[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7500-H7503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1220
           CONDEMNING IRAN FOR PERSECUTION OF BAHA'I MINORITY

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 134) condemning the Government of Iran for 
its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its 
continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 134

       Whereas, in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 
     2006, 2008, and 2009, Congress declared that it deplored the 
     religious persecution by the Government of Iran of the Baha'i 
     community and would hold the Government of Iran responsible 
     for upholding the rights of all Iranian nationals, including 
     members of the Baha'i faith;
       Whereas the Department of State 2011 International 
     Religious Freedom Report stated that the Government of Iran 
     ``prohibits Baha'is from teaching and practicing their faith 
     and subjects them to many forms of discrimination that 
     followers of other religions do not face'' and that ``Baha'is 
     are barred from all leadership positions in the government 
     and military'';
       Whereas the Department of State 2011 International 
     Religious Freedom Report stated, ``Baha'is are banned from 
     the social pension system. In addition, Baha'is are regularly 
     denied compensation for injury or criminal victimization and 
     the right to inherit property. Baha'i marriages and divorces 
     are not officially recognized, although the government allows 
     a civil attestation of marriage to serve as a marriage 
     certificate.'';
       Whereas the Department of State July-December 2010 
     International Religious Freedom Report stated, ``Since the 
     1979 Islamic Revolution, the government has killed more than 
     200 Bahai's and regularly raids and confiscates their 
     property . . . Unknown assailants vandalized cemeteries and 
     holy places, and school authorities denigrated and abused 
     Baha'i students in primary and secondary schools in at least 
     10 cities.'';
       Whereas the Department of State July-December 2010 
     International Religious Freedom Report stated, ``Public and 
     private universities continued to deny admittance to or expel 
     Baha'i students.'';
       Whereas on September 15, 2011, the United Nations 
     Secretary-General issued a special report on human rights in 
     Iran (A/66/361), stating, ``Restrictions on the overall 
     enjoyment of human rights by unrecognized religious 
     minorities, particularly the Baha'i community, remain of 
     serious concern.'';
       Whereas on September 23, 2011, the ``United Nations Special 
     Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic 
     Republic of Iran'', issued a report (A/66/374), noting that 
     ``[a] number of individuals and organizations provided the 
     Special Rapporteur with first-hand testimonies, the 
     preponderance of which presents a pattern of systemic 
     violations of . . . fundamental human rights'' in Iran, and 
     expressed concern regarding reports of ``human and civil 
     rights violations'' against minority groups, including ``the 
     Bahai community, which, despite being the largest non-Muslim 
     religious minority, does not enjoy recognition as such by the 
     Government'' and whose members ``have historically suffered 
     multifaceted discrimination'';
       Whereas on November 21, 2011, the Third Committee of the 
     United Nations General Assembly adopted a draft resolution 
     (A/C.3/66/L.56) noting ``[i]ncreased persecution and human 
     rights violations against unrecognized religious minorities, 
     particularly members of the Baha'i Faith, including 
     escalating attacks on Baha'is and their defenders, including 
     in State-sponsored media, a significant increase in the 
     number of Baha'is arrested and detained, including the 
     targeted attack on the Baha'i educational institution, the 
     reinstatement of twenty-year sentences against seven Baha'i 
     leaders following deeply flawed legal proceedings, and 
     renewed measures to deny Baha'is employment in the public and 
     private sectors.'';
       Whereas on December 19, 2011, the United Nations General 
     Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/66/175) calling upon the 
     Government of Iran ``[t]o eliminate discrimination against, 
     and exclusion of . . . members of the Baha'i Faith, regarding 
     access to higher education, and to eliminate the 
     criminalization of efforts to provide higher education to 
     Baha'i youth denied access to Iranian universities'';
       Whereas in March and May of 2008, intelligence officials of 
     the Government of Iran in Mashhad and Tehran arrested and 
     imprisoned Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, 
     Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, 
     Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, the members of the 
     ad hoc leadership group for the Baha'i community in Iran;

[[Page H7501]]

