[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 33 (Thursday, March 1, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1206-S1208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 386--CALLING FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN IRAN, AND 
                           FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mr. HOEVEN (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Graham, 
Mr. McCain, Mr. Begich, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Ms. 
Ayotte, Mr. Coons, Mr. McConnell, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
Schumer, Mr. Thune, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Alexander, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. 
Risch, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Blunt, Mrs. 
McCaskill, Ms. Collins, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Isakson, Mr. 
Lautenberg, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Coats, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
Coburn, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin, Mr. Casey, Mr. 
Crapo, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Heller, Mrs. Hutchison, 
Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Lee, Mr. Portman, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Wicker, Mr. 
Shelby, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Burr, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, 
Ms. Snowe, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Moran, Ms. 
Murkowski, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Johanns, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Franken, 
Mr. Conrad, Ms. Klobuchar, and Mr. Enzi) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 386

       Whereas democracy, human rights, and civil liberties are 
     universal values and fundamental principles of United States 
     foreign policy;
       Whereas an essential element of democratic self-government 
     is for leaders to be chosen and regularly held accountable 
     through elections that are organized and conducted in a 
     manner that is free, fair, inclusive, and consistent with 
     international standards;
       Whereas governments whose power does not derive from free 
     and fair elections lack democratic legitimacy;
       Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a 
     signatory to the United Nations International Covenant on 
     Civil and Political Rights, adopted December 16, 1966 
     (ICCPR), which states that every citizen has the right to 
     vote ``at genuine periodic elections'' that reflect ``the 
     free expression of the will of the electors'';
       Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
     regularly violates its obligations under the ICCPR, holding 
     elections that are neither free nor fair nor consistent with 
     international standards;
       Whereas elections in Iran are marred by the 
     disqualification of candidates based on their political 
     views; the absence of credible international observers; 
     severe restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and 
     association, including censorship, surveillance, and 
     disruptions in telecommunications, and the absence of a free 
     media; widespread intimidation and repression of candidates, 
     political parties, and citizens; and systemic electoral fraud 
     and manipulation;
       Whereas the last nationwide election held in Iran, on June 
     12, 2009, was widely condemned inside Iran and throughout the 
     world as neither free nor fair and provoked large-scale 
     peaceful protests throughout Iran;
       Whereas, following the June 12, 2009, election, the 
     Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran responded to 
     peaceful protests with a large-scale campaign of politically 
     motivated violence, intimidation, and repression, including 
     acts of torture, cruel and degrading treatment in detention, 
     rape, executions, extrajudicial killings, and indefinite 
     detention;
       Whereas, on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General 
     Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the serious human 
     rights abuses occurring in the Islamic Republic of Iran;
       Whereas authorities in Iran continue to hold several 
     candidates from the 2009 election in indefinite detention;
       Whereas authorities in Iran have announced that nationwide 
     parliamentary elections will be held on March 2, 2012;
       Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has 
     banned more than 2,200 candidates from participating in the 
     March 2, 2012, elections, including current members of 
     parliament;
       Whereas no domestic or international election observers are 
     scheduled to oversee the March 2, 2012, elections;
       Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
     continues to hold leading opposition figures under house 
     arrest;
       Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
     seeks to prevent the people of Iran from accessing news and 
     information by incarcerating more journalists than any other 
     country in the world, according to a 2011 report from the 
     Committee to Protect Journalists; disrupting access to the 
     Internet, including blocking e-mail and social networking 
     sites and limiting access to foreign news and websites, 
     developing a national Internet that will facilitate 
     government censorship of news and information, and jamming 
     international broadcasts such as the Voice of America's 
     Persian News Network and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's 
     Radio Farda; and
       Whereas opposition groups in Iran have announced they will 
     boycott the March 2, 2012, election because they believe it 
     will be neither free nor fair nor consistent with 
     international standards: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
     democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law, 
     including the universal rights of freedom of assembly, 
     freedom of speech, and freedom of association;
       (2) expresses support for freedom, human rights, civil 
     liberties, and rule of law in Iran, and for elections that 
     are free, fair, and meet international standards, including 
     granting independent international and domestic electoral 
     observers unrestricted access to polling and counting 
     stations;
       (3) expresses strong support for the people of Iran in 
     their peaceful calls for a representative and responsive 
     democratic government that respects human rights, civil 
     liberties, and the rule of law;
       (4) reminds the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
     of its obligations under the international covenants to which 
     it is a signatory to hold elections that are free and fair;
       (5) condemns the Government of the Islamic Republic of 
     Iran's widespread human rights violations;
       (6) calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
     to respect freedom of expression and association in Iran by--
       (A) ending arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of 
     harassment against media professionals, human rights 
     defenders and activists, and opposition figures, and 
     releasing all individuals detained for exercising universally 
     recognized human rights;
       (B) lifting legislative restrictions on freedoms of 
     assembly, association, and expression; and

