[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY IN IRAN

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, in the past week, in scenes reminiscent of 
Eastern Europe in the last days of the Soviet domination, students in 
Tehran took to the streets in protest against Iran's brutal, repressive 
government. They were a vivid reminder that a lot of Iranians want more 
freedom in how they live their lives.
  But it was not just students demonstrating. On Sunday, several 
hundred intellectuals, including several clerics, issued a statement 
supporting the right of Iranians to criticize the government. These 
patriots do not want to be told what to think, what to wear, what to 
read, what to watch, how to behave; and they are frustrated at the slow 
pace of change.
  The demonstrations are evidence enough that freedom-loving people in 
Iran are growing in numbers and boldness.
  Instead of complaining about what we have not found in the Middle 
East countries, let us appreciate what we have found, people longing 
for the same freedoms that we enjoy.

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