U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800

Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001

88–386PDF 2014

CONDEMNING THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN FOR ITS STATESPONSORED PERSECUTION OF ITS BAHA’I MINORITY AND

ITS CONTINUED VIOLATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS; AND CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN TO FULFILL THEIR PROMISES OF ASSISTANCE

IN THIS CASE OF ROBERT LEVINSON, ONE OF THE LONGEST

HELD UNITED STATES CIVILIANS IN OUR NATION’S HISTORY

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H. Res. 109 and H. Res. 435

JUNE 19, 2014

Serial No. 113–174

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 

MATT SALMON, Arizona 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

TOM COTTON, Arkansas 

PAUL COOK, California 

GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina 

RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

DOUG COLLINS, Georgia 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

SEAN DUFFY, Wisconsin 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

KAREN BASS, California 

WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

BRADLEY S. SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III, Massachusetts 

AMI BERA, California 

ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California 

GRACE MENG, New York 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas

AMY PORTER, Chief of Staff THOMAS SHEEHY, Staff Director

JASON STEINBAUM, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida, Chairman 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

TOM COTTON, Arkansas 

RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

DOUG COLLINS, Georgia 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

SEAN DUFFY, Wisconsin 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

BRADLEY S. SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III, Massachusetts 

GRACE MENG, New York 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

MARKUP OF 

H. Res. 109, Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored 

persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights ............................................................... 2

H. Res. 435, Calling on the government of Iran to fulfill their promises 

of assistance in this case of Robert Levinson, one of the longest held 

United States civilians in our Nation’s history ................................................. 11

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 435 offered by the 

Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in Congress from the 

State of Florida, and chairman, Subcommittee on the Middle East and 

North Africa ...................................................................................................... 15

APPENDIX 

Markup notice .......................................................................................................... 26

Markup minutes ...................................................................................................... 27

Markup summary .................................................................................................... 28

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

Commonwealth of Virginia: Prepared statement .............................................. 29

(1)

CONDEMNING THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN FOR ITS STATESPONSORED PERSECUTION OF ITS BAHA’I MINORITY AND 

ITS CONTINUED VIOLATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS; AND CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN TO FULFILL THEIR PROMISES OF ASSISTANCE IN THIS CASE OF ROBERT LEVINSON, ONE OF 

THE LONGEST HELD UNITED STATES CIVILIANS IN OUR 

NATION’S HISTORY 

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA,

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:45 a.m., in room 

2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 

(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. The subcommittee will come to order. We 

meet today pursuant to notice the markup of two bipartisan measures related to Iran. As your offices were previously notified, it is 

the intent of the Chair to consider the following items en bloc 

which members have before them: House Resolution 109, Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of the Baha’i minority; House Resolution 435, Calling on the 

Government of Iran to fulfill promises of assistance in the case of 

Robert Levinson; and Ros-Lehtinen Amendment 49 in the nature 

of a substitute to House Resolution 435, which was provided to 

your office yesterday. Without objection, these items are considered 

as read and will be considered en bloc. 

[The information referred to follows:]

2


88386a-1.eps
3


88386a-2.eps
4


88386a-3.eps
5


88386a-4.eps
6


88386a-5.eps
7


88386a-6.eps
8


88386a-7.eps
9


88386a-8.eps
10


88386a-9.eps
11


88386b-1.eps
12


88386b-2.eps
13


88386b-3.eps
14


88386b-4.eps
15


88386c-1.eps
16


88386c-2.eps
17


88386c-3.eps
18

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. After the ranking member and I speak on 

these measures, I would be glad to recognize any other member 

seeking recognition. Without objection, all members may have 5 

days to submit statements for the record on today’s business. 

I would now like to recognize myself. I am pleased to call up 

these two bipartisan measures today, both of which I strongly support. The Baha’i community is the largest single non-Muslim minority community in Iran, yet since the 1979 revolution, they have 

faced unrelenting and unforgiving persecution by the Islamic regime. Members of the Baha’i are constantly being detained, harassed, beaten, and thrown in jail, simply because they do not adhere to the brand of Shia Islam that the regime espouses. 

As the latest of the report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom States, as of February of this year 

there were at least 135 imprisoned members of the Baha’i community in Iran, double the number of those detained in 2011. In April, 

I adopted Rozita Vaseghi, a prisoner of conscience in Iran, whose 

case had been highlighted by Amnesty International and the U.S. 

