III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 139 

Condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of its 

Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 25, 2017 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. BOOZMAN, and Mr. DURBIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the Government of Iran’s 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, 1993, 1994, 

1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 

and 2016, 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 2016 Annual Report states— 

(1) ‘‘The Baha’i community, the largest non-Muslim 

religious minority in Iran, long has been subject to parVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Apr 25, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR139.IS SR139

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•SRES 139 IS 

ticularly severe religious freedom violations. The government views Baha’is, who number at least 300,000, as 

‘heretics’ and consequently they face repression on the 

grounds of apostasy.’’; 

(2) ‘‘Since 1979, authorities have killed or executed 

more than 200 Baha’i leaders, and more than 10,000 

have been dismissed from government and university 

jobs.’’; and 

(3) ‘‘Over the past 10 years, approximately 850 Baha’is have been arbitrarily arrested.’’; 

Whereas the Department of State 2015 International Religious Freedom Report states— 

(1) religious minorities in Iran ‘‘continued to face 

societal discrimination, especially the Bahai community, 

which reported continuing problems at different levels of 

society, including personal harassment.’’; 

(2) the Government of Iran ‘‘continued to prohibit 

Bahais from officially assembling or maintaining administrative institutions, actively closed such institutions, 

harassed Bahais, and disregarded their property rights.’’; 

(3) in Iran, ‘‘Bahai blood may be spilled with impunity, and Bahai families are not entitled to restitution’’ 

and ‘‘Bahais cannot receive compensation for injury or 

crimes committed against them and cannot inherit property.’’; 

(4) the Government of Iran ‘‘requires universities to 

exclude Bahais from access to higher education or expel 

them if their religious affiliation becomes known.’’; and 

(5) in Iran, ‘‘Bahais are banned from government 

employment’’ and ‘‘[t]here were reports of non-Bahais 

being pressured to refuse employment to Bahais or dismissing Bahais from their private sector jobs.’’; 


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•SRES 139 IS 

Whereas, on June 8, 2016, the United Nations Special 

Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Nations Special 

Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief issued a joint 

statement condemning the ‘‘wave of incitement of hatred 

of the Baha’i community reflected in speeches made by 

religious, judiciary and political officials in the Islamic 

Republic of Iran’’; 

Whereas, on September 6, 2016, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a report on the situation of human 

rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/71/374), which 

stated that ‘‘human rights violations have continued at 

an alarming rate’’; 

Whereas, on December 17, 2016, the United Nations General 

Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/70/179), which 

‘‘[e]xpresse[d] serious concern about ongoing severe limitations and restrictions on the right to freedom of 

thought, conscience, religion or belief and restrictions on 

the establishment of places of worship, as well as attacks 

against places of worship and burial, as well as other 

human rights violations, including but not limited to harassment, persecution and incitement to hatred that lead 

to violence against persons belonging to recognized and 

unrecognized religious minorities, including Christians, 

Jews, Sufi Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Zoroastrians and 

members of the Baha’i Faith and their defenders’’; 

Whereas since May 2008, the Government of Iran has imprisoned the 7 members of the former ad hoc leadership 

group of the Baha’i community in Iran, known as the 

Yaran-i-Iran, or ‘‘friends of Iran’’—Mrs. Fariba 

Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, 

Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Mahvash 


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•SRES 139 IS 

Sabet, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm—and these individuals 

were convicted of charges including ‘‘spying for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, propaganda against the regime and spreading corruption on earth’’ and sentenced 

to 20-year prison terms, the longest sentences given to 

any prisoner of conscience in Iran at that time, now reportedly reduced to 10 years; 

Whereas beginning in May 2011, officials of the Government 

of Iran in 4 cities conducted sweeping raids on the homes 

of dozens of individuals associated with the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (referred to in this Resolution 

as ‘‘BIHE’’) and arrested and detained several educators 

associated with BIHE, with 16 BIHE educators ultimately sentenced to 4- or 5-year prison terms, 7 of whom 

remain in prison; 

Whereas scores of Baha’i cemeteries have been attacked, and 

in 2014, Revolutionary Guards began excavating a Baha’i 

cemetery in Shiraz, which is the site of 950 graves, and 

built a cultural and sport center on the cemetery site; 

Whereas the Baha’i International Community reported that 

there has been a recent surge in anti-Baha’i hate propaganda in Iranian state-sponsored media outlets, noting 

that— 

(1) in 2010 and 2011, approximately 22 anti-Baha’i 

articles were appearing every month; 

(2) in 2014, the number of anti-Baha’i articles rose 

to approximately 400 per month; and 

(3) by 2016, the number of anti-Baha’i articles rose 

to approximately 1,500 per month; 

Whereas there are currently 90 Baha’is in prison in Iran; 


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•SRES 139 IS 

Whereas the Government of Iran is party to the International 

Covenants on Human Rights and is in violation of its obligations under such Covenants; 

Whereas section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 

Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 

8514) authorizes the President 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’’; and 

Whereas the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights 

Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–158) amends and expands 

the authorities established under the Comprehensive Iran 

Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 

(Public Law 111–195) to sanction Iranian human rights 

abusers: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns the Government of Iran’s state3 sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its 

4 continued violation of the International Covenants 

5 on Human Rights; 

6 (2) calls on the Government of Iran to imme7 diately release the 7 imprisoned Baha’i leaders, the 

8 7 imprisoned Baha’i educators, and all other pris9 oners held solely on account of their religion; 

10 (3) calls on the President and the Secretary of 

11 State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to im12 mediately condemn the Government of Iran’s continVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Apr 25, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR139.IS SR139

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1 ued violation of human rights and demand the im2 mediate release of prisoners held solely on account 

3 of their religion; and 

4 (4) urges the President and the Secretary of 

5 State to utilize available authorities to impose sanc6 tions on officials of the Government of Iran and 

7 other individuals directly responsible for serious 

8 human rights abuses, including abuses against the 

9 Baha’i community of Iran. 

Æ 


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