[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 68 (Tuesday, June 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONDEMNING THE ACTIONS OF IRAN REGARDING 13 JEWISH CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2000

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my outrage about the 
ongoing activities in the City of Shiraz, Iran. Thirteen Jewish 
citizens of Iran were arrested on Passover eve in 1999 for allegedly 
spying for Israel and the United States, despite adamant denials from 
both countries regarding these trumped-up allegations. These 
individuals, including rabbis, religious teachers, and community 
activists, have committed no crime other than openly practicing the 
Jewish religion. In Iran, members of the Jewish faith are prohibited 
from holding any positions that would grant them access to state 
secrets or sensitive materials; thus, there is no possibility that 
Israel or the United States would employ 13 Jewish individuals to be 
spies--particularly those living hundreds of miles from the capital 
city of Tehran. According to the Los Angeles-based Council of Iranian 
American Jewish Organizations, Iranian officials have even admitted 
that the charges of espionage were false. ``They have never claimed 
there 13 people were spies.  . . . They were very forthright and up 
front about the fact that this is part of a game, and to show that Iran 
will not be bullied and that they have ultimate control over their 
citizens.''
  The Iranian government's false accusations of spying and arrests of 
innocent individuals on these sham charges are wholly unacceptable. If 
these ludicrous charges are allowed to stand, these innocent 
individuals may be found guilty and executed. The government of Iran 
must know that the world community is watching and will not stand by 
idly and accept this treatment of our contemporaries!
  Since the arrests over one year ago, the Iranian government has 
treated these Jewish citizens in a deplorable manner and denied them 
any due process. Primarily, the government detained these innocent 
individuals for over one year without being charged. During that time, 
they were barely allowed any visitors. Moreover, no attorney was 
allowed to visit or meet with the 13 Jewish citizens. Finally, the 
three youngest citizens were released on bail, but the other ten Jewish 
citizens are still being wrongly detained. Inherently unfair, the 
``judge'' is also the investigator, chief interrogator behind bars, 
prosecutor, and jury in this sham trial. These trials are devoid of 
public attendance; there is virtually no information or evidence 
provided, only hollow conclusionary and coerced confessions without any 
details.
  Recent actions have brought further concerns. Just before the 
``trial'' began in early May, a leading Iranian cleric delivered a 
sermon over state radio declaring, ``These people are spies  . . . they 
are Jews and are  . . . by nature enemies of Muslims.'' Most 
disconcerting, since the beginning of May, these Jewish citizens are 
beginning to ``confess'' to crimes that they did not commit. Now the 
Iranian government is showing these alleged confessions on television. 
This vicious propaganda is impacting Jews negatively throughout Iran. 
Jews throughout the country--even Jewish children--are experiencing 
harassment on the street, at work, and in school. There are reports of 
anti-Jewish graffiti and fears of an economic boycott of Jewish-owned 
shops. This anti-Semitism and persecution of Jews must stop, and it 
must stop immediately.
  The oldest Jewish Diaspora community and the biggest in the Middle 
East after Israel, Jews lived in peace in Iran for more than 2700 
years. In 1979, there were 80,000 Jews living comfortably in Iran. 
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, however, the Iranian government 
has consistently articulated anti-Israel and anti-Semitic propaganda. 
In the last twenty years, seventeen Jews have been executed on charges 
of spying, and Jewish property has been confiscated. Many of these 
executions occurred without any trials of the accused. Now, there are 
only 25,000-30,000 Jewish citizens, and the entire Jewish community is 
threatened by further state sponsored religious persecution.
  In May, we in Congress took steps to emphasize how seriously this 
sham trial will affect Iran's status in the world community. We wrote 
to the World Bank and contacted nations on the bank's loan approval 
board to urge postponement of pending loans for development projects 
for Iran. Unfortunately, loans to Iran were approved for hundreds of 
millions of dollars. Our government--President Clinton and Secretary of 
State Madeleine Albright, rightfully indicated that the World Bank 
should not have made these loans to Iran at the very time that its 
government was conducting these sham trials. Nonetheless, Members of 
Congress or other world leaders will not overlook the outcome of this 
``trial.''
  In addition, I am a proud co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 307, a critical 
resolution introduced by my New York colleague, Mr. Benjamin Gilman. 
This important measure expresses the sense of Congress that the Clinton 
Administration should condemn the arrest and prosecution of these 13 
Jewish individuals, demand that the fabricated charges be dropped and 
the individuals released immediately, and ensure that Iran's treatment 
of this case is a benchmark for determining the nature of current and 
future relations between the United States and Iran. We must work 
quickly and diligently to pass this important resolution.
  I stand here to urge the government of Iran to release all 13 wrongly 
imprisoned citizens and drop all charges against these innocent 
individuals immediately. I also urge our government to continue to 
apply pressure to the government of Iran until this anti-Semitic 
behavior is terminated. We must be vigilant and work tirelessly until 
the government of Iran has restored freedom and respect to all its 
people.

                          ____________________