[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 71 (Monday, May 11, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2749-S2751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATING THE POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES REGARDING THE RELEASE OF UNITED
STATES CITIZENS IN IRAN
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 16, which the clerk will
report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 16) stating the
policy of the United States regarding the release of United
States citizens in Iran.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 30
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on
adoption of S. Con. Res. 16.
The Senator from Maryland.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I first want to thank Senator Risch for
his tireless dedication to the plight of the three American citizens
unjustifiably detained in Iran, as well as his efforts to call upon the
Iranian Government to cooperate in locating Robert Livingston, a
missing fourth American, and also returning him to his family.
I also want to thank my colleagues from the States these Americans
are from--Senators Feinstein and Boxer from California, Senators
Stabenow and Peters from Michigan, Senators Nelson and Rubio from
Florida, and Senators Crapo and Risch from Idaho--for their efforts in
working with the families of these American citizens who have been held
too long in Iran.
I call upon the government of Iran to do the right thing--do the
right thing and immediately release these citizens and send them home
to their families and communities as soon as possible. The resolution
has a statement of policy that is absolutely unobjectionable in any
way.
Let me point out one last thing, if I might. As the ranking member of
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I want to reassure the families
of these Americans that I will continue to urge the U.S. Government to
use every tool at its disposal to secure the release of these
Americans, and I will continue to call upon the Iranian Government to
immediately and unconditionally release these men and send them home to
their families.
I am very pleased we will soon be voting on this resolution, which
unequivocally says that America should use all the tools at its
disposal for the return of these Americans.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that during the
quorum call, the time be equally divided between the majority and the
minority.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. CARDIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I commend Senator Risch, and I am
pleased to be a cosponsor of this resolution, which is incredibly
important to people in Michigan as well as across the country.
We have a very special man who unfortunately is being held as a
hostage in Iran, and he needs to come home now. I have had the honor of
getting to know the family of Amir Hekmati. He is a patriotic American
from Flint, MI, who served his country honorably and bravely as a
marine between 2001 to 2005 in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an American
citizen but also became a dual citizen with Iran in order to be able to
visit his grandmother and other family members in Iran.
In August 2011, he was visiting his grandmother and was arrested by
the Iranian authorities and charged with spying for the CIA, which was
absolutely false, absolutely trumped-up charges. He was then deprived
of a fair trial and jailed on those totally trumped-up charges.
Of those Americans confirmed as prisoners in Iran, none have been
incarcerated longer than Amir Hekmati. He has been waiting the longest
to come home. He has been tortured and is locked inside a prison
notorious for its deplorable conditions. Meanwhile, Amir's father is
battling terminal brain cancer.
I was very honored to have the opportunity to spend time with his
family--his mom and dad, his sister and two brothers--who are
passionately engaged in speaking out, coming to Washington, meeting
with the State Department, and making sure we are laser-focused on
their brother and their son. My heart went out to them.
Think about all of us who have children. Speaking to his mom and dad,
it is frightening, it is deplorable, it is outrageous, and he needs to
come home--now.
I can't say enough about the love and devotion of the Hekmati family.
I have had a number of different opportunities to meet with them.
Amir's sister and brother have frequently been here in Washington
making sure we are not forgetting about this brave marine. They have
fought so hard for his freedom.
I also commend Congressman Dan Kildee, who represents the Hekmati
family in Flint, MI, for being a great partner and such a strong
advocate and a strong voice on behalf of Amir and his family.
This resolution is a clear message to the Iranian Government: If you
want a seat at the table with the rest of the international community,
free Amir Hekmati now, as well as all the other U.S. citizens who are
being held as hostages.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of their families. I can tell
this body that for us, in Michigan, we are laser-focused on making sure
that Amir Hekmati's name is lifted up at every opportunity and that it
is very clear that this brave, courageous marine who served our country
so well has the full support of our government to bring him home
immediately.
