H.Res. 109 — Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 109 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 109

 Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution 
of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International 
                       Covenants on Human Rights.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2013

  Mr. Grimm (for himself and Ms. Schakowsky) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution 
of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International 
                       Covenants on Human Rights.

Whereas, in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2009, 
        2012, and 2013, Congress declared that it deplored the religious 
        persecution by the Government of Iran of the Baha'i community and would 
        hold the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the rights of all 
        Iranian nationals, including members of the Baha'i faith;
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2012 
        Report stated, ``The Baha'i community has long been subject to 
        particularly severe religious freedom violations in Iran. Baha'is, who 
        number at least 300,000, are viewed as `heretics' by Iranian authorities 
        and may face repression on the grounds of apostasy.'';
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2012 
        Report stated, ``Since 1979, Iranian government authorities have killed 
        more than 200 Baha'i leaders in Iran and dismissed more than 10,000 from 
        government and university jobs.'';
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2012 
        Report stated, ``Baha'is may not establish places of worship, schools, 
        or any independent religious associations in Iran.'';
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2012 
        Report stated, ``Baha'is are barred from the military and denied 
        government jobs and pensions as well as the right to inherit property. 
        Their marriages and divorces also are not recognized, and they have 
        difficulty obtaining death certificates. Baha'i cemeteries, holy places, 
        and community properties are often seized or desecrated, and many 
        important religious sites have been destroyed.'';
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2012 
        Report stated, ``The Baha'i community faces severe economic pressure, 
        including denials of jobs in both the public and private sectors and of 
        business licenses. Iranian authorities often pressure employers of 
        Baha'is to dismiss them from employment in the private sector.'';
Whereas the Department of State 2011 International Religious Freedom Report 
        stated, ``The government prohibits Baha'is from teaching and practicing 
        their faith and subjects them to many forms of discrimination that 
        followers of other religions do not face.'';
Whereas the Department of State 2011 International Religious Freedom Report 
        stated, ``According to law, Baha'i blood is considered `mobah', meaning 
        it can be spilled with impunity.'';
Whereas the Department of State 2011 International Religious Freedom Report 
        stated that ``members of religious minorities, with the exception of 
        Baha'is, can serve in lower ranks of government employment'', and 
        ``Baha'is are barred from all leadership positions in the government and 
        military'';
Whereas the Department of State 2011 International Religious Freedom Report 
        stated, ``Baha'is suffered frequent government harassment and 
        persecution, and their property rights generally were disregarded. The 
        government raided Baha'i homes and businesses and confiscated large 
        amounts of private and commercial property, as well as religious 
        materials belonging to Baha'is.'';
Whereas the Department of State 2011 International Religious Freedom Report 
        stated, ``Baha'is also are required to register with the police'';
Whereas the Department of State 2011 International Religious Freedom Report 
        stated that ``[p]ublic and private universities continued to deny 
        admittance to and expelled Baha'i students'' and ``[d]uring the year, at 
        least 30 Baha'is were barred or expelled from universities on political 
        or religious grounds'';
Whereas the Department of State 2011 International Religious Freedom Report 
        stated, ``Baha'is are regularly denied compensation for injury or 
        criminal victimization.'';
Whereas, on March 6, 2012, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the 
        situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a 
        report (A/HRC/19/66), which stated that ``the Special Rapporteur 
        continues to be alarmed by communications that demonstrate the systemic 
        and systematic persecution of members of unrecognized religious 
        communities, particularly the Baha'i community, in violation of 
        international conventions'' and expressed concern regarding ``an 
        intensive defamation campaign meant to incite discrimination and hate 
        against Baha'is'';
Whereas, on May 23, 2012, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a report, 
        which stated that ``the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or 
        belief . . . pointed out that the Islamic Republic of Iran had a policy 
        of systematic persecution of persons belonging to the Baha'i faith, 
        excluding them from the application of freedom of religion or belief by 
        simply denying that their faith had the status of a religion'';
Whereas, on August 22, 2012, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a 
        report, which stated, ``The international community continues to express 
        concerns about the very serious discrimination against ethnic and 
        religious minorities in law and in practice, in particular the Baha'i 
        community. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in 
        the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed alarm about the systemic and 
        systematic persecution of members of the Baha'i community, including 
        severe socioeconomic pressure and arrests and detention. He also 
        deplored the Government's tolerance of an intensive defamation campaign 
        aimed at inciting discrimination and hate against Baha'is.'';
Whereas, on September 13, 2012, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the 
        situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a 
        report (A/67/369), which stated, ``Reports and interviews submitted to 
        the Special Rapporteur also continue to portray a disturbing trend with 
        regard to religious freedom in the country. Members of both recognized 
        and unrecognized religions have reported various levels of intimidation, 
        arrest, detention and interrogation that focus on their religious 
        beliefs.'', and stated, ``At the time of drafting the report, 105 
        members of the Baha'i community were reported to be in detention.'';