Commission on International Religious Freedom. Rozita is a member of the Baha’i community who is serving a 10-year sentence because of her faith. Rozita is suffering at the hands of this regime 

which targets people for what they believe and is one of hundreds 

of other cases that prove that under Rouhani, Iranians seeking to 

exercise their basic freedoms and assert their human dignity are 

no better off. 

I believe this resolution is important in highlighting the abysmal 

state of human rights in Iran, even as our administration engages 

its officials on nuclear negotiations. I urge my colleagues to support 

this measure. I also urge them to be a voice for other prisoners of 

conscience in Iran, many of whom have been languishing in Iranian prisoners for far too long and have suffered the brutality of 

this regime. 

The administration can no longer ignore the plight of those suffering in Iran and it must act now. 

It must also take immediate action to bring U.S. citizen Robert 

Levinson home. On March 9, 2007, Robert Levinson disappeared on 

the Iranian island of Kish in the Persian Gulf. On November 26, 

2013, Robert marked his 2,455th day in captivity, making him one 

of the longest-held Americans in our history. 

Mr. Levinson and his family—I am pleased to see his son here 

with us today, welcome, sir—and his family calls South Florida 

their home and they are constituents of my good friend and our 

subcommittee’s ranking member, Ted Deutch. Ted has been working tirelessly to bring Mr. Levinson home. 

Thank you, Dan Levinson, the son, the oldest son, for being with 

us today. And thank you so much for the support that you give to 

all of us and we to you. Our thoughts and prayers and with you 

and your family. 

Ted has been a relentless advocate for the release of Robert for 

many years and working hard to get answers on what has happened and to press the administration to do more to help facilitate 

his release, return him home to his family, Robert’s wife, Christine, 

and their seven children. The Levinson family has been living this 

hellish nightmare over Robert’s fate for over 7 years now. We deVerDate 0ct 09 2002 15:26 Aug 07, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_MENA\061914M\88386 SHIRL
19

mand his immediate unconditional return. There should be no kowtowing, no equivocation. 

We have heard the stories of abuse and torment that Pastor 

Saeed Abedini faces and we have seen the sham trial of Amir 

Hekmati, a U.S. Marine. We have tools in our disposal that can 

force their release, yet the administration is too worried about upsetting the Iranian regime as it continues to pursue this bad and 

weak nuclear agreement. This nuclear agreement does not exist in 

a vacuum. We must ratchet up the pressure and bring Robert home 

to his family. We must bring Pastor Saeed home to his family and 

we must bring Amir Hekmati home to his family. 

I am now very pleased to yield to the ranking member, Mr. 

Deutch, for his opening remarks. 

Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Chairman, thank you for holding today’s 

markup on these two very important resolutions. I am proud to 

offer my strong support to both. I want to thank you for co-introducing with me and for your continued tireless support of House 

Resolution 435, urging the Government of Iran to fulfill its promise 

to assist in the disappearance of my constituent, Robert Levinson. 

Robert Levinson disappeared from Kish Island, Iran, on March 

9, 2007. He is now the longest held American hostage. The 

Levinson family has endured 2,659 days without their father. Bob 

and his wife Christina have been married for 40 years. They have 

four daughters and three sons. Bob’s eldest son, Dan, is here with 

us today. 

Dan, your family has shown unimaginable strength in the face 

of this tremendous hardship and please know this Congress stands 

with you. 

Since his disappearance, Bob has missed 60 family birthdays, 

and the birth of three new grandchildren. He has missed the big 

things, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, promotions, but he 

has also missed hundreds of quiet Sunday nights at home with his 

family. Bob Levinson is now 66 years old. He spent 30 years as a 

dedicated FBI agent, retiring in 1998. He chose to devote his career, his time away from his family, to the country that he loved 

so much. In 2010, the Levinson family received its first proof of life 

video in which Bob appeared alarmingly frail. The family again received a set of photos showing Bob in an orange jumpsuit in 2011. 

The Government of Iran has repeatedly indicated their willingness 

to assist in Bob’s case. Now we are sitting across the table from 

Iran. We have the opportunity to raise Bob’s case, to press Bob’s 

case in every single meeting. 

I know our negotiating team is committed to doing so and I 

would urge them to tell the Iranians that if they want to send a 

signal of good faith as to why we should hold out any hope of trust 

for them, this is how they can do it, help us bring Bob Levinson 

and the two other detained Americans home. 

