[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 206 (Monday, December 7, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H6867-H6869]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONDEMNING IRAN'S STATE-SPONSORED PERSECUTION OF ITS BAHA'I MINORITY

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 823) condemning the Government of Iran's 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. 823

       Whereas, in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 
     2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 
     and 2018, 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, since 1979, Iranian authorities have killed or 
     executed more than 200 Baha'i leaders, and more than 10,000 
     have been dismissed from government and university jobs;
       Whereas the Report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur 
     on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of 
     Iran (A/74/188) dated July 18, 2019, provides, in part--
       (1) the Iranian authorities and the Iranian criminal 
     justice system regard the Baha'is as ``unprotected 
     infidels''; the Baha'i faith is also ``regarded as a 
     misguided sect''; and ``Baha'i worship and religious 
     practices are deemed heresy.'';
       (2) ``Baha'is have been murdered with impunity and 
     violations of their human rights have not been 
     investigated.'';
       (3) members of the Baha'i faith ``frequently face charges, 
     such as, ``breaching national security', ``propaganda against 
     the holy regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran', or 
     `propaganda activities against the regime in the interests of 
     the Baha'i sect' '';
       (4) ``Since August 2005, more than 1,168 Baha'is have been 
     arrested and charged with vaguely worded offences.'';
       (5) ``There were a total of 95 Baha'is reportedly arrested 
     in 2018, compared with at least 84 in 2017 and 81 in 2016.'';
       (6) ``On 1 January 2019, the court of appeal of Isfahan 
     reportedly condemned, in separate judgments, nine Baha'i 
     citizens to a total of 48 years of prison. They had been 
     charged with `membership of the illegal Baha'i community and 
     propaganda against the regime by spreading the Baha'i faith 
     in the society.' '';
       (7) directed by a 2007 letter from the Security Unit of the 
     Public Place Supervision Office of the Islamic Republic of 
     Iran to police commanders throughout the country, Iranian 
     authorities continue to apply economic pressure against the 
     Baha'i community, by banning them from specific professions 
     and ``halting their entry to `high earning businesses' ''; 
     and
       (8) ``Since 2013, there have been more than 803 incidents 
     of violations of economic rights of the Baha'is, including 
     arbitrary shop closures, unfair dismissals from employment 
     and the actual or threatened revocation of business 
     licenses.'';
       Whereas the Department of State's International Religious 
     Freedom Report for 2019, Iran section, provides, in part--
       (1) ``Non-Shia Muslims and those affiliated with a religion 
     other than Islam, especially members of the Baha'i community, 
     continued to face societal discrimination and harassment, and 
     employers experienced social pressures not to hire Baha'is or 
     to dismiss them from their private sector jobs.''; and
       (2) ``The law bars Baha'is from founding their own 
     educational institutions. A Ministry of Science, Research, 
     and Technology order requires universities to exclude Baha'is 
     from access to higher education or expel them if their 
     religious affiliation becomes known.'';
       Whereas, on March 11, 2020, the Department of State 
     released the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 
     2019 and, in connection with Iran, the report provides, in 
     part--
       (1) Iranian authorities ``barred Baha'i students from 
     higher education'', and in 2019, denied enrollment to at 
     least 22 Baha'i college applicants solely because of their 
     religious affiliation despite passing the national admissions 
     test;
       (2) ``The country materially contributed to human rights 
     abuses . . . in Yemen, through its support for Houthi rebels 
     and directing authorities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen 
     to harass and detain Baha'is because of their religious 
     affiliation.''; and
       (3) ``In July 2019, Iran Wire, a human rights reporting 
     agency, reported the case of Hamed Rezvani, a Baha'i musician 
     and teacher, who left his home in Isfahan in December 2018 
     and has not been heard from since. Repeated requests by the 
     Rezvani family for information from police and local 
     intelligence have not produced any information about his 
     disappearance.'';

[[Page H6868]]