Whereas, on November 27, 2012, the Third Committee of the United Nations General 
        Assembly adopted a draft resolution (A/C.3/67/L.51), which noted, 
        ``[I]ncreased persecution and human rights violations against persons 
        belonging to unrecognized religious minorities, particularly members of 
        the Baha'i faith and their defenders, including escalating attacks, an 
        increase in the number of arrests and detentions, the restriction of 
        access to higher education on the basis of religion, the sentencing of 
        twelve Baha'is associated with Baha'i educational institutions to 
        lengthy prison terms, the continued denial of access to employment in 
        the public sector, additional restrictions on participation in the 
        private sector, and the de facto criminalization of membership in the 
        Baha'i faith.'';
Whereas, on December 20, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a 
        resolution (A/RES/67/182), which called upon the government of Iran 
        ``[t]o eliminate discrimination against, and exclusion of . . . members 
        of the Baha'i Faith, regarding access to higher education, and to 
        eliminate the criminalization of efforts to provide higher education to 
        Baha'i youth denied access to Iranian universities,'' and ``to accord 
        all Baha'is, including those imprisoned because of their beliefs, the 
        due process of law and the rights that they are constitutionally 
        guaranteed'';
Whereas, on February 28, 2013, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the 
        situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a 
        report (A/HRC/22/56), which stated, ``110 Bahai's are currently detained 
        in Iran for exercising their faith, including two women, Mrs. Zohreh 
        Nikayin and Mrs. Taraneh Torabi, who are reportedly nursing infants in 
        prison'';
Whereas, in March and May of 2008, intelligence officials of the Government of 
        Iran in Mashhad and Tehran arrested and imprisoned Mrs. Fariba 
        Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, 
        Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, the 
        seven members of the ad hoc leadership group for the Baha'i community in 
        Iran;
Whereas, in August 2010, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced the seven 
        Baha'i leaders to 20-year prison terms on charges of ``spying for 
        Israel, insulting religious sanctities, propaganda against the regime 
        and spreading corruption on earth'';
Whereas the lawyer for these seven leaders, Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel 
        Laureate, was denied meaningful or timely access to the prisoners and 
        their files, and her successors as defense counsel were provided 
        extremely limited access;
Whereas these seven Baha'i leaders were targeted solely on the basis of their 
        religion;
Whereas, beginning in May 2011, Government of Iran officials in four cities 
        conducted sweeping raids on the homes of dozens of individuals 
        associated with the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) and 
        arrested and detained several educators associated with BIHE;
Whereas, in October 2011, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced seven of 
        these BIHE instructors and administrators, Mr. Vahid Mahmoudi, Mr. 
        Kamran Mortezaie, Mr. Mahmoud Badavam, Ms. Nooshin Khadem, Mr. Farhad 
        Sedghi, Mr. Riaz Sobhani, and Mr. Ramin Zibaie, to prison terms for the 
        crime of ``membership of the deviant sect of Baha'ism, with the goal of 
        taking action against the security of the country, in order to further 
        the aims of the deviant sect and those of organizations outside the 
        country'';
Whereas six of these educators remain imprisoned, with Mr. Mortezaie serving a 
        5-year prison term and Mr. Badavam, Ms. Khadem, Mr. Sedghi, Mr. Sobhani, 
        and Mr. Zibaie serving 4-year prison terms;
Whereas, since October 2011, four other BIHE educators, Ms. Faran Hessami, Mr. 
        Kamran Rahimian, Mr. Kayvan Rahimian, and Mr. Shahin Negari have been 
        sentenced to 4-year prison terms, which they are now serving;
Whereas the efforts of the Government of Iran to collect information on 
        individual Baha'is have recently intensified as evidenced by a letter, 
        dated November 5, 2011, from the Director of the Department of Education 
        in the county of Shahriar in the province of Tehran, instructing the 
        directors of schools in his jurisdiction to ``subtly and in a 
        confidential manner'' collect information on Baha'i students;
Whereas the Baha'i community continues to undergo intense economic and social 
        pressure, including an ongoing campaign in the town of Semnan, where the 
        Government of Iran has harassed and detained Baha'is, closed 17 Baha'i 
        owned businesses in the last three years, and imprisoned several members 
        of the community, including three mothers along with their infants;
Whereas ordinary Iranian citizens who belong to the Baha'i faith are 
        disproportionately targeted, interrogated, and detained under the 
        pretext of national security;
Whereas the Government of Iran is party to the International Covenants on Human 
        Rights and is in violation of its obligations under the Covenants; and
Whereas the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 
        2010 (Public Law 111-195) authorizes the President and the Secretary of 
        State to impose sanctions on individuals ``responsible for or complicit 
        in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, 
        the commission of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Iran 
        or their family members on or after June 12, 2009'': Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored 
        persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation 
        of the International Covenants on Human Rights;
            (2) calls on the Government of Iran to immediately release 
        the seven imprisoned leaders, the ten imprisoned educators, and 
        all other prisoners held solely on account of their religion;
            (3) calls on the President and Secretary of State, in 
        cooperation with responsible nations, to immediately condemn 
        the Government of Iran's continued violation of human rights 
        and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on 
        account of their religion; and
            (4) urges the President and Secretary of State to utilize 
        all available authorities, including the Comprehensive Iran 
        Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, to 
        impose sanctions on officials of the Government of Iran and 
        other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights 
        abuses, including abuses against the Baha'i community of Iran.
                                 <all>
Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.

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