[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 15618]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        WE SHOULD SUPPORT THE IRANIAN PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO PROTEST

  (Mr. FLEMING asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. FLEMING. Mr. Speaker, recently elections were held in Iran with 
the Iranian Government declaring Ahmadinejad the landslide winner over 
pro-reform challenger Mr. Mousavi.
  Mousavi is claiming the results of these elections should be voided 
because of fraud and other irregularities as people went to vote. He is 
calling upon his supporters to remain vocal and protest the results of 
this election, and they are turning out in the tens of thousands, but 
many have been killed. In response, President Ahmadinejad has tried to 
minimize anyone with an opposing viewpoint, physically threatening any 
form of dissent and shutting out the media and communications.
  The accusations of voter irregularities must be investigated, a fact 
supported by Vice President Biden. But until this election is 
certified, the people of Iran should be supported in their pursuit of 
peaceful protests, if they so choose. Also, dissidents should be 
allowed to protest without violence against them.
  More importantly, I call upon our President to not be timid, but to 
speak out firmly on this subject. Either it is a democracy with a 
legitimate government, or it is a tyrannical dictatorship.

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