[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 155 (Thursday, October 30, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13679-S13681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 78--CONDEMNING THE REPRESSION OF THE 
 IRANIAN BAHA'I COMMUNITY AND CALLING FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF IRANIAN 
                                BAHA'IS

  Mr. LEIBERMAN (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. 
Brownback) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 78

       Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 
     2000, Congress, by concurrent resolution, declared that it 
     holds the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the 
     rights of all Iranian nationals, including members of the 
     Baha'i Faith;
       Whereas in those resolutions and in numerous other appeals, 
     Congress has deplored the religious persecution by the 
     Government of Iran of the Baha'i community and has condemned 
     the execution by Iran of more than 200 Baha'is and the 
     disruptive imprisonment of thousands of others solely on 
     account of their religious beliefs;
       Whereas Iranian Baha'is are not permitted to elect their 
     leaders, assemble or organize as a community, operate 
     religious schools, or conduct other religious community 
     activities that are guaranteed by the Universal Declaration 
     of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations 
     General Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) of December 10, 1984;
       Whereas the continued denial of Baha'i property rights by 
     the Iranian Government is demonstrated by the confiscation by 
     the Iranian Government of a multitude of Baha'i community and 
     private properties;
       Whereas the Government of Iran continues to deny individual 
     Baha'is access to higher education and government employment, 
     in addition to denying recognition and religious rights to 
     the Baha'i community;
       Whereas because Baha'is have been banned from teaching and 
     studying at Iranian universities since the Islamic 
     Revolution, Baha'is established the Baha'i Institute of 
     Higher Education, or Baha'i Open University, to provide 
     educational opportunities to Baha'i youth using volunteer 
     faculty and a network of classrooms, libraries, and 
     laboratories in private homes and buildings throughout Iran;
       Whereas in September and October of 1998, officers of the 
     Ministry of Information, the intelligence agency of the 
     Iranian Government, arrested 36 faculty members of the Open 
     University;
       Whereas on July 19, 2002, Iranian Revolutionary Guards 
     systematically disrupted student qualifying examinations for 
     the Open University in 9 different districts by videotaping 
     the proceedings, questioning the students, and confiscating 
     examination papers and Baha'i books;
       Whereas the use of arbitrary arrests, suspended sentences, 
     and short-term detentions against the Iranian Baha'is have 
     become widespread;
       Whereas as of June 2003, 4 Baha'is remain in Iranian 
     prisons solely because of their religious beliefs: 1 serving 
     a life sentence on charges of apostasy, 1 serving 4 years on 
     charges of participation in Baha'i activities, and 2 
     sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on charges of association 
     with Baha'i institutions;
       Whereas on October 10, 2003, the Norwegian Nobel Committee 
     awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2003 to Shirin Ebadi for 
     her efforts involving democracy and human rights, including 
     advocating equal rights for the Baha'i community in Iran;
       Whereas the conclusions contained in the report of October 
     13, 2003 by the General Affairs and External Relations 
     Council of the European Union, conveyed the continuing 
     concern of the European Union about the violations of the 
     Baha'is' right to freedom of religion, and urged the Iranian 
     Government to comply with both the recommendations made in 
     June 2003 by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary 
     Detention and with the recommendations made in August 2003 by 
     the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 
     concerning injustice, particularly in relation to education, 
     property rights, and employment; and
       Whereas in the 2003 General Affairs and External Relations 
     Council report, the European Union urged the Government of 
     Iran to expedite reform on many fronts, while recognizing the 
     meetings held in 2003 and the planned meetings that have been 
     welcomed by the Government of Iran, to be an important step 
     toward progress: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), that Congress--
       (1) continues to hold the Government of Iran responsible 
     for upholding all the rights of its nationals, including 
     members of the Baha'i community, in a manner consistent with 
     Iran's obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General 
     Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) of December 10, 1984, and 
     other international agreements guaranteeing the civil and 
     political rights of Iranian citizens;
       (2) condemns the repressive anti-Baha'i policies and 
     actions of the Government of Iran, including the denial of 
     legal recognition to the Baha'i community and the basic 
     rights to organize, elect leaders, educate youth, and conduct 
     the normal activities of a law-abiding religious community;
       (3) expresses concern that individual Baha'is continue to 
     suffer from severely repressive and discriminatory government 
     actions, solely on account of their religion;
       (4) urges the Government of Iran to permit Baha'i students 
     to attend Iranian universities and Baha'i faculty to teach at 
     Iranian universities, to return the property confiscated from 
     the Baha'i Open University, and to permit the Open University 
     to continue to function;
       (5) urges the Government of Iran to implement fully the 
     conclusions and recommendations on the emancipation of the 
     Iranian Baha'i community made by the United Nations Working 
     Group on Arbitrary Detention and also to comply with the 
     recommendations made in August 2003 by the Committee on the 
     Elimination of Racial Discrimination;
       (6) urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Baha'i 
     community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration 
     of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations 
     General Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) of December 10, 1984, 
     and other international covenants of human rights, including 
     the freedoms of thought, conscience, and religion, and equal 
     protection of the law;
       (7) calls upon the President to continue to--
       (A) assert the concerns of the United States Government 
     regarding--
       (i) the violations by the Iranian Government of the rights 
     of Iranian citizens, including members of the Baha'i 
     community;
       (ii) the support by the Iranian Government of international 
     terrorism; and
       (iii) the efforts of the Iranian Government to develop 
     nuclear weapons and acquire weapons of mass destruction;
       (B) emphasize that the United States regards the human 
     rights practices of the Government of Iran, including its 
     treatment of the Baha'i community and other religious 
     minorities, as a significant factor in the development of 
     relations between the United States and Iran;
       (C) urge the Government of Iran to emancipate the Baha'i 
     community by granting those rights guaranteed by the 
     Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed 
     by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) 
     of December 10, 1984, and other international covenants on 
     human rights; and
       (D) cooperate with international organizations, including 
     the United Nations and its agencies, in efforts to protect 
     the religious rights of the Baha'is and other minorities 
     through joint appeals to the Government of Iran; and
       (8) calls upon the President to--
       (A) initiate an active and consistent dialogue with other 
     governments who are influential with Iran in order to 
     persuade the Government of Iran to rectify its human rights 
     practices; and
       (B) urge the European Union to use its relationship with 
     Iran to address and advance these fundamental human rights 
     issues.