I congratulate and thank my colleague.
I am proud to be one of the cosponsors on this resolution.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I thank Senator Stabenow for her work on
this resolution and for her actions on behalf of her constituent who is
being held in Iran. She has been extremely helpful in bringing this
resolution forward.
I see Senator Risch on the floor. I want to state one last time that
because of Senator Risch, we are on the floor tonight with a vote in
the full
[[Page S2750]]
Senate. I thank him for his tenacity and persistence on bringing this
resolution forward so we can focus this on the four Americans being
held by Iran and our desire to get them home as soon as possible and
use every tool we have at our disposal on behalf of those Americans.
Mr. President, I thank Senator Risch for his leadership.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, in addition to thanking Senator Risch
for his tenacity and making sure we are at this point with this
resolution, I must also go back to our vote last week and the
incredible work of our two colleagues in a bipartisan way, as we saw
Senator Corker and Senator Cardin come together and lead us forward
with a very thoughtful piece of legislation that makes clear the role
of the Senate in a very important process right now in negotiations.
I thank Senator Cardin as the ranking member of the Foreign Relations
Committee for his leadership.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Idaho.
Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to add Senators
Portman, Roberts, Kirk, Boozman, Sasse, and Rounds as cosponsors to S.
Con. Res. 16.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for those kind words.
I think ``tenacity'' is probably an appropriate description. I would
like to have had a little more tenaciousness if it would have resulted
in better and stronger language than we have. Nonetheless, we have what
we have.
I congratulate Senator Cardin and Senator Corker for their hard work
on the resolution that passed here last week, which went out of here
with only one dissenting vote. It was a difficult process, to say the
least. Obviously, it didn't rise to the level that a lot of us wanted
to see where this--it could have and should have been handled like a
treaty. Indeed, it is a treaty. No matter what else we call it, it is a
treaty. Nonetheless, we are where we are. We are better off with these
things than without. We are going to wait to see how this plays out as
the summer unfolds. We have an important June 30 date. Once an
agreement is reached, then, of course, we will be on the floor talking
and discussing the appropriateness of the agreement.
There are a lot of us who have been critical of how this started and,
for that matter, where we are today. In my judgment, this shouldn't
have even started. They shouldn't have even sat down at the table until
these people were released and/or accounted for. Nonetheless, we are
where we are.
There are four people we are talking about in this resolution.
Senator Stabenow already referred to one and gave an excellent
description of where we are with that individual.
Next, I will talk about the gentleman from California who is also
being held. His name is Jason Rezaian. He has been held on unspecified
charges since July 2014, denied access to an attorney in violation of
Iran's own laws and international norms, for that matter.
Robert Levinson of Florida is a retired FBI agent who was pursuing an
investigation in Iran. He was abducted off Kish Island, off the coast
of Iran, in March 2007. His whereabouts are unknown. The Iranian
Government has repeatedly said they are not holding Levinson, but
certainly they should cut loose the information they have, and this
resolution requires them to do so.
Lastly, I want to talk about Saeed Abedini. Pastor Abedini is a
constituent of mine from Idaho. He is an ordained Christian minister.
He has family in Iran. At the time he was arrested, he was in Iran
visiting family and in the process of setting up and running an
orphanage. He is detained at the present time in Evin Prison, which is
considered one of the worst prisons in Iran. He has been held in
solitary confinement, physically beaten, denied access to necessary
medical treatment as a result of abuse, and was denied access to his
lawyer until just before trial.
He had a trial. He was convicted and sentenced to 8 years. And his
offense--his offense--was being Christian and pursuing Christianity in
a country where this is not permitted. I think it is shocking to most
Americans that this could happen in today's age. This is barbarous
conduct by a regime that knows no shame. This man should be released
from prison and should be released forthwith. He has done absolutely
nothing that is a threat to the Iranian people or, in fact, to the
Iranian regime--those are two different things we are talking about
here. He has done nothing to be a threat to those people, and he should
be released.
