[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING ANNIVERSARY OF DISPUTED IRANIAN 
                               ELECTIONS

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                               speech of

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2010

  Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, it has been 1 year since Iran's disputed 
elections brought thousands into the streets to protest the regime's 
fierce grip on fundamental liberties. Today we pause to pay tribute to 
the faces of freedom that rose up in peaceful and spontaneous 
demonstrations across Iran only to be met with brutal violence by the 
thuggish paramilitaries of the Iranian revolutionary guard.
  In the days and weeks following the election, dozens of protestors 
were killed, hundreds were injured, others were arrested and tortured 
and some even died while in police custody. In the year since, Iranian 
authorities have cracked down on numerous other gatherings and severely 
curtailed the ability for Iranians to gather for national and religious 
holidays.
  Although the 2009 election was not the first subject to serious 
irregularities, vote tampering and corruption, the obvious vote rigging 
that led some provinces to report a turnout greater than 100 percent 
created a tipping point.
  At one point the anti-election momentum fueled a ``Twitter 
revolution,'' as tech-savvy Iranian youth mobilized gatherings through 
texting and instant messages. It was a telling sign of the opportunity 
for technology to surpass censorship and galvanize a freedom movement.
  The Iranian people take great pride in their nation's vibrant history 
as a crossroads of the world, but the dangerous policies of the current 
government have made them more isolated than ever.
  The government's reckless management of the economy has prioritized 
enriching the mullahs and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, while 
the average Iranian faces an unemployment rate approaching 30 percent.
  The regime's illegal nuclear activities and dogged support for 
terrorist organizations have made Iran a pariah state in the community 
of nations. And now, with the recent passage of strict sanctions by the 
U.N. Security Council, the stagnant Iranian economy only stands to 
deteriorate further.
  While tensions remain high between the United States and Iran, this 
resolution is a testament to our solidarity with the Iranian people and 
their courage to stand up for a better future. I am proud to be a 
cosponsor of the measure and I urge my colleagues to support its 
passage.

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