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, it is with continued concern that my 
respected colleagues and I bring to the Senate's attention for the 
ninth time in 21 years the continuing persecution of a minority 
religious group in Iran, the Baha'i, by submitting today the Baha'i 
Emancipation Act of 2003.
  I fervently believe that the persistent maltreatment of the Baha'i as 
well as other minority religious groups in Iran epitomizes the perilous 
state of affairs in the country of Iran. Thus, it is with a genuine 
compassion for all of the people of Iran but particularly for the 
followers of the Baha'i faith that my colleagues and I are submitting 
this resolution highlighting the continuing abuse of this segment of 
the Iranian population. We are urging that the Baha'i not only remain 
at the center of our attention, but that we join forces with other 
like-minded nations to put pressure on the Government of Iran to make 
permanent and lasting changes that will allow not only the followers of 
the Baha'i faith but all people to live in peace and prosperity in 
Iran. Consistent attention of the nature represented by this resolution 
and its predecessors is necessary in order to achieve full emancipation 
for this peaceful, law-abiding community.
  Although it appears that the overt measures used by the Government of 
Iran to harass and oppress the members of the Baha'i faith since 1979 
have

[[Page S13681]]

diminished, research by my staff indicates that a multitude of covert 
practices have been sustained and in many cases heightened over the 
past few years. Members of the Baha'i community continue to be subject 
to various forms of harassment including arbitrary arrest and short-
term detainment, confiscation of their public and private property, and 
disruption of their educational and religious gatherings. Moreover, the 
Baha'i community continues to be deprived of many rights such as the 
right to elect their leaders, assemble as a community, access higher 
education, acquire government employment, receive due legal process, 
and practice the faith of their preference. As of June of this year, 
four Baha'i practitioners were in Iranian prisons solely because of 
their religious beliefs: one on charges of apostasy who is serving a 
life sentence, one on charges of participation in Baha'i activities who 
is serving four years, and two on charges of associations with Baha'i 
institutions who have been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. This 
was unacceptable in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries and it certainly 
is unacceptable in the 21st century.
  I would like to emphasize the idea of religious freedom because I 
strongly feel that each human being should have the right to choose and 
practice the faith of his or her choice. Iran has traditionally been 
designated a Country of Particular Concern in the Congressionally-
mandated annual report as required by the International Religious 
Freedom Act. But, rather than being satisfied that the Government of 
Iran is reprimanded in this report, we need to take proactive steps to 
publicize the continued mistreatment of the Baha'i faithful in Iran and 
to urge the Government of Iran to make the necessary changes. 
Legislation such as this is an important first step, but we must also 
work with others, including the European Union, to push for this 
objective. This legislation urges that the Administration do just that.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to bring to the Senate's 
attention two related pieces of legislation, both of which I have 
joined as a co-sponsor. The first is S. Res. 244 submitted by Senator 
Boxer that congratulates Shirin Ebadi for winning the 2003 Nobel Peace 
Prize and commending her for a lifetime of work promoting democracy and 
human rights. Shirin Ebadi is a very courageous woman who has risked 
her life to advocate for universal human rights and on many occasions 
specifically advocated equal rights for the Baha'i community in Iran. I 
commend her global efforts and encourage the spreading of her 
convictions in order to attain a world of equal rights for all.

  The second related piece of legislation that I am co-sponsoring is S. 
Con. Res. 73 submitted by Senator Feinstein that expresses Congress's 
deep concerns over Iran's apparent efforts to develop nuclear weapons 
in contravention of its Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty obligations 
and urging international pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear 
weapons program. I am aware of the progress that has been made in 
recent days with the Iranian government's statements of intended 
cooperation with both the International Atomic Energy Agency's request 
that Iran sign an additional protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty 
and the recent negotiations involving the European Union but I remain 
wary of their actual intentions and I believe that we should not rest 
until the words that have been spoken have been followed up with 
concrete action.
  Iran needs to be aware that it must make significant changes in the 
way it treats its own population and in the manner in which it conducts 
itself internationally if it wants to become a respected member on the 
world stage. These requests include but are not limited to cooperating 
with the European Union and potentially the United Nations, dealing 
appropriately with the infiltration of suspected terrorists and 
criminals along their border, halting all forms of terrorist support, 
cooperating with the U.S. and others on suspected terrorists and 
intelligence in conjunction with the global war on terror, and 
especially to provide human rights for each man, woman, and child in 
Iran regardless of creed or color. Iran must alter their enduring ways 
in order to earn international respect and to create better lives for 
all Iranians. A world where Iran is a respected and integral 
participant, where its inhabitants can co-exist and pursue happiness 
without constraint is not beyond our grasp but it will take continued 
focus and determination. I urge passage of the Baha'i Emancipation Act 
of 2003 and recommend this administration to use all of the tools in 
its diplomatic toolbox to work through the United Nations, the IAEA, 
and with our friends and allies to strongly advise the government of 
Iran to exploit its full potential as a member of the international 
community.

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