Iran thinks it elevates its position in the world because it does
these kinds of things. It does not. Certainly it shows toughness but a
barbarian type of toughness that the world is not impressed with at
all.
This is a country which pushes the envelope whenever it can. This
country is at the heart of virtually every problem we have in that part
of the world. Most importantly, it is one of if not the most prominent
promoters of terrorism in the world. Some time ago, this was thought of
as a good thing by some of these nations that do not rise to what they
should be on the world stage as an important nation. Terrorism was
thought of as a way that things could be done.
In recent years, most every country has had it with terrorism. It is
no longer something people look at and say, well, yes, there is
terrorism, but you need to understand the root causes. That is gone.
That is absolutely gone. The other countries in this region have had it
with terrorism. Everyone in the region now is going to feel that as we
go forward.
There is hope for Iran. The demographics in that country show there
is a real disconnect between the people of that country and the regime
that operates that country. Most notably, as a downside for the present
regime, is that the demographics show that the vast majority of people
who are living in Iran are young people. They have a different view of
the world than the regime does. They are a secular people who do not
want to be ruled by religious fanatics, which is what they have today.
In any event, the world is watching how this is going to unfold.
Now, we have a clear expression--and Senator Cardin made mention of
this. We ran this as a separate document, not as part of the resolution
we passed last week. This is a separate document, where we are going to
have a clear expression of the nature and the view of what the world
thinks of this and the view that the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Congress
takes of the conduct that Iran is engaged in. It is a separate view,
and I believe it will be very helpful to the notion that this regime in
Iran cannot--cannot--continue down the road it is going down. The Iran
regime purports to represent its people. What it is doing is not
helpful to the Iranian people.
I yield the floor.
Mr. President, I will yield back all remaining time, with the consent
of my colleague from Maryland.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The question occurs on agreeing to S. Con. Res. 16.
Mr. CARDIN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr.
Graham), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), the Senator from Florida
(Mr. Rubio), the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Sullivan), the Senator from
South Dakota (Mr. Thune), and the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker),
the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Oregon
(Mr. Wyden) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lankford). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 90, nays 0, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 175 Leg.]
YEAS--90
Alexander
Ayotte
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Boxer
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
[[Page S2751]]
Casey
Cassidy
Coats
Cochran
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cotton
Crapo
Daines
Donnelly
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Flake
Franken
Gardner
Gillibrand
Grassley
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Heller
Hirono
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Kaine
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Leahy
Lee
Manchin
Markey
McCain
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Paul
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Reid
Risch
Roberts
Rounds
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott
Sessions
Shaheen
Shelby
Stabenow
Tester
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
NOT VOTING--10
Booker
Cruz
Graham
Kirk
Rubio
Sanders
Sullivan
Thune
Vitter
Wyden
The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 16) was agreed to, as
follows:
S. Con. Res. 16
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring),
SECTION 1. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON RELEASE OF UNITED STATES
CITIZENS IN IRAN.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Saeed Abedini of Idaho is a Christian pastor unjustly
detained in Iran since 2012 and sentenced to eight years in
prison on charges related to his religious beliefs.
(2) Amir Hekmati of Michigan is a former United States
Marine unjustly detained in 2011 while visiting his Iranian
relatives and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.
(3) Jason Rezaian of California is a Washington Post
journalist credentialed by the Government of Iran. He was
unjustly detained in 2014 and has been held without a trial.
(4) Robert Levinson of Florida is a former Federal Bureau
of Investigations (FBI) official who disappeared in 2007 in
Iran. He is the longest held United States citizen in United
States history.
(b) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United
States that--
(1) the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran should
immediately release Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason
Rezaian, and cooperate with the United States Government to
locate and return Robert Levinson; and
(2) the United States Government should undertake every
effort using every diplomatic tool at its disposal to secure
their immediate release.
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