       Whereas, in August 2010, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran 
     sentenced the 7 Baha'i leaders to 20-year prison terms on 
     charges of spying for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, 
     and propaganda against the regime;
       Whereas the lawyers for the 7 leaders were reportedly 
     provided extremely limited access to the prisoners and their 
     files;
       Whereas these 7 Baha'i leaders were targeted solely on the 
     basis of their religion;
       Whereas beginning on May 22, 2011, officials of the 
     Government of Iran in Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, and Shiraz 
     raided the homes of individuals associated with the Baha'i 
     Institute for Higher Education, searching over 30 homes, 
     seizing educational materials, and arresting approximately 16 
     individuals;
       Whereas, in October 2011, Mr. Vahid Mahmoudi, Mr. Mahmoud 
     Badavam, Ms. Noushin Khadem, Mr. Kamran Mortezaie, Mr. Farhad 
     Sedghi, Mr. Riaz Sobhani, and Mr. Ramin Zibaie were each 
     sentenced to 4 or 5-year prison terms for the crime of 
     ``membership in the deviant Baha'i sect, with the goal of 
     taking action against the security of the country, in order 
     to further the aims of the deviant sect and those of 
     organizations outside the country,'' and, in January 2012, 
     Mr. Mahmoudi was released on probation;
       Whereas ordinary Iranian citizens who belong to the Baha'i 
     Faith are disproportionately targeted, interrogated, and 
     detained under the pretext of national security;
       Whereas the efforts of the Government of Iran to collect 
     information on individual Baha'is are reportedly ongoing as 
     evidenced by a letter, dated November 5, 2011 from the 
     Director of the Department of Education in the county of 
     Shahriar in the province of Tehran, instructing the directors 
     of schools in his jurisdiction to ``subtly and in a 
     confidential manner'' collect information on Baha'i students;
       Whereas the Baha'i community continues to undergo intense 
     economic and social pressure, including an ongoing campaign 
     in the town of Semnan where the government reportedly has 
     harassed and detained Baha'is and closed 17 Baha'i owned 
     businesses in the last three years;
       Whereas the Government of Iran is party to the 
     International Covenants on Human Rights; and
       Whereas the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, 
     and Divestment Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-195) urges the 
     President and the Secretary of State to impose sanctions on 
     ``the officials of the Government of Iran and other 
     individuals who are responsible for continuing and severe 
     violations of human rights and religious freedom in Iran'': 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored 
     persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued 
     violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights;
       (2) calls on the Government of Iran to immediately release 
     the seven leaders, the six imprisoned educators, and all 
     other prisoners held solely on account of their religion;
       (3) calls on the President and Secretary of State, in 
     cooperation with responsible nations, to immediately condemn 
     the Government of Iran's continued violation of human rights 
     and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on 
     account of their religion; and
       (4) urges the President and Secretary of State to utilize 
     measures, such as those available under the Comprehensive 
     Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 
     and Executive Order 13553, to sanction officials of the 
     Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible 
     for egregious human rights violations in Iran, including 
     against the Baha'i community.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 134 
introduced by my good friend and colleague from Illinois (Mr. Dold).
  House Resolution 134 condemns the Iranian regime's persecution of 
Iran's Baha'i minority. Baha'is are the largest non-Muslim minority in 
Iran, numbering over 300,000 members in Iran alone. This resolution 
marks the 12th congressional action urging the Iranian regime to end 
its persecution of the Baha'i minority. And still, Baha'is do not have 
the freedom to practice their religion. In fact, restrictions on 
Baha'is extend far beyond their religious practices to further restrict 
their civil rights and human rights. Many members of the Baha'i faith 
living in Iran are even subject to harassment, to persecution by the 
regime, and others with extensive reports of confiscation of property, 
restrictions on travel, and raids on Baha'i homes and businesses. The 
Iranian Government continues to arrest and detain Baha'is based on 
their religious beliefs, with at least 60 cases logged last year alone.
  The members of the national leadership of the Baha'i in Iran, 
arrested in 2008 and unfairly tried with minimal access to their 
defense attorneys, are now serving a 20-year sentence for crimes, 
crimes including insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against 
the regime. The government maintains possession of many Baha'i 
properties that were seized following the 1979 revolution, including 
holy places, cemeteries, and historical sites. Many of those properties 
have now been destroyed.
  Baha'is are barred from leadership positions in the government and 
are only permitted to enroll in schools if they do not identify 
themselves to be Baha'i and are required to identify as members of 
another religion in order to register for their entrance examinations. 
Many Baha'is are denied admission to the universities, and even those 
who are admitted may face expulsion due to their faith.
  The Baha'i Institute for Higher Education, established after Baha'is 
were barred from attending other universities, was declared illegal 
this year and six educators from that institute are currently 
imprisoned in Iran.
  These are just a fraction of the injustices that the Baha'is face at 
the hands of the Iranian regime. The regime has sought to make life as 
a Baha'i in Iran simply unlivable. They seek to take away aspects of 
everyday life that you and I would consider fundamental, inalienable 
rights.
  This resolution draws attention to their plight and calls on the 
Iranian regime to end its campaign of abuse against the Baha'is. It 
condemns the Iranian regime for the persecution of the Baha'is and 
calls on the regime to immediately release the Baha'is that it 
wrongfully holds in captivity, including the seven Baha'i leaders and 
the six Baha'i educators; and it calls for the President and the 
Secretary to publicly express the same sentiments.
  Finally, the resolution urges the President and the Secretary of 
State to use measures already enacted into law under the Comprehensive 
Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to sanction 
Iranian officials responsible for human rights violations against 
Baha'is and others.
  Mr. Speaker, I was a co-author of that legislation, and those 
measures are not here for show. They are there to punish those 
responsible for these egregious crimes and deter future human rights 
violations. It is therefore time for the administration to walk the 
walk and hold the Iranian regime officials--from the so-called 
``supreme leader'' and Ahmadinejad on down--responsible for their 
violations of the human rights of the Baha'is and other Iranians.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 134, as 
amended; and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, before I get into the substance of the bill, I just want 
to say a couple of things as we're ending the 112th Congress. In the 
113th Congress, I'm about to take over as ranking member on the House 
Foreign Affairs Committee. The man I'm replacing, who spoke before me, 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), I just want him to know, 
which he already does, but I want to say it for the record how much 
we're going to miss him and what a role model he really is for all of 
us on the committee, first as chair and then as ranking member. There 
isn't a person on either side of the aisle who doesn't respect him. 
There isn't a person who doesn't understand how important he's been to 
the Congress the many years he has served in Congress, and particularly 
on the Foreign Affairs Committee. His shoes are going to be very hard 
to fill. I'm going to try the best I can, but I want him to know, which 
he already does, but I want to say it for the record that I'm going to

