IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 414 

Condemning the imprisonment of Ali Akbar Ganji by the Government of 

Iran and the continuous violations of the fundamental human rights 

of the Iranian people by the Government of Iran. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 28, 2005 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the imprisonment of Ali Akbar Ganji by the 

Government of Iran and the continuous violations of 

the fundamental human rights of the Iranian people 

by the Government of Iran. 

Whereas in April 2000, Mr. Ali Akbar Ganji was arrested 

after authoring several articles suggesting the involvement of senior Iranian officials, including former president Hashemi Rafsanjani and former intelligence minister Ali Fallahian, in an assassination campaign aimed 

against political dissidents and intellectuals in late 1998; 

Whereas Ali Akbar Ganji was again arrested for having taken 

part in an April 1998 conference in Berlin on Iranian 

legislative elections and democratic reforms and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of internal 
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•HRES 414 IH 

exile in January 2001 but his sentence was subsequently 

reduced to six months in prison by an appeals court in 

May 2001; 

Whereas in July 2001 the Iranian Supreme Court overturned 

the appeals court ruling on technical grounds and sentenced Ali Akbar Ganji to six years in jail for ‘‘threatening national security’’ and ‘‘propaganda against the institutions of the Islamic Republic’’ of Iran; 

Whereas Ali Akbar Ganji is held incommunicado, reportedly 

in solitary confinement at the infamous Evin Prison, 

where he suffers from asthma and serious back problems 

and until recently had been denied access to adequate 

medical treatment; 

Whereas it is alleged that Ali Akbar Ganji has been beaten 

during his imprisonment and international human rights 

organizations remain concerned that he is at risk of being 

subjected to further torture or ill treatment; 

Whereas President George W. Bush has called for the Government of Iran to unconditionally release Ali Akbar 

Ganji and allow him access to medical assistance; 

Whereas the United States Congress has repeatedly expressed 

its condemnation of arbitrary and inhumane practices 

utilized by the Government of Iran in order to silence 

peaceful critics among its own people; 

Whereas the Iranian people aspire to democracy, civil, political, and religious rights, and the rule of law, as evidenced by anti-government demonstrations within Iran 

and by statements of numerous Iranian expatriates and 

dissidents; 
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•HRES 414 IH 

Whereas the Government of Iran exercises torture and cruel 

and inhuman punishment, including flogging, stoning, 

and the use of public hangings; 

Whereas judicial verdicts in Iran are often delivered without 

due process of law; 

Whereas the situation of freedom of expression in Iran continues to deteriorate as dissidents are arrested and detained without charge or trial solely for peaceful demonstrations and criticism of the authorities; and 

Whereas Ali Akbar Ganji, in particular, and the people of 

Iran, in general, deserve the support of the United 

States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the House of Representatives— 

3 (A) unequivocally condemns the imprison4 ment of Mr. Ali Akbar Ganji, a prisoner of con5 science, by the Government of Iran, calls for his 

6 immediate release, and denounces the consistent 

7 pattern of gross violations of internationally 

8 recognized human rights by the Iranian regime; 

9 and 

10 (B) calls upon United States allies, the 

11 United Nations, and the international commu12 nity to publicly condemn the Government of 

13 Iran for the continuing imprisonment of Ali 

14 Akbar Ganji and other violations of internation15 ally recognized human rights; and 
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•HRES 414 IH 

1 (2) it is the sense of the House of Representa2 tives that— 

3 (A) the Government of Iran should end all 

4 acts of harassment and arbitrary detention 

5 against all peaceful Iranian dissidents and 

6 human rights defenders and conform with the 

7 provisions of the Universal Declaration of 

8 Human Rights and all other international 

9 agreements and obligations to which Iran is a 

10 party; and 

11 (B) it should be the policy of the United 

12 States to support independent human rights 

13 dissidents and pro-democracy advocates in Iran 

14 and promote the emergence of a democratic 

15 form of government in Iran that will restore 

16 freedom to the Iranian people, abandon ter17 rorism, abandon the development, proliferation, 

18 and possession of nuclear, biological, and chem19 ical weapons, and live in peace and security 

20 with the international community. 

Æ