IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1371 

Condemning the selection of the Government of Iran to serve on the United 

Nations Commission on the Status of Women. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 19, 2010 

Mr. MCCOTTER (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, 

Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. INGLIS, and Mr. POLIS of Colorado) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the selection of the Government of Iran to serve 

on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. 

Whereas the Government of Iran’s Islamic civil and penal 

codes discriminate against women; 

Whereas according to the Department of State’s 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Iranian women 

are only ‘‘nominally’’ granted ‘‘equal protection under the 

law . . . in conformity with Islam’’; 

Whereas the Iranian penal code dictates a punishment of 

lashings or a fine if a woman appears in public without 

an appropriate hijab; 

Whereas Iranian law permits a man to have as many as four 

wives; 


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•HRES 1371 IH 

Whereas under Iranian law, an Iranian woman may divorce 

her husband only if he consents, if he cannot provide for 

the family, or if he is a drug addict, insane, or impotent; 

Whereas under Iranian law, a husband may divorce his wife 

without citing a reason; 

Whereas under Iranian law, adultery is punishable by death 

by stoning, and a man who kills his wife after she is 

caught in adultery may easily escape punishment; 

Whereas according to the Department of State’s 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, in 2005, 52.7 

percent of women in Iran reported experiencing physical 

violence at some point during their married lives; 

Whereas under Iranian law, spousal rape is legal; 

Whereas Iranian victims of rape often neglect to report the 

crime to the authorities for fear of societal reprisal such 

as ostracism or punishment for having been raped; 

Whereas under Iranian law, an Iranian woman must have the 

permission of her husband, father, or male relative to obtain a passport, and a married woman may not leave the 

country without permission from her husband; 

Whereas the Government of Iran uses quotas to limit women’s university admissions in certain fields such as medicine and engineering; 

Whereas the Government of Iran enforces gender segregation 

and requires women to ride in reserved sections on public 

buses and enter public buildings, universities, and airports through separate entrances; 

Whereas in 2006, women’s rights activists in Iran began the 

One Million Signatures Campaign or the One Million SigVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:33 May 20, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1371.IH HR1371

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•HRES 1371 IH 

natures for the Repeal of Discriminatory Laws (OMSC), 

also known as Change for Equality; 

Whereas this campaign aims to collect one million signatures 

in support of changing Iran’s discriminatory laws against 

women; 

Whereas Iranian authorities relentlessly crack down on and 

intimidate members of this campaign by arresting and 

imprisoning them; 

Whereas during the protests following the disputed Iranian 

political processes of June 12, 2009, according to published reports, Neda Agha-Soltan, a young Iranian 

woman, was shot and killed by a member of a paramilitary group affiliated with the Government of Iran; 

Whereas, according to published reports, Taraneh Mousavi, a 

young Iranian woman, was imprisoned without a warrant, raped, tortured, and burned, with her remains being 

discarded on the side of the road; 

Whereas, on November 20, 2009, the United Nations General 

Assembly adopted a resolution ‘‘expressing deep concern’’ 

about Iran’s ‘‘serious, ongoing, and recurring human 

rights violations’’; 

Whereas the United Nations Commission on the Status of 

Women (‘‘the Commission’’) is, according to its Web site, 

‘‘dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women’’; 

Whereas the Commission is responsible for reviewing violations of women’s rights, reporting details of nations’ failures in this area, and monitoring progress towards improving the rights of women; 

Whereas, on April 30, 2010, Iran was selected by acclamation 

to serve on the Commission for a four-year term beginVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:33 May 20, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1371.IH HR1371

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•HRES 1371 IH 

ning at the first meeting of the Commission’s fifty-sixth 

session in 2011 and expiring at the close of its fifty-ninth 

session in 2015; 

Whereas the United States did not issue any public statement 

on the selection of the Government of Iran to serve on 

the Commission until May 13, 2010, and still has yet to 

condemn that action; and 

Whereas given the Government of Iran’s grave violations of 

human rights, Iran’s membership in the United Nations 

Commission on the Status of Women poses a serious 

threat to the integrity and goals of the Commission and 

undermines the cause of freedom and human rights for 

the Iranian people: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the selection of the Government 

3 of Iran to serve on the United Nations Commission 

4 on the Status of Women; 

5 (2) calls on the Administration to denounce the 

6 selection of the Government of Iran to serve on the 

7 Commission; 

8 (3) urges the President to direct the United 

9 States Permanent Representative to the United Na10 tions to use the voice, vote, and influence of the 

11 United States at the United Nations to advocate for 

12 the removal of the Government of Iran from the 

13 Commission; and 

14 (4) reaffirms its solidarity with the Iranian peo15 ple in their continuing struggle for freedom and 


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•HRES 1371 IH 

1 human rights, including equal rights for women in 

2 Iran. 

Æ 


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