[House Hearing, 114 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
CONDEMNING THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN'S STATE-SPONSORED PERSECUTION OF ITS
BAHA'I MINORITY AND ITS CONTINUED VIOLATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL
COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
=======================================================================
MARKUP
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
H. Res. 220
__________
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
__________
Serial No. 114-221
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/
or
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
21-544PDF WASHINGTON : 2016
________________________________________________________________________________________
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office,
http://bookstore.gpo.gov. For more information, contact the GPO Customer Contact Center,
U.S. Government Publishing Office. Phone 202-512-1800, or 866-512-1800 (toll-free).
E-mail, [email protected].
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida BRAD SHERMAN, California
DANA ROHRABACHER, California GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
JOE WILSON, South Carolina GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
TED POE, Texas BRIAN HIGGINS, New York
MATT SALMON, Arizona KAREN BASS, California
DARRELL E. ISSA, California WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina ALAN GRAYSON, Florida
MO BROOKS, Alabama AMI BERA, California
PAUL COOK, California ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California
RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas GRACE MENG, New York
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
RON DeSANTIS, Florida TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
TED S. YOHO, Florida ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
CURT CLAWSON, Florida BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin
DAVID A. TROTT, Michigan
LEE M. ZELDIN, New York
DANIEL DONOVAN, New York
Amy Porter, Chief of Staff Thomas Sheehy, Staff Director
Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director
------
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida, Chairman
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
JOE WILSON, South Carolina GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
DARRELL E. ISSA, California BRIAN HIGGINS, New York
RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island
RON DeSANTIS, Florida ALAN GRAYSON, Florida
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina GRACE MENG, New York
TED S. YOHO, Florida LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
CURT CLAWSON, Florida BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
DAVID A. TROTT, Michigan
LEE M. ZELDIN, New York
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
MARKUP ON
H. Res. 220, Condemning the Government of Iran's state-sponsored
persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation
of the International Covenants on Human Rights................. 2
Amendment to H. Res. 220 offered by the Honorable Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Florida, and chairman, Subcommittee on the Middle East and
North Africa................................................. 7
APPENDIX
Markup notice.................................................... 14
Markup minutes................................................... 15
Markup summary................................................... 16
CONDEMNING THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN'S STATE-SPONSORED PERSECUTION OF ITS
BAHA'I MINORITY AND ITS CONTINUED VIOLATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL
COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
----------
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:35 a.m., in
room 2255, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you. The subcommittee will come to
order. Pursuant to notice, we meet today to mark up House
Resolution 220, Condemning the Government of Iran's state-
sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued
violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. As
your offices were notified earlier this week, we are going to
consider it en bloc with a minor amendment that we had
circulated updating some of the figures in the resolution. And
so without objection, the following items provided to your
offices earlier this week will be considered en bloc and are
considered as read: House Resolution 220, Condemning the
Government of Iran's State-Sponsored Persecution of Its Baha'i
Minority, and Ros-Lehtinen amendment 57.
[The information referred to follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Without objection, all members may have 5
days to submit statements and materials for the record. I now
recognize myself to speak.
First, I want to thank my good friend, my Florida
colleague, Ranking Member Deutch, our full committee Ranking
Member Eliot Engel for joining me in introducing this
resolution and I would also like to thank Chairman Royce and
his staff for working closely with us to make this markup
happen.
With all the focus being on Iran's nuclear program and the
JCPOA, many people often lose sight of the regime's horrendous
human rights record, and while we must continue to shine a
light on the dangers of Iran's nuclear program, its ballistic
missile program, its support for terror, and its continued
provocations against the United States and our ally, the
democratic Jewish State of Israel, we cannot turn a blind eye
to the suffering of the Iranian people under the Supreme
Leader, and the so-called moderate Rouhani, and we must not
turn a blind eye to the suffering of the ethnic and religious
minorities in Iran, like the Baha'i.
With over 300,000 adherents, the Baha'i minority in Iran is
the largest non-Muslim religious minority in that country, but
because of their faith, they are forced to endure terrible
persecution and repression by the Iranian regime. Baha'i school
children are constantly harassed and pressured to recant their
beliefs, and adult Baha'i adherents are barred from public
sector employment, and private sector employers are pressured
to not hire them.
