[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 430 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 430

     Calling on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to 
               immediately release Dr. Haleh Esfandiari.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2007

 Mr. Van Hollen (for himself, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Gilchrest, 
    and Mr. Ackerman) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Calling on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to 
               immediately release Dr. Haleh Esfandiari.

Whereas Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Ph.D., holds dual citizenship in the United States 
        and the Islamic Republic of Iran;
Whereas Dr. Esfandiari taught Persian language and literature for many years at 
        Princeton University, where she inspired untold numbers of students to 
        study the rich Persian language and culture;
Whereas Dr. Esfandiari is a resident of the State of Maryland and the Director 
        of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center 
        for Scholars in Washington, DC (referred to in this preamble as the 
        ``Wilson Center'');
Whereas, for the past decade, Dr. Esfandiari has traveled to Iran twice a year 
        to visit her ailing 93-year-old mother;
Whereas, in December 2006, on her return to the airport during her last visit to 
        Iran, Dr. Esfandiari was robbed by 3 masked, knife-wielding men, who 
        stole her travel documents, luggage, and other effects;
Whereas, when Dr. Esfandiari attempted to obtain replacement travel documents in 
        Iran, she was invited to an interview by a representative of the 
        Ministry of Intelligence of Iran;
Whereas Dr. Esfandiari was interrogated by the Ministry of Intelligence for 7 to 
        8 hours per day;
Whereas the questioning of the Ministry of Intelligence focused on the Middle 
        East Program at the Wilson Center;
Whereas Dr. Esfandiari answered all questions to the best of her ability, and 
        the Wilson Center also provided extensive information to the Ministry in 
        a good faith effort to aid Dr. Esfandiari;
Whereas Lee Hamilton, former United States Representative and president of the 
        Wilson Center, has written to the President of Iran to call his 
        attention to Dr. Esfandiari's dire situation;
Whereas Mr. Hamilton repeated that the Wilson Center's mission is to provide 
        forums to exchange views and opinions and not to take positions on 
        issues, nor try to influence specific outcomes;
Whereas the lengthy interrogations of Dr. Esfandiari by the Ministry of 
        Intelligence of Iran stopped on February 14, 2007, but she heard nothing 
        for 10 weeks and was denied her passport;
Whereas, on May 7, 2007, Dr. Esfandiari was summoned to the Ministry of 
        Intelligence and taken immediately to Evin prison, where she is 
        currently being held;
Whereas the Ministry of Intelligence has yet to produce any evidence of wrong-
        doing on Dr. Esfandiari's behalf to justify its actions toward her; and
Whereas the Government of Iran should immediately and unconditionally release 
        Dr. Esfandiari and all other individuals being detained for 
        participating in the free exchange of scholarship and ideas: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That--
            (1) the House of Representatives calls on the Government of 
        the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately release Dr. Haleh 
        Esfandiari, replace her lost travel documents, and cease its 
        harassment tactics; and
            (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) the United States Government, through all 
                appropriate means and diplomatic channels, should 
                encourage the Government of Iran to release Dr. 
                Esfandiari and offer her an apology; and
                    (B) the United States should coordinate its 
                response with its allies throughout the Middle East, 
                other governments, and all appropriate international 
                organizations.
                                 <all>