[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 200 (Thursday, December 22, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10086-S10087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAN

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President,

       Zan. Zendegi. Azadi.
       Jin, Jiyan, Azadi.

  ``Women, life, freedom.''
  These words of protest have echoed through Iran's streets and across 
the world for 4 months--because 4 months ago, the Iranian Morality 
Police arrested Mahsa Amini at a highway entrance in Tehran. Their 
charge? Not wearing her hijab ``properly.'' They stopped her. They 
forced her into their van. They beat this 22-year-old woman until she 
was brain dead. And when word of her death got out, the chanting and 
protests began.
  I rise today to express my profound disappointment that the Senate 
has failed to pass S.Con. Res. 47, which commends the bravery of these 
Iranian protestors who have stood their ground against the Iranian 
regime for over 100 days--and counting. We have seen women defiantly 
burn their hijabs and cut off their hair in public. We have seen 
Iranian soccer players on the global stage at the World Cup risk 
everything to stand in solidarity with their brothers and sisters back 
home. We have seen famous Iranian actors and actresses, singers and 
other popular figures, refuse to back down, even as the regime has 
arrested them--like Amir Nasr-Azadani, Taraneh Alidoosti, Toomaj 
Salehi, Mona Borzouee, Mahmoud Shariari, and so many others that I 
could name. We have seen ordinary Iranians of all walks of life risk 
imprisonment and death to gather in squares and march through the 
streets to confront the misogyny of this regime--too many to name 
here--but we must remember their names.
  How has the Iranian regime responded? With tear gas, with torture, 
with live gunfire and death. They have killed hundreds of protestors 
and arrested tens of thousands more. As someone who has been closely 
following the Iranian regime for over three decades since my time as a 
Representative in the House, their actions don't come as a surprise. We 
all know how brutal the Iranian regime has been both at home and 
abroad. We see it with Iranian drones that are killing Ukrainians. We 
see it in the missiles aimed at our Gulf partners and Americans in the 
region, in the threats to wipe Israel off the map. We see it in the 
assassination attempts on former U.S. officials.
  For decades, the Iranian regime has repressed and tortured anyone who 
opposes them. They have massacred innocent political prisoners. And 
now--on full display across social media--we are seeing how ruthless 
and desperate they are to keep their grip on power. The only difference 
between their violent actions in the past and those unfolding this year 
is that, despite the internet shutdowns, today, the world is watching 
the events unfold in real time.
  According to the organization Iranian Human Rights, the regime has 
killed over 600 people, including dozens of minors, and detained at 
least 18,500 people since protests began in September. Eighteen 
thousand--that is about the same as the population of Weehawken, NJ. In 
less than 1 week, the Iranian regime hanged two protestors without due 
process after sham trials alleged they ``waged war against God.'' 
Majidreza Rhanavard and Mohsen Shekari, they both were 23. The regime 
has sentenced at least 11 others to death, the majority of them in 
their 20s. Reports suggest at least 30 others are facing sham charges 
that could carry the death penalty as well.
  The world sees clearly the depravity of this regime. That is due to 
the incredible bravery of the Iranians who are speaking out. And we 
need to stand shoulder to shoulder with them because, contrary to what 
some may say, it is not American meddling in internal Iranian politics 
to support the Iranian protestors. It is not American meddling when we 
raise up Iranian voices. These are voices coming from those inside Iran 
who are risking everything to pursue their basic human rights, when 
they know they are putting it all on

[[Page S10087]]

the line. They know the nature of the regime they confront. And they go 
out into the streets anyway. They do it today, even as the regime shuts 
down internet access inside the country, so the world cannot see. But 
the United States and the international community cannot be silent in 
the face of their courage. We cannot look away.
  Speaking up when we see the spilling of protesters' blood is the very 
least we must do. And that is why I rise today to express deep 
disappointment that my colleagues did not join me in passing S. Con. 
Res. 47. The resolution calls on the international community and the 
private sector to look for every opportunity to support the protesters. 
It calls for cooperation to hold the regime accountable as it 
represses, detains, and murders its citizens. This resolution is not 
controversial. Indeed, it is the minimum message that the U.S. Congress 
should be sending.
  But we all need to do more. That is why I introduced this resolution 
to amplify the voices of Iranian protestors around the world using 
social media and other technologies, as well as American surrogate 
networks. It is why I think the United States needs to be raising this 
issue in every international forum--as we have successfully done in the 
UN Human Rights Council and the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
  But we should not stop there. We should be using the tools we have to 
help circumvent the regime's efforts to jam communications of its own 
people. And we should invoke the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
Accountability Act and other provisions against those who are 
perpetrating these heinous acts.
  No one should underestimate the deep and real grievances of Iranian 
protestors. Their chants against the Iranian regime reflect decades of 
pent-up frustration. That sense of desperate longing for the kinds of 
things many of us take for granted comes through in the viral protest 
song ``Baraye'' by Shervin Hajipour, a musician that the Iranian regime 
also has detained. The Iranian protestors' demands for justice and 
fundamental rights are inspirational, especially in the face of the 
Iranian regime's response.
  All they want is to live life in peace and prosperity. So let's keep 
standing shoulder to shoulder with the protesters as they stand up to 
the regime's human rights violations and violence. Let's help them keep 
fighting against the senseless repression of women and girls. Let's 
keep the world's eyes on Tehran's ruthlessness.
  And remember the lyrics of Baraye: Women. Life. Freedom.
  Because if we do, we not only honor the memory of Mahsa Amini and 
every Iranian yearning for freedom and justice, we honor our own 
democratic values and principles which we all hold so dear.
  We have not done that today. This is no time for hesitation or 
equivocation. I urge my colleagues to join me in ensuring quick passage 
of similar legislation in the new congressional session.

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