The Iranian regime will not recognize Baha'i marriages, and
worse, Baha'i cemeteries and holy places are constantly
attacked and destroyed. Members of this religious minority are
routinely subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention, their
homes are frequently raided and their property is being
confiscated. Hundreds of Baha'i have been killed by the Iranian
regime since the 1979 revolution. Scores have been executed and
thousands more have been imprisoned.
Currently, there are 60 Baha'is in prison, including the
seven leaders of the Baha'i community in Iran who are serving
20-year sentences, the longest of any prisoner of conscience in
Iran.
House Resolution 220 shines a light on this dire situation,
and puts the Iranian regime on notice that the world is
watching its violations of religious freedom and human rights,
and will not stand idly by in the face of this brutal
repression.
This resolution calls on the Iranian regime to release the
imprisoned Baha'is and all other religious prisoners. It urges
the President and Secretary of State to condemn the Iranian
regime's continued violation of human rights, and this
resolution urges the President and the Secretary of State to
impose sanctions on individual Iranian officials directly
responsible for human rights violations in Iran.
The administration has the tools available to it, and it
has the evidence of wrongdoing by Iranian regime officials. It
is time to use those tools that Congress has given it to hold
these officials accountable for their human rights abuses. I
urge my colleagues to support this measure. I now turn to my
good friend and Florida colleague, the ranking member, for his
remarks.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Madam Chairman, thanks for holding
today's markup. I would like to thank the other members who
introduced this legislation along with us, Representatives
Engel, Chabot, Schakowsky, and Dold. The resolution before us
condemns the government of Iran's systemic, state-sponsored
persecution of the Baha'i faith.
The treatment that Baha'i receive in their own country is
deplorable. It deserves to be condemned by all responsible
nations. Now, the discussion in this committee over Iran's
human rights abuses is unfortunately nothing new. This is a
regime that brutally represses political opposition, it
violates due process, executes minors, detains foreign
nationals, and essentially violates the most basic rights of it
citizens daily by using technology to restrict the
communication and access to information.
The Baha'i community has been severely targeted. Baha'i
have been banned from practicing their faith. Baha'i have been
denied jobs. They have had their homes raided and property
confiscated, and they have had their leaders arrested and
imprisoned. Since 1979, more than 200 Baha'i leaders have been
executed.
Currently, seven Baha'i leaders are serving up the longest
sentences handed down to any prisoners of conscience in Iran,
having been convicted of crimes such as, and I quote, ``spying
for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, propaganda against
the regime, and spreading corruption on earth.''
Madam Chairman, 15 times before, this Congress has
condemned the persecution of the Baha'i. We now have new
channels for engagement with Iran, and when U.S. officials meet
with their Iranian counterparts, human rights must be on the
agenda every time. I have been proud to partner with the
chairman in past efforts to impose new sanctions against
Iranian officials for human rights abuses. Those sanctions are
still on the books. They did not disappear when the nuclear
deal was signed, and the administration has stated it is
committed to enforcing them.
The resolution before us today puts this Congress on record
once again. We will stand up for the rights of religious
minorities, and we will never be silent when it comes to
calling out those who commit human rights abuses. I urge my
colleagues to support this resolution in support of the Baha'i
community, and I yield back.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Well said. Thank you, Mr. Deutch. I would
now like to recognize other members for their statements. Mr.
Chabot of Ohio.
Mr. Chabot. Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you
for your leadership on this very important issue condemning the
Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of the
Baha'i minority in that country.
Iran's persecution of its Baha'i minority is sponsored by
the state, and it is in violation of international law, the
International Covenants on Human Rights. Since the revolution
in 1979, at least 200 Baha'i religious leaders have been
executed by the state; 10,000 have been dismissed from their
jobs; 700 have been arrested for no reason at all since 2005.
The Baha'i are required to register with the police, their
homes are raided, their businesses and property are
confiscated, their children are denied the right to an
education, their cemeteries are desecrated. It goes on and on.
Why does all this happen? Because the Islamic Republic of
Iran sees the Baha'i as heretics who deserve to be persecuted.
