[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3639-S3640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 82--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING THE 
 CONTINUOUS REPRESSION OF FREEDOMS WITHIN IRAN AND OF INDIVIDUAL HUMAN 
            RIGHTS ABUSES, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO WOMEN

  Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
Campbell, and Mr. Kyl) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                               S. Res. 82

       Whereas the people of the United States respect the Iranian 
     people and value the contributions that Iran's culture has 
     made to world civilization for over 3 millennia;
       Whereas the Iranian people aspire to democracy, civil, 
     political, and religious rights, and the rule of law, as 
     evidence by increasingly frequent antigovernment and anti-
     Khatami demonstrations within Iran and by statements of 
     numerous Iranian expatriates and dissidents;
       Whereas Iran is an ideological dictatorship presided over 
     by an unelected Supreme Leader with limitless veto power, an 
     unelected Expedience Council and Council of Guardians capable 
     of eviscerating any reforms, and a President elected only 
     after the aforementioned disqualified 234 other candidates 
     for being too liberal, reformist, or secular;
       Whereas the Iranian government has been developing a 
     uranium enrichment program that by 2005 is expected to be 
     capable of producing several nuclear weapons each year, which 
     would further threaten nations in the region and around the 
     world;
       Whereas the United States recognizes the Iranian peoples' 
     concerns that President Muhammad Khatami's rhetoric has not 
     been matched by his actions;
       Whereas President Khatami clearly lacks the ability and 
     inclination to change the behavior of the State of Iran 
     either toward the vast majority of Iranians who seek freedom 
     or toward the international community;
  Whereas political repression, newspaper censorship, corruption, 
vigilante intimidation, arbitrary imprisonment of students, and public 
executions have increased since President Khatami's inauguration in 
1997;
  Whereas men and women are not equal under the laws of Iran and women 
are legally deprived of their basic rights;

[[Page S3640]]

  Whereas the Iranian government shipped 50-tons of sophisticated 
weaponry to the Palestinian Authority despite Chairman Arafat's cease-
fire agreement, consistently seeks to undermine the Middle East peace 
process, provides safe-haven to al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists, allows 
transit of arms for guerrillas seeking to undermine our ally Turkey, 
provides transit of terrorists seeking to destabilize the United 
States-protected safe-haven in Iraq, and develops weapons of mass 
destruction;
  Whereas since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and 
despite rhetorical protestations to the contrary, the Government of 
Iran has actively and repeatedly sought to undermine the United States 
war on terror;
  Whereas there is a bond-based movement for change in Iran that 
represents all sectors of Iranian society, including youth, women, 
student bodies, military personnel, and even religious figures, that is 
pro-democratic, believes in secular government, and is yearning to live 
in freedom;
  Whereas following the tragedies of September 11, 2001, tens of 
thousands of Iranians filled the streets spontaneously and in 
solidarity with the United States and the victims of the terrorist 
attacks; and
  Whereas the people of Iran deserve the support of the American 
people: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) legitimizing the regime in Iran stifles the growth of 
     the genuine democratic forces in Iran and does not serve the 
     national security interest of the United States;
       (2) positive gestures of the United States toward Iran 
     should be directed toward the people of Iran, and not 
     political figures whose survival depends upon preservation of 
     the current regime; and
       (3) it should be the policy of the United States to seek a 
     genuine democratic government in Iran that will restore 
     freedom to the Iranian people, abandon terrorism, and live in 
     peace and security with the international community.

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