IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 317 

Calling for the unconditional release of United States citizens and legal 

permanent resident aliens being held for political purposes by the Government of Iran. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 4, 2017 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. POE of Texas, and Mr. 

DEUTCH) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the unconditional release of United States citizens 

and legal permanent resident aliens being held for political purposes by the Government of Iran. 

Whereas Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has 

taken as hostages Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, 

Karan Vafadari, and a fourth not publicly identified 

United States citizen as well as United States legal permanent residents Afarin Niasari and Nizar Zakka; 

Whereas Siamak Namazi was detained on October 15, 2015, 

falsely accused and convicted on October 18, 2016, for 

‘‘collaborating with a hostile government’’, and has been 

held for extended periods in solitary confinement and 

under constant interrogation; 


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•HRES 317 IH 

Whereas former UNICEF official Baquer Namazi, the 80- 

year old father of Siamak Namazi and has a deteriorating health status, was detained on February 22, 2016, 

falsely accused and convicted to 10 years in prison for 

the identical crime as his son; 

Whereas former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Kimoon urged Iranian authorities to release Baquer 

Namazi to allow his family to care for him; 

Whereas UNICEF has issued four public statements on 

Baquer Namazi’s behalf; 

Whereas Karan Vafadari, a United States citizen, and his 

wife, Afarin Niasari, an Iranian national and United 

States legal permanent resident alien, were detained in 

late July 2016 and has been held without charge or access to counsel; 

Whereas a fourth United States citizen is detained in Iran 

though his family has wished for him not to be publicly 

identified; 

Whereas Robert Levinson, a United States citizen and retired 

agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, traveled to 

Kish Island, Iran, and disappeared on March 9, 2007; 

Whereas the United States Government had ‘‘secured a commitment from the Iranians . . . to try and gather information about Mr. Levinson’s possible whereabouts’’ but 

has not received any information thus far; 

Whereas Nizar Zakka, a United States legal permanent resident alien and Lebanese national, who is also in a weakened physical state, was unlawfully detained on September 18, 2015, in Iran after attending a women’s Arab 

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•HRES 317 IH 

ference, at Iran’s invitation, and was later falsely charged 

of being a spy sentenced to 10 years at the Evin prison; 

Whereas, on April 13, 2017, the U.S. Department of the 

Treasury sanctioned the Tehran Prisons Organization 

and its former head, Sohrab Soleimani, and White House 

Press Secretary Sean Spicer noted ‘‘The sanctions 

against human rights abusers in Iran’s prisons come at 

a time when Iran continues to unjustly detain in its prisons various foreigners, including US citizens Siamak 

Namazi and Baquer Namazi’’; 

Whereas, on April 25, 2017, at the meeting of the Joint 

Commission overseeing implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Department of State reported that the United States delegation had ‘‘raised with 

the Iranian delegation its serious concerns regarding the 

cases of U.S. citizens detained and missing in Iran, and 

called on Iran to immediately release these U.S. citizens 

so they can be reunited with their families’’; 

Whereas elements of the Iranian regime are reportedly using 

nationals and dual-nationals from the United States, 

Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and 

other countries to exact political or financial concessions; 

and 

Whereas reports indicate that the Government of Iran is 

seeking additional payments or other concessions, including relief from economic sanctions, from the families of 

hostages and their governments as a condition of release, 

a practice banned by the 1979 International Convention 

Against the Taking of Hostages and other international 

legal norms: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 317 IH 

1 (1) calls on the Government of the Islamic Re2 public of Iran to release unconditionally Siamak 

3 Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Karan Vafadari, Afarin 

4 Niasari, Nizar Zakka, and any other United States 

5 citizen, legal permanent resident alien, or foreign na6 tional being held in Iran; 

7 (2) urges the President to make the release of 

8 United States citizens and legal permanent resident 

9 aliens held hostage by the Government of Iran the 

10 highest of priorities; 

11 (3) requests that the United States and its al12 lies whose nationals have been detained consider es13 tablishing a multinational task force to secure the 

14 release of the detainees; 

15 (4) urges the Government of Iran to take mean16 ingful steps towards fulfilling its repeated promises 

17 to assist in locating and returning Robert Levinson, 

18 including immediately providing all available infor19 mation from all entities of the Government of Iran 

20 regarding the disappearance of Robert Levinson to 

21 the United States Government; 

22 (5) encourages the President to take meaning23 ful action to secure the release of Siamak Namazi, 

24 Baquer Namazi, Karan Vafadari, Afarin Niasari, 

25 Nizar Zakka, and any other United States citizen, 


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1 legal permanent resident alien, or foreign national 

2 being held in Iran if the Government of Iran does 

3 not release such United States citizens, legal perma4 nent resident aliens, and foreign nationals; and 

5 (6) encourages the President to take meaning6 ful action to secure the return of Robert Levinson 

7 if the Government of Iran does not locate and return 

8 him. 

Æ 


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