It is absolutely outrageous. The Islamic Republic of Iran is in
violation of its international legal commitments, the
International Covenants on Human Rights. The resolution before
us this morning condemns Iran's persecution of the Baha'i and
calls upon the Iranian Government to release seven imprisoned
Baha'i leaders and 12 educators.
This resolution calls on the President and Secretary of
State to work with our allies to condemn Iran's treatment of
its Baha'i minority and its deplorable human rights record.
Finally, it urges the President and Secretary of State to
utilize the comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and
Divestment Act of 2010 to sanction Iran for its mistreatment of
its Baha'i community and its other violations of human rights
under international law.
Once again, I thank you, Madam Chair, and the other members
of the committee who support this measure, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you, Mr. Chabot.
Mr. Cicilline of Rhode Island.
Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Madam Chairman and Ranking Member
Deutch, for holding this markup today. I commend you both for
introducing this important resolution condemning the Government
of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority
and its continued violation of the International Covenants on
Human Rights, and I am proud to have joined as a cosponsor.
I am pleased that this subcommittee has come together, as
it so often does, in the spirit of bipartisanship, to pass
legislation that deals with important issues. As we are all
well aware, the Government of Iran continues to engage in
widespread human rights abuses.
On March 2016, reported the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,
found that Iran is in violation of its international human
rights obligations by continuing practices that criminalize the
exercise of fundamental human rights.
Iran's ethnic, religious, and linguistic minority
communities face persistent discrimination and persecution. The
Government of Iran systematically discriminates against
religious and ethnic minorities, including Baha'is, Christians,
Jews, Sufis, Zoroastrians, Kurds, Arabs, Baluchis, Turkmen, and
Osiris, and Muslims deemed as divergent from state ideology,
among others. Baha'is are the country's largest non-Muslim
religious minority.
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, systemic
persecution of Baha'is has been a matter of government policy.
The Iranian Government's attacks on Baha'is have been on the
increase, and since 2005, more than 860 Baha'is have been
arrested, including all seven members of a former leadership
group serving the Baha'i community of Iran.
Other types of persecution inflicted on the Baha'i
community in Iran include economic and educational
discrimination, strict limits on the right to assemble and
worship, and the dissemination of anti-Baha'i propaganda in the
government-led news media. Attacks on Baha'i to Baha'i-owned
properties go unprosecuted and unpunished, creating a sense of
impunity for attackers.
Aside from anti-Baha'i persecution, Iran's other human
rights violations run the gamut. The Guardian Counsel of Iran
disqualified thousands of candidates from running in the 2016
parliamentary elections, and the 88-member assembly of experts
and continues to tightly control all election activities.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, as of
December 2015, Iran held at least 50 journalists, bloggers, and
social media activists in detention. Iran carries out the
second highest number of executions of any country in the world
after China, and according to the Human Rights Watch, more than
800 individuals were reportedly executed in 2015, most for
drug-related charges.
Widespread immunity remains in place for police and
security forces that commit human rights violations. The penal
code criminalizes all sexual relations outside of marriage, and
individuals can be put to death for consensual same-sex
conduct. Women remain significantly underrepresented in
politics and government, and are denied equal rights in
divorce, child custody, and inheritance.
The Government of Iran provides no protection to women and
children forced into sex trafficking, and officials have been
complicit in sex trafficking frequently.
We must continue to expose blatant violations of human
rights around the world. I therefore strongly support this
important resolution which condemns Iran for its systemic,
state-sponsored human rights abuses and urge all of my
colleagues to do the same. And with that, I yield back.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Mr. Cicilline. We will
turn now to Mr. Grayson of Florida.
Mr. Grayson. I have no statement on this. Thank you very
much.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you. Hearing no further requests
for recognition, the Chair now moves that the subcommittee
favorably report the items considered en bloc to the full
committee. All those in favor, say aye.
All opposed, no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, the motion
is approved, and House Resolution 220 is reported favorably to
the full committee as amended.
I want to thank all of the members and the staff for the
assistance and cooperation that went into today's markup. Thank
you so much. And with that, the subcommittee stands adjourned.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
[Whereupon, at 9:47 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[all]