[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 183 (Tuesday, November 29, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8631-H8633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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

  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 744) 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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 744

       Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 
     2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 
     2018, and 2020, 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 Baha'i International Community documented a 
     more than 50-percent increase in hate propaganda directed 
     against the Baha'is in the 12-month period ending in 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, on December 16, 2021, the United Nations General 
     Assembly adopted a resolution (A/C.3/76/L.28) criticizing 
     Iran for human rights abuses and calling on Iran to carry out 
     wide-ranging reforms, including--
       (1) ``ceasing use of the death penalty and commuting the 
     sentences for child offenders on death row'';
       (2) ``ensuring that no one is subjected to torture or other 
     cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment'';
       (3) ``ceasing the widespread and systematic use of 
     arbitrary arrests and detention'';
       (4) ``releasing persons detained for the exercise of their 
     human rights and fundamental freedoms'';
       (5) ``improving conditions inside prisons'';
       (6) ``eliminating discrimination against women and girls''; 
     and
       (7) ``eliminating discrimination against ethnic, 
     linguistic, and other minorities'';
       Whereas in the 2022 Annual Report of the United States 
     Commission on International Religious Freedom issued in April 
     2022, it is reported that the Government of Iran--
       (1) ``arrested scores of Baha'is across Iran, many of whom 
     were held incommunicado or taken to undisclosed locations'';
       (2) ``sent Ministry of Intelligence agents to search the 
     home of a Baha'i citizen and confiscated her belongings'';

[[Page H8632]]

       (3) ``continued to deny university education to Baha'is on 
     account of their faith'';
       (4) ``closed six Baha'i businesses'';
       (5) ``demolished the homes of three Baha'is without 
     warning'';
       (6) ``announced the auction of thirteen Baha'i farms''; and
       (7) ``continued to deny Baha'is the right to bury their 
     deceased in empty plots at the Golestan Javid cemetery 
     outside Tehran which the community has used for decades. 
     Instead, Baha'is are being forced to use the Khaveran mass 
     grave site where victims of the 1988 prison massacres are 
     buried'';
       Whereas the Iran section of the Department of State's 2021 
     Report on International Religious Freedom issued in June 2022 
     provides, in part--
       (1) ``Security forces in Shiraz and Mazandaran Province 
     conducted multiple arrests of Baha'is in their homes or 
     workplaces in the last week of September without providing 
     reasons or charges.'';
       (2) ``Authorities continued to confiscate Baha'i properties 
     as part of an ongoing state-led campaign of economic 
     persecution against Baha'is. Authorities issued an order in 
     April denying Baha'is permission to bury their dead in empty 
     plots at the Tehran-area cemetery designated for Baha'is, 
     forcing them to bury them at a mass grave site.'';
       (3) ``Authorities reportedly continued to deny the Baha'i, 
     Sabean-Mandaean, and Yarsani religious communities, as well 
     as members of other unrecognized religious minority groups, 
     access to education and government employment unless they 
     declared themselves as belonging to one of the country's 
     recognized religions on their application forms.''; and
       (4) ``Government officials continued to disseminate anti-
     Baha'i and antisemitic messages using traditional and social 
     media.'';
       Whereas, on July 4, 2022, the Baha'i International 
     Community noted ``The Iranian government's systematic 
     campaign to persecute the Baha'i religious minority 
     accelerated again this past week with the arrest, court 
     hearing or imprisonment of at least 18 more Baha'i citizens 
     across the country, bringing the June total to 44 people. 
     Hundreds of others, meanwhile, also await summonses to court 
     or to prison.'';
       Whereas, on July 21, 2022, the Baha'i International 
     Community announced ``More than 20 Baha'is in Shiraz, Tehran, 
     Yazd and Bojnourd, have been arrested, jailed or subjected to 
     home searches and business closures since the beginning of 
     July. Last month 44 Baha'is were arrested, arraigned or 
     imprisoned, suggesting an escalating crisis in the Iranian 
     government's systematic campaign against the country's 
     largest non-Muslim religious minority. . .'';
       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 
     who are ``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 (Public 
     Law 111-195) 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 (UDHR) 
     and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
     (ICCPR);
       (2) calls on the Government of Iran--
       (A) to immediately release the imprisoned or detained 
     Baha'is and 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 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 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 gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Jacobs) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs).


