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29–364PDF 2018

NO ASSISTANCE FOR ASSAD ACT; IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS AND

HOSTAGE-TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY ACT; STRONGLY CONDEMNING THE SLAVE AUCTIONS OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES IN LIBYA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; AND RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE UNITED

BID COMMITTEE TO BRING THE 2026 FE ́DE ́RATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (FIFA) WORLD CUP

COMPETITION TO CANADA, MEXICO, AND THE UNITED

STATES

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H.R. 4681, H.R. 4744, H. Res 644, and 

H. Con. Res. 111

MARCH 15, 2018

Serial No. 115–113

Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/ or

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

(II)

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

DARRELL E. ISSA, California 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

PAUL COOK, California 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

LEE M. ZELDIN, New York 

DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR., New York 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

ANN WAGNER, Missouri 

BRIAN J. MAST, Florida 

FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida 

BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania 

THOMAS A. GARRETT, JR., Virginia 

JOHN R. CURTIS, Utah 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

KAREN BASS, California 

WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts 

DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

AMI BERA, California 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas 

ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois 

BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania 

DINA TITUS, Nevada 

NORMA J. TORRES, California 

BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York 

ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York 

TED LIEU, California

AMY PORTER, Chief of Staff THOMAS SHEEHY, Staff Director

JASON STEINBAUM, Democratic Staff Director 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

MARKUP ON 

H.R. 4681, To limit assistance for areas of Syria controlled by the Government of Syria or associated forces, and for other purposes .............................. 2

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 4681 offered by the 

Honorable Edward R. Royce, a Representative in Congress from the 

State of California, and chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs .............. 14

Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 

4681 offered by the Honorable Edward R. Royce ................................... 25

H.R. 4744, To impose additional sanctions with respect to serious human 

rights abuses of the Government of Iran, and for other purposes ................... 26

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 4744 offered by the 

Honorable Michael T. McCaul, a Representative in Congress from the 

State of Texas ................................................................................................... 42

Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 

4744 offered by the Honorable David Cicilline, a Representative in 

Congress from the State of Rhode Island ................................................ 57

Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 

4744 offered by the Honorable Ted Poe, a Representative in Congress 

from the State of Texas ............................................................................. 58

H. Res. 644, Strongly condemning the slave auctions of migrants and refugees 

in Libya, and for other purposes ......................................................................... 60

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 644 offered by the 

Honorable Edward R. Royce ............................................................................ 65

H. Con. Res. 111, Recognizing and supporting the efforts of the United Bid 

Committee to bring the 2026 Fe ́de ́ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup competition to Canada, Mexico, and the United 

States .................................................................................................................... 70

APPENDIX 

Markup notice .......................................................................................................... 92

Markup minutes ...................................................................................................... 93

Markup summary .................................................................................................... 95

The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly, a Representative in Congress from the 

Commonwealth of Virginia: Prepared statement .............................................. 96

(1)

NO ASSISTANCE FOR ASSAD ACT; IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS AND 

HOSTAGE-TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY ACT; STRONGLY CONDEMNING THE SLAVE AUCTIONS OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES IN LIBYA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; AND RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE 

UNITED BID COMMITTEE TO BRING THE 2026 FE ́ DE ́ RATION 

INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (FIFA) 

WORLD CUP COMPETITION TO CANADA, MEXICO, AND THE 

UNITED STATES 

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m., in room 

2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Edward Royce (chairman of the committee) presiding. 

Chairman ROYCE. This committee will come to order. We will ask 

all the members to take their seats at this time. 

Pursuant to notice, we meet today to markup four bipartisan 

measures and without objection all members may have 5 days to 

submit any statements or extraneous material on today’s business. 

As members were notified yesterday, we intend to consider these 

measures today en bloc, and so without objection the following 

items previously provided to members and also in your packets will 

be considered en bloc and are considered as read. 

We will start with H.R. 4681, the No Assistance for Assad Act 

with Royce Amendment 94 in the nature of a substitute and Royce 

Amendment 99.; next is H.R. 4744, the Iran Human Rights and 

Hostage-Taking Accountability Act with McCaul Amendment 91 in 

the nature of a substitute, Cicilline Amendment 129, and Poe 

Amendment 79; then House Resolution 644, strongly condemning 

the slave auctions of migrants and refugees in Libya, Royce 

Amendment 95 in the nature of a substitute to that; and the House 

Concurrent Resolution 111, supporting efforts to bring the 2026 

FIFA World Cup competition to Canada, Mexico, and the United 

States. 

[The information referred to follows:]

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Chairman ROYCE. 

And I now recognize myself to speak on today’s business. We 

begin by considering H.R. 4744. This is the Iran Human Rights and 

Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, and I want to thank Chairman 

McCaul and also Representative Deutch for authoring this important legislation. 

For years, the regime in Tehran has squashed all opposition in 

Iran with excruciatingly brutal tactics including torture in Evin 

Prison and in other prisons across Iran and including mass executions. Yet, very few Iranian Government officials have been designated for human rights violations. The head of the regime’s judiciary was not designated specifically for human rights abuses until 

last December. This is the same Iranian regime that is holding 

American citizens, including one who was in very poor health, on 

sham charges in one of the largest ransom schemes ever devised. 

It is far past time that the regime face consequences for its attacks on Americans and attacks on Iranians alike. The legislation 

we are considering today does just that. 

Next, we consider H.R. 4681. This is the No Assistance for Assad 

Act. I thank Ranking Member Engel and Representative Kinzinger 

for their work on this important bill and it will help keep U.S. taxpayer money out of the hands of the murderous Assad regime and 

out of the hands of Assad’s proxies. 

While the U.S. is, of course, sensitive to the humanitarian needs 

of Syrians living in devastated areas, and we remain, by the way, 

the single largest donor for emergency assistance, while we are 

concerned about all of that, we should not be responsible for rebuilding areas controlled by the Assad regime, controlled by Iran 

or Russia, Hezbollah, or Iranian-backed militias. 

It would be unconscionable to give money and resources, which 

would likely be siphoned off by corrupt officials, to the Assad regime while the Syrian people continue to suffer chemical weapons 

attacks and rocket bombardment and continue to suffer starvation. 

So next, I want to thank Representative Karen Bass for introducing House Resolution 644 strongly condemning the slave auctions of migrants and refugees in Libya. Since the fall of Gaddafi 

in 2011, Libya has been rocked by chaos. Shamefully, the resulting 

power vacuum has led to the expansion of terrorist groups that are 

heavily involved in criminal activities, including human trafficking. 

There have been multiple disturbing reports of serious abuses of 

migrants and refugees in Libya treated as slaves including reports 

of slave auctions. This resolution condemns those horrific abuses. 

And finally, we have House Concurrent Resolution 111, supporting the efforts of the United States Committee to bring the 

2026 World Cup competition to Canada, Mexico, and the United 

States. 

The U.S. has not hosted an FIFA World Cup event since 1994, 

when we hosted games throughout nine cities and drew a record 

attendance of 3.6 million—a record that remains unbroken today. 

Hosting in 2026 would bring billions of dollars to the U.S., and we 

already have the necessary infrastructure such as the stadiums 

and training facilities. This resolution rightly recognizes that we’d 

do a great job hosting this highly anticipated international event. 

75

So I now recognize the ranking member, Mr. Engel of New York, 

for his remarks. 

Mr. ENGEL. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for 

calling this markup. We have four good measures before us today. 

I am glad to support them all and I thank all our members on both 

sides always for their hard work. 

But before I get to these four items, I have to say, in my view, 

we need to consider additional sanctions against Russia for its ongoing attack on American democracy. 

The chairman and I worked together to get the big sanctions bill 

across the finish line last year and we want to see it implemented. 

So I hope we will soon consider another bill that I introduced 

with Mr. Connolly, the Secure Our Democracy Act, that would specifically sanction anyone who interferes with an American election 

from overseas. 

I think we need to do whatever it takes, and if the administration won’t do it, it’s up to us. And I want to thank you again, Mr. 

Chairman, for bringing forward the No Assistance for Assad Act, 

which I introduced at the end of last year. I am grateful for your 

support as a co-sponsor along with that of Mr. Kinzinger and Mr. 

Boyle. 

The Assad regime’s brutal campaign of violence rages on. It’s just 

horrific. It’s a loss of innocent life. We saw it in Aleppo, in Madaya, 

and now in eastern Ghouta. People are transmitting their goodbyes 

to their loved ones as they live under intense bombardment. 

The regime is using chemical weapons again, children are suffocating, and silence from the international community. As we continue to work to find some way to end the bloodshed, we also need 

to start thinking about what will come down the road. 

This bill says that American assistance for reconstruction should 

be available in areas controlled by Assad only if the regime stops 

indiscriminate use of weapons and only if the regime ends attacks 

on civilians and civilian facilities. 

This bill says that money can only flow if the regime releases political prisoners, allows human rights organizations access to the 

prisons, and removes senior officials complicit in human rights 

abuses. 

There is a number of other benchmarks as well—moving toward 

free and fair elections and independent judiciary, minimizing reliance on Iran, allowing the safe return of refugees. 

These limitations won’t affect locally-administered projects. They 

won’t affect humanitarian assistance. Recovery in Syria will be a 

slow and painful process but we cannot allow those responsible for 

hundreds of thousands of murders to control American dollars 

meant to help the country rebuild. 

I am grateful for the bipartisan support this bill has already received and I ask all members to support moving it forward today. 

Let me thank next Mr. McCaul, the chairman of the Homeland 

Security Committee and one of our good members of this committee, and Mr. Deutch for offering their bill to expand sanctions 

on Iran as it relates to taking American citizens prisoner. 

We all know Iran’s human rights record is just atrocious. Torture 

and brutal punishment are the norm. Iran as a record of 

76

extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances like the 1988 massacre. 

Human rights advocates, political dissidents, and journalists are 

regular targets of the regime and, of course, Iran continues to detain American citizens, notably Siamak and Baquer Namazi and Xi 

Yue Wang. 

This bill would expand on existing human rights sanctions in a 

way that doesn’t affect American obligations under the nuclear 

deal. So I am glad to support this bill. 

I am also grateful to Representative Bass for her resolution condemning the disgusting slave auctions taking place in Libya. 

Libya has become a transit hub for migrants moving north to Europe with as many as a million refugees and migrants, mostly from 

sub-Saharan Africa currently in the country. 

In the absence of effective government these vulnerable men and 

women have been brutally exploited as human trafficking victims 

sold at auction and forced to work for no pay. 

Can you imagine in 2018 this is still happening? This measure 

condemns this horrible practice and calls upon authorities in Libya 

to put a quick stop to this practice. 

And finally, I am glad to support Representative LaHood’s concurrent resolution supporting the United Bid Committee’s work to 

bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Canada, Mexico, and the United 

States. 

At a time when the administration has been trampling on our relations with our northern and southern neighbors I am glad that 

Congress continues to see the importance of these ties. 

Bringing the World Cup back to the United States would be a 

boon for host cities and allow us, along with our Canadian and 

Mexican neighbors, to set the standards on hosting this tournament, which will expand from 32 to 48 teams in 2026. 

