[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H4247-H4249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONDEMNING THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN'S STATE-SPONSORED PERSECUTION OF THE 
   BAHA'I MINORITY AND ITS CONTINUED VIOLATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL 
                       COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 492) condemning the Government of Iran's state-
sponsored persecution of the Baha'i minority and its continued 
violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                              H. Res. 492

       Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 
     2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 
     2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022, 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 
     Baha'is have been dismissed from government and university 
     jobs;
       Whereas June 18, 2023, marks the 40th anniversary of the 
     execution of 10 Baha'i women by the Iranian Government each 
     witnessing the hanging of those hanged before her in a final 
     failed attempt to induce abandonment of their faith after 
     over 6 months of imprisonment and violent abuse, with the 
     youngest only 17 years old;
       Whereas, on December 15, 2022, the United Nations General 
     Assembly adopted a resolution (A/C.3/77/L.34) criticizing 
     Iran for human rights abuses and calling on Iran to carry out 
     wide-ranging reforms, including--
       (1) to end its ``continuing disregard for protections under 
     Iranian law or internationally recognized safeguards relating 
     to the imposition of the death penalty'' and ``to commute the 
     sentences for child offenders on death row'';
       (2) ``to ensure, in law and in practice, that no one is 
     subjected to torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading 
     treatment'';
       (3) ``to cease the widespread and systematic use of 
     arbitrary arrests and detention'';
       (4) ``to release persons detained for the exercise of their 
     human rights and fundamental freedoms'';
       (5) ``to address the poor conditions of prisons'';
       (6) ``to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of 
     systemic discrimination and other human rights violations 
     against women and girls'';
       (7) to cease the ``increased harassment, intimidation, 
     persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention of, and 
     incitement to hatred that leads to violence against, persons 
     belonging to recognized and unrecognized religious 
     minorities, including Christians (particularly converts from 
     Islam), Gonabadi Dervishes, Jews, Sufi Muslims, Sunni 
     Muslims, Yarsanis, Zoroastrians, and, in particular, Baha'is, 
     who have been subjected to a sudden increase in persecution, 
     who have faced increasing restrictions and systemic 
     persecution by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
     on account of their faith and have been reportedly subjected 
     to mass arrests and lengthy prison sentences, as well as the 
     arrest of prominent members and increased confiscation and 
     destruction of property''; and
       (8) ``to release all religious practitioners imprisoned for 
     their membership in or activities on behalf of a minority 
     religious group, to cease the desecration of cemeteries and 
     to ensure that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, 
     conscience and religion or belief'';
       Whereas, in the 2023 Annual Report of the United States 
     Commission on International Religious Freedom issued in April 
     2023, it is reported that--
       (1) the Government of Iran ``escalated its persecution of 
     Baha'is, conducting nationwide arrests and spreading 
     propaganda against the group'';
       (2) in February [2022], Judge Mohammadghasem Ain al-Kamali 
     of Branch 1 of the Semnan Revolutionary Court ruled that [the 
     parastatal entity known as] the Execution of Imam Khomeini's 
     Order (EIKO) could legally confiscate the property of Baha'is 
     . . . Branch 54 of the Tehran Appeals Court upheld the 
     decision in August following the destruction of six Baha'i 
     houses in Rooshankooh;
