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 

MARCH 5, 2012 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

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

purposes. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

SRES 386 ATS 

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

foreign policy; 

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 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

SRES 386 ATS 

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

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; disVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:55 Mar 05, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR386.ATS SR386

tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

SRES 386 ATS 

rupting access to the Internet, including blocking e-mail 

and social networking sites and limiting access to foreign 

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; 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

SRES 386 ATS 

1 (4) reminds the Government of the Islamic Re2 public of Iran of its obligations under the inter3 national covenants to which it is a signatory to hold 

4 elections that are free and fair; 

5 (5) condemns the Government of the Islamic 

6 Republic of Iran’s widespread human rights viola7 tions; 

8 (6) calls on the Government of the Islamic Re9 public of Iran to respect freedom of expression and 

10 association in Iran by— 

11 (A) ending arbitrary detention, torture, 

12 and other forms of harassment against media 

13 professionals, human rights defenders and ac14 tivists, and opposition figures, and releasing all 

15 individuals detained for exercising universally 

16 recognized human rights; 

17 (B) lifting legislative restrictions on free18 doms of assembly, association, and expression; 

19 and 

20 (C) allowing the Internet to remain free 

21 and open and allowing domestic and inter22 national media to operate freely; 

23 (7) further calls on the Government of the Is24 lamic Republic of Iran to allow international election 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

SRES 386 ATS 

1 monitors to be present for the March 2, 2012, elec2 tions; and 

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

4 and other world leaders— 

5 (A) to express support for the universal 

6 rights and freedoms of the people of Iran, in7 cluding to democratic self-government; 

8 (B) to broaden engagement with the people 

9 of Iran and support efforts in the country to 

10 help promote human rights and democratic re11 form, including by providing appropriate fund12 ing to civil society organizations for democracy 

13 and governance activities; and 

14 (C) to condemn elections that are not free 

15 and fair and that do not meet international 

16 standards. 

Æ 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS