This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the murder of Alireza Fazeli Monfared should be investigated and prosecuted and that the practice of honor killings in Iran is a violation of internationally recognized human rights. Further, it urges the Department of State to rebuke Iran for this practice and to condemn Iranian human rights abuses against vulnerable populations, including abuses based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender expression.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 497 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 497
Condemning the murder of Alireza Fazeli Monfared and the practice of
so-called ``honor killings'' in Iran, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 24, 2021
Mr. Cicilline (for himself and Mrs. Kim of California) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the murder of Alireza Fazeli Monfared and the practice of
so-called ``honor killings'' in Iran, and for other purposes.
Whereas Alireza Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year-old citizen of Iran, reportedly was
brutally murdered by relatives on May 4, 2021, in a rural village near
Ahvaz, Iran;
Whereas Mr. Monfared's murder was reportedly perpetrated as an ``honor killing''
because Mr. Monfared identified as a gay man;
Whereas the denial of fundamental freedoms and the equal protection of the law
on any basis, including sexual orientation, is contrary to international
human rights conventions, including the United Nations Charter and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas Iran's failure to adequately dissuade the abhorrent practice of ``honor
killings'' has led to the murders of women, girls, and other vulnerable
populations deprived of agency and justice;
Whereas officials in Iran do not uniformly prosecute ``honor killings'' under
its qisas legal system and, when prosecutions do occur, penalties are
often significantly reduced, or prosecutions are dismissed at the
insistence of family members of the charged;
Whereas Iran does not publish official statistics on the number of suspected
``honor killings'' thus likely severely undercounting the number of
instances in which these murders take place; and
Whereas Iran offers no public reports or statistics related to the prosecutions
of those responsible for ``honor killings'', leaving the illegality of
such killings unclear, and failing to provide accountability for
repeated instances of ``honor killings'' in the country: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) the murder of Mr. Alireza Fazali Monfared was an
abhorrent crime that should be thoroughly investigated and
fully prosecuted;
(2) the practice of ``honor killings'' in Iran, which has
claimed the lives of women, girls, gay men, persons that
identify as transgender, and members of other vulnerable
populations, is a violation of internationally recognized human
rights; and
(3) the Secretary of State, like-minded allied and partner
countries, and the United Nations should--
(A) publicly rebuke Iran for its failure to
comprehensively address the practice of ``honor
killings'';
(B) support independent efforts to document honor
killings and other human rights violations in Iran; and
(C) condemn Iranian human rights abuses against
vulnerable populations, including abuses based on sex,
sexual orientation, and gender expression.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
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