                             General Leave

  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 744, as 
amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs)?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 744.
  I thank Ted Deutch, an esteemed former Member of this House and the 
former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Middle East, 
North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee, for 
reintroducing this important legislation that has passed the House 
multiple times.
  I know that every member of our committee hopes the Iranian 
Government will immediately cease the abuse of its own people and 
specifically end its longtime persecution of the Baha'i people.
  The last several years have been especially difficult for Iran's 
Baha'i community, as the regime in Tehran has ramped up its persecution 
of the community.
  The resolution before us today calls on the Iranian Government to 
release all Baha'i prisoners, end its campaign of state-sponsored 
persecution, and stop discriminatory policies against the Baha'i 
community.
  As many of us know, those who practice the Baha'i faith have been 
persecuted in Iran since the religion's founding but have suffered the 
most acute harassment since the Iranian revolution in 1979.
  Hundreds of Baha'is have been executed and tortured. To this day, 
Iran denies Baha'is access to higher education, government jobs, and 
permits to work in 25 professions, and Iran subjects them to arbitrary 
harassment, arrest, and imprisonment.
  Mr. Speaker, it is long past time for this religious persecution to 
end, so I strongly urge all Members to vote in support of this critical 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan measure that 
condemns Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and 
calls for the release of all religious prisoners in Iran.
  In recent months, the Iranian regime has responded to the Iranian 
people's peaceful demands for change with violent suppression. The 
world has been a witness to that brutality.
  Sadly, Iran's Baha'i community is very familiar with the regime's 
cruelty. For years, the Baha'i have been subjected to a campaign of 
state-sponsored persecution. Baha'is across Iran face arbitrary arrest, 
forced disappearance, property expropriation, and economic 
discrimination every day.
  The regime's deplorable treatment of the Baha'i shows how the 
Ayatollah denies Iranians access to basic human rights.
  Persecution based on religious belief is abhorrent and warrants 
condemnation in the strongest possible terms. This resolution is a 
reminder of Congress' continued commitment to promoting and protecting 
human rights in Iran, including freedom of worship and belief.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank our former colleague, Ted Deutch, for his 
longtime work to support the Baha'i in Iran and for his original 
authorship of this bipartisan measure.
  The House of Representatives will continue to work tirelessly to 
protect and defend the human rights of the Iranian people.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. Speaker, the Baha'i people of Iran have suffered enough at the 
hands of Iran's regime since the revolution. The brutality of Iran's 
Government has unfortunately been on display now for weeks for the 
entire world to see.
  This body will always defend human rights in Iran and around the 
world, and we stand in solidarity with the people of Iran who are 
calling for justice, dignity, and respect. Women, Life, Freedom.

[[Page H8633]]

  Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me and support this 
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 744--
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.
  This resolution condemns Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its 
Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the international 
covenants on human rights.
  Further, the resolution calls on Iran to immediately release all 
imprisoned or detained Baha'is, and it urges the President and the 
Department of State to impose sanctions on Iranian officials and others 
who are responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses 
against Iran's Baha'i community.
  Persecution of religious minorities in Iran is rampant. For over 40 
years, the Government of Iran has persecuted members of the Baha'i 
faith, killing over 200 Baha'i leaders, dismissing more than 10,000 
from their government and university jobs, and using intimidation and 
violence to target them as enemies of the state.
  The Iranian regime routinely arrests Baha'is and imposes lengthy 
prison sentences. Between 50 and 100 Baha'is were reported to be in 
prisons in Iran during 2020, despite the widespread prevalence of 
COVID-19.
  Since 31 July 2022, Ministry of Intelligence agents have raided and 
confiscated dozens of Baha'i properties and arrested at least 30 
members of the Baha'i community on account of their faith in various 
cities throughout Iran.
  Iranian state-sponsored propaganda encourages citizens to avoid all 
dealings with Baha'is citing that they ``create anxiety in the minds of 
the public and those of the Iranian officials.''
  The onslaught against the Baha'i community is yet another example of 
the Iranian government's brutal and degrading treatment of minorities 
and women and is a vivid reminder of the regime's extremist and 
intolerant foundation.
  Iranians from all socioeconomic backgrounds are desperate for a 
democratic government that respects the universal rights of all humans, 
basic respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
  The arrest and murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested by 
``morality police'' in Tehran on September 13, 2022, for allegedly 
violating Iran's strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with 
a hijab, or headscarf, sparked massive protests around Iran and the 
world.
  For the past two months, since the day of Mahsa Amini's funeral, 
women and men have taken to the streets, risking their lives for a free 
and democratic Iran.
  Since the protests started in September, more than 350 protesters 
have been killed, and thousands have been arrested.
  Two weeks ago, an Iranian court issued the first death sentence 
linked to the protests, convicting an unnamed person of ``enmity 
against God'' and ``spreading corruption on Earth.'' Three more people 
have since been sentenced to death on the same charges, according to 
the Iranian government.
  We are presented with evidence everyday of Iranians putting their 
lives at risk in pursuit of a better tomorrow.
  To all the Iranian women, men, children, and protestors who are 
leading the fight for democracy, I say loud and clear that I stand with 
you.
  The United States Congress will always support a democratic movement 
in Iran. We support the organized and peaceful resistance by women, 
students, and youth against this extremist regime.
  Let us remain dedicated to advocating for a democratic secular 
government in Iran founded on universal respect for human rights, 
religious tolerance, and equality among all citizens.
  I urge all my colleagues to support H. Res. 744--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.
  We must consistently demonstrate to the Iranian people and the entire 
world that we stand with them in solidarity for the atrocious 
injustices being committed by the Iranian Government, to give voice to 
the oppressed support human rights, and freedom in Iran, because 
freedom is a universal right.
  I will always champion global democracy stand against human rights 
violations, and never shy away from speaking truth to power in the 
presence of oppression.
  May the Iranian people soon enjoy all the rights and benefits of 
freedom and democracy.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 744, 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. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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