[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 752 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 752

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      January 28, 2020.
Whereas, on November 15, 2019, popular protests against the Iranian regime began 
        and rapidly spread to at least 100 cities throughout the country, in the 
        most significant antigovernment protests in Iran since June 2009;
Whereas the protests began in response to an announced increase on the price of 
        fuel and protesters have expressed numerous economic grievances, while 
        also calling for the structural reform of the political system and 
        condemning current and former Iranian leaders;
Whereas reports indicate that Iranian security forces have used lethal force in 
        arresting more than 7,000 people and killed hundreds of people in 
        connection with the protests;
Whereas reports indicate that Iranian Government authorities have, in many 
        instances, refused to return victims' bodies to their families and that 
        security forces have removed bodies from morgues and transferred them to 
        unknown locations;
Whereas, on November 16, 2019, Iranian authorities began implementing a near-
        total shutdown of internet services, stopping nearly all means of online 
        communications for people inside Iran, to preclude the sharing of images 
        and videos of deadly violence being used by security forces;
Whereas section 103(b)(2)(B) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 
        Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8512(b)(2)(B)) 
        authorizes licensing services relating to personal communications over 
        the Internet, to improve the ability of the Iranian people to speak 
        freely;
Whereas General License D-1 authorizes the provision of key communication tools 
        to the Iranian people with the aim of ensuring that the Iranian people 
        can freely access the internet;
Whereas, on November 16, 2019, Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli 
        said that the Iranian regime will no longer show ``tolerance'' and 
        ``self-control'' toward the protesters;
Whereas, on November 17, 2019, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 
        called the demonstrators ``villains'' galvanized by foreign enemies and 
        domestic insurgents and ordered Iranian security services to ``implement 
        their duties'' to end the protests;
Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed 
        to the city of Mahshahr and engaged in mass repression, reportedly 
        killing as many as 100 people;
Whereas several laws provide authorities to designate and sanction elements of 
        the Iranian regime involved in significant corruption or serious human 
        rights abuses, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 
        Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, the Countering America's 
        Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and the Iran Threat Reduction and 
        Syria Human Rights Act of 2012;
Whereas the Iranian regime was implicated in a March 2018 plot in Albania and 
        June 2018 plot in France against Iranian opposition activists;
Whereas Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia have been 
        sanctioned by the United States for planning and carrying out serious 
        human rights abuses against the Iranian people, including for the cruel 
        and prolonged torture of political dissidents;
Whereas in August 2018 the United States criminally charged two persons for 
        acting as illegal agents of the Government of Iran for having conducted 
        surveillance on Jewish and Israeli facilities and Iranian political 
        dissidents;
Whereas the regime has routinely violated the human rights of Iranian citizens, 
        including by implementing 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 Department of State's 2018 Human Rights Report on Iran noted 
        ``severe restrictions on free expression, the press, and the internet, 
        including censorship, site blocking, and criminalization of libel; 
        substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and 
        freedom of association, such as overly restrictive nongovernmental 
        organization (NGO) laws; egregious restrictions of religious freedom; 
        restrictions on political participation; widespread corruption at all 
        levels of government'';
Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that, ``The 
        United States is monitoring the ongoing protests in Iran closely. We 
        condemn strongly any acts of violence committed by this regime against 
        the Iranian people and are deeply concerned by reports of several 
        fatalities * * *. The Islamic Republic must cease violence against its 
        own people and should immediately restore the ability of all Iranians to 
        access a free and open Internet.'';
Whereas, on November 22, 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran's 
        Minister of Information and Communications Technology for his role in 
        shutting down internet access in Iran;
Whereas, on November 18, 2019, the Office of the German Chancellor stated that, 
        ``It is legitimate and deserving of our respect when people courageously 
        air their economic and political grievances, as is currently happening 
        in Iran. The Iranian government should respond to the current protests 
        with a willingness to engage in dialogue * * *. We urge the government 
        in Tehran to respect freedom of assembly and expression.'';
Whereas, on November 20, 2019, the French Foreign Ministry stated that, ``France 
        is following the demonstrations taking place in Iran with concern. It 
        expresses its deep concern at reports that a large number of 
        demonstrators have been killed in the last few days. It reaffirms its 
        attachment to respect for the freedom of expression and to access to 
        means of communication, as well as to the right to demonstrate 
        peacefully. France calls on Iran to comply with its international human 
        rights obligations, in particular the International Covenant on Civil 
        and Political Rights.'';
Whereas, on November 21, 2019, the European Union stated that, ``The protests in 
        several Iranian cities over the past days have, according to reports, 
        led to serious loss of life and left many people injured. We convey our 
        condolences to the families of victims and wish a speedy recovery to 
        those injured. Socio-economic challenges should be addressed through 
        inclusive dialogue and not through the use of violence. We expect Iran's 
        security forces to exercise maximum restraint in handling the protests 
        and for protestors to demonstrate peacefully. Any violence is 
        unacceptable. The rights to freedom of expression and assembly must be 
        guaranteed. We also expect the Iranian authorities to ensure the free 
        flow of information and access to the internet.'';
Whereas, on November 26, 2019, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated, ``The 
        Iranian people are once again on the streets because of the regime's 
        poor economic management. And instead of addressing their grievances, 
        Tehran has responded with violence and blaming those outside of the 
        country.'';
Whereas, on December 8, 2019, the High Representative of the European Union 
        Josep Borrell Fontelles stated that, ``A growing body of evidence 
        indicates that despite repeated calls for restraint, the Iranian 
        security forces' disproportionate response to recent demonstrations has 
        led to high numbers of deaths and injuries. For the European Union and 
        its Member States, the widespread and disproportionate use of force 
        against nonviolent protestors is unacceptable.'';
Whereas, on December 8, 2019, the High Representative of the European Union 
        Josep Borrell Fontelles stated that ``A growing body of evidence 
        indicates that despite repeated calls for restraint, the Iranian 
        security forces' disproportionate response to recent demonstrations has 
        led to high numbers of deaths and injuries. For the European Union and 
        its Member States, the widespread and disproportionate use of force 
        against nonviolent protestors is unacceptable.'';
Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations, voted for the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights, and is a signatory to the International 
        Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other international human 
        rights treaties;
Whereas in violation of these and other international obligations, Iranian 
        regime officials continue to violate the fundamental human rights of the 
        Iranian people;
Whereas the Iranian regime has a long history of violent repression of dissent, 
        including--

