[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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