III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 386 

Calling for free and fair elections in Iran, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 1, 2012 

Mr. HOEVEN (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. GRAHAM, 

Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. BEGICH, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Ms. 

AYOTTE, Mr. COONS, Mr. MCCONNELL, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. CORNYN, 

Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. THUNE, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mrs. 

GILLIBRAND, Mr. RISCH, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. BLUNT, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. NELSON

of Florida, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. PRYOR, 

Mr. COATS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. COBURN, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. 

JOHNSON of Wisconsin, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. BENNET, Mr. 

GRASSLEY, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. HELLER, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. INHOFE, 

Mr. KYL, Mr. LEE, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. WICKER, Mr. 

SHELBY, Mr. VITTER, Mr. BURR, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BROWN of Massachusetts, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. HATCH, Mr. 

MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. JOHANNS, Mr. KOHL, Mr. 

DURBIN, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. CONRAD, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, and Mr. ENZI) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for free and fair elections in Iran, and for other 

purposes. 

Whereas democracy, human rights, and civil liberties are universal values and fundamental principles of United States 

foreign policy; 


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•SRES 386 IS 

Whereas an essential element of democratic self-government 

is for leaders to be chosen and regularly held accountable 

through elections that are organized and conducted in a 

manner that is free, fair, inclusive, and consistent with 

international standards; 

Whereas governments whose power does not derive from free 

and fair elections lack democratic legitimacy; 

Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is 

a signatory to the United Nations International Covenant 

on Civil and Political Rights, adopted December 16, 1966 

(ICCPR), which states that every citizen has the right to 

vote ‘‘at genuine periodic elections’’ that reflect ‘‘the free 

expression of the will of the electors’’; 

Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran regularly violates its obligations under the ICCPR, holding 

elections that are neither free nor fair nor consistent with 

international standards; 

Whereas elections in Iran are marred by the disqualification 

of candidates based on their political views; the absence 

of credible international observers; severe restrictions on 

freedom of expression, assembly, and association, including censorship, surveillance, and disruptions in telecommunications, and the absence of a free media; widespread intimidation and repression of candidates, political 

parties, and citizens; and systemic electoral fraud and 

manipulation; 

Whereas the last nationwide election held in Iran, on June 

12, 2009, was widely condemned inside Iran and 

throughout the world as neither free nor fair and provoked large-scale peaceful protests throughout Iran; 


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•SRES 386 IS 

Whereas, following the June 12, 2009, election, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran responded to peaceful protests with a large-scale campaign of politically motivated violence, intimidation, and repression, including 

acts of torture, cruel and degrading treatment in detention, rape, executions, extrajudicial killings, and indefinite detention; 

Whereas, on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General 

Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the serious 

human rights abuses occurring in the Islamic Republic of 

Iran; 

Whereas authorities in Iran continue to hold several candidates from the 2009 election in indefinite detention; 

Whereas authorities in Iran have announced that nationwide 

parliamentary elections will be held on March 2, 2012; 

Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has 

banned more than 2,200 candidates from participating in 

the March 2, 2012, elections, including current members 

of parliament; 

Whereas no domestic or international election observers are 

scheduled to oversee the March 2, 2012, elections; 

Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to hold leading opposition figures under house arrest; 

Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 

seeks to prevent the people of Iran from accessing news 

and information by incarcerating more journalists than 

any other country in the world, according to a 2011 report from the Committee to Protect Journalists; disrupting access to the Internet, including blocking e-mail 

and social networking sites and limiting access to foreign 


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•SRES 386 IS 

news and websites, developing a national Internet that 

will facilitate government censorship of news and information, and jamming international broadcasts such as 

the Voice of America’s Persian News Network and Radio 

Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda; and 

Whereas opposition groups in Iran have announced they will 

boycott the March 2, 2012, election because they believe 

it will be neither free nor fair nor consistent with international standards: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

3 States to democracy, human rights, civil liberties, 

4 and rule of law, including the universal rights of 

5 freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and free6 dom of association; 

7 (2) expresses support for freedom, human 

8 rights, civil liberties, and rule of law in Iran, and for 

9 elections that are free, fair, and meet international 

10 standards, including granting independent inter11 national and domestic electoral observers unre12 stricted access to polling and counting stations; 

13 (3) expresses strong support for the people of 

14 Iran in their peaceful calls for a representative and 

15 responsive democratic government that respects 

16 human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law; 

17 (4) reminds the Government of the Islamic Re18 public of Iran of its obligations under the interVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:36 Mar 02, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR386.IS SR386

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•SRES 386 IS 

1 national covenants to which it is a signatory to hold 

2 elections that are free and fair; 

3 (5) condemns the Government of the Islamic 

4 Republic of Iran’s widespread human rights viola5 tions; 

6 (6) calls on the Government of the Islamic Re7 public of Iran to respect freedom of expression and 

8 association in Iran by— 

9 (A) ending arbitrary detention, torture, 

10 and other forms of harassment against media 

11 professionals, human rights defenders and ac12 tivists, and opposition figures, and releasing all 

13 individuals detained for exercising universally 

14 recognized human rights; 

15 (B) lifting legislative restrictions on free16 doms of assembly, association, and expression; 

17 and 

18 (C) allowing the Internet to remain free 

19 and open and allowing domestic and inter20 national media to operate freely; 

21 (7) further calls on the Government of the Is22 lamic Republic of Iran to allow international election 

23 monitors to be present for the March 2, 2012, elec24 tions; and 


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•SRES 386 IS 

1 (8) urges the President, the Secretary of State, 

2 and other world leaders— 

3 (A) to express support for the universal 

4 rights and freedoms of the people of Iran, in5 cluding to democratic self-government; 

6 (B) to broaden engagement with the people 

7 of Iran and support efforts in the country to 

8 help promote human rights and democratic re9 form, including by providing appropriate fund10 ing to civil society organizations for democracy 

11 and governance activities; and 

12 (C) to condemn elections that are not free 

13 and fair and that do not meet international 

14 standards. 

Æ 


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