       (3) government officials arrested 14 Baha'is during a 
     religious study in Ghaemshahr; and
       (4) the Government of Iran ``continued its systematic 
     campaign of Baha'i arrests'' throughout the latter part of 
     2022;
       Whereas, in response to a surge in persecution in June and 
     July 2022, involving the subjection of over 100 Baha'is to 
     arrests, arraignments, sentencings, and raids on their homes 
     and businesses across Iran, including the sentencing in June 
     of 26 individuals in the city of Shiraz to a combined total 
     of 85 years in prison, the Department of State's Office of 
     International Religious Freedom issued a statement on August 
     2, 2022, indicating that ``[a]mid a continued rise in 
     arrests, sentences, and imprisonments, the U.S. urges Iran to 
     halt its ongoing oppression of the Baha'i community and honor 
     its international obligations to respect the right of all 
     Iranians to freedom of religion or belief'';
       Whereas the Iran section of the Department of State's 2022 
     Report on International Religious Freedom issued in May 2023 
     provides, in part--
       (1) ``According to the Baha'i International Community 
     (BIC), Amnesty International, multiple international news 
     organizations, and the United Nations, in July and August, 
     security forces in cities across the country conducted 
     multiple raids of Baha'i homes, confiscated property deemed 
     `illegitimate wealth,' and arrested Baha'is in their homes or 
     workplaces on unsubstantiated charges including `causing 
     intellectual and ideological insecurity in Muslim society.'';
       (2) ``In August, a group of UN human rights experts 
     released a joint statement calling on the government to stop 
     the increasing arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances 
     of members of the Baha'i Faith and the destruction or 
     confiscation of their properties in what the experts said 
     `bears all the signs of a policy of systematic 
     persecution'.''; and
       (3) ``In their August 22 statement, the UN experts stated 
     that as of April, more than 1,000 Baha'is awaited 
     imprisonment, following their initial arrest and hearings.'';
       Whereas, on November 21, 2022, Ms. Mahvash Sabet and Ms. 
     Fariba Kamalabadi, 2 former members of the disbanded informal 
     7-person leadership group of the Baha'is of Iran, who each 
     served 10-year sentences from 2008 to 2018 and have been 
     detained since July 31, 2022, in Evin prison, were sentenced 
     to an additional 10 years in prison each after a summary 
     trial lasting 1 hour; and on February 10, 2023, another 
     former member of the disbanded leadership group, Mr. Afif 
     Naimi, who had also served a 10-year sentence from 2008 to 
     2018, was sentenced on February 10, 2023, to 7 years in 
     prison, which he began to serve on April 29, 2023;
       Whereas, on December 11, 2022, the Baha'i International 
     Community organization reported that, ``More than 320 Baha'is 
     have been affected by individual acts of persecution since 
     the arrest [on July 31, 2022] of Mahvash [Sabet] and Fariba 
     [Kamalabadi]. Dozens were arrested at various points in 
     Shiraz, across Mazandaran province, and elsewhere throughout 
     the country. Homes owned by Baha'is in the village of 
     Roshankouh were demolished. Government plans to tar the 
     Baha'is through hate speech and propaganda were also exposed. 
     And at least 90 Baha'is are currently in prison or subject to 
     degrading ankle-band monitoring.'';
       Whereas, on April 21, 2023, the Department of State's 
     Office of International Religious Freedom issued a statement 
     in a tweet indicating that, ``[w]e are deeply concerned 
     following the news of Mahvash Sabet's injuries sustained 
     while in prison. No one should be punished for their faith. 
     We call on Iranian authorities to make sure Mrs. Sabet 
     receives medical attention immediately and release her.'';
       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 the Baha'i minority in Iran and the 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 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,

