[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1181 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1181

 Calling on the United Nations General Assembly to reject the Islamic 
Republic of Iran's bid to join the United Nations Human Rights Council.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2010

Mr. McCotter (for himself and Mr. Poe of Texas) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Calling on the United Nations General Assembly to reject the Islamic 
Republic of Iran's bid to join the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Whereas the Islamic Republic of Iran is broadly considered one of the world's 
        worst human rights violators;
Whereas Iran routinely discriminates against and persecutes its Sunni and Sufi 
        religious minorities as well as Iranian Shi'ite religious dissenters;
Whereas, since 1979, the Iranian regime officials have executed over 200 Baha'i 
        leaders and imposed numerous discriminatory policies to disenfranchise 
        its Baha'i citizens;
Whereas the Iranian regime continues to officially incite anti-Semitic hatred, 
        promote Holocaust denial through its state-controlled media, require 
        Jewish schools remain open on the Sabbath, and create a climate of 
        hostility and intimidation for Iranian Jews;
Whereas the Iranian regime regularly harasses, physically attacks, arrests, and 
        imprisons its Christian citizens;
Whereas the Iranian regime uses intimidation, physical attacks, arbitrary 
        arrests, and prolonged detainment to ensure its Arab, Azeri, Baluchi, 
        Kurdish, and Turkmen minorities remain politically and economically 
        marginalized;
Whereas the Iranian regime specially singles out Iranian human rights defenders 
        for arrest, imprisonment, and execution;
Whereas the Iranian regime continues to repress dissent by restricting access to 
        the Internet, banning newspapers and journals, expelling pro-reform 
        students from universities, and prosecuting critical journalists;
Whereas the Iranian regime uses government-controlled Islamic Labor Councils to 
        discourage Iranian workers from forming free and independent labor 
        unions and to prevent Iranian workers from engaging in independent 
        collective bargaining;
Whereas the Iranian regime has repeatedly resorted to forced retirement, 
        physical violence, and arbitrary arrest to respond to striking Iranian 
        workers;
Whereas Iranian Revolutionary Courts conduct secret and summary trials, some 
        lasting only five minutes in duration;
Whereas the Iranian regime subjects its citizens to degrading and cruel 
        punishments such as flogging and amputation of limbs;
Whereas the Iranian regime uses the charges of ``waging war against God'' and 
        ``spreading corruption on earth'' as a pretense for executing Iranian 
        dissidents and prisoners of conscience;
Whereas Iranian regime officials routinely engage in tortures such as beatings, 
        long confinement in contorted positions, cigarette burns, hanging 
        detainees by their arms or legs, striking the soles of feet, rape, and 
        smearing prisoners with feces;
Whereas, during the protests following the disputed June 12, 2009, Iranian 
        Presidential election, the Iranian regime and its paramilitary units 
        fired upon and killed Iranian citizens with live ammunition;
Whereas, during one of these protests on June 20, 2009, the pro-democracy 
        demonstrator Neda Agha-Soltan was shot and killed by a member of the 
        government paramilitary;
Whereas the young Iranian woman, Taraneh Mousavi, was thrown in prison without a 
        warrant, raped, tortured, and burned, with her remains being discarded 
        on the side of the road;
Whereas, in June 2009, at least 40 Iranian civilians were murdered by the 
        Iranian regime's post-election crackdown;
Whereas, after the disputed June 12, 2009, Iranian Presidential election, the 
        Iranian regime carried out a campaign of repression with mass arrests of 
        at least 4,000 protestors and dissidents which produced numerous 
        torture-induced confessions;
Whereas, in January 2010, two of these dissidents, Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani and 
        Arash Rahmanipour, were executed by hanging for their opposition 
        activism;
Whereas, in Iran's November 18, 2009, National Report submitted for the Seventh 
        Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Iran admitted it is 
        unable to uphold human rights standards because its legal structures are 
        based on principles of Islam;
Whereas, in this same report, Iran affirmed its inability to function as an 
        international human rights promoter in stating, ``Pressure or demands by 
        other countries to accept and adopt certain Western standards of human 
        rights will practically have[sic] negative impact on the promotion of 
        human rights.'';
Whereas Iran is a 2010 candidate for United Nations Human Rights Council 
        membership; and
Whereas Iran's election to the United Nations Human Rights Council would send a 
        demoralizing message of indifference to Iranian citizens that have 
        endured repression, arbitrary arrest, physical assault, and torture in 
        their struggle to obtain their God-given human rights: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the United Nations General Assembly to reject 
        the Islamic Republic of Iran's bid to join the United Nations 
        Human Rights Council; and
            (2) urges the President to direct the United States 
        Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use the 
        voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the United 
        Nations to ensure Iran does not gain membership on the United 
        Nations Human Rights Council.
                                 <all>