[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 317 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 317

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         July 26, 2017.
Whereas Iran has taken as hostages several United States citizens, including 
        Siamak and Baquer Namazi and Xiyue Wang, as well as United States legal 
        permanent resident, Nizar Zakka;
Whereas Siamak Namazi was detained on October 15, 2015, falsely accused, and 
        convicted on October 18, 2016, for ``collaborating with a hostile 
        government'' and has been held for extended periods in solitary 
        confinement and under constant interrogation;
Whereas former UNICEF official Baquer Namazi, the 80-year old father of Siamak 
        Namazi, was detained on February 22, 2016, falsely accused, and 
        sentenced to 10 years in prison for the same crime as his son;
Whereas former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Iranian 
        authorities to release Baquer Namazi, whose health status is 
        deteriorating, to allow his family to care for him;
Whereas UNICEF has issued four public statements on Baquer Namazi's behalf;
Whereas Xiyue Wang, a graduate student at Princeton University, was arrested in 
        Iran on or about August 7, 2016, while studying Farsi and researching 
        the late Qajar dynasty as background for his doctoral dissertation, 
        detained by Iran in Evin prison for almost a year, falsely charged with 
        espionage, and sentenced to 10 years in prison;
Whereas Robert Levinson, a United States citizen and retired agent of the 
        Federal Bureau of Investigation, traveled to Kish Island, Iran, and 
        disappeared on March 9, 2007;
Whereas the United States Government had ``secured a commitment from the 
        Iranians * * * to try and gather information about Mr. Levinson's 
        possible whereabouts'' but has not received any information thus far;
Whereas Nizar Zakka, a United States legal permanent resident alien and Lebanese 
        national, who is also in a weakened physical state, was unlawfully 
        detained around September 18, 2015, after presenting at a conference in 
        Iran at Iran's invitation, and was later falsely charged with being a 
        spy and sentenced to 10 years at the Evin prison;
Whereas, on April 13, 2017, the Department of the Treasury sanctioned the Tehran 
        Prisons Organization and its former head, Sohrab Soleimani, and White 
        House Press Secretary Sean Spicer noted ``The sanctions against human 
        rights abusers in Iran's prisons come at a time when Iran continues to 
        unjustly detain in its prisons various foreigners, including U.S. 
        citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi'';
Whereas, on April 25, 2017, at the meeting of the Joint Commission overseeing 
        implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Department 
        of State reported that the United States delegation had ``raised with 
        the Iranian delegation its serious concerns regarding the cases of U.S. 
        citizens detained and missing in Iran, and called on Iran to immediately 
        release these U.S. citizens so they can be reunited with their 
        families'';
Whereas elements of the Iranian regime are reportedly using nationals, dual-
        nationals, and permanent residents from the United States, Canada, the 
        United Kingdom, France, and other countries to exact political or 
        financial concessions; and
Whereas reports indicate that the Government of Iran is seeking additional 
        payments or other concessions, including relief from economic sanctions, 
        from the families of hostages and their governments as a condition of 
        release, a practice banned by the 1979 International Convention Against 
        the Taking of Hostages and other international legal norms: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to 
        release unconditionally Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Xiyue Wang, Nizar 
        Zakka, and any other United States citizen, legal permanent resident 
        alien, or foreign national being unjustly detained in Iran;
            (2) urges the President to make the release of United States 
        citizens and legal permanent resident aliens held hostage by the 
        Government of Iran the highest of priorities;
            (3) requests that the United States and its allies whose nationals 
        have been detained consider establishing a multinational task force to 
        secure the release of the detainees;
            (4) urges the Government of Iran to take meaningful steps towards 
        fulfilling its repeated promises to assist in locating and returning 
        Robert Levinson, including immediately providing all available 
        information from all entities of the Government of Iran regarding the 
        disappearance of Robert Levinson to the United States Government;
            (5) encourages the President to take meaningful action to secure the 
        release of Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Xiyue Wang, Nizar Zakka, and 
        any other United States citizen, legal permanent resident alien, or 
        foreign national being unjustly detained in Iran if the Government of 
        Iran does not release such United States citizens, legal permanent 
        resident aliens, and foreign nationals; and
            (6) encourages the President to take meaningful action to secure the 
        return of Robert Levinson if the Government of Iran does not locate and 
        return him.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.