[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18349-18350]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           THE IRANIAN PEOPLE'S PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McCOTTER. Madam Speaker, the Iranian people's peaceful struggle 
for freedom continues despite the tyrannical regime's barbarous 
crackdown. In fact, in his Friday's sermon, former President Rafsanjani 
called into question legitimacy of the present government and rebuked 
the regime for its crackdown on peaceful protesters and its cavalier 
rejection of the cries that the election was stolen.
  Finally, former President Rafsanjani called upon the regime to free 
and fully account for all those peaceful freedom seekers who have been 
arrested in the repression. Then, on Sunday, former President Khatami 
called for a referendum on the legitimacy of the Iranian regime and 
asked that the results be tallied by an objective independent Iranian 
body to ensure its accuracy.
  This led the current opposition, Presidential candidate Hossein 
Mousavi, to say, You are facing something new, an awakened nation, a 
nation that has been born again and is here to defend its achievements. 
Arrests won't put an end to this problem. End this game as soon as 
possible and return to the nation its arrested sons.
  While humanity agrees, Supreme Leader Khamenei disagrees. And to 
leaders who both tacitly and expressly support the freedom seekers in 
Iran, Khamenei issued this warning. The elite should be watchful since 
they have been faced with a big test. Failing the test will cause their 
collapse.
  I'd ask Supreme Leader Khamenei to look at this picture. Her name is 
Taraneh Mousavi. She was arrested near Ghoba Mosque, where she was on 
her way to attend hairdressing college. After her arrest, she was 
raped, sodomized and tortured by her captors, taken to a hospital in a 
coma, and it

[[Page 18350]]

was there that she died. Upon her death, her body was removed to the 
outskirts of Karaj Qasim where, to prevent an autopsy, it was burned.
  She came from a religious family. Taraneh was only 19 and an only 
child. Her family has been threatened to keep quiet, and yet the 
resistance wants her story out. Why? Because here's the truth denied by 
Khamenei and his misogynistic, murderous regime. Your referendum has 
been held and you have failed your test. Taraneh and Nadeh condemn you 
as the despicable killers of women. You have no legitimacy either in 
the eyes of the Iranian people or in the eyes of the civilized world. 
You are doomed by your own hands, and it is but a matter of time until 
your regime collapses and the Iranian people breathe free.

                          ____________________