each year for the past 13 years; Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2018— (1) at least 54 journalists were killed around the world for their work, of which at least 34 were singled out for murder; (2) the 2 deadliest countries for journalists on assignment were Afghanistan and Syria; (3) the most dangerous subject for a journalist to report on was politics, followed by war; (4) 251 journalists worldwide were in prison, with Turkey, China, and Egypt responsible for more than half of the jailed journalists; (5) 13 percent of the journalists in jail were female, an increase from 8 percent in 2017; (6) 70 percent of the journalists who were imprisoned around the world faced antistate charges, such as belonging to or aiding groups deemed by authorities as terrorist organizations; and (7) the number of journalists imprisoned on charges of false news rose to 28 globally, compared with 9 such imprisonments in 2016; Whereas the People’s Republic of China maintains one of the worst media environments in the world and seeks to curtail political speech inside and outside the country including by— (1) targeting independent and foreign media in China through systematic harassment including the denial of visas to foreign journalists, imprisonment, the denial of medical care to imprisoned journalists, and curtailing access to legal representation