I support this resolution along with the other measures we are 

considering today. I again thank all our members on both sides and 

I yield back. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman ROYCE. We go now to Mr. Dana Rohrabacher of California. 

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate 

your leadership on all of the issues today. I support all four of 

these amendments. 

I would like to just note about the Libya amendment, which I 

support, which you’re proposing today. But let’s just note that the 

United States had an agreement and we had set down a plan with 

Gaddafi when he was in power. 

And he was a brutal dictator but he was not permitting the radical Islamic activities that now plague the entire Middle East. We 

broke our word to Gaddafi. We broke our word to other parties who 

were part of that agreement. 

Had we not done so, yes, Libya would still be a dictatorship but 

wouldn’t have radical Islamists selling young girls into slavery. 

And so with that said, when we intervene in order to cleanse an 

area of dictatorship as we did with Saddam Hussein which, again, 

turned out to be a catastrophe for the people there, we need to 

think twice before we get ourselves embroiled trying to get rid of 

77

a dictator because we don’t know who that dictator will be replaced 

by. 

Although with that said, I strongly support this because we are 

condemning the sale of women into slavery by these radical 

Islamists there who now control large chunks of Libya. 

Of course, your No Assistance to Assad, your human rights—especially the human rights provisions you have in 4744 when we are 

talking about the people of Iran who are struggling now for their 

own freedom and they are courageous people and they are being 

met with the utmost brutality, and this message will get to the 

mullahs in Iran and also, more importantly, it will go to the people 

themselves who are struggling there for freedom and we are on 

their side. 

Thank you very much. I support all of initiatives being proposed 

today. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you, Mr. Rohrabacher. 

We go now to—I think Mr. Ted Deutch of Florida is next in the 

queue. 

Mr. DEUTCH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I’d like to express my support for all of the measures before us 

today. As the World Cup approaches, sadly without the participation of the United States, I support efforts to bring the World Cup 

to North America. 

I appreciate the efforts of Representative Bass to bring attention 

and condemnation to the shocking slave auctions of migrants and 

refugees in Libya and I am heartened to see us take up H.R. 4681, 

the No Assistance for Assad Act as we mark the seventh anniversary of the Syrian conflict. 

The Assad government is among the most corrupt, brutal, and 

oppressive regimes the world has ever seen. The destruction 

wrought by Assad’s cluster munitions, his barrel bombs, his use of 

chemical weapons and indiscriminate targeting in addition to the 

damage caused by the counter ISIS fight with plague Syria for decades to come. 

Millions of innocent civilians are in need of humanitarian assistance. Even when the fighting ends, it will be years before we begin 

a real discussion about tangible reconstruction. 

But as we look toward that day, it’s important to balance our 

hope of stability in Syria to allow for humanitarian improvements 

and refugee returns without providing assistance to the tyrannical 

regime and, by extension, to the Iranians’ and Russian interests. 

This bill is reflective of our values on human rights, international law, and democracy and it will ensure that Assad does not 

benefit from post-conflict stabilization efforts. 

I thank Ranking Member Engel, Congressman Kinzinger, Chairman Royce, and Congressman Boyle for authoring this important 

legislation. 

Today, we also have before us H.R. 4474, the Iran Human Rights 

and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. I am proud to have co-authored this bill with Congressman McCaul and I thank him for his 

support for all of those who have been affected by the Iranian regime’s egregious disregard for the human rights of its own people 

and of American citizens. 

78

As members of this committee well know, my constituent, Robert 

Levinson, went missing in Iran on March 9, 2007. Bob is a husband 

to his wife of over 40 years, Christine. He is a father to his seven 

children. He’s a grandfather who has never had the chance to meet 

five of his six grandchildren. 

Last week, the Levinson family was forced to mark the eleventh 

year without their husband, their father, and their grandfather. 

Bob’s youngest son, Doug, is here today. 

Many of you heard from Doug last year when he testified in the 

Middle East Subcommittee alongside the son of Nizar Hakka and 

the son and brother of Baquer and Siamak Namazi—three others 

who have been unjustly detained by Iran. 

For the 8 years that I’ve served in Congress I have spoken out 

about Iran’s past commitments to help locate and return Bob. In 

fact, in January 2016, President Obama, speaking from the White 

House, announced that Iran had agreed to deepen cooperation in 

Bob’s case. 

But last week, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied that Iran had ever committed to help. This is an outrageous 

lie and Iran must be publicly called out for this lie. 

I raise this to illustrate why this bill is so important. The Iranian 

regime has no regard for human rights or for international law. It 

systematically represses its own people using technology to sensor 

information, to track and monitor its citizens. 

It violently represses political dissent. It persecutes religious minorities like the Baha’is. It jails people without due process. It has 

one of the highest execution rates in the world and it takes Americans and other foreign nationals hostage. 

We can say they’ve been detained. We can say that they are imprisoned. But let’s be clear, this is hostage taking. This bill has 

nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear program. It has nothing to do 

with the JCPOA. We are not undermining the deal by acting today. 

We are simply making clear that American citizens will not be 

used as leverage or bargaining chips. We are making it abundantly 

clear that this Congress stands for human rights. We stand against 

brutal authoritarian regimes. We stand for the Americans who are 

being held in Iran. 

We cannot tolerate Iran’s abuses and every responsible nation 

should join the United States in condemning these despicable practices. 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Engel, I thank you for your 

support on this bill and for the support that this committee has 

provided to the Levinsons and to the families of all of those being 

held in Iran. 

I hope and pray that this is the last time that I have to tell Bob’s 

story because it is well past time to bring Bob home to his family. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. 

Chairman ROYCE. We hope so as well, Mr. Deutch. 

