[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 111 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 111
Calling on the Government of Iran to immediately release Saeed Abedini
and all other individuals detained on account of their religious
beliefs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 13, 2015
Mr. Pittenger (for himself, Mr. Walker, Mr. Vargas, and Ms. Frankel of
Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of Iran to immediately release Saeed Abedini
and all other individuals detained on account of their religious
beliefs.
Whereas, in September 2012, Saeed Abedini, a resident of the State of Idaho and
a minority Christian with dual Iranian-United States citizenship, was
arbitrarily detained in the Islamic Republic of Iran, held in solitary
confinement, physically beaten, denied access to necessary medical
treatment as a result of that abuse, and denied access to his lawyer
until just before his trial;
Whereas, in January 2013, an Iranian court accused Saeed Abedini of attempting
to undermine the national security of Iran by gathering with fellow
Christians in private homes;
Whereas Saeed Abedini was tried in a non-public trial before a judge who had
been sanctioned by the European Union for repeated violations of human
rights, including issuing long prison sentences to peaceful protestors
following the 2009 election;
Whereas, during the trial, Saeed Abedini and his Iranian attorney were barred
from attending portions of the trial in which the prosecution provided
and the judge received evidence through witness testimony;
Whereas the Iranian court sentenced Saeed Abedini to 8 years in prison;
Whereas, in August 2013, the 36th branch of the Tehran appeals court denied
Saeed Abedini's appeal and affirmed his 8-year sentence;
Whereas the Government of Iran continues to indefinitely imprison Saeed Abedini
for peacefully exercising his faith;
Whereas the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that
every individual has ``the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion'', which includes the ``freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in
public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching,
practice, worship and observance'', and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights echoes that declaration;
Whereas the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights holds that
every individual shall be free from arbitrary arrest and detention, and
that every individual bears the right to have adequate time and
facilities for the preparation of his defense and to be present during
the duration of his trial;
Whereas the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights further
guarantees every individual the right to a fair and public hearing by a
competent, independent, and impartial tribunal;
Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations and a signatory to both the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights without reservation;
Whereas articles 13 and 23 through 27 of the Constitution of the Islamic
Republic of Iran provide for freedom of expression, assembly, and
association, as well as the freedom to practice one's religion;
Whereas Iran is a religiously diverse society and the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of
Iran reports that religious minorities, including Nematullahi Sufi
Muslims, Sunnis, Baha'is, and Christians, face human rights violations
in Iran;
Whereas, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of incidents
of Iranian authorities raiding religious services, detaining worshipers
and religious leaders, and harassing and threatening minority religious
members;
Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur reports that Iranian intelligence
officials are known to threaten Christian converts with arrest and
apostasy charges if they do not return to Islam;
Whereas the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Iran
has arbitrarily detained Saeed Abedini in violation of its international
human rights obligations and ordered his immediate release; and
Whereas President Barack Obama has demonstrated his personal commitment to the
case of Saeed Abedini by meeting with his family and has called on
President Hassan Rouhani to demonstrate the commitment of Iran to
individual human rights through the release of all prisoners of
conscience: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes that freedom of religious belief and
practice is a universal human right and a fundamental freedom
of every individual, regardless of race, sex, country, creed,
or nationality, and should never be arbitrarily abridged by any
government;
(2) recognizes that governments have a responsibility to
protect the fundamental rights of their citizens; and
(3) calls on the Government of Iran to immediately release
Saeed Abedini and all other individuals detained on account of
their religious beliefs.
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