       Whereas according to the 2020 Annual Report of the United 
     States Commission on International Religious Freedom 
     (USCIRF)--
       (1) ``There are more than 300,000 Baha'is in Iran, who 
     together constitute the largest non-Muslim religious minority 
     in the country.'';
       (2) ``Security forces also prevented the burial of two 
     deceased Baha'i individuals in a Baha'i cemetery in Kerman 
     after it was sealed in March 2018. In October, the body of a 
     deceased Baha'i woman was exhumed four days after her burial 
     and abandoned in a desert area outside the town of Jaban.'';
       (3) There is a ``particular uptick in the persecution of 
     Baha'is'', including of local government officials who 
     advocated on behalf of Baha'is, and the Iranian government 
     blamed Baha'is, without evidence, for wide-spread popular 
     protests in 2019; and
       (4) ``In July 2019, Twitter banned several official Iranian 
     media accounts for incitement against Baha'is in Iran.'';
       Whereas the Baha'i International Community documented a 
     more than 50 percent increase in hate propaganda directed 
     against the Baha'is in the twelve-month period ending August 
     2020 compared to prior years with more than 9,500 such 
     articles, videos, or web pages appearing in Iranian 
     government-controlled or government-sponsored media;
       Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations and a 
     signatory to both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
     and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 
     among other international human rights treaties, without 
     reservation;
       Whereas section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 
     Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8514) 
     authorizes the President to impose sanctions on individuals 
     ``responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for 
     ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission 
     of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Iran or 
     their family members on or after June 12, 2009''; and
       Whereas the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights 
     Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-158) amends and expands the 
     authorities established under the Comprehensive Iran 
     Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to 
     sanction Iranian human rights abusers: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the Government of Iran's state-sponsored 
     persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued 
     violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and 
     the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
       (2) calls on the Government of Iran--
       (A) to immediately release all imprisoned or detained 
     Baha'is, together with all other prisoners held solely on 
     account of their religion;
       (B) to end its state-sponsored campaign of hate propaganda 
     against the Baha'is; and
       (C) to reverse state-imposed policies denying Baha'is and 
     members of other religious minorities equal opportunities to 
     higher education, earning a livelihood, due process under the 
     law, and the free exercise of religious practices;
       (3) calls on the President and the Secretary of State, in 
     cooperation with responsible nations, to continue to 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 the Secretary of State to 
     utilize available authorities to impose sanctions on 
     officials of the Government of Iran and other individuals 
     directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, 
     including abuses against the Baha'i community of Iran.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Raskin) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H. Res. 823.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution condemning 
the government of Iran's persecution of its besieged Baha'i minority. I 
thank all of my colleagues who have worked on this, including on the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Deutch and Mr. Wilson, for their 
leadership on this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, the Government of Iran has carried out an inhumane 
campaign of religious persecution against the Baha'i minority, its 
largest nonMuslim religious minority in the country. The regime has 
closed Baha'i-owned shops and stores, forbidden Baha'i citizens from 
holding government jobs, and denied Baha'i children access to school. 
Members of the Baha'i community have been unjustly arrested and 
prosecuted and executed, targeted solely for their religious beliefs.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. stands for the freedom of religious exercise, 
and we must speak up in the face of this theocratic injustice. We 
cannot forget those who struggled for their basic religious freedom and 
civil liberty in Iran.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution sends a strong message to the Iranian 
Government that the Government of the United States will not remain 
silent in the face of such terrible oppression. It calls for the 
immediate release of all imprisoned or detained Baha'is, and urges 
sanctions on Iranian officials and others who are responsible for these 
human rights abuses, including abuses against the Baha'i community.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
bipartisan resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this body is no stranger to the human rights abuses 
committed by the Iranian regime. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the 
world's largest state sponsor of terror and has regularly attacked and 
detained those who disagree with them, including even their own people 
and American citizens.
  Today, we focus on the regime's religious persecution of the Baha'i, 
Iran's largest religious minority group. The Baha'i in Iran are 
regularly subject to arbitrary interrogations and arrests without due 
process. They are often denied employment and access to higher 
education. Their cemeteries have been vandalized, and many of their 
leaders have been executed. Moreover, Iranian state media publishes 
anti-Baha'i hate propaganda, exposing them to prejudices and even 
potentially violent attacks by their neighbors.
  Mr. Speaker, the Trump administration has admirably used sanctions to 
punish Iran's human rights abusers, but we cannot let up until all 
people in Iran, including the Baha'i, have the right to practice their 
faith freely. With this resolution, we vow to continue to hold human 
rights abusers accountable, including those who target the Baha'i.
  The Iranian regime must end their persecution of the Baha'i by 
releasing those who have been illegally imprisoned, by ending their 
hate-filled propaganda campaign against the Baha'i, and by reversing 
policies that the Baha'is equal opportunity.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
thank him for his leadership on this very important topic.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 823, which condemns 
the Iranian Government's persecution of the Baha'i minority. As an 
original cosponsor of this measure myself, I thank Mr. Deutch and Mr. 
Wilson for their work to bring it to the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, as a former chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle 
East, North Africa and International Terrorism myself, I have long 
observed how the Iranian Government has repressed its own people, 
stifled their voices and their freedoms, and systematically abused 
human rights. Nowhere is this more evident than in the mullahs' 
persecution of members of the Baha'i faith.
  Mr. Speaker, since the Iranian Revolution, Iran has executed hundreds 
of Baha'is, while 10,000 Baha'is have been dismissed from their jobs, 
and a number of their holy sites have been desecrated. Baha'is also 
have seen their homes and businesses raided, their children prohibited 
from attending college, and their property confiscated. This cruel 
persecution comes despite the fact that Iran has nothing to fear from 
the Baha'i. The Baha'i faith espouses the values of peace and unity, 
cooperation, education, interfaith harmony, and an end to prejudice. 
Wherever Baha'is live, they strive to be good citizens, devoted to 
service and universal respect for all people.
  Mr. Speaker, this includes here in the United States. Since arriving 
over 120 years ago, members of the Baha'i faith

[[Page H6869]]

have established themselves as patriotic and productive citizens in all 
50 States. I want to specifically honor the Baha'i community in my 
community in Cincinnati. One of their churches is about a mile down the 
street from my home, and I have had the opportunity to meet their 
representatives several times and come to learn how they have enriched 
our city of Cincinnati back home.
  With these values and contributions in mind, the Iranian persecution 
of the Baha'i is clearly barbaric and shows the true nature of that 
wicked regime in Iran.

  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me and join others on both 
sides of the aisle in condemning the persecution by supporting this 
resolution.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, one of the principles this country was founded 
upon was the freedom to worship. This is a right that people all around 
the world should have, including the people of Iran. Resolutions like 
this remind the world that the United States of America will not turn a 
blind eye to religious persecution.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch) and the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for their leadership in 
introducing this bipartisan resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H. Res. 823, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
for the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, I, too, thank Mr. Deutch and Mr. Wilson for their hard 
work on this important resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, American foreign policy must work to advance and protect 
basic human rights around the world, including religious freedom and 
the rights of religious minorities. When we see human rights 
violations, like the ones the Iranian Government has inflicted on the 
Baha'i community, we must speak out. We must pursue justice for the 
victims and we must hold the perpetrators accountable. We must defend 
people nonviolently exercising their faith against governments 
violently imposing their will on the public.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a step in the direction of aggressive 
defense of human rights, and I am pleased to support it. I urge all of 
our colleagues to support this bipartisan measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 823, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``A resolution 
condemning the Government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its 
Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________