[[Page H4248]]

     including abuses against the Baha'i community of Iran.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. McCaul) and the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCAUL. 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 this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as the Iranian regime continues to violate human rights, 
we must condemn the regime's state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i 
minority and its other ongoing abuses.
  For the past year, Iran's barbaric human rights violations have faced 
renewed scrutiny following the regime's crackdown on peaceful protests 
after the murder of Mahsa Amini. Unfortunately, this sickening cruelty 
has become characteristic of the Iranian regime's control for over 40 
years. The regime has consistently targeted the Baha'i and other 
religious minorities with harassment, discrimination, and violence.
  For decades, the Iranian regime has terrorized the Baha'i, who face 
arbitrary arrest, forced disappearances, property confiscation, and 
economic discrimination at the hands of the regime.
  Religious persecution in any form is repulsive, and we must condemn 
it in the strongest possible terms. That is why I cosponsored this 
resolution, which the gentlewoman from Illinois, Congresswoman 
Schakowsky, introduced.
  This measure details Iran's ongoing crimes against the Baha'i 
minority and calls for further action to address these serious human 
rights abuses. Congress will continue to stand with all the people of 
Iran to defend their rights, including religious freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this measure, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. 
Res. 492, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, while the Congress is rightly concerned about Iran's 
nefarious nuclear program, its missile proliferation, and its 
destabilizing activities around the globe, we cannot forget those who 
continue to struggle for religious freedom and democracy in Iran.
  Iran's Baha'i community has long been the target of severe religious 
persecution by the Iranian regime. Much of its informal leadership has 
been arrested and many members of the community executed. The Baha'i 
are not permitted to practice their religion and culture. Their 
marriages are not recognized, their dead cannot be buried according to 
Baha'i law, and their cemeteries are desecrated.
  In addition, the Baha'i are denied government jobs and business 
licenses. They are not permitted to enroll in public universities and 
Baha'i schoolchildren are frequently harassed by classmates, teachers, 
and administrators.
  No human being deserves this type of treatment and certainly not at 
the hands of their government. As has been noted in this House in the 
past, the social teaching of the Baha'i faith, such as the equality of 
women and men, and the principle of each individual's responsibility to 
investigate the truth, are impossible for theocratic leaders of Iran to 
comprehend; yet, these are universal values, human values, and they 
must be protected.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States and the international community cannot 
and will not ignore the systematic and violent attacks against the 
Iranian Baha'i community, and Tehran must be held accountable.
  By passing this resolution, once again, we continue to shine a light 
on the persecution of the Baha'i, and hopefully move us one step closer 
to the day that true freedom reaches Iran.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am 
prepared to close.
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume for the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives has passed this resolution 
in previous Congresses. We will pass this resolution today, and, if 
needed, we will pass this resolution again in the future.
  We stand in solidarity with the persecuted Baha'i minority in Iran 
and demand the Iranian Government end its intolerable persecution of 
their people and religion.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge unanimous passage of this resolution, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank Ranking Member Meeks, 
Congresswoman Dean, and the gentlewoman from Illinois for offering this 
bipartisan resolution in support of human rights and religious freedom 
for the Baha'i community in Iran.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 492--
``Condemning the Government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of 
the Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International 
Covenants on Human Rights.''
  Since 1979, Iranian authorities have killed or executed more than 200 
Baha'i leaders, and more than 10,000 Baha'is have been dismissed from 
government and university jobs.
  June 18, 2023, marks the 40th anniversary of the execution of 10 
Baha'i women by the Iranian Government each witnessing the hanging of 
those hanged before her in a final failed attempt to induce abandonment 
of their faith after over 6 months of imprisonment and violent abuse, 
with the youngest only 17 years old.
  In the previous years, the Congress has 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.
  On December 15, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a 
resolution (A/C.3/77/L.34) criticizing Iran for human rights abuses and 
calling on Iran to carry out wide-ranging reforms, including:
  End its continuing disregard for protections under Iranian law or 
internationally recognized safeguards relating to the imposition of the 
death penalty and to commute the sentences for child offenders on death 
row.
  Ensure, in law and in practice, that no one is subjected to torture 
or other cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment and eliminate in law 
and in practice, all forms of systemic discrimination and other human 
rights.
  Cease the widespread and systematic use of arbitrary arrests and 
detention and releasing persons detained for the exercise of their 
human rights and fundamental freedoms.
  Through June and July 2022, there had been a surge in persecution of 
Baha'is including the subjection of over 100 Baha'is to arrests, 
arraignments, sentencings, and raids on their homes and businesses 
across Iran, as well as the sentencing of 26 individuals in the city of 
Shiraz to a combined total of 85 years in prison.
  In response the Department of State's Office of International 
Religious Freedom issued a statement on August 2, 2022, indicating that 
``[a]mid a continued rise in arrests, sentences, and imprisonments, the 
U.S. urges Iran to halt its ongoing oppression of the Baha'i community 
and honor its international obligations to respect the right of all 
Iranians to freedom of religion or belief''.
  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.
  Resolved as follows:
  Therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives, condemns 
the Government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i 
minority in Iran and the continued violation of the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights.
  Calls on the Iranian government to immediately release the imprisoned 
or detained Baha'is and all other prisoners held solely on account of 
their religion.
  Calls on the Iranian Government to end its state-sponsored campaign 
of hate propaganda against the Baha'is and to reverse the state-

[[Page H4249]]

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.
  Calls on the President of the United States 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 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.
  H. Res. 492, is an important bill supporting Congress' longstanding 
position condemning such atrocities against religious minorities.
  I, therefore, urge all members to support this important legislation 
and reenforce this longstanding objection and condemnation to these 
horrific atrocities and inhumanity.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 492.
  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. McCAUL. 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.

                          ____________________