We go now to Mr. Mike McCaul of Texas. 

Mr. MCCAUL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member 

Engel, for holding today’s markup, including my bill to hold the 

Iranian regime accountable. 

79

I introduced the Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act with Mr. Deutch, who has just spoken on this very 

eloquently. I am grateful to have your support. 

The Iranian regime continues to perpetrate gross human rights 

abuses against its own people. They continue to suppress the country’s voices for reform through censorship of the media. They continue to recklessly use the nation’s resources to expand its regional 

influence through its support for terrorist organizations. 

They continue to engage in corrupt practices and they continue 

to illegally detain and imprison our citizens without just cause or 

reason. 

This is simply unacceptable. 

Mr. Chairman, this bill serves as a clear signal to the people of 

Iran that we support them in their quest for freedom. My bill 

shines a light on the regime’s human rights violations and sanctions those who are complicit in such crimes. 

The same goes for Iranian officials guilty of corruption, censorship, and the diversion of goods intended for the Iranian people. 

Finally, my bill sanctions individuals complicit in taking Americans and other nations’ citizens hostage and requires the President 

to work with our international partners to develop a strategy to put 

an end to this inhumane practice. 

We have five Americans currently detained in Iran. That’s intolerable. We must do all we can and apply as much pressure on Iran 

as necessary to ensure their safe release and prevent future Americans from being held hostage by this brutal regime. 

I want to again thank the chairman, the ranking member, Mr. 

Deutch, for your leadership on this committee to hold Iran’s officials accountable, and with that I yield back. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you, Mr. McCaul. 

We go to Congresswoman Karen Bass of California. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member 

Engel. 

In November 2017, CNN broke a story about modern-day slavery 

in Libya with a grainy video that shows an auctioneer standing in 

front of a group of young men, shouting, ‘‘Big strong boys for farm 

work—$400, $700, $800.’’

The video left people shocked and sparked protests outside of 

Libyan Embassies here in the U.S. and across Africa and Europe. 

In December 2016, the U.N. Office of High Commissioner for 

Human Rights reported that many migrants in Libya are forced to 

work for no pay on farms, as domestic workers, construction, and 

road-paving workers. 

And in April 2017, the International Organization for Migration 

gathered evidence and issued a warning about slave markets in 

Libya. While there were many warning signs from various international organizations that migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers 

were suffering abuse, it took actual video evidence for the world to 

pay attention. 

Libya has become a primary transit hub for migrants and refugees attempting to reach southern Europe by sea and the U.N. estimates that there are now between 700,000 and 1 million migrants 

and refugees in the country. 

80

How did we get here and what is the solution to the crisis? The 

fall of Muammar Gaddafi in which the U.S. participated, as my colleague on the other side of the aisle acknowledged, led to significant political turmoil and insecurity within Libya. 

Since then, there has been no effective government in place in 

the country. The internationally recognized government of national 

accord controls some parts of the country but other political actors 

control other parts and there are numerous ungoverned zones 

across that vast country. 

This resolution not only strongly condemns slave auctions and 

the exploitation of migrants and refugees as forced laborers in 

Libya, it also calls upon all parties to the conflict including parties 

to the Libyan political agreement to investigate and eradicate the 

auctions, hold those identified in investigation accountable in 

courts of law, manage the migration flows and migration detention 

centers in a humane manner, and investigate how funds earned 

through the transfer, sale, and exploitation of migrants are used, 

and the extent to which such profits are fueling and prolonging 

Libya’s civil conflict. 

We are also calling upon the United Nations to investigate allegations of the slave trade and other forced labor in Libya and advocate that all parties to the conflict in Libya allow the U.N. High 

Commissioner for Human Rights to regularly monitor and publicly 

report on the situation of all refugees and migrants including those 

in detention centers. 

In addition to what is called for in the resolution, the bottom 

line, of course, is that slavery is a crime against humanity and we 

cannot sit idly by while people around the world are exploited. 

These auctions expose the interconnected and complex nature of 

this crisis and any solution to this problem will require a holistic 

and comprehensive strategy for Libya and the sending countries 

across Africa that promotes democratic governance and rule of law, 

human rights and creating economic opportunities. 

The United States must remain focused and continue to promote 

U.S. values around the world that include speaking out publicly 

when we see human rights abuses. 

But in order to do this, we also need a fully staffed and funded 

State Department and USAID so that we can remain focused on 

these issues. 

We need to join with the international community to address the 

reasons behind the migrant crisis—the instability of the countries 

where the migrants were fleeing from in the first place as well as 

the international community joining together to assist Libya in addressing this crisis. 

Thank you, and I yield back. 

Chairman ROYCE. Mr. Ted Poe of Texas. 

Mr. POE. I thank the chairman. 

I am proud to support H.R. 4744, the Iranian Human Rights and 

Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, introduced by Representatives 

McCaul and Deutch. I thank them for that. 

Mr. Chairman, the mullahs in Tehran are among the world’s 

worst human rights abusers. They almost take joy in hurting people of their own country. 

81

This year, we have witnessed their brutality again on display as 

they crushed political dissidence from their own people and they 

did it in a very violent and brutal way. 

International attention has faded, but the Iranian people are still 

in the streets demanding that their rights be protected. 

Whether it be economic opportunity, access to water, religious 

freedom, or gender equality, the United States should support 

these dissidents in Iran and Iranians throughout the world that 

are trying to have a regime change in their own country. 

In response to these dissidents, the regime has murdered dozens 

and locked up thousands, as it has done many times before, without any punishment from the outside world. 

To that end, I am introducing my amendment to H.R. 4744 to address the regime’s past sins, sins that Iran has refused to admit 

or be held accountable for. 

