Calling for the unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the utilization by the United States of direct multilateral and bilateral diplomacy with Iran to address Iran's human rights situation.

Calls upon Iran to release Nasrin Sotoudeh and all prisoners of conscience.

Encourages the President: (1) to utilize bilateral and multilateral diplomacy with Iran to support human rights; and (2) in coordination with the Secretary of State, to support the establishment of multilateral mechanisms to advance human rights issues in Iran.

Commends the people of Iran who have braved repression to peacefully exercise their fundamental human rights.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 828 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 828

   Calling for the unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and all 
  prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the utilization by the United 
  States of direct multilateral and bilateral diplomacy with Iran to 
                 address Iran's human rights situation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2012

  Mr. Kucinich (for himself, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Conyers, Mr. 
 Michaud, and Mr. Moran) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Calling for the unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and all 
  prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the utilization by the United 
  States of direct multilateral and bilateral diplomacy with Iran to 
                 address Iran's human rights situation.

Whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh is an Iranian human rights lawyer who has worked on 
        behalf of journalists and human rights defenders, including 2003 Nobel 
        Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi;
Whereas on September 4, 2010, Sotoudeh was arrested on allegations of acting 
        against national security and the spread of propaganda and eventually 
        sentenced to 6 years in prison and banned from practicing law for 10 
        years;
Whereas on October 17, 2012, Sotoudeh began a 49-day hunger strike in response 
        to a travel ban imposed on her 12-year-old daughter and other 
        restrictions on her family;
Whereas on December 4, 2012, Sotoudeh ended her hunger strike after Iranian 
        authorities lifted the travel ban against her daughter;
Whereas international human rights nongovernmental organizations have repeatedly 
        condemned the imprisonment of Sotoudeh as a violation of human rights 
        and called for the release of Sotoudeh and all other prisoners of 
        conscience in Iran;
Whereas in addition to lawyers like Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iran continues to imprison 
        prisoners of conscience in influential fields including artists like 
        Jafar Panahi, students like Majid Tavakoli, women's rights activists 
        like Bahareh Hedayat, journalists like Ahmad Zeidabadi, and former 
        officials like Mostafa Tajzadeh;
Whereas on October 28, 2012, Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti was detained at 
        Evin prison by Iran's cyber police due to writings critical of the 
        Government of Iran and was later found beaten to death;
Whereas the Government of Iran is signatory to 4 major United Nations human 
        rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 
        the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial 
        Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
        Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural 
        Rights;
Whereas the United States has held no formal multilateral or bilateral 
        negotiations with Iran that have included the issue of human rights; and
Whereas Iranian democracy human rights defenders including Mir Hossein Mousavi, 
        Mehdi Karroubi, Shirin Ebadi, and Akbar Ganji have warned that threats 
        of war and increasing sanctions have undermined the human rights 
        situation, set back Iran's pro-democracy movement, and empowered 
        hardliners inside Iran: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls upon the Government of Iran to unconditionally 
        release Nasrin Sotoudeh and all prisoners of conscience;
            (2) encourages the President to utilize direct bilateral 
        and multilateral diplomacy with Iran to support human rights;
            (3) encourages the President in coordination with the 
        Secretary of State to support the establishment of multilateral 
        mechanisms to advance human rights issues in Iran; and
            (4) commends the people of Iran who have braved repression 
        to peacefully exercise their fundamental human rights, as 
        enshrined in international human rights law.
                                 <all>