[[Page H7502]]

miss him. I'm going to miss him as a friend, and I'm going to miss him 
as a colleague; and I think the Congress as a whole will miss him 
because he's one of the best, and I wish him only the very, very best 
as he moves on to a future endeavor.
  Let me also say the gentlewoman from Florida, the current chair of 
the committee and former ranking member of the committee, she knows the 
affection I have for her both personally as a friend but also as a 
colleague, as chair of the committee for the past 2 years and as 
ranking member for the previous 4. She and I have worked together not 
only in these past 6 years but for all of the years we've been in 
Congress, and I think we've been in Congress for almost the exact same 
time. It's been a pleasure and an honor to work with her, and I 
continue to look forward to collaborating with her on all these issues 
of importance to us--we agree on many, many, many things--in the 113th 
Congress. Madam Chair, I just want to tell you how much we appreciate 
you on both sides of the aisle.
  So let me talk about the bill. I think it's important. I agree with 
everything the chairwoman said. While the international community is 
rightfully concerned about Iran's ties to international terrorism and 
its nuclear weapons program, we cannot forget those who struggle for 
religious freedom and democracy in Iran.
  The Baha'i community has long been the target of religious 
persecution by the Iranian regime. Much of its informal leadership has 
been arrested, and many members of the community executed. The Baha'i 
are not permitted to practice their religion and culture. Their 
marriages are not recognized. Their dead cannot be buried according to 
Baha'i law, and their cemeteries are desecrated. In addition, the 
Baha'i are denied government jobs and business licenses. They are not 
permitted to enroll in public universities, and Baha'i schoolchildren 
are frequently harassed by classmates, teachers, and administrators. No 
human being deserves this type of treatment at the hands of their 
government.
  The social teachings of the Baha'i faith, such as the equality of 
women and men and the principle of each individual's responsibility to 
navigate the truth, are impossible for the theocratic leaders of Iran 
to comprehend. But these are universal values--human values--and they 
must be protected.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States and the international community must 
not ignore the systematic and violent attacks against the Iranian 
Baha'i community, and Tehran must be held accountable. By passing this 
resolution, we shine a light on the persecution of the Baha'i and 
hopefully move us one step closer to the day that true freedom reaches 
Iran.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 134, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York 
for those kind words. Mr. Engel is a true mensch. That's a good thing.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Dold), a member of the Financial Services Committee, 
the Tom Lantos Congressional Human Rights Committee, and the author of 
this measure, whom we will miss greatly.
  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank the chairwoman for 
her leadership and for her friendship and her work on human rights 
abuses. I certainly want to thank the ranking member and my friend from 
New York as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I've talked at length in this Chamber about the human 
rights abuses taking place inside the country of Iran. In response to 
this Iranian regime's oppressive rule, we have worked to promote 
democracy and human rights through a variety of legislative tools, and 
we have championed measures like the Lautenberg amendment to offer a 
lifeline to those individuals who seek nothing more than the freedom 
they cannot find in their home country.