The Levinson family keeps a Facebook page and every single day 

they share memories of their father. This past Sunday, Father’s 

Day, the family shared this post along with a picture of Bob in a 

t-shirt from his children that read ‘‘One in a Million Dad.’’ ‘‘This 

is a difficult post to write,’’ it said. ‘‘It has been 2,655 days and now 

the eighth Father’s Day that we have been apart from the greatest 

man and father that we have ever known. It is tough for us today, 

20

but tougher on our dad. There is nothing in the world more important about Levinson than his family. We hope that today and every 

day that you hug your father with all of your might. Hug until he 

makes you let go. Hold on to that memory as all of us Levinson 

children would have given anything, anything to be able to embrace our dad again. We want to wish all the fathers out there, 

Happy Fathers Day. We pray with all of our being that our one in 

a million dad will be brought home to us just as soon as humanly 

possible.’’

Madam Chairman, passing this resolution today sends a message 

to the Iranians that this Congress has not and we will not forget 

about Bob. I ask my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution 

to help bring Bob Levinson back to his family. Thank you and I 

yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you so much, Mr. Deutch. That was 

a very poignant, beautiful statement. Thank you for sharing that 

with us. 

And to show what a tireless advocate he is on behalf of human 

rights everywhere and how important these resolutions are, I am 

so pleased to yield whatever time you need to consume to the chairman of our committee, Mr. Royce of California. 

Mr. ROYCE. Madam Chair, thank you very much. I want to thank 

you and I want to thank Ted Deutch. I join Mr. Deutch in that sentiment. Bob Levinson, when you think about it, Mr. Deutch, our 

longest held American hostage anywhere on the planet. And I 

think all of us, the reason we are here today is because of our concern not only about his plight, but what this tells us about the regime. 

And for those of us who have known some of the Baha’i, those 

of the Baha’i faith, that peaceful faith, I know that you will mark 

up a resolution on that subject in a minute, Madam Chair. And to 

think about the fact that those who teach the Baha’i faith are 

taken out and summarily executed for that act today and that hundreds have been executed in Iran for the act of teaching the Baha’i 

faith, I think it is very, very important that we move these resolutions. And it is important that we reflect on the fact that the way 

you treat your own people might be a harbinger, might tell us 

something about the way you are likely to treat your neighbors and 

that is why I did want to say that the Iranian regime continues to 

involve itself in these serious human rights abuses, even as we sit 

here today on a very large scale. We will hear from one political 

prisoner here today in Iran. 

At least 750 people have been executed without due process in 

the past year. This is under President Rouhani. It is no wonder 

that Iran continues to stiff arm the U.N.’s Special Rapporteur on 

human rights in Iran. And I know that some thought that the election of President Rouhani might be a turning point. I would hope 

it would be, but I think we should remember that this is a man 

who called on the regimes of the Basij Militia to crush mercilessly 

and monumentally—those are his words—crush mercilessly and 

monumentally the student protesters. More than a dozen students 

were killed in the protests in 1999. More than 1,000 were arrested 

and several hundred were tortured. We should be speaking out 

against these abuses. For one, it is our moral responsibility to show 

21

Iranians that we are concerned about what happens to them, as 

human beings. 

Unfortunately, I fear that the Obama administration’s engagement with Iran has signaled to them that we are focused on its nuclear program alone, no matter how many innocent men or women 

are being beaten or tortured or raped or killed for expressing their 

hope for change in Iran. 

Of course, Iran’s nuclear program is a paramount national security concern, but a focus on the Iranian regime’s militant character 

is just as critical to U.S. security interests. How the regime treats 

its people is a pretty good indicator of how it is going to treat its 

neighbors. Let us imagine that Iran and the P5+1 come to an 

agreement next month. Are we comfortable leaving this regime 

with much of the critical nuclear infrastructure in place? How 

could this regime which holds the noose in one hand be trusted to 

hold the keys to a nuclear bomb in the other? There is a reason 

that we are more comfortable when such dangerous technologies 

are in the hands of democratic nations, not hostile ones. 

And to be fair, the Bush administration, too, pushed human 

rights aside in its nuclear negotiations with North Korea. Members 

here on this committee who served with me for awhile will remember my criticism of the Bush administration at that time for that 

failure. But this failure to speak out against a regime’s abuses, 

whether it is in Tehran or Pyongyang, fails to grasp the concept 

that promoting human rights, promoting democracy in Iran and 

improving our national security, in fact, go hand in hand. And that 

is why I again want to thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this 

hearing today and thank Mr. Deutch as well. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much for coming to the 

markup, Mr. Chairman. We appreciate it. 