Specifically, my amendment calls for investigations of past 

crimes such as the 1988 massacre where thousands of political 

prisoners were systematically murdered by the regime. 

Some estimates are over 30,000—30,000 were murdered in the 

streets in 1988. These barbaric mass executions by public hanging, 

firing squads, including of teenagers, pregnant women who refused 

to renounce their political affiliation including many from the 

MEK, today’s leading Iranian dissident group. 

It’s important to remember who exactly were the victims of this 

bloody massacre. Iranian security officials would ask detainees, 

‘‘What is your political affiliation?’’ And those who said the MEK 

would be immediately placed on execution lists to meet their date 

with the hangman. 

Mr. Chairman, some of the friends of those that were killed in 

1988 in this horrific massacre are here today with us. 

So horrific was the act that the deputy to Iran’s rule at the time, 

Ayatollah Khomeini, called it ‘‘the greatest crime committed during 

the Islamic Republic for which history will condemn us.’’

Well, today is the day of reckoning. It’s taken 30 years to condemn Iran for the murder of 30,000 political dissidents, the MEK, 

and it’s time that we adopt this amendment. 

My amendment urges our Government work with international 

partners, to investigate other major human rights abuses such as 

the dozens that were killed in 1999, 2009, and in 2017. 

In all cases, the families of those murdered by the regime were 

never told what happened to their loved ones’ remains. This 

amendment demands pressure on the Iranian Government to disclose where the final resting place is of the missing so their families may have some peace. 

I want to thank Mr. McCaul and Mr. Engel and Mr. Deutch for 

this legislation. I also want to mention 644, the slave auctions in 

Libya. 

I want to reiterate that the United States needs to be very careful when it goes into a nation self-righteously, overthrowing the 

government, and walking away. That’s exactly what happened in 

Libya. 

Now we have a failed state that is involved in human sex trafficking—slavery of migrants. Many of those coming from West AfriVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:17 Apr 02, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 Z:\WORK\_FULL\031518M\29364 SHIRL
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ca go to Libya hoping to get a better life in Europe and they end 

up on the slave trade block. 

So I want to commend Representative Bass for this resolution. 

Human trafficking—modern-day slavery—is taking place in many 

places in the world. But it’s taking place at its worst in Libya. 

It’s estimated that at least there are 500,000 to 1 million migrants bottled up in Libya that could be fodder for this slave trade. 

Evil men, whether they be criminal opportunists or terrorists are 

subjugating those in most need for profit and you cannot put a 

price on human life. 

The fact remains that we simply do not know enough about what 

is going on in Libya today and we need to get to the bottom of this 

sex slave trade that is taking place in North Africa. 

And I want to emphasize once again the United States needs to 

be careful before it goes into a nation and self-righteously overthrows the government because there are consequences. One of 

those consequences in the slave trade in Libya. 

I’ll yield back to the chairman. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you, Mr. Poe. 

We go to Mr. David Cicilline of Rhode Island. 

Mr. CICILLINE. Thank you, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel, for holding this markup today as we consider important 

legislation that will help punish Iranian human rights abuses, ensure American funds do not support the Assad regime, oppose the 

abhorrent slave trade in Libya, and, I hope, bring the World Cup 

to North America. 

I am proud to support and co-sponsor each of these bills today. 

Thank you to Mr. McCaul and Mr. Engel for introducing H.R. 4744, 

the Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. 

This legislation expands sanctions that already exist against Iranian human rights abusers to ensure that people who target American citizens or legal permanent residents for abuse, detention, or 

harassment will face repercussions. 

I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, members of this committee for supporting my amendment to this legislation, which simply extends the sanctionable activity to include actions taken against American citizens or legal permanent residents 

regardless of where they take place. 

This bill is an important expansion of sanctions authority in 

order to target the Iranian regime to discourage its widespread 

human rights abuses which have continued unabated since the 

signing off the JCPOA. 

Many members of this committee, including myself, supported 

the JCPOA in the belief that in order to properly deal with the Iranian regime’s support of terror worldwide and crimes against its 

own people we must deal with the nuclear question first. 

This legislation will send a clear message to the Iranian regime 

and those who support it that the United States is serious about 

combating Iran’s continued aggression within Iran and throughout 

the region. 

Today, we know that Iranian troops and Iranian-backed militias 

are active throughout the region including in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, 

Gaza, and Yemen. 

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If Iranians associated with these activities commit abuses 

against Americans, we will now have one more tool to use to punish and hopefully discourage such behavior. 

I too want to acknowledge the presence of Mr. Levinson’s son and 

thank Mr. Deutch for his passionate and sustained efforts to bring 

attention to the outrageous behavior by the Iranian regime and to 

secure Mr. Levinson’s return. 

I’ll close by saying that I remain strongly committed to the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement. We are able to bring 

such strong actions to bear against Iran precisely because we have 

the nuclear framework in place. 

I hope the President understands that if we walk away from the 

Iran deal now, Iran will have nothing stopping it from pursuing a 

nuclear weapon. This is simply a risk we cannot take. 

I’d also like to express my support for Congresswoman Bass’ resolution H.R. 644, which strongly condemns the slave auctions of 

migrants and refugees in Libya. 

U.S. should not sit silently while desperate and traumatized people fleeing violence and seeking salvation are victimized to enslavement, forced detention and physical and sexual violence. 

It’s imperative that the sale and exploitation of human beings for 

profit be eradicated and that those responsible be held fully accountable. 

The United States, working in collaboration with the international community, should do everything in our power to assist, 

and for that reason I am proud to support H. Res. 644. 

