[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1271-E1272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING THE BRAVERY AND COURAGE OF THE PEOPLE OF IRAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2022

  Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, it has been more than two months since 
22-year-old Mahsa Amini died alone in a hospital bed in Tehran.

[[Page E1272]]

  Two days before her death, Amini had been arrested by the Iranian 
regime's ``morality police.'' Her crime, in their eyes, was wearing a 
loose-fitting headscarf and tight-fitting pants. The Iranian regime 
claims that she died of a heart attack, but we know the truth: the 
police beat her to death.
  The world has a tendency to look away from tragedies like Amini's. 
Stories like hers fade from the news cycle until they are forgotten or 
met with indifference. But when the Iranian people take to the streets 
every day to protest Amini's murder and demand fundamental rights, they 
make it impossible for the world to avert its gaze. By virtue of their 
courage, they force the world to bear witness. In the streets, 
protestors chant the inscription on Amini's tombstone: ``Beloved Mahsa, 
you will not die. Your name will become a rallying call.'' And her name 
has become just that.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the brave women of Iran who 
are fighting for the right to live in freedom and dignity. I rise in 
support of the men standing alongside them who are demanding political 
rights and an end to theocratic rule. And I rise to solemnly recognize 
the terrible cost that the people of Iran are paying as they take to 
the streets. Security forces have killed hundreds of protestors, firing 
on them with live ammunition and beating them severely. Those caught up 
in mass arrests could face the death penalty.
  The people of Iran are putting their lives on the line to demand 
fundamental freedoms. They suffer today in hopes of building a better 
tomorrow--for themselves, for their families, and for future 
generations. This is a profoundly noble effort that deserves not just 
our admiration, but also our support.
  Those taking to the streets across Iran should know that we are 
watching them and that we are praying for them. And members of the 
Iranian regime should know that when a people truly yearn for freedom, 
and are willing to give their lives for it, their cause is a flame that 
will never go out.

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