[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 154 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 154

      Supporting political reform in Iran and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 23, 2013

  Mr. Hoeven (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Supporting political reform in Iran and for other purposes.

Whereas democracy, human rights, and civil liberties are universal values and 
        fundamental principles of the foreign policy of the United States;
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 in which power does not derive from free and fair elections 
        lack democratic legitimacy;
Whereas the Supreme Leader of Iran is unelected, has the power to veto any 
        decision made by the president or parliament of Iran, and controls the 
        foreign and defense policy of Iran;
Whereas the current Supreme Leader of Iran has been in power since 1989 and has 
        never been subject to a popular referendum of any kind;
Whereas elections in Iran are marred by the disqualification of candidates based 
        on their political views, the absence of credible international 
        observers, widespread intimidation and repression of candidates, 
        political parties, and citizens, and systemic electoral fraud and 
        manipulation;
Whereas elections in Iran consistently involve severe restrictions on freedom of 
        expression, assembly, and association, including censorship, 
        surveillance, disruptions in telecommunications, and the absence of a 
        free media;
Whereas the current president of Iran came to office through an election on June 
        12, 2009, that was widely condemned in Iran and throughout the world as 
        neither free nor fair and provoked large-scale peaceful protests 
        throughout Iran;
Whereas authorities in Iran continue to hold several candidates from the 2009 
        election in indefinite detention;
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran banned more than 2,200 
        candidates from participating in the March 2, 2012, parliamentary 
        elections and refused to allow domestic or international election 
        observers to oversee those elections;
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to prevent the 
        people of Iran from accessing news and information by disrupting access 
        to the Internet, including blocking e-mail and social networking sites, 
        limiting access to foreign news and websites, and developing a national 
        Internet that will facilitate government censorship of news and 
        information, and by jamming international broadcasts such as the Voice 
        of America Persian News Network and Radio Farda, a Persian language 
        broadcast of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty;
Whereas authorities in Iran have announced that a presidential election will be 
        held on June 14, 2013; and
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has banned numerous 
        candidates from participating in the June 14, 2013, presidential 
        election: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recalls Senate Resolution 386, 112th Congress, agreed 
        to March 5, 2012, which called for free and fair elections in 
        Iran;
            (2) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
        democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law, 
        including the universal rights of freedom of assembly, freedom 
        of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association;
            (3) expresses support for freedom, human rights, civil 
        liberties, and rule of law in Iran, and for elections that are 
        free and fair;
            (4) 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;
            (5) condemns the widespread human rights violations of the 
        Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran;
            (6) calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
        to respect freedom of expression and association in Iran by--
                    (A) holding elections that are free, fair, and 
                responsive to the people of Iran, including by 
                refraining from disqualifying candidates for political 
                reasons;
                    (B) making the highest level of executive power in 
                the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
                accountable to the people of Iran through free and fair 
                elections;
                    (C) 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;
                    (D) lifting legislative restrictions on freedom of 
                assembly, association, and expression; and
                    (E) allowing the Internet to remain free and open 
                and allowing domestic and international media to 
                operate freely;
            (7) calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
        to allow international election monitors to be present for the 
        June 14, 2013, election;
            (8) notes that the legitimacy of the June 14, 2013, 
        election will be further called into question if--
                    (A) candidates are disqualified for political 
                reasons;
                    (B) international election monitors are not 
                present; and
                    (C) following the election, the highest level of 
                executive power in Iran remains unaccountable to the 
                people of Iran; and
            (9) urges the President of the United States, 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 and fully accountable elected leaders;
                    (B) to engage with the people of Iran and support 
                their efforts to promote human rights and democratic 
                reform, including supporting civil society 
                organizations that promote democracy and governance;
                    (C) to support policies and programs that preserve 
                free and open access to the Internet in Iran; and
                    (D) to condemn elections that are not free and fair 
                and that do not meet international standards.
                                 <all>