IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 220 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 23, 2015 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. DOLD, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, 

Mr. CHABOT, and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

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, and 2013, 

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 2014 Report stated, ‘‘The Baha’i community, the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, 

long has been subject to particularly severe religious freeVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:20 Apr 24, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR220.IH HR220

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•HRES 220 IH 

dom violations. The government views Baha’is, who number at least 300,000, as ‘heretics’ and consequently they 

face repression on the grounds of apostasy.’’; 

Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2014 Report stated that ‘‘[s]ince 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 ‘‘[m]ore than 700 

Baha’is have been arbitrarily arrested since 2005’’; 

Whereas the Department of State 2013 International Religious Freedom Report stated that the Government of 

Iran ‘‘prohibits Baha’is from teaching and practicing 

their faith and subjects them to many forms of discrimination not faced by members of other religious groups’’ 

and ‘‘since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, formally denies 

Baha’i students access to higher education’’; 

Whereas the Department of State 2013 International Religious Freedom Report stated, ‘‘The government requires 

Baha’is to register with the police,’’ and ‘‘The government raided Baha’i homes and businesses and confiscated 

large amounts of private and commercial property, as 

well as religious materials.’’; 

Whereas the Department of State 2013 International Religious Freedom Report stated, ‘‘Baha’is are regularly denied compensation for injury or criminal victimization 

and the right to inherit property.’’; 

Whereas, on August 27, 2014, the United Nations Special 

Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a report (A/69/356), which 

stated, ‘‘The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran remains of concern. Numerous issues 


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•HRES 220 IH 

flagged by the General Assembly, the United Nations 

human rights mechanisms and the Secretary-General persist, and in some cases appear to have worsened, some 

recent overtures made by the Administration and the parliament notwithstanding.’’; 

Whereas, on December 18, 2014, the United Nations General 

Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/69/190), which 

‘‘[e]xpresse[d] deep concern’’ over ‘‘[c]ontinued discrimination, persecution and human rights violations against 

persons belonging to unrecognized religious minorities, 

particularly members of the Baha’i [F]aith . . . and the 

effective criminalization of membership in the Baha’i 

[F]aith,’’ and called upon the Government of Iran to 

‘‘emancipate the Baha’i community . . . and to accord 

all Baha’is, including those imprisoned because of their 

beliefs, the due process of law and the rights that they 

are constitutionally guaranteed’’; 

Whereas, since May of 2008, the Government of Iran has imprisoned the seven 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 

Sabet, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm—and these individuals 

are serving 20-year prison terms, the longest sentences 

given to any current prisoner of conscience in Iran, on 

charges including ‘‘spying for Israel, insulting religious 

sanctities, propaganda against the regime and spreading 

corruption on earth’’; 

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 InstiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:20 Apr 24, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR220.IH HR220

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•HRES 220 IH 

tute for Higher Education (BIHE) and arrested and detained several educators associated with BIHE, and 12 

BIHE educators are now serving 4- or 5-year prison 

terms; 

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

in April 2014, Revolutionary Guards began excavating a 

Baha’i cemetery in Shiraz, which is the site of 950 

graves; 

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, in 2010 and 2011, approximately 22 anti-Baha’i articles were appearing every month, and, in 2014, the 

number of anti-Baha’i articles rose to approximately 401 

per month—18 times the previous level; 

Whereas there are currently 100 Baha’is in prison in Iran; 

Whereas the Government of Iran is party to the International 

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

Whereas the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, 

and Divestment Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–195) authorizes the President and the Secretary of State 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’’: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

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


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•HRES 220 IH 

1 continued violation of the International Covenants 

2 on Human Rights; 

3 (2) calls on the Government of Iran to imme4 diately release the 7 imprisoned Baha’i leaders, the 

5 12 imprisoned Baha’i educators, and all other pris6 oners held solely on account of their religion; 

7 (3) calls on the President and Secretary of 

8 State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to im9 mediately condemn the Government of Iran’s contin10 ued violation of human rights and demand the im11 mediate release of prisoners held solely on account 

12 of their religion; and 

13 (4) urges the President and Secretary of State 

14 to utilize available authorities, including the Com15 prehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Di16 vestment Act of 2010, to impose sanctions on offi17 cials of the Government of Iran and other individ18 uals directly responsible for serious human rights 

19 abuses, including abuses against the Baha’i commu20 nity of Iran. 

Æ 


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