[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 218 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 218
Calling on the Government of Iran to fulfill repeated promises of
assistance in the case of Robert Levinson, the longest held United
States civilian in our Nation's history.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 12, 2019
Mr. Deutch (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Ms. Frankel, Mr.
Waltz, Mr. Engel, Mr. McCaul, and Mr. Connolly) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of Iran to fulfill repeated promises of
assistance in the case of Robert Levinson, the longest held United
States civilian in our Nation's history.
Whereas United States citizen Robert Levinson is a retired agent of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, a resident of Coral Springs, Florida, the
husband of Christine Levinson, father of their seven children, and
grandfather of their six grandchildren;
Whereas Robert Levinson traveled from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Kish
Island, Iran, on March 8, 2007;
Whereas, after traveling to Kish Island and checking into the Hotel Maryam,
Robert Levinson disappeared on March 9, 2007;
Whereas, in December 2007, Robert Levinson's wife, Christine, traveled to Kish
Island to retrace Mr. Levinson's steps and met with officials of the
Government of Iran who pledged to help in the investigation;
Whereas, for 12 years, the United States Government has continually pressed the
Government of Iran to provide any information on the whereabouts of
Robert Levinson and to help ensure his prompt and safe return to his
family;
Whereas officials of the Government of Iran promised their continued assistance
to the relatives of Robert Levinson during the visit of the family to
the Islamic Republic of Iran in December 2007;
Whereas, in November 2010, the Levinson family received a video of Mr. Levinson
in captivity, representing the first proof of life since his
disappearance and providing some initial indications that he was being
held somewhere in southwest Asia;
Whereas, in April 2011, the Levinson family received a series of pictures of Mr.
Levinson, which provided further indications that he was being held
somewhere in southwest Asia;
Whereas Secretary of State John Kerry stated on August 28, 2013, ``The United
States respectfully asks the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
to work cooperatively with us in our efforts to help U.S. citizen Robert
Levinson'';
Whereas, on September 28, 2013, during the first direct phone conversation
between the heads of governments of the United States and Iran since
1979, President Barack Obama raised the case of Robert Levinson to
President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and urged the President of Iran to help
locate Mr. Levinson and reunite him with his family;
Whereas, on August 29, 2014, Secretary of State Kerry again stated that the
United States ``respectfully request[s] the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran work cooperatively with us to find Mr. Levinson and
bring him home'';
Whereas, on January 16, 2016, the Government of Iran released five United States
citizens detained in Iran;
Whereas, on January 17, 2016, President Obama stated that ``even as we rejoice
in the safe return of others, we will never forget about Bob'',
referring to Robert Levinson, and that ``each and every day but
especially today our hearts are with the Levinson family and we will
never rest until their family is whole again'';
Whereas, on January 19, 2016, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest stated
that the United States Government had ``secured a commitment from the
Iranians to use the channel that has now been opened to secure the
release of those individuals that we know were being held by Iran . . .
to try and gather information about Mr. Levinson's possible
whereabouts'';
Whereas the Government of Iran's most recent commitment to assist in and the
diplomatic channel dedicated to locating and returning Bob Levinson have
not yielded any meaningful results;
Whereas, on November 23, 2016, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention (UNWGAD) issued Opinion No. 50/2016, concerning Robert
Levinson in which the UNWGAD found Iran responsible for the arbitrary
detention of Mr. Levinson;
Whereas, on April 25, 2017, the Department of State issued a statement noting
that ``On the sidelines of the April 25 meeting in Vienna of the Joint
Commission overseeing implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action, the U.S. delegation 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, on March 9, 2018, Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert
stated, ``Iran committed to cooperating with the United States to assist
us in bringing Robert Levinson home and we call on Iran to fulfill this
commitment'';
Whereas, on November 26, 2013, Mr. Levinson became the longest held United
States civilian in our Nation's history;
Whereas March 9, 2019, marks 12 years since the disappearance of Robert Levinson
from Kish Island, Iran; and
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to offer a $5,000,000
reward for information leading to Mr. Levinson's safe return: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes that Robert Levinson is the longest held
United States civilian in our Nation's history;
(2) notes that repeated pledges by officials of the
Government of Iran to provide their Government's assistance in
the case of Robert Levinson have not led to any meaningful
progress in locating or returning Robert Levinson;
(3) urges the Government of Iran to take meaningful steps
towards fulfilling its repeated promises to assist in locating
and returning Robert Levinson, including by immediately
providing all available information from all entities of the
Government of Iran regarding the disappearance of Robert
Levinson to the United States Government;
(4) urges the President to make clear that the return of
Robert Levinson is a priority to the United States and commit
to redoubling United States Government efforts to secure the
release of Robert Levinson;
(5) urges the President and the allies of the United States
to continue to press the Government of Iran at every
opportunity to locate and return Robert Levinson,
notwithstanding ongoing and serious disagreements the United
States Government has with the Government of Iran on a broad
array of issues, including Iran's ballistic missile program,
sponsorship of international terrorism, destabilization of the
Middle East, and human rights abuses;
(6) notes that in addition to these other serious issues,
further delay in locating and returning Robert Levinson remains
a significant obstacle to improving United States-Iran
relations; and
(7) expresses sympathy to the family of Robert Levinson for
their anguish and hope that their ordeal can be brought to an
end in the near future.
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