I am also glad to support H.R. 4681, No Assistance for Assad 

Act, and thank Ranking Member Engel for his leadership in introducing this legislation. 

Since 2001, the Syrian people have witnessed destruction, violence, and a shocking disregard for their fundamental human 

rights. Our policy of foreign assistance for Syria must focus on 

early recovery, reconstruction, and stabilization for a democratic 

non-Assad-led Syrian nation. 

We must ensure that American money does not in any way support the murderous Assad regime and implementation of this bill 

will do just that. 

The actions required of the Government of Syria by this legislation would make a substantial step forward in a safer, more stable 

nation, region, and world. 

And, finally, I am proud to support H. Con. Res. 111 supporting 

the efforts of the United Bid Committee to bring the 2026 World 

Cup competition to Canada, Mexico, and the United States. 

Sports are an important way to increase cooperation and good 

will among nations and cultures. The FIFA World Cup is the biggest single sporting event competition in the world and every 4 

years the contest brings together 32 teams from 32 nations who 

compete on the pitch and inspire millions of viewers around the 

world. 

Hosting the World Cup in North America with our neighbors 

would be great for our economy and provide us an opportunity to 

showcase our hospitality alongside our neighbors to the north and 

south. 

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And I’ll add, of course, that Rhode Island would make an excellent location for the World Cup. We are known for, of course, our 

award-winning cuisine, our great oceans, our beautiful summer 

weather, and I know we will compete in this as well. 

But I want to thank all my colleagues for the important measures that are brought before this committee and yield back the balance of my time. 

Chairman ROYCE. And the tomato sauce. 

Thank you, Mr. Cicilline, and we go now to Dan Donovan of New 

York. 

Mr. DONOVAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to speak about 

two of today’s bills—the No Assistance for Assad Act and the Iran 

Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. 

With regard to the No Assistance for Assad Act, Assad alone is 

not responsible for the rampage upon his own country. Other nations, such as North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China continue to 

lend a helping hand to Assad’s reign of terror. 

The United Nations discovered that North Korea has been shipping chemical weapon components to Syria. Over 2,100 Iranian 

forces have died in the Syrian conflict. 

Russia’s involvement in Syria is well known and China has 

pledged $2 billion in construction and provided military support. 

The humanitarian effect of Assad’s war on his own population is 

staggering. 

Physical reconstruction is estimated to cost in the range of $200 

billion to $350 billion. But there is no amount of money that can 

heal the wounds Assad has inflicted. 

Meanwhile, the United States has spent a staggering $7.4 billion 

in Syria since 2011 and there is still no end in sight to the violence 

committed by this vile dictator. 

Assad, North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China have significantly 

contributed to the death and destruction in Syria. They should be 

the ones paying to get Syria out of it. 

That’s why I support the No Assistance for Assad Act, H.R. 4681, 

which places stringent conditions on U.S. assistance to Syrian reconstruction. 

Mr. Chairman, I also look forward to the day when the Iranian 

regime comes to the conclusion that its international terrorist activities and appalling violations of human rights is reprehensible. 

Until then, the United States must continue to apply maximum 

pressure, which is why I support the Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, H.R. 4744. 

The list of Iran’s human rights abuses is too long for me to list 

in my brief statement. This bill, among other things, expresses the 

sense of Congress that the United States should, one, deny the 

Government of Iran the ability to continue to oppress the people of 

Iran and to use violence and executions to silence pro-democracy 

protestors; two, support efforts made by the people of Iran to promote the establishment of basic freedoms that build the foundation 

for the emergence of a freely-elected, open, noncorrupt, and democratic political system; and three, help the people of Iran produce, 

access, and share information freely and safely via the internet and 

other media. 

85

I am proud to work on this bipartisan effort to stand with the 

people of Iran, with my fellow Members of Congress, and the President. 

And I yield back the remainder of my time. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you. We go to Mr. Adriano Espaillat 

from New York. 

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member 

Engel. Thank you for continuing the bipartisan work of this committee. 

I am a co-sponsor of all four bills before us today. I was an original co-sponsor of the House Resolution 644 to condemn slave auctions of migrants and refugees in Libya. Slavery is an ugly part of 

our history and that’s exactly where it should be—on the shelves 

of history books. 

CNN recently did an undercover report on the slave auctions outside of the Libyan capital of Tripoli. The footage sent a chilling 

down my spine, Mr. Chairman. These human beings are being referred to as merchandise and sold for a few hundred dollars. This 

is horrible and wrong. 

The bill before us today is a good first step in condemning these 

slave auctions and expanding sanctions against those responsible 

for these slave auctions. 

It is my hope that the new Secretary of State will monitor this 

situation closely. 

H.R. 4681, also known as the No Assistance for Assad Act, will 

limit assistance for areas of Syria that are under Assad’s control. 

Since 2011, more than 500,000 people have been killed and over 11 

million have been displaced. Reconstruction could cost as much as $350 billion. But we need 

to ensure that any U.S. assistance comes with the assurance that 

the Assad regime will not get a hold of this money, that attacks 

against civilians cease immediately, that human rights abusers are 

removed from positions of authority. 

H.R. 4744, the Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act will target questionable actors in Iran and aim to curb 

the litany of human rights atrocities. 

This bill explicitly details the United States Government’s support of the Iranian people who for decades have faced a government 

that arrests, imprisons, and tortures political rivals. 

Additionally, this legislation condemns the Iranian Government 

for taking U.S. hostages, a practice that is in direct violation of 

international law. 

One of the captive Americans, New York City native Robert 

Levinson, was detained in Kish Island in Iran more than 11 years 

ago, making him the longest-held hostage in U.S. history. 

