[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 386 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 386

   Condemning the Government of Iran for restricting and suppressing 
  freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and 
  freedom of assembly, and for its human rights abuses, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 22, 2009

Mr. Kaufman (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. McCain, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Kyl, 
    Mr. Casey, Mr. Graham, Mr. Levin, Mr. Brownback, and Mr. Hatch) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Condemning the Government of Iran for restricting and suppressing 
  freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and 
  freedom of assembly, and for its human rights abuses, and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens have engaged in peaceful 
        protest since the June 12, 2009, presidential election in Iran;
Whereas the Government of Iran has responded to these protests with a concerted 
        campaign of intimidation, repression, and violence, including human 
        rights abuses against Iranian citizens;
Whereas there have been numerous allegations of torture, rape, imprisonment, and 
        violence perpetrated against Iranian citizens by the Government of Iran 
        since the June 12 elections;
Whereas the Government of Iran has sought to restrict and suppress the 
        legitimate right of the people of Iran to exercise freedom of speech, 
        freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press;
Whereas the Government of Iran has monitored, controlled, and censored access to 
        the Internet, and has conducted a campaign of harassment and 
        intimidation through the electronic media;
Whereas Freedom House assesses Internet and digital media in Iran as ``Not 
        Free,'' and characterizes the Government of Iran as wielding ``one of 
        the world's most sophisticated apparatuses for controlling the internet 
        and other digital technologies'';
Whereas the Government of Iran is engaged in a range of activities that 
        interfere with, or infringe upon, the right of the people of Iran to 
        access accurate, independent news and information;
Whereas, according to Amnesty International, the Government of Iran has banned 
        several newspapers, including Farhang-e Ashti, Arman-e Ravabet-e Omomi, 
        Tahlil-e Rooz, and Sarmayeh;
Whereas the Government of Iran has harassed, arrested, detained, imprisoned, and 
        assaulted numerous Iranian and foreign journalists, publishers, editors, 
        photographers, cameramen, and bloggers;
Whereas the Government of Iran has prohibited Iranian and non-Iranian news 
        services from distributing reports in Farsi;
Whereas the Government of Iran has revoked and temporarily suspended the 
        accreditation of foreign journalists to report on current events and 
        news developments in Iran;
Whereas the Government of Iran has interrupted short message service (SMS), 
        preventing text message communications and blocking Internet sites that 
        utilize such services;
Whereas the Government of Iran has partially jammed shortwave and medium wave 
        transmissions of Radio Farda, the Persian language service of Radio Free 
        Europe/Radio Liberty;
Whereas the Government of Iran has intermittently jammed satellite broadcasts by 
        Radio Farda, the Voice of America's Persian News Network (PNN), the 
        British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and other non-Iranian government 
        news services;
Whereas the Government of Iran has blocked Web sites and blogs, including social 
        networking, content-sharing, and blogging sites, such as Facebook, 
        Twitter, YouTube, Orkut, Blogger, and Persianblog;
Whereas the Government of Iran has targeted, blocked, and limited Internet 
        connections and mobile network access to thwart communication in advance 
        of planned demonstrations, and has seized mobile phones that were used 
        to film or document the demonstrations;
Whereas the Government of Iran has monitored online activities of Iranians and 
        threatened them and their families with punitive action, including 
        citizens of Iran and Iranian-Americans living in the United States and 
        elsewhere overseas;
Whereas, in November 2009, the police forces of the Government of Iran formed a 
        special unit to monitor websites and ``Internet crimes,'' including 
        political offenses;
Whereas the Victims of Iranian Censorship Act (subtitle D of title XII of Public 
        Law 111-84), which was signed into law on October 28, 2009, stipulates 
        that ``it shall be the policy of the United States to encourage the 
        development of technologies, including Internet Web sites, that 
        facilitate the efforts of the Iranian people to gain access to and share 
        accurate information and exercise freedom of speech, freedom of 
        expressions, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press, through the 
        Internet or other electronic media'';
Whereas on December 10, 2009, President Barack Obama affirmed in his statement 
        accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, ``We will bear witness to the quiet 
        dignity of reformers. . .to the hundreds of thousands who have marched 
        silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of 
        these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the 
        power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free 
        people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and 
        history are on their side.''
Whereas, on December 18, 2009, the United Nations General Assembly passed a 
        resolution calling on the Government of Iran to respect its human rights 
        obligations, including its obligations under its own constitution as 
        well as those of international human rights law; and
Whereas, on December 18, 2009, the Department of State issued a statement 
        welcoming the passage of the United Nations resolution which stated, 
        ``The resolution, first adopted last month by the UN Third Committee, 
        expresses deep concern over the brutal response of Iranian authorities 
        to peaceful demonstrations in the wake of the June 12 election. . .Those 
        in Iran who are trying to exercise their universal rights should know 
        that their voices are being heard.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the right of the people of Iran to peacefully 
        express their voices, opinions, and aspirations, despite 
        intimidation, repression, and violence;
            (2) condemns the human rights abuses committed by the 
        Government of Iran against Iranian citizens;
            (3) condemns the efforts of the Government of Iran to 
        restrict and suppress freedom of the press, freedom of speech, 
        freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly;
            (4) condemns online censorship, monitoring, intimidation, 
        and harassment conducted by the Government of Iran, including 
        threats against citizens of Iran and Iranian-Americans living 
        in the United States;
            (5) condemns an atmosphere of impunity in Iran for those 
        who employ censorship, intimidation, harassment, or violence to 
        restrict and suppress freedom of speech, freedom of expression, 
        freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press;
            (6) condemns the Government of Iran for violating the 
        International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, done at 
        New York December 16, 1966, and entered into force March 23, 
        1976, which has been ratified by Iran and states, ``Everyone 
        shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall 
        include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and 
        ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in 
        writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other 
        media of his choice.'';
            (7) welcomes the decision made by the Department of State 
        on December 15, 2009, to foster and support the free flow of 
        information to Iranian citizens by recommending that the 
        Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control 
        (OFAC) issue a general license that would authorize downloads 
        of free mass market software to Iran necessary for the exchange 
        of personal communications or sharing of information or both 
        over the Internet as deemed ``essential to the national 
        interest of the United States''; and
            (8) urges the implementation of the Victims of Iranian 
        Censorship Act (subtitle D of title XII of Public Law 111-84).
                                 <all>