III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 74 

Condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of the 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 16, 2023 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. 

WHITEHOUSE, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. KELLY, Mr. HICKENLOOPER, Ms. 

ROSEN, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. 

WARNOCK, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. KAINE, Mr. COONS, Mr. WELCH, Mr. BRAUN, Mrs. 

CAPITO, and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of the 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, 2013, 2015, 

2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022, 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; 


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•SRES 74 IS 

Whereas, since 1979, Iranian authorities have killed or executed more than 200 Baha’i leaders, and more than 

10,000 Baha’is have been dismissed from government 

and university jobs; 

Whereas, on December 15, 2022, the United Nations General 

Assembly adopted a resolution (A/C.3/77/L.34) criticizing 

Iran for human rights abuses and calling on Iran to 

carry out wide-ranging reforms, including— 

(1) to end its ‘‘continuing disregard for protections 

under Iranian law or internationally recognized safeguards relating to the imposition of the death penalty’’ 

and ‘‘to commute the sentences for child offenders on 

death row’’; 

(2) ‘‘to ensure, in law and in practice, that no one 

is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment’’; 

(3) ‘‘to cease the widespread and systematic use of 

arbitrary arrests and detention’’; 

(4) ‘‘to release persons detained for the exercise of 

their human rights and fundamental freedoms’’; 

(5) ‘‘to address the poor conditions of prisons’’; 

(6) ‘‘to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms 

of systemic discrimination and other human rights violations against women and girls’’; 

(7) to cease ‘‘the increased harassment, intimidation, 

persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention of, and incitement to hatred that leads to violence against, persons belonging to recognized and unrecognized religious minorities, including Christians (particularly converts from 

Islam), Gonabadi Dervishes, Jews, Sufi Muslims, Sunni 

Muslims, Yarsanis, Zoroastrians, and, in particular, Baha’is, who have been subjected to a sudden increase in 

persecution, who have faced increasing restrictions and 


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•SRES 74 IS 

systemic persecution by the Government of the Islamic 

Republic of Iran on account of their faith and have been 

reportedly subjected to mass arrests and lengthy prison 

sentences, as well as the arrest of prominent members 

and increased confiscation and destruction of property’’; 

and 

(8) ‘‘to release all religious practitioners imprisoned 

for their membership in or activities on behalf of a minority religious group, to cease the desecration of cemeteries and to ensure that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief’’; 

Whereas, in the 2022 Annual Report of the United States 

Commission on International Religious Freedom issued in 

April 2022, it is reported that— 

(1) the Government of Iran ‘‘arrested scores of Baha’is across Iran’’, many of whom ‘‘were held incommunicado or taken to undisclosed locations’’; 

(2) ‘‘Iranian universities continued to deny education to Baha’is on account of their faith’’; 

(3) government agents ‘‘closed six Baha’i businesses’’; 

(4) government officials ‘‘demolished the homes of 

three Baha’is without warning’’; and 

(5) the Government of Iran ‘‘announced the auction 

of thirteen Baha’i farms’’; 

Whereas the Iran section of the Department of State’s 2021 

Report on International Religious Freedom issued in 

June 2022 provides, in part— 

(1) ‘‘Authorities continued to confiscate Baha’i properties as part of an ongoing state-led campaign of economic persecution against Baha’is.’’; 


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•SRES 74 IS 

(2) ‘‘Authorities reportedly continued to deny the 

Baha’i, Sabean-Mandaean, and Yarsani religious communities, as well as members of other unrecognized religious 

minorities, access to education and government employment unless they declared themselves as belonging to one 

of the country’s recognized religions on their application 

forms.’’; and 

(3) ‘‘Government officials continued to disseminate 

anti-Baha’i and antisemitic messages using traditional 

and social media.’’; 

Whereas, in response to a surge in persecution in June and 

July 2022, involving the subjection of over 100 Baha’is 

to arrests, arraignments, sentencing, and raids on their 

homes and businesses across Iran, including the sentencing in June of 26 individuals in the city of Shiraz to 

a combined total of 85 years in prison, the Department 

of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom 

issued a statement on August 2, 2022, indicating that 

‘‘[a]mid a continued rise in arrests, sentences, and 

imprisonments, the U.S. urges Iran to halt its ongoing 

oppression of the Baha’i community and honor its international obligations to respect the right of all Iranians to 

freedom of religion or belief’’; 

Whereas, on November 21, 2022, Mahvash Sabet and Fariba 

Kamalabadi, 2 former members of the informal 7-person 

leadership group of the Baha’is of Iran, who each served 

10-year sentences from 2008 to 2018 and have been detained since July 31, 2022, in Evin prison, were sentenced to 10 years in prison each after a summary trial 

lasting 1 hour; 

Whereas, on December 11, 2022, the Baha’i International 

Community organization stated that ‘‘Dr. Shirin Ebadi, 


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the Nobel laureate and defence lawyer for Mahvash and 

Fariba during their first trial, said in 2008 that ‘not a 

shred of evidence’ was offered to prove the national security charges or other allegations. Nor was any new evidence forthcoming at this latest trial’’; 

Whereas, on December 11, 2022, the Baha’i International 

Community organization reported, ‘‘More than 320 Baha’is have been affected by individual acts of persecution 

since the arrest of Mahvash and Fariba. Dozens were arrested at various points in Shiraz, across Mazandaran 

province, and elsewhere throughout the country. Homes 

owned by Baha’is in the village of Roshankouh were demolished. Government plans to tar the Baha’is through 

hate speech and propaganda were also exposed. And at 

least 90 Baha’is are currently in prison or subject to degrading ankle-band monitoring.’’; 

Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations and a signatory to both the Universal Declaration of Human 

Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other international human rights treaties, without reservation; 

Whereas section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 

Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 

8514) authorizes the President to impose sanctions on individuals who are ‘‘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’’; and 

Whereas the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights 

Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–158) amends and expands 

the authorities established under the Comprehensive Iran 


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Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 

(Public Law 111–195) to sanction Iranian human rights 

abusers: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

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

4 and the continued violation of the Universal Dec5 laration of Human Rights and the International 

6 Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; 

7 (2) calls on the Government of Iran— 

8 (A) to immediately release the imprisoned 

9 or detained Baha’is and all other prisoners held 

10 solely on account of their religion; 

11 (B) to end its state-sponsored campaign of 

12 hate propaganda against the Baha’is; and 

13 (C) to reverse state-imposed policies deny14 ing Baha’is and members of other religious mi15 norities equal opportunities to higher education, 

16 earning a livelihood, due process under the law, 

17 and the free exercise of religious practices; 

18 (3) calls on the President and the Secretary of 

19 State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to im20 mediately condemn the Government of Iran’s contin21 ued violation of human rights, and demand the im22 mediate release of prisoners held solely on account 

23 of their religion; and 


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1 (4) urges the President and the Secretary of 

2 State to utilize available authorities to impose sanc3 tions on officials of the Government of Iran and 

4 other individuals directly responsible for serious 

5 human rights abuses, including abuses against the 

6 Baha’i community of Iran. 

Æ 


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