On March 11, 2018, an Iranian spokesperson said that Tehran 

has merely assumed a humanitarian role on this issue, repudiating 

past statements from Iranian officials pronouncing the country’s 

willingness to actively aid the U.S. in locating Mr. Levinson. 

Considering the proposed sanctions in this bill, I urge the Government of Iran and its leaders to cease all suppressive tactics targeting political dissidents, terminate all support of terrorist groups 

such as Hezbollah, and immediately return every U.S. citizen held 

hostage in custody in Iran. 

86

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back the remaining part 

of my time. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you, Mr. Espaillat. 

We go to Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. 

Mr. KINZINGER. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, I am not going 

to take the whole time. I do want to thank you and the committee 

for bringing up the No Assistance for Assad Act. 

Today is the seventh anniversary of the beginning of the war. 

Over 500,000 Syrians have been killed, including 50,000 children, 

by Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers. 

Those brutal regimes don’t just target critical infrastructure, like 

hospitals and schools, with their artillery strikes. But the Assad regime continues to use chemical weapons including chlorine gas to 

kill his own citizens with impunity. 

We have seen too many images of young children gasping for 

their lives after a chemical weapon was dropped on them. The 

United States has provided more than $7.4 billion of humanitarian 

aid to the Syrian people since the beginning of the Syrian war. 

While the end of the conflict has yet to be determined when the 

violence does end, we will have an obligation to help the innocent 

people of Syria recover from the rampage of Bashar al-Assad. 

The No Assistance for Assad Act, which I proudly introduced 

with my colleagues—the chairman, the ranking member, and Mr. 

Boyle—would mandate that no early recovery funds be available to 

territories under control of the Assad government or for their associated forces including Iran and Russia. 

They broke it, so as long as Assad is in power they are going to 

own it. This legislation ensures that the United States will continue to provide early recovery and reconstruction aid to those 

areas free and democratic in Syria. 

This also requires nine very clear, very tough conditions to be 

met for the President to release aid to restricted parts of Syria. 

As I’ve said before, in order to prevent the rise of the next generation of ISIS or terrorists, we must ensure that Bashar al-Assad 

is removed from power. 

I believe that the United States of America was put on Earth to 

be an example of self-governance and order in a world that’s 

drowning in strongmen, oppression, and poverty. 

Stopping Assad’s genocide in Syria is part of our mission statement and I’ll continue to do what I can to support that mission. 

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the No Assistance 

for Assad Act and with that, Mr. Chairman, I’ll either yield or yield 

back. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you, Adam. 

We will go to—who else is seeking time? 

Mr. Castro, were you seeking time? No. 

Oh, Dina Titus of Nevada. Thank you. 

Ms. TITUS. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I too support all four of the bills that are up today and I thank 

the sponsors for bringing these important bills before us. 

I am a co-sponsor of House Resolution 644, which strongly condemns the slave auctions and exploitation of migrants and refugees 

in Libya. 

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Human trafficking has become a lucrative business in Libya, and 

the United States must do its part to condemn and stifle this industry. 

Human trafficking generates an estimated $150 billion a year in 

profits worldwide. So I am glad to see that there are bipartisan efforts to combat this problem. 

My colleagues on this committee, Representatives Wagner, Bass, 

Smith, Frankel, and I led a letter—we were joined by 80 other 

members of the House—to the Appropriations Committee supporting strong funding for anti-trafficking programs at the Department of State and USAID. 

These programs protect marginalized communities that are especially vulnerable to labor and sex trafficking, particularly migrants, 

women, and young people. 

The State Department’s Trafficking in Persons report is a critical 

diplomatic tool that, when used appropriately, can expose abuses 

and contribute to significant improvements around the world. 

The Department’s 2017 report found that in Libya, migrants, including potential trafficking victims, were arbitrarily detained for 

indefinite periods of time with no access to legal aid and subjected 

to sexual violence, forced labor, and other human rights abuses. 

House Resolution 644 will send a strong message from our committee and from Congress that slave auctions and forced labor are 

absolutely unacceptable and that human rights of migrants and 

refugees demand the attention of the United States and the international community and that’s why I strongly support it. 

Second, House Concurrent Resolution 111, which supports the efforts of the United Bid Committee to bring the 2026 FIFA World 

Cup competition to Canada, Mexico, and the United States and encourages the President to support this bid reaffirms the strong trilateral relationship among our three countries. 

I serve as co-chair of the Travel and Tourism Caucus. We work 

to promote the travel and tourism industry and ensure that this 

vital sector of our economy continues to thrive because it plays an 

intrinsic role in the economy not only in the nation but of my district of Las Vegas. 

If the bid committee is selected to host the 2026 World Cup, Las 

Vegas, with 20 of the 30 largest hotels in the world, a new Raiders 

stadium, and a dedicated local fan base is in the running to be selected as one of the 12 cities to host games and we look forward 

to that. 

Mexico and Canada are not just neighbors but they are key allies, economic and security partners, and the United States’ top 

tourist-generating countries. 

Unfortunately, we have seen a decrease in the arrival of Mexican 

visitors in 2017 compared to 2016, due in no small part to the rhetoric coming from the White House. 

North America’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup would boost 

tourism and help foster the relationship among our three countries. 

At a time when the administration once again proposes a drastic 

30 percent cut to the international affairs budget, these kinds of 

soft diplomatic initiatives can help reaffirm important relationships 

with our allies. 

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So I strongly support this bill as well and I thank you, Mr. 

Chairman, and yield back. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you. 

We go to Steve Chabot of Ohio. 

Mr. CHABOT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank 

Representative Kinzinger and Ranking Member Engel for their 

work on H.R. 4681, the No Assistance for Assad Act, as well as 

Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Deutch for their work on 

H.R. 4744, and I support all the legislation. 

