[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 26 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 73--SUPPORTING DEMOCRACY, UNIVERSAL RIGHTS AND THE 
    IRANIAN PEOPLE IN THEIR PEACEFUL CALL FOR A REPRESENTATIVE AND 
                    RESPONSIVE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT

  Mr. KIRK (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Casey, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, Mr. Graham, and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 73

       Whereas, on February 5, 2011, Mir Hossein Moussavi and 
     Mehdi Karroubi requested permission from the Government of 
     Iran to hold a peaceful demonstration on February 14, 2011;
       Whereas Moussavi and Karroubi wrote, ``In order to declare 
     support for the popular movements in the region, particularly 
     with those of the freedom seeking movements of the people of 
     Egypt and Tunisia against dictatorships, we request a permit 
     to invite the people for a rally.'';
       Whereas the Government of Iran denied this request and, on 
     February 9, 2011, Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein 
     Hamedani said, ``We definitely see them as enemies of the 
     revolution and spies, and we will confront them with 
     force.'';
       Whereas, before the planned protest on February 14, 2011, 
     the Government of Iran placed Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein 
     Moussavi under house arrest and interrupted Internet, text 
     message, satellite, and cell phone service inside Iran;
       Whereas, on February 14, 2011, the people of Iran held 
     demonstrations protesting the Iranian regime in Tehran, 
     Rasht, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Ahwaz;
       Whereas, on February 15, 2011, members of the parliament of 
     Iran called for the execution of opposition leaders Mir 
     Hossein Moussavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mohammad Khatami;
       Whereas, on the same day, speaker of the Parliament in Iran 
     Ali Larijani said, ``The parliament condemns the Zionist, 
     American, anti-revolutionary and anti-national actions of the 
     misled seditionists.'';
       Whereas, on February 14, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary 
     Clinton said, ``What you see happening in Iran today is a 
     testament to the courage of the Iranian people and an 
     indictment of the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime, a regime 
     which over the last three weeks has constantly hailed what 
     went on in Egypt. And now when given the opportunity to 
     afford their people the same rights as they called for on 
     behalf of the Egyptian people, once again, illustrate their 
     true nature.'';
       Whereas, on February 15, 2011, President Barack Obama 
     saluted the ``courage'' of the Iranian people and said, ``We 
     are going to continue to see the people of Iran have the 
     courage to be able to express their yearning for greater 
     freedoms and a more representative government.'';
       Whereas, on February 15, 2011, European Union High 
     Representative Catherine Ashton called ``on the Iranian 
     authorities to fully respect and protect the rights of their 
     citizens, including freedom of expression and the right to 
     assemble peacefully'';
       Whereas, on February 3, 2011, the Senate passed Senate 
     Resolution 44, 112th Congress, reaffirming the commitment of 
     the United States to the universal rights of freedom of 
     assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of access to 
     information, including the Internet, and expressed strong 
     support for the people of Egypt in their peaceful calls for a 
     representative and responsive democratic government that 
     respects these rights; and
       Whereas the people of Iran also deserve support from the 
     United States in their peaceful struggle for a representative 
     and responsive democratic government that respects their 
     universal rights of freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, 
     and freedom of association, including via the Internet: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns the ongoing violence against demonstrators by 
     the Government of Iran and pro-government militias, as well 
     as the ongoing government suppression of independent 
     electronic communication through interference with the 
     Internet and cellphones;
       (2) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the 
     universal rights of freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, 
     and freedom of association, including via the Internet;
       (3) expresses strong support for the people of Iran in 
     their peaceful calls for a representative and responsive 
     democratic government that respects these rights;
       (4) calls on the Government of Iran to release all Iranians 
     detained or imprisoned solely on the basis of their religion, 
     faith, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, or 
     political belief;
       (5) calls on the United Nations Human Rights Council to 
     establish an independent human rights monitor for Iran; and
       (6) affirms the universality of individual rights and the 
     importance of democratic and fair elections.

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I come to speak in support of the 
resolution submitted today by Senator Kirk, cosponsored by myself, 
Senator Kyl, Senator Bill Nelson, and Senator Casey.
  Our resolution would add our voice to the many voices who are calling 
for the Iranian Government to respect the undeniable and universal 
rights of its people. It would condemn continuing violent repression on 
the part of the Iranian Government; reaffirm our Nation's commitment to 
universal freedoms; express our support for the Iranian people in their 
peaceful calls for reform; call on the Iranian Government to release 
those detained solely on the basis of their religion, faith, ethnicity, 
race, gender, sexual orientation, or political belief; call on the 
United Nations to establish an independent human rights monitor for 
Iran; and reaffirm the universality of individual rights and the 
importance of democratic elections. It would amplify and strengthen the 
message that 24 of us sent this week in letter to Secretary Clinton 
urging her to work with the United Nations Human Rights Commission to 
establish a human rights monitor for Iran.
  Recent events in Iran have continued a pattern of abuse, repression, 
and violation of civil and human rights that is all too familiar.
  The people of Iran have rightly seen recent events in the Muslim 
world, including the removal of dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, as 
confirmation of the power of nonviolent protest. Just as they did in 
the aftermath of flawed elections in 2009, the people of Iran have 
sought to speak out against the corruption and repression in their 
government.
  If justice is to be done, the Government of Iran would allow these 
protests, hear the grievances of the people, reform a government whose 
autocratic substance is in no way concealed by the facade of 
representative democracy that the regime has constructed. Instead, the 
Iranian Government has quashed protest, cut off access to the Internet 
and other means of communication, and placed opposition leaders under 
house arrest. Members of the ruling regime have called for the 
execution of opposition leaders and for violent repression of dissent.
  We have seen in just a few short weeks the dramatic power of 
nonviolent protest. We have seen that ultimately, dictatorship will 
lose its iron grip. I believe we are all confident that the march of 
time and progress will restore to the people of Iran the rights their 
government denies them.
  But today, as the Iranian people bear the brunt of autocracy and as 
dissenters face the threat of violent repression, it is important for 
all those who believe in universal rights to speak out against that 
repression and violence, to let the people of Iran know that they do 
not face these threats alone, and to declare that we are in support of 
their attempts to determine the course of their nation. I strongly 
support this resolution and call for its immediate passage.

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