[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.
____________________