As a co-sponsor of these pieces of legislation, I believe that they 

are vitally important steps if we want to have any chance of a 

peaceful and stable future in the Middle East but particularly in 

this region of the Middle East. 

As has been mentioned a number of times, today marks the seventh anniversary of the Syrian people’s quest for democracy and for 

the last 7 years President Assad has committed monstrously brutal 

human rights crimes and his barbarism has been sustained by both 

Tehran and Moscow. 

Tehran has been propping up Assad to bolster its influence in 

Syria, train its proxy forces, threaten Israel, and secure a so-called 

land bridge to the Mediterranean. 

In the interest of time, I will submit the rest of my statement 

for the record and will just conclude by saying it’s time that we use 

all mechanisms, all tools available to us to ensure that Tehran does 

not continue to undermine peace in the region and I would strongly 

urge all my colleagues to support all these bills. 

And I yield back. 

Chairman ROYCE. Thank you, Mr. Chabot. 

Any other members seeking time on the committee? 

Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Chairman? 

Chairman ROYCE. Mr. Garrett of Virginia. 

Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Chairman, I want to speak specifically and directly to the amendment in the nature of the substitute offered by 

Mr. Poe from Texas as it relates to H.R. 4744 and the capacity in 

which it outlines offenses against human rights and basic decency 

by the Iranian regime and specifically point out that in, I believe, 

H.J.R. 188 earlier passed this year this body had the willingness 

to tell the truth as it relates to who the victims primarily but not 

exclusively were of the atrocities that occurred in Iran in and 

around 1988 and that is to point out the reality that the bulk of 

the victims of those offenses were affiliated with the MEK. 

And now there is push back, essentially, on telling the truth from 

somewhere, perhaps on staff or externally. I don’t know. But it’s a 

dark damn day, sir, when this committee is not willing to tell the 

truth to the world. 

Now, let me be clear, Mr. Chairman, and again, my tone reflects 

no animosity toward any individual. But the idea that the Foreign 

Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the United 

States would be afraid to acknowledge a reality because it might 

not be politically expedient as to who the victims of the atrocities 

committed by this horrific Iranian regime are and were. 

In my opinion, which I try to make clear as frequently and as 

loudly as I possibly can, is that just about any alterative on the 

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ground as it relates to the governance of the nation of Iran is preferable to the status quo. 

But I don’t have a preference as it relates to the MEK or their 

rival parties. I don’t. So I am not sitting here trying to curry favor 

with these amazing brave people who show up in these yellow 

coats. 

I am sitting here saying that it’s an existential threat not only 

to the life of individuals who might have the temerity to protest 

conditions in Iran but to the region, and ultimately if the JCPOA 

works out the way I think it will to the world, to stand by and acknowledge this Iranian regime’s malfeasance but not all of it, but 

not the scope of it, but not with specificity. 

And so, again, I mean no ill will toward any in particular person. 

But we know what happened—it took us 10 years to figure it out—

in 1988 in Iran. 

We know who the victims were and we should address that with 

specificity because we are the House of Representatives of the 

United States of America, and if we are not willing to look the 

world in the eyes and tell them the truth, God knows who will. 

And so I don’t know much—how much more vehement I could be 

in support of Mr. Poe’s amendment, and this isn’t about picking 

sides except for to say that the mullahs in Iran are dangerous to 

the world. 

And so I hope that members of this committee on both sides of 

the aisle will join me in acknowledging the total truth as it relates 

to the reality of what occurred in Iran these many years ago because it’s important that somebody in the world be willing to do 

what’s right and not be afraid by political considerations, and it 

ought to be us. 

Thank you. 

Chairman ROYCE. I am going to thank the gentleman but I am 

going to recognize myself at this time. 

First and foremost, this bill sanctions senior Iranian officials for 

taking American hostages and for its human rights abuses against 

the Iranian people. 

The MEK is one of many groups that the Iranian regime has 

abused. There is no question that they have suffered very greatly, 

and that’s why this bill—if you read the bill—and why Judge Poe’s 

excellent amendment discusses in detail the 1988 massacre of tens 

of thousands of innocent people because of their political affiliations. 

But they are not the only ones massacred on an ongoing basis 

because of their political affiliations. It’s not about one group and 

it calls for an investigation of all of those massacred including the 

MEK—calls for an investigation of all of those massacred and full 

accounting for the families of the victims. 

And it also discusses Iran’s abuse of numerous other political dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities. I think you and I both 

have plenty of examples of sitting with family of Baha’i or 

Zoroastrians—you name the religion—that has suffered over the 

past four decades and why it calls for the Iranian regime to be held 

accountable. 

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Now, with this bill we are trying to speak directly to the Iranian 

people to tell them that we stand in solidarity with them against 

their oppressive regime. 

If we start playing politics by naming certain parties and not 

others, we muddle this key message. So in the end, this is about 

more than one group. It is about the people of Iran. It is about 

their ongoing human rights abuses and taking concrete action to 

stop it. 

So again I thank the gentleman. Any other members seek time? 

If not, hearing no further requests for recognition, the question 

occurs on items considered en bloc. 

All those in favor, say aye. 

All those opposed, no. 

In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and the measures 

considered en bloc are agreed to. 

Without objection, the measures considered en bloc are ordered 

favorably reported as amended. 

Staff is directed to make any technical and conforming changes 

and the Chair is authorized to seek House consideration under suspension of the rules. 

That concludes our business for today. I want to thank, of course, 

Ranking Member Engel but also all of our committee members for 

their contributions and assistance with today’s markup. 

The committee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 10:30 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] 

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