    [Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
    [Extensions of Remarks]
    [Pages E28-E29]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

         SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE OF IRAN TO FREE EXPRESSION

                                     ______

                                   speech of

                            HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                    of texas

                        in the house of representatives

                            Tuesday, January 9, 2018

      Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my continued
    support for the people of Iran and continued support for freedom of
    speech as it is encapsulated in H. Res. 676, a resolution supporting
    the rights of the people of Iran to free expression and condemning the
    Iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests.
      On Sunday, January 7, 2018, I stood in protest with Iranian-Americans
    on the streets of Houston to take a stand for human rights in Iran.
      At that event, I stated ``It is time for freedom to take over'' and I
    stand by that statement here in Congress and add that separation of
    church and state is essential for a free and democratic Iran.
      On December 28, 2017, popular protests against the Iranian regime
    began in the city of Mashad and rapidly spread throughout the country,
    in the most significant antigovernment protests in Iran since June
    2009.
      The protesters have expressed numerous economic grievances, including
    the regime's widespread corruption and the Revolutionary Guard Corps'
    control of the country's economy.
      Protesters have decried the regime's costly, destabilizing activities
    abroad, including its support for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah
    and the murderous Assad regime in Syria.
      Reports indicate that more than 1,000 Iranians have been arrested and
    almost two dozen killed in connection with the protests.
      The Iranian regime has shut down mobile internet access and has
    blocked and pressured companies to cut off social media applications
    used by activists to organize and publicize the protests.
      Congress has provided authority to license the provision of
    communications technology to Iran to improve the ability of the Iranian
    people to speak freely.
      I encourage the Administration to expedite the license of
    communications technology to Iran to improve the ability of the Iranian
    people to speak freely and I call on companies to reject requests by
    the regime to cut off the Iranian people from social media and other
    communications platforms.
      On January 1, 2018, regime officials threatened to crack down, with
    Brigadier General Esmaeil Kowsari of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps
    stating, ``If this situation continues, the officials will definitely
    make some decisions and at that point this business will be finished.''
      Congress has provided authority to designate and sanction elements of
    the Iranian regime involved in significant corruption and serious human
    rights abuses.
      I urge the Administration to use targeted sanctions and work to
    convene emergency sessions of the United Nations Security Council and
    the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn the ongoing human
    rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian regime and establish a
    mechanism by which the Security Council can monitor such violations.
      Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia have been
    sanctioned by the United States for planning and carrying out serious
    human rights abuses against the Iranian people, including for the cruel
    and prolonged torture of political dissidents, behavior that is
    absolutely intolerable.
      The regime has routinely violated the human rights of Iranian
    citizens, including ongoing, systematic, and serious restrictions of
    freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and
    expression, including the continuing closures of media outlets, arrests
    of journalists, and the censorship of expression in online forums such
    as blogs and websites.
      The Department of State's 2016 Human Rights Report on Iran noted:

           severe restrictions on civil liberties, including the
         freedoms of assembly, association, speech, religion, and
         press.
           Other human rights problems included abuse of due process
         combined with use of capital punishment for crimes that do
         not meet the requirements of due process, as well as cruel,
         inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; and disregard
         for the physical integrity of persons, whom authorities
         arbitrarily and unlawfully detained, tortured, or killed.

      For a country that once enjoyed great pride in its freedom of
    thought, the information in this Report comes with sadness.
      On December 29, 2017, the Department of State strongly condemned the
    arrest of peaceful protesters and noted that ``Iran's leaders have
    turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an
    economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence,
    bloodshed, and chaos.''
      On January 1, 2018, the Secretary of State for Foreign and
    Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, stated that:

           The UK is watching events in Iran closely.
           We believe that there should be meaningful debate about the
         legitimate and important issues the protesters are raising
         and we look to the Iranian authorities to permit this.

      On January 2, 2018, the French Foreign Ministry stated that:

           French authorities are closely monitoring the situation in
         Iran.
           Demonstrating freely is a fundamental right.
           The same is true for the free movement of information.
           France expresses its concern over the large number of
         victims and arrests.

      On January 1, 2018, a spokesman for the Canadian Ministry of Foreign
    Affairs stated that:

           We call on the Iranian authorities to uphold and respect
         democratic and human rights and ``We are encouraged by the
         Iranian people who are bravely exercising their basic right
         to protest peacefully.
           Canada will continue to support the fundamental rights of
         the Iranians, including freedom of expression.

      As hypocrisy has it, Iran is a member of the United Nations, voted
    for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is a signatory to

    [[Page E29]]

    the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other
    international human rights treaties.
      In violation of these and other international obligations, Iranian
    regime officials continue to violate the fundamental human rights of
    the Iranian people.
      Today, I rise with my colleagues in Congress to stand with the people
    of Iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an
    oppressive, corrupt regime.
      I rise in support of H. Res. 676 which condemns the Iranian regime's
    serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people, significant
    corruption, and destabilizing activities abroad.
      I call on all democratic governments and institutions to clearly
    support the Iranian people's right to live in a free society.
      I rise to urge the Iranian regime to abide by its international
    obligations with respect to human rights and civil liberties, including
    freedoms of assembly, speech, and press.
      The Iranian regime must do the right thing and respect the proud
    history and rich culture of the Iranian nation.
      The people of Iran want nothing more than to promote the
    establishment of basic freedoms that build the foundation for the
    emergence of a freely elected, open, and democratic political system.
      I whole-heartedly support H. Res. 676 and continue fighting for a
    free Iran.

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