III

Calendar No. 647

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 57

Concerning the emancipation of the Iranian Baha’i community.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPTEMBER 29, 1999

Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr.

KERRY, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. BROWNBACK, Mr. HATCH, Mr. REID, Mr.

DURBIN, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. NICKLES, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. KOHL, Mr.

LEVIN, Mr. BOND, Mr. DODD, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr.

INHOFE, Mr. WARNER, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. ROBB, Mr. ABRAHAM, and Mr.

CLELAND) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

JUNE 28, 2000

Reported by Mr. HELMS, without amendment and an amendment to the

preamble

[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic]

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Concerning the emancipation of the Iranian Baha’i

community.

Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1996,

Congress, by concurrent resolution, declared that it holds

the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the

rights of all its nationals, including members of the

Baha’i Faith, Iran’s largest religious minority;
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•SCON 57 RS

Whereas Congress has deplored the Government of Iran’s religious persecution of the Baha’i community in such resolutions and in numerous other appeals, and has condemned Iran’s execution of more than 200 Baha’is and

the imprisonment of thousands of others solely on account of their religious beliefs;

Whereas in July 1998 a Baha’i, Mr. Ruhollah Rowhani, was

executed by hanging in Mashhad after being held in solitary confinement for 9 months on the charge of converting a Muslim woman to the Baha’i Faith, a charge

the woman herself refuted;

Whereas 4 Baha’is remain on death row in Iran, 2 on

charges on apostasy, and 12 11 others are serving prison

terms on charges arising solely from their religious beliefs

or activities;

Whereas the Government of Iran continues to deny individual

Baha’is access to higher education and government employment and denies recognition and religious rights to

the Baha’i community, according to the policy set forth

in a confidential Iranian Government document which

was revealed by the United Nations Commission on

Human Rights in 1993;

Whereas Baha’is have been banned from teaching and studying at Iranian universities since the Islamic Revolution

and therefore created the Baha’i Institute of Higher

Education, or Baha’i Open University, to provide educational opportunities to Baha’i youth using volunteer

faculty and a network of classrooms, libraries, and laboratories in private homes and buildings throughout Iran;

Whereas in September and October 1998, Iranian authorities

arrested 36 faculty members of the Open University, 4
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•SCON 57 RS

of whom have been given prison sentences ranging between 3 to 10 years, even though the law makes no mention of religious instruction within one’s own religious

community as being an illegal activity;

Whereas Iranian intelligence officers looted classroom equipment, textbooks, computers, and other personal property

from 532 Baha’i homes in an attempt to close down the

Open University;

Whereas all Baha’i community properties in Iran have been

confiscated by the government, and Iranian Baha’is are

not permitted to elect their leaders, organize as a community, operate religious schools, or conduct other religious community activities guaranteed by the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights;

Whereas on February 22, 1993, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights published a formerly confidential

Iranian government document that constitutes a blueprint for the destruction of the Baha’i community and reveals that these repressive actions are the result of a deliberate policy designed and approved by the highest officials of the Government of Iran; and

Whereas in 1998 the United Nations Special Representative

for Human Rights, Maurice Copithorne, was denied entry

into Iran: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) continues to hold the Government of Iran

4 responsible for upholding the rights of all its nation5 als, including members of the Baha’i community, in

6 a manner consistent with Iran’s obligations under
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•SCON 57 RS

1 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

2 other international agreements guaranteeing the civil

3 and political rights of its citizens;

4 (2) condemns the repressive anti-Baha’i policies

5 and actions of the Government of Iran, including the

6 denial of legal recognition to the Baha’i community

7 and the basic rights to organize, elect its leaders,

8 educate its youth, and conduct the normal activities

9 of a law-abiding religious community;

10 (3) expresses concern that individual Baha’is

11 continue to suffer from severely repressive and dis12 criminatory government actions, including executions

13 and death sentences, solely on account of their reli14 gion;

15 (4) urges the Government of Iran to permit

16 Baha’i students to attend Iranian universities and

17 Baha’i faculty to teach at Iranian universities, to re18 turn the property confiscated from the Baha’i Open

19 University, to free the imprisoned faculty members

20 of the Open University, and to permit the Open Uni21 versity to continue to function;

22 (5) urges the Government of Iran to implement

23 fully the conclusions and recommendations on the

24 emancipation of the Iranian Baha’i community made

25 by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Reli-
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1 gious Intolerance, Professor Abdelfattah Amor, in

2 his report of March 1996 to the United Nations

3 Commission of Human Rights;

4 (6) urges the Government of Iran to extend to

5 the Baha’i community the rights guaranteed by the

6 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the

7 international covenants of human rights, including

8 the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, and

9 equal protection of the law; and

10 (7) calls upon the President to continue—

11 (A) to assert the United States Govern12 ment’s concern regarding Iran’s violations of

13 the rights of its citizens, including members of

14 the Baha’i community, along with expressions

15 of its concern regarding the Iranian Govern16 ment’s support for international terrorism and

17 its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruc18 tion;

19 (B) to emphasize that the United States

20 regards the human rights practices of the Gov21 ernment of Iran, particularly its treatment of

22 the Baha’i community and other religious mi23 norities, as a significant factor in the develop24 ment of the United States Government’s rela25 tions with the Government of Iran;
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•SCON 57 RS

1 (C) to emphasize the need for the United

2 Nations Special Representative for Human

3 Rights to be granted permission to enter Iran;

4 (D) to urge the Government of Iran to

5 emancipate the Baha’i community by granting

6 those rights guaranteed by the Universal Dec7 laration of Human Rights and the international

8 covenants on human rights; and

9 (E) to encourage other governments to

10 continue to appeal to the Government of Iran,

11 and to cooperate with other governments and

12 international organizations, including the

13 United Nations and its agencies, in efforts to

14 protect the religious rights of the Baha’is and

15 other minorities through joint appeals to the

16 Government of Iran and through other appro17 priate actions.

Calendar No. 647

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 57

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Concerning the emancipation of the Iranian Baha’i

community.

JUNE 28, 2000

Reported without amendment and an amendment to the

preamble