[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 368 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 368

   Supporting the right of all Iranian citizens to have their voices 
                                 heard.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 4, 2018

 Mr. Corker (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. 
Johnson) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Supporting the right of all Iranian citizens to have their voices 
                                 heard.

Whereas, on December 28, 2017, Iranian citizens initiated protests objecting to 
        the system of entrenched corruption and impoverishment in Iran, as well 
        as the Government of Iran's foreign policy of supporting terrorism;
Whereas these protests began in the city of Mashhad and rapidly spread 
        throughout urban and rural populations across Iran;
Whereas these protests constitute the most significant anti-government protests 
        in Iran since June 2009;
Whereas reports indicate that Iranian citizens have expressed numerous economic 
        grievances, including the regime's widespread corruption and investment 
        of resources in regional conflicts;
Whereas reports indicate that many hundreds of Iranians have been arrested and 
        dozens killed in connection with the protests;
Whereas the Government of Iran has shut down mobile internet access and is 
        working to block access to social media applications used to organize 
        and publicize the protests;
Whereas online social networking and information sharing sites such as Telegram, 
        Instagram, and Twitter have been blocked;
Whereas the Government of Iran has routinely violated the human rights of its 
        citizens, including ongoing, systematic, and serious restrictions of 
        freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and 
        expression, including the continuing closures of media outlets, arrests 
        of journalists, and the censorship of expression in online forums such 
        as blogs and websites;
Whereas the 2016 Department of State Human Rights Report on Iran noted ``severe 
        restrictions on civil liberties, including the freedoms of assembly, 
        association, speech, religion, and press. Other human rights problems 
        included abuse of due process combined with use of capital punishment 
        for crimes that do not meet the requirements of due process, as well as 
        cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; and disregard for 
        the physical integrity of persons, whom authorities arbitrarily and 
        unlawfully detained, tortured, or killed.'';
Whereas the Government of Iran has previously responded to protests with a 
        concerted campaign of intimidation, repression, and violence, including 
        human rights abuses against Iranian citizens;
Whereas the Government of Iran continues to operate with hostility and impunity 
        toward journalists, reformers, ethnic and religious minorities, 
        political opponents, human rights defenders, women's rights groups, 
        student activists, and others, including through unlawful and arbitrary 
        detentions, arrests, politically motivated sentencing, physical 
        assaults, and killings; and
Whereas, on December 29, 2017, the Department of State strongly condemned the 
        arrest of peaceful protesters and noted, ``Iran's leaders have turned a 
        wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically 
        depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and 
        chaos.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the right of all Iranian citizens, many of 
        whom braved the persistent and pervasive threat of censorship, 
        arrest, physical harassment, and death, to have their voices 
        heard;
            (2) calls on the Government of Iran to respect the rights 
        of the people of Iran to freedom of speech, press, religion, 
        association, and assembly;
            (3) condemns the Government of Iran's persistent human 
        rights violations;
            (4) warns the Government of Iran against any violence or 
        retribution targeting peaceful protestors;
            (5) objects to acts of censorship, intimidation, and other 
        restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and 
        freedom of expression in Iran;
            (6) encourages the President, the Secretary of State, and 
        the United States Ambassador to the United Nations to work to 
        convene emergency sessions of the United Nations Security 
        Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn 
        the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the 
        Government of Iran and establish a monitoring mechanism by 
        which the Council can monitor such violations;
            (7) calls on the Government of Iran to cooperate with and 
        allow visits of the United Nations Special Rapporteurs for 
        Human Rights and the United Nations Office of the High 
        Commissioner for Human Rights; and
            (8) urges the President and Secretary of State to work with 
        the international community to ensure that violations of human 
        rights are part of all formal and informal multilateral or 
        bilateral discussions with and regarding Iran.
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