[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 27, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             THE TREATMENT OF THE BAHA'I COMMUNITY OF IRAN

  Mr. DODD. Madam President, I rise to inform my colleagues of a letter 
that was recently sent to President Clinton by myself and several of my 
colleagues regarding the treatment of the Baha'i community of Iran.
  Madam President, ever since the Islamic regime took power in 1979, 
more than 200 members of the Baha'i faith--Iran's largest religious 
minority--have been executed and thousands have been imprisoned, solely 
on account of their religious beliefs. Although the repression appears 
to have been somewhat less violent in recent years, the Iranian 
Government continues to vigorously pursue a policy of religious 
repression of the Baha'is--a policy which was made explicit in an 
official government document revealed last year.
  Iran's policy of pervasive religious discrimination threatens the 
very existence of the Baha'i community through severe economic and 
social repression. This has included the denial of education and job 
opportunities for Baha'is, confiscation of personal and community 
properties, and the denial of the right of the Baha'i community to meet 
and elect its leaders.
  Last year, 52 Members of this body joined in cosponsoring Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 31, calling on Iran to end its religious 
persecution of the Baha'i community. This legislation was adopted by 
unanimous consent in the Senate on November 17, 1993. This year, the 
House of Representatives adopted an identical resolution by a recorded 
vote of 414-0. This represented the sixth time in the past dozen years 
that the U.S. Congress has adopted legislation expressing concern for 
the Iranian Government's persecution of the Baha'is.
  Madam President, several Members of this body who took the lead in 
the adoption of Senate Concurrent Resolution 31 recently joined me in 
writing to President Clinton to urge the administration to continue its 
leadership and diplomatic efforts in support of the religious rights of 
the Baha'is. In the letter we urged the administration to continue to 
speak out in support of the cause of religious tolerance and freedom in 
Iran through the Voice of America and other appropriate public 
channels.
  I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the letter appear in 
the Record at this point.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                    Washington, DC, July 21, 1994.
     The President,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: The purpose of this letter is to 
     commend to your attention recent legislative action on Senate 
     Concurrent Resolution 31, a measure we introduced last year 
     that calls on Iran to end its persecution of the Baha'i 
     community. This legislation, which gained 52 Senate 
     cosponsors and passed the Senate by a unanimous vote in 
     November, was adopted by the House of Representatives by a 
     414-0 vote on April 19th.
       We are pleased that the Congress has chosen, for the sixth 
     time since 1982, to convey its deep sense of concern over the 
     offically-sponsored repression that has been directed against 
     Bahai's since the Iranian Revolution. While this repression 
     has been less violent in recent years, we remain concerned 
     that the Bahai's--Iran's largest religious minority--continue 
     to be singled out for persecution based on their religious 
     beliefs. Indeed, this policy was made explicit in an official 
     Iranian Government document that was revealed last year.
       We know that you are committed to the cause of human 
     freedom and civil liberties in Iran and that you are 
     determined to take actions which serve to promote these 
     important goals. To this end we urge the administration to 
     continue its leadership and diplomatic efforts on the issue 
     of the Baha'is and to continue to speak out in support of the 
     cause of tolerance and freedom in Iran through the Voice of 
     America and other appropriate public channels.
       We welcome all you have done on behalf of the Baha'i 
     community of Iran and we look forward to continuing to work 
     with you in the future on this very important issue.
     Sincerely,
     Joseph I. Lieberman,
                                                    8U.S. Senator,
     Christopher J. Dodd,
                                                     U.S. Senator,
                                           Nancy Landon Kassebaum,
                                                     U.S. Senator,
                                                      John McCain,
                                                     U.S. Senator,
                                                   Claiborne Pell,
     U.S. Senator.

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