[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 386 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 386

  Calling for free and fair elections in Iran, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 1, 2012

Mr. Hoeven (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Graham, Mr. 
 McCain, Mr. Begich, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Ms. Ayotte, 
 Mr. Coons, Mr. McConnell, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
  Thune, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Alexander, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Risch, Mr. 
Brown of Ohio, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Blunt, Mrs. McCaskill, 
 Ms. Collins, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. 
 Barrasso, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Coats, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Udall 
   of Colorado, Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin, Mr. Casey, Mr. Crapo, Mr. 
   Bennet, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Heller, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. 
  Inhofe, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Lee, Mr. Portman, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Wicker, Mr. 
Shelby, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Burr, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, 
    Ms. Snowe, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Moran, Ms. 
 Murkowski, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Johanns, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Franken, 
   Mr. Conrad, Ms. Klobuchar, and Mr. Enzi) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Calling for free and fair elections in Iran, and for other purposes.

Whereas democracy, human rights, and civil liberties are universal values and 
        fundamental principles of United States foreign policy;
Whereas an essential element of democratic self-government is for leaders to be 
        chosen and regularly held accountable through elections that are 
        organized and conducted in a manner that is free, fair, inclusive, and 
        consistent with international standards;
Whereas governments whose power does not derive from free and fair elections 
        lack democratic legitimacy;
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a signatory to the 
        United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 
        adopted December 16, 1966 (ICCPR), which states that every citizen has 
        the right to vote ``at genuine periodic elections'' that reflect ``the 
        free expression of the will of the electors'';
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran regularly violates its 
        obligations under the ICCPR, holding elections that are neither free nor 
        fair nor consistent with international standards;
Whereas elections in Iran are marred by the disqualification of candidates based 
        on their political views; the absence of credible international 
        observers; severe restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and 
        association, including censorship, surveillance, and disruptions in 
        telecommunications, and the absence of a free media; widespread 
        intimidation and repression of candidates, political parties, and 
        citizens; and systemic electoral fraud and manipulation;
Whereas the last nationwide election held in Iran, on June 12, 2009, was widely 
        condemned inside Iran and throughout the world as neither free nor fair 
        and provoked large-scale peaceful protests throughout Iran;
Whereas, following the June 12, 2009, election, the Government of the Islamic 
        Republic of Iran responded to peaceful protests with a large-scale 
        campaign of politically motivated violence, intimidation, and 
        repression, including acts of torture, cruel and degrading treatment in 
        detention, rape, executions, extrajudicial killings, and indefinite 
        detention;
Whereas, on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a 
        resolution denouncing the serious human rights abuses occurring in the 
        Islamic Republic of Iran;
Whereas authorities in Iran continue to hold several candidates from the 2009 
        election in indefinite detention;
Whereas authorities in Iran have announced that nationwide parliamentary 
        elections will be held on March 2, 2012;
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has banned more than 
        2,200 candidates from participating in the March 2, 2012, elections, 
        including current members of parliament;
Whereas no domestic or international election observers are scheduled to oversee 
        the March 2, 2012, elections;
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to hold leading 
        opposition figures under house arrest;
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to prevent the 
        people of Iran from accessing news and information by incarcerating more 
        journalists than any other country in the world, according to a 2011 
        report from the Committee to Protect Journalists; disrupting access to 
        the Internet, including blocking e-mail and social networking sites and 
        limiting access to foreign news and websites, developing a national 
        Internet that will facilitate government censorship of news and 
        information, and jamming international broadcasts such as the Voice of 
        America's Persian News Network and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's 
        Radio Farda; and
Whereas opposition groups in Iran have announced they will boycott the March 2, 
        2012, election because they believe it will be neither free nor fair nor 
        consistent with international standards: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
        democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law, 
        including the universal rights of freedom of assembly, freedom 
        of speech, and freedom of association;
            (2) expresses support for freedom, human rights, civil 
        liberties, and rule of law in Iran, and for elections that are 
        free, fair, and meet international standards, including 
        granting independent international and domestic electoral 
        observers unrestricted access to polling and counting stations;
            (3) expresses strong support for the people of Iran in 
        their peaceful calls for a representative and responsive 
        democratic government that respects human rights, civil 
        liberties, and the rule of law;
            (4) reminds the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
        of its obligations under the international covenants to which 
        it is a signatory to hold elections that are free and fair;
            (5) condemns the Government of the Islamic Republic of 
        Iran's widespread human rights violations;
            (6) calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
        to respect freedom of expression and association in Iran by--
                    (A) ending arbitrary detention, torture, and other 
                forms of harassment against media professionals, human 
                rights defenders and activists, and opposition figures, 
                and releasing all individuals detained for exercising 
                universally recognized human rights;
                    (B) lifting legislative restrictions on freedoms of 
                assembly, association, and expression; and
                    (C) allowing the Internet to remain free and open 
                and allowing domestic and international media to 
                operate freely;
            (7) further calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic 
        of Iran to allow international election monitors to be present 
        for the March 2, 2012, elections; and
            (8) urges the President, the Secretary of State, and other 
        world leaders--
                    (A) to express support for the universal rights and 
                freedoms of the people of Iran, including to democratic 
                self-government;
                    (B) to broaden engagement with the people of Iran 
                and support efforts in the country to help promote 
                human rights and democratic reform, including by 
                providing appropriate funding to civil society 
                organizations for democracy and governance activities; 
                and
                    (C) to condemn elections that are not free and fair 
                and that do not meet international standards.
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