                              {time}  1230

  Today I'm proud to stand here with my colleagues and encourage others 
to support House Resolution 134, officially condemning the Government 
of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i religious 
minority and for the continued violation of human rights. It's time for 
these continued violations of human rights to be fully exposed and to 
receive increased international attention.
  The Baha'i population is Iran's largest non-Muslim religious 
minority. Over 300,000 Iranians consider themselves part of the Baha'i 
faith, yet since the Islamic revolution of Iran of 1979, members of the 
Baha'i faith in Iran have faced intense suppression solely because of 
their religious beliefs. Baha'is are unrecognized under the Iranian 
Constitution, and over 200 Baha'is have been killed in Iran since the 
revolution.
  Additionally, Baha'is are wrongfully imprisoned and discriminated 
against throughout the country. Baha'is are barred from universities, 
banned from government employment, and excluded from the social pension 
system unless they deny their religious affiliation. Their marriages 
are not recognized; their property is confiscated; their holy places 
and cemeteries have been desecrated.
  The situation has worsened considerably, Mr. Speaker, in the last 
year as the number of Baha'is in prison has roughly doubled, and there 
have been raids on the Baha'i Institution of Higher Education, an 
alternative education system that the Baha'i community developed to 
educate Baha'i youth who are excluded from the state's university 
system.
  House Resolution 134 condemns the state-sponsored persecution 
performed by the Iranian Government and calls on it to release the 
seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders, six imprisoned educators, and all 
other prisoners held solely on account of their religious beliefs. 
Additionally, the resolution calls on the President and the Secretary 
of State to condemn the Iranian Government's continued violation of 
human rights. Finally, the resolution urges the President and the 
Secretary of State to utilize available measures to sanction officials 
of the Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible 
for egregious human rights violations, including against the Baha'i 
community.
  Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the importance of this issue, this 
resolution currently enjoys over 146 bipartisan cosponsors. On behalf 
of all those who are concerned about human rights abuses, and on behalf 
of the Baha'i community in the Tenth District of Illinois, which is 
home to the Baha'i Temple of North America--the beautiful temple in 
Wilmette is one of only seven, Mr. Speaker, throughout the world--I'd 
like to encourage my colleagues, my friends to vote in support of H. 
Res. 134's passage.
  I thank you, and I thank, again, the chairwoman for her leadership.
  Mr. ENGEL. I have no further speakers, so I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I also have no further requests for 
time. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a cosponsor of H. Res 134, a 
resolution condemning the Government of Iran for the state-sponsored 
persecution of its Baha'i minority and to thank Representatives Dold, 
Lipinski and Sherman for their collaboration on this important measure.
  Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Government of Iran has 
continued to repress Baha'is and prevent them from participating in the 
government and the military, from joining the social pension system or 
attending public schools and universities unless they concealed their 
faith.
  This resolution calls on the President and Secretary of State, in 
cooperation with the international community, to immediately condemn 
the Government of Iran's violation of the human rights of the Baha'i 
and urges the President and Secretary of State to utilize all available 
measures, including sanctions on officials of the Government of Iran 
and other individuals directly responsible for egregious human rights 
violations against the Baha'i community and other minorities.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 134, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum

[[Page H7503]]

is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________