[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 606 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 606
Condemning the Government of Iran for its suppression of the right of
Iranians to peacefully assemble.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 11, 2026
Mr. Lankford (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mrs.
Britt, Mr. Budd, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Ernst, Mrs.
Fischer, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Mullin,
Mr. Ricketts, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Schumer, Mr.
McConnell, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the Government of Iran for its suppression of the right of
Iranians to peacefully assemble.
Whereas, on December 28, 2025, protests began in Iran in response to enduring
economic hardship;
Whereas, in December 2025, the annual inflation rate in Iran reached 42.2
percent;
Whereas, on December 29, 2025, the Iranian rial hit a record low of 1,430,000
Iranian rials per one United States dollar, further causing economic
strife for everyday Iranians;
Whereas the protests have spread throughout Iran's capital of Tehran, all 31
provinces of Iran, and at least 100 other cities and towns nationwide in
the country's largest protests since 2022;
Whereas the first deaths were recorded on January 1, 2026, when at least seven
protestors were shot and killed;
Whereas, on January 3, 2026, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that
``rioters must be put in their place;''
Whereas, beginning on January 8, 2026, the Iranian regime implemented near-total
internet blackouts across the country, including both intranet access
and external internet access as well as cellular services;
Whereas the Iranian regime uses censorship and internet blackouts as a tool of
repression against the Iranian people;
Whereas the United States has long supported tools to ensure Iranians have
access to the means to circumvent the censorship of the regime and
access to news and information free of the regime's interference,
including through the Open Technology Fund, Radio Farda, and the Middle
East Broadcasting Networks;
Whereas, on January 10, 2026, the Attorney General of Iran, Mohammad Movahedi
Azad, said that anyone taking part in protests and those who ``helped
rioters'' would be considered an ``enemy of God,'' a capital offense in
Iran;
Whereas, as of February 10, 2026, there have been at least 6,126 deaths, with
credible reporting of up to 30,000 deaths, including 86 children and 49
civilians who were not demonstrating, and 41,800 arrests of protestors
have been reported;
Whereas hospitals, medical centers, and morgues have been overwhelmed with
injured and dead protestors;
Whereas medical professionals inside Iran have reported receiving hundreds of
patients who were injured by live rounds of ammunition from security
forces;
Whereas Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds ultimate authority over
Iran's security agencies and has overseen and orchestrated countless
human rights violations against Iranian citizens and dissidents since
1989;
Whereas the Iranian regime has used its security forces to crack down on
protests through violent means, including through extrajudicial
killings--
(1) in 1999, when at least three students were killed, several students
disappeared, and at least 1,500 people were arrested following passage by
the Iranian Parliament of censorship legislation and the subsequent closure
of a reformist newspaper;
(2) in 2009, when dozens of people were killed and opposition
candidates were arrested following protests over fraudulent elections;
(3) in 2017, when protests began as a result of increasing food prices
and the deepening economic crisis, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of
arrests;
(4) in 2019, when Iranian security forces killed approximately 1,500
people and detained 8,600 in response to protests over fuel; and
(5) in 2022, when more than 500 protestors were killed and 22,000 were
detained after Mahsa Amini died while in the custody of the Morality Police
after being detained for wearing a hijab ``improperly,'' prompting
thousands of women to lead the Women, Life, Freedom effort in the streets
of Iran;
Whereas the regime has a history of disproportionately cracking down on
religious and ethnic minorities, including Christians, Baha'is,
Zoroastrians, Jews, Sunnis, agnostics and Kurds;
Whereas Iranian civilians' unprecedented nationwide protests and bravery,
confronted with the regime's unprecedented widespread extrajudicial
killing of thousands and disruption of all electronic communication,
have profoundly destabilized the country and constitute changed
conditions in Iran;
Whereas the regime continues to persecute citizens who it disagrees with by
using criminal statutes like ``insulting the Prophet,'' ``insulting
Islam,'' ``rebellion against God,'' and ``corruption on earth;''
Whereas the Government of Iran continues to attempt to suppress protestors,
including through means of--
(1) extrajudicial killings;
(2) forced disappearances;
(3) torture;
(4) sexual and gender-based violence;
(5) arbitrary detention and imprisonment;
(6) severe restrictions on free expression;
(7) internet blackouts, censorship, and prohibition of virtual private
networks;
(8) criminalization of libel; and
(9) severe restrictions of religious freedom; and
Whereas the people of Iran have continued to fight for their basic human rights
in the face of violence and oppression: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) strongly condemns the Government of Iran's continued
killing of protestors and bystanders;
(2) condemns the Government of Iran for its suppression of
Iranians' basic human rights, including their right to
peacefully assemble;
(3) commends the courage of the Iranian people to protest
amid increased and harsh persecution from the Government of
Iran;
(4) calls on the Government of Iran to hold free and fair
elections and allow the people of Iran to determine their own
future; and
(5) supports the calls of the Iranian people to bring human
rights violators to justice.
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