We have two more members who will be recognized for the markup before we segue to the hearing and I apologize that it is running 

a little bit late, but we are thrilled that Mr. Connolly and Mr. 

Chabot will make statements on in the markup. 

Mr. Connolly is recognized. 

Mr. CONNOLLY. Thank you, Madam Chairman and thank you for 

holding this markup and the subsequent hearing. I also want to 

commend you and Ted Deutch for your leadership on the case of 

Robert Levinson, as the chairman said just now, the longest held 

American in American history. And I thought Mr. Deutch’s eloquent statement really kind of encapsulates the set of issues here. 

We cannot forget Mr. Levinson and his family and I hope that the 

words particularly of Mr. Deutch bring some comfort to his family 

and can lead to some action by the Iranian Government. 

I believe that the Baha’i resolution we have today has more at 

stake than just—not that that is limited—the Baha’i issue. It is 

about tolerance. It is about the American value of tolerance and acceptance and diversity and the right of people to practice their 

faith, their religion irrespective of the dominant culture. We don’t 

always practice what we preach. There was an ugly incident the 

other day documented by columnist Dana Milbank at one of our 

think tanks that showed an element of intolerance we should be 

ashamed of. Because if we are going to lecture others and we 

22

should, we need to make sure we are following our own prescription. 

The distinguished chairman, whom I respect enormously, chided 

the Obama administration for perhaps a mixed message that 

maybe we were sending a signal that all we cared about in the relationship with Iran was the nuclear issue. And if his words were 

meant as a caution or a reminder, I join him. But if they were 

meant as a rebuke and a judgment that that, in fact, is what has 

happened, I must demur. The United States can handle more than 

one message at a time with every relationship it has in the world. 

The Iranians know full well we have a broad spectrum of issues 

with them, the nuclear one being obviously important, existentially 

for Israel and for that part of the world and ultimately for us. But 

by no means should the Iranians take any comfort in the fact that 

our interest is limited to that issue. That is not true. Today’s resolution gives evidence of that fact. But we can’t be afraid to sit down 

at the table after 35 years of isolation and be engaged. In fact, if 

we mean what we say today about this Baha’i resolution, non-engagement is precisely the best way to make sure this is feckless 

and has no effect. 

Engagement means we have some standing. We have some leverage on behalf of the Baha’is and others who are persecuted in a 

nontolerant, internal society in Iran. So I am delighted to join in 

support of both resolutions and I would hope that our hearing will 

help further illuminate the values and the potential pitfalls of that 

engagement. Thank you, Madam Chairman. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you so much, Mr. Connolly. And I am 

now pleased to recognize Mr. Chabot, subcommittee chairman of 

Asia and the Pacific. 

Mr. CHABOT. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I want to associate 

myself with your remarks and also those of Chairman Royce and 

the ranking member, Mr. Deutch. The Iranian regime continues to 

persecute those of the Baha’i faith, charging, imprisoning, abusing, 

and murdering individuals on trumped up charges including alleged propaganda against the state. 

Human Rights Watch says, ‘‘These transparently political 

charges make it painfully clear that authorities have targeted the 

Baha’is not for any crime, but because of their religious beliefs.’’ 

The Baha’i faith is truly a religion of peace. There is a Baha’i 

church on Montana Avenue in Cincinnati about 1⁄2 mile from my 

home. And hopefully, adoption of this resolution will increase 

awareness of on-going major human rights abuses in Iran. And I 

thank you for pushing this, Madam Chair. I urge support for the 

resolution and I yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much. Hearing no further 

requests for recognition the question occurs on adopting the items 

under consideration en bloc. All those in favor say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

All those opposed, no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have 

it. The en bloc amendment items are approved. Without objection, 

the items in the en bloc will be reported favorably to the full committee and House Resolution 435 will be reported in the form of a 

single amendment in the nature of a substitute. The staff is directed to make any technical and conforming changes. I want to 

23

thank all of our members and staff for the assistance and cooperation that went into today’s markup. The subcommittee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 10:12 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

(25)

A P P E N D I X 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

26

f


88386n.eps
27

f


88386m.eps
28

f


88386s.eps
29

Æ


88386d.eps