[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5781]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 104--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE CONGRESS 
   REGARDING THE ONGOING PROSECUTION OF 13 MEMBERS OF IRAN'S JEWISH 
                               COMMUNITY

  Mr. SCHUMER. (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Dodd, Mr. 
Lieberman, and Mr. Feingold) submitted the following concurrent 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 104

       Whereas on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover in 
     1999, 13 Jews, including community and religious leaders in 
     the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan, were arrested by the 
     authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran and accused of 
     spying for the United States and Israel;
       Whereas no evidence has been brought forth to substantiate 
     these arrests, and no formal charges have been lodged after 
     more than a year of consideration;
       Whereas the Secretary of State has identified the case of 
     the 13 Jews in Shiraz as ``one of the barometers of U.S.-Iran 
     relations'';
       Whereas countless nations have expressed their concern for 
     these individuals and especially their human rights under the 
     rule of law;
       Whereas Iran must show signs of respecting human rights as 
     a prerequisite for improving its relationship with the United 
     States; and
       Whereas President Khatami was elected on a platform of 
     moderation and reform: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the 
     Clinton Administration should--
       (1) condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the arrest 
     and continued prosecution of the 13 Iranian Jews;
       (2) demand that these fabricated charges be dropped 
     immediately and individuals released forthwith; and
       (3) ensure that Iran's treatment of this case is a 
     benchmark for determining the nature of current and future 
     United States-Iran relations.

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise on the eve of the trial of 13 
Iranian Jews charged with spying on behalf of the United States and 
Israel to ask my colleagues to support a Concurrent Resolution urging 
President Clinton to do everything possible to ensure that the accused 
men receive a fair and open trial. As it stands right now, the 
Revolutionary Court judge has made a mockery of any pretense that the 
men will receive a fair hearing. Ten of the 13 have, for nearly a year, 
been denied their legal right to choose their own lawyers, and have 
only recently been appointed lawyers by the judge in the case--just 
days before the trial was set to begin. Furthermore, the trial is 
scheduled to be closed to any outside observers or media.
  These facts do not bode well for the accused. However, I believe that 
strong pressure from the United States will help convince the Iranian 
government that should these men experience anything less than a fair 
outcome in this preposterous case, Teheran would face serious 
consequences.
  The 13 Iranian Jews, mostly community and religious leaders in the 
cities of Shiraz and Isfahan, were arrested one year ago by the Iranian 
authorities and accused of spying. No evidence has been brought forth 
to substantiate the arrests. Indeed, how could it be? Jews in Iran are 
prohibited from holding any positions that would grant them access to 
state secrets.
  What I find most troubling is that the United States recently 
presented Iran with goodwill overtures, such as lifting restrictions on 
many Iranian imports and easing travel restrictions between our two 
countries, but we receive no assurances that these gestures would be 
reciprocated in any way. In fact, Iran has continued to display nothing 
but hostility and contempt for the United States and everything for 
which we stand. At a minimum, Iran must show signs of respecting human 
rights as a prerequisite for our improving relations with them. In 
fact, Secretary of State Albright has identified the case of the 13 
Jews in Iran as ``one of the barometers of United States-Iran 
relations.'' I urge the President to make perfectly clear to Iran that 
the stakes in this trial are exceedingly high, and need to be taken 
very seriously.
  Now, much has been made of President Mohammad Khatami's popular 
reform movement, and there is significant optimism that a kinder, 
gentler Iran is slowly emerging from the darkness of a 20-year hardline 
clerical dictatorship. Indeed, Khatami has received a huge mandate from 
the people of Iran over the past four years. However, Iran must fully 
understand that normalized relations with the United States is only a 
pipedream if persecution such as that enacted upon the 13 Jews accused 
of spying goes unchallenged. If it does not, then what kind of reform 
movement are we really witnessing?
  Colleagues, I strongly urge you to join me in co-sponsoring this 
Resolution to send a message to the President that he must use all his 
resources to convince President Khatami that a farcical trial leading 
to a pre-ordained outcome would send US-Iran relations back to ground 
zero.

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