[[Page S1207]]

       (C) allowing the Internet to remain free and open and 
     allowing domestic and international media to operate freely;
       (7) further calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic 
     of Iran to allow international election monitors to be 
     present for the March 2, 2012, elections; and
       (8) urges the President, the Secretary of State, and other 
     world leaders--
       (A) to express support for the universal rights and 
     freedoms of the people of Iran, including to democratic self-
     government;
       (B) to broaden engagement with the people of Iran and 
     support efforts in the country to help promote human rights 
     and democratic reform, including by providing appropriate 
     funding to civil society organizations for democracy and 
     governance activities; and
       (C) to condemn elections that are not free and fair and 
     that do not meet international standards.

  Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I rise to speak to the Hoeven-Blumenthal 
resolution, and also, in addition to requesting 10 minutes, I request 
that my cosponsor on the resolution, Senator Blumenthal, be allowed to 
engage with me in this discussion.
  We have submitted a resolution calling for free and fair elections in 
Iran. Those elections will be held tomorrow, March 2. It is the first 
time the Republic of Iran has had parliamentary elections since June 
12, 2009. I thank Senator Blumenthal for joining me in this resolution 
and also Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Joe Lieberman, and Senator 
Kelly Ayotte. As I say, I think we have now over 60 sponsors on this 
resolution, working to see that it can pass the Senate here very 
quickly. It expresses a sense of the Senate clearly calling for open, 
free, and fair elections in the Republic of Iran. The problem is that 
the elections they will be holding tomorrow are neither free nor fair. 
They are certainly not consistent with international standards.
  As I said, these will be the first nationwide parliamentary elections 
since June 12, 2009. Those elections were neither free nor fair, and 
they provoked widespread protests throughout Iran. Those protests were 
brutally repressed, put down by the regime, Ayatollah Khamenei and 
Prime Minister Ahmadinejad, trampling human rights and taking political 
prisoners who remain in prison to this very day.
  Since the last elections, uprisings, popular movements for self-
determination, have taken place throughout the Middle East--often 
referred to as the Arab spring--in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, 
Libya, and other places as well. We want to support that right to self-
determination in Iran for the people in Iran as well.
  Right now the only people who can run for office in Iran are people 
who are approved to run by the regime itself. They have the Council of 
Guardians, and the Council of Guardians has to approve anyone who wants 
to run for office, so the reality is the government of the regime 
itself decides whether you can run for office. About over 5,000 
individuals applied to run for government, and of those 5,000 about 
3,000 were approved by the Iranian regime to run. More than 2,000 were 
denied, so they cannot even run. Well, how can you have a free or a 
fair and or an open election that meets independent standards when the 
government decides who can run and who cannot run? It doesn't work. 
That is not the way elections should work.
  America truly is a force for freedom and for democracy in the world, 
and that is why we are working to call the attention of the world to 
these elections. It is particularly important at this time that we 
stand with the Iranian people in calling for free and fair elections as 
we impose sanctions to try to prevent government from developing a 
nuclear weapon. We want to make very clear that while we need to impose 
strong, consistent sanctions that prevent the Iranian regime from 
obtaining a nuclear bomb, at the same time we support the Iranian 
people's right to self-determination.
  Mr. President, I thank the good Senator from Connecticut for working 
with me on this resolution and recognizing the right of the Iranian 
people. I also want to thank our colleagues, as I say, now more than 
60--who have joined us on this resolution and also look forward to 
quick passage.
  With that, I wish to turn the floor over to my colleague, the good 
Senator from Connecticut.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I wish to thank the Senator from North 
Dakota for his leadership on this very important issue. I want to thank 
him for his perseverance and his vision in seeing the importance--along 
with Senator McCain, Senator Graham, and Senator Sessions--of this kind 