    (1) in 1988, the Iranian regime carrying out the barbaric mass 
executions of thousands of political prisoners by hanging and firing squad 
for refusing to renounce their political affiliations and in some cases for 
possessing political reading material, including prisoners of conscience, 
teenagers, and pregnant women;

    (2) in 1999, the Iranian regime brutally suppressing a student revolt 
that was one of the largest mass uprisings up until that point in the 
country since 1979;

    (3) following voting irregularities that resulted in the 2009 election 
of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian regime brutally suppressing 
peaceful political dissent from wide segments of civil society during the 
Green Revolution in a cynical attempt to retain its undemocratic grip on 
power; and

    (4) beginning in December 2017, and continuing for several months after 
protests erupted in more than 80 cities, the Iranian regime suppressing 
such protests with repressive force that resulted in at least 25 deaths and 
4,000 arrests;

Whereas, on January 9, 2018, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed 
        H. Res. 676, a resolution supporting the rights of the people of Iran to 
        free expression and condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on 
        legitimate protests;
Whereas, on December 5, 2019, the Department of State identified the Great 
        Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafuyeh) and Qarchack Prison as entities 
        responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human 
        rights in Iran and subject to the imposition of sanctions under section 
        106 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (22 
        U.S.C. 9405);
Whereas, on January 8, 2020, the Iranian military shot down a civilian airliner 
        Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 in a surface-to-air missile strike, 
        killing 176 civilians aboard;
Whereas for 3 days, the Iranian military denied that it shot down Ukrainian 
        Airlines Flight 752 before admitting responsibility on January 11, 2020;
Whereas peaceful protestors amassed throughout Iran on January 11, 2020, and 
        subsequent days, decrying the Government of Iran's downing of the 
        Ukrainian airliner, subsequent campaign of lies and obfuscation, and 
        continued undemocratic practices; and
Whereas in response to peaceful protests throughout early January 2020, Iranian 
        Government forces fired live rounds and used brutal tactics against 
        civilians in a manner well-documented by international human rights 
        organizations, media, and scores of Iranians: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) stands with the people of Iran that are engaged in legitimate 
        and peaceful protests against an oppressive, corrupt regime;
            (2) condemns the Iranian regime's serious human rights abuses 
        against the Iranian people, significant corruption, and destabilizing 
        activities abroad;
            (3) commends the statements of support for the protesters from the 
        executive branch and key allies;
            (4) calls on all democratic governments and institutions to clearly 
        support the Iranian people's right to live in a free society;
            (5) demands that the Iranian regime abide by its international 
        obligations with respect to human rights and civil liberties, including 
        freedoms of assembly, speech, and press;
            (6) urges the Administration 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 Iranian regime and establish a mechanism by which the 
        Security Council can monitor such violations;
            (7) encourages the Administration to provide assistance to the 
        Iranian people to have free and uninterrupted access to the internet, 
        including by broadening General License D-1;
            (8) calls on companies to reject requests by the regime to cut off 
        the Iranian people from social media and other communications platforms;
            (9) respects the proud history and rich culture of the Iranian 
        nation and fully supports efforts by the people of Iran to promote the 
        establishment of basic freedoms that build the foundation for the 
        emergence of a freely elected, open, and democratic political system;
            (10) supports the right of Iranian dissidents to assemble, without 
        fear of persecution and violence, whether in Iran or internationally; 
        and
            (11) urges the President and the 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.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.