[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16619]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 284--CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN TO IMMEDIATELY 
RELEASE SAEED ABEDINI AND ALL OTHER INDIVIDUALS DETAINED ON ACCOUNT OF 
                        THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

  Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. Paul) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 284

       Whereas, in September 2012, Saeed Abedini, a resident of 
     the State of Idaho and a minority Christian with dual 
     Iranian-United States citizenship, was arbitrarily detained 
     in the Islamic Republic of Iran, held in solitary 
     confinement, physically beaten, denied access to necessary 
     medical treatment as a result of that abuse, and denied 
     access to his lawyer until just before his trial;
       Whereas, in January 2013, an Iranian court accused Saeed 
     Abedini of attempting to undermine the national security of 
     Iran by gathering with fellow Christians in private homes;
       Whereas Saeed Abedini was tried in a non-public trial 
     before a judge who had been sanctioned by the European Union 
     for repeated violations of human rights, including issuing 
     long prison sentences to peaceful protestors following the 
     2009 election;
       Whereas, during the trial, Saeed Abedini and his Iranian 
     attorney were barred from attending portions of the trial in 
     which the prosecution provided and the judge received 
     evidence through witness testimony;
       Whereas the Iranian court sentenced Saeed Abedini to 8 
     years in prison;
       Whereas, in August 2013, the 36th branch of the Tehran 
     appeals court denied Saeed Abedini's appeal and affirmed his 
     8-year sentence;
       Whereas the Government of Iran continues to indefinitely 
     imprison Saeed Abedini for peacefully exercising his faith;
       Whereas the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights declares that every individual has ``the right to 
     freedom of thought, conscience and religion'', which includes 
     the ``freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, 
     either alone or in community with others and in public or 
     private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, 
     practice, worship and observance'', and the International 
     Covenant on Civil and Political Rights echoes that 
     declaration;
       Whereas the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
     Rights holds that every individual shall be free from 
     arbitrary arrest and detention, and that every individual 
     bears the right to have adequate time and facilities for the 
     preparation of his defense and to be present during the 
     duration of his trial;
       Whereas the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
     Rights further guarantees every individual the right to a 
     fair and public hearing by a competent, independent, and 
     impartial tribunal;
       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 
     without reservation;
       Whereas articles 13 and 23 through 27 of the Constitution 
     of the Islamic Republic of Iran provide for freedom of 
     expression, assembly, and association, as well as the freedom 
     to practice one's religion;
       Whereas Iran is a religiously diverse society and the 
     United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human 
     Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran reports that religious 
     minorities, including Nematullahi Sufi Muslims, Sunnis, 
     Baha'is, and Christians, face human rights violations in 
     Iran;
       Whereas, in recent years, there has been an increase in the 
     number of incidents of Iranian authorities raiding religious 
     services, detaining worshipers and religious leaders, and 
     harassing and threatening minority religious members;
       Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur reports that 
     Iranian intelligence officials are known to threaten 
     Christian converts with arrest and apostasy charges if they 
     do not return to Islam; and
       Whereas President Barack Obama has called on President 
     Hassan Rouhani to demonstrate the commitment of Iran to 
     individual human rights through the release of all prisoners 
     of conscience: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes that freedom of religious belief and 
     practice is a universal human right and a fundamental freedom 
     of every individual, regardless of race, sex, country, creed, 
     or nationality, and should never be arbitrarily abridged by 
     any government;
       (2) recognizes that governments have a responsibility to 
     protect the fundamental rights of their citizens; and
       (3) calls on the Government of Iran to immediately release 
     Saeed Abedini and all other individuals detained on account 
     of their religious beliefs.

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