of effort, which had its genesis in the trip that we took to 
Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia, and Libya.
  What impressed us so much is how democracy is growing and starting 
there, and in that part of the world how the dictatorship and tyranny 
of Iran are such contrasts with the hopeful, burgeoning democracies 
that are growing there. That is the reason so many of our colleagues--I 
believe that over 60--have joined.
  I want to ask unanimous consent that Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota 
be added as a cosponsor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am honored today to speak in support 
of the Hoeven-Blumenthal resolution calling for free and fair elections 
in Iran and condemning the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
for its ongoing violations of human rights. These violations are 
brutal, tangible, and real in their impact on individual lives in that 
country, and our hearts go out to the people of Iran, particularly the 
individuals there fighting for freedom and democracy.
  The world has watched the Arab spring bring down dictators in Tunisia 
and Tripoli, and the people of Iran continue to be denied those basic 
human rights that we hold dear and which should be universal.
  I also want to thank Secretary Clinton for her tireless work in this 
region. She arrived in Tunisia shortly after we left to consult with 
all nations interested in aiding the Syrian people and she showed, 
again, her dedication to this same cause of human rights through her 
leadership there.
  I saw in our meetings with a new generation of leaders that is 
emerging in the Middle East how dramatic the statements we make here 
and the actions that we take impress them in their fight for basic 
human rights. How we are speaking out here for universal suffrage and 
freedom has an impact on what they do, and perhaps many in our own 
country need to be reminded about the importance of what we say and do 
here.
  The parliamentary elections that will occur on Friday in Iran will be 
neither free nor fair. They have already taken actions to assure that 
it will be, as one observer said, the fakest one yet. But the brutal 
oppression in human rights going on there is too real for those who 
suffer at that government's and that regime's hands. As the resolution 
makes clear, Iran has already disqualified 2,200 candidates from 
actually running for office simply based on their political views.
  It maintains severe restrictions on the press, strangling a free 
press, preventing even the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe from 
reaching the people of Iran, having created a sham election, a 
travesty, and a tragedy. The Iranian regime now will force Iranians to 
vote at the polls in an effort to show popular support, and force them 
to vote simply to show this sham support. The truth is it has no such 
support. Allowing international monitors to bear witness, as we demand 
in our resolution, would reveal these acts of oppression for what they 
are and for the world to see.
  The last nationwide election held in Iran, on June 12, 2009, was 
widely condemned throughout the world. Following the election, there 
was brutal repression documented all too dramatically by the videos and 
other evidence that, in effect, was smuggled out of Iran, although in 
real time. That large campaign of politically motivated violence, 
intimidation, repression, torture, cruel and degrading treatment, 
including rape, executions, and extrajudicial killings, and indefinite 
detention is all well documented.
  On December 26, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a 
resolution denouncing the serious human rights abuses occurring in 
Iran. The Hoeven-Blumenthal resolution lets the people of Iran know we 
are with them, they are not alone; that we side with them, and we stand 
and speak out on their behalf because they are not forgotten in their 
effort for democracy.
  The future of the Middle East will be determined first and foremost 
by the

[[Page S1208]]

people of the Middle East themselves, but American strength, vision, 
and leadership are absolutely essential. So in that regard I am very 
proud and grateful for the 62 cosponsors of this resolution--now 63 
with Senator Klobuchar--and I again thank the Senator from North 
Dakota.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I, too, wish to express my appreciation to 
Senator Blumenthal and to all our cosponsors, and I look forward to the 
Senate agreeing to this important resolution.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I thank the two Senators for their good 
work on this very important resolution.

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