H. Res. 1457 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

June 24, 2010. 

Whereas Iran’s authoritarian system of government violates 

numerous international norms and principles of democratic governance; 

Whereas June 12, 2009, was the date scheduled for Iranian 

presidential elections, in which only candidates approved 

by the Government of Iran’s Guardian Council were allowed to compete; 

Whereas the ensuing announcement by Iranian authorities of 

an ‘‘overwhelming victory’’ for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 

was made suspiciously early; 

Whereas reported vote counts in the June 12, 2009, election 

were inconsistent with Iranian demographics and political 

trends, including provinces in which more votes were allegedly cast than the number of registered voters and 

vote counts that indicated unusual pro-Ahmadinejad voting patterns by traditionally anti-Ahmadinejad constituencies; 

Whereas the Government of Iran’s unrealistic vote count and 

fraudulent announcement of election results prompted 

millions of Iranians to rush into the streets in protest 

and prompted unprecedented public criticism by Iranians 

of the authoritarian rulers of the Government of Iran; 
2 

•HRES 1457 EH 

Whereas the Government of Iran, Iranian riot police, members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Basij militias engaged in a brutal crackdown on the Iranian people 

in the aftermath of the disputed presidential election of 

June 12, 2009, killing, injuring, or imprisoning many 

Iranians, stifling freedom of speech, press, and assembly 

and violating fundamental human rights; 

Whereas, on June 19, 2009, the House of Representatives 

overwhelmingly adopted H. Res. 560 which ‘‘(1) expresses its support for all Iranian citizens who embrace 

the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and 

rule of law; (2) condemns the ongoing violence against 

demonstrators by the Government of Iran and pro-government militias, as well as the ongoing government suppression of independent electronic communication 

through interference with the Internet and cellphones; 

and (3) affirms the universality of individual rights and 

the importance of democratic and fair elections’’; 

Whereas, on June 23, 2009, President Barack Obama denounced the Government of Iran’s crackdown on the Iranian people, stating that ‘‘The United States and the 

international community have been appalled and outraged 

by the threats, the beatings and imprisonments of the 

last few days’’, that ‘‘I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning 

each and every innocent life that is lost’’, and that the 

United States must ‘‘bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening 

within Iranian society’’; 

Whereas, on December 27, 2009, the Shiite Muslim holiday 

of Ashura was observed and at least eight Iranian civil-
3 

•HRES 1457 EH 

ians were killed and hundreds arrested in confrontations 

with the Iranian authorities; 

Whereas the Government of Iran is violating its international 

and constitutional obligations to respect the human 

rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens by— 

(1) using arbitrary or unlawful killings, beatings, 

rape, torture, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations; 

(2) carrying out an increasingly high rate of executions in the absence of internationally recognized safeguards, including public executions and executions of juvenile offenders; 

(3) using stoning as a method of execution and 

maintaining a high number of persons in prison who continue to face sentences of execution by stoning; 

(4) carrying out arrests, violent repression, and sentencing of women exercising their right to peaceful assembly, a campaign of intimidation against women defenders of human rights, and continuing discrimination 

against women and girls; 

(5) permitting or carrying out increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against persons 

belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic, or other minority 

communities; 

(6) imposing ongoing, systematic, and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association 

and freedom of opinion and expression, including the continuing closures of media outlets, arrests of journalists, 

the censorship of expression and of the press in newspapers and online forums such as blogs and websites, as 

well as blockage or disruption of Internet-based communications and of mobile phone and text messaging networks; and 
4 

•HRES 1457 EH 

(7) imposing severe limitations and restrictions on 

freedom of religion and belief by carrying out arbitrary 

arrests, indefinite detentions, and lengthy jail sentences 

for those exercising their rights to freedom of religion or 

belief and by proposing a mandatory death sentence for 

apostasy, the abandoning of one’s faith; 

Whereas according to the Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2009, Iran’s ‘‘poor 

human rights record degenerated during the year * * * 

the government severely limited citizens’ right to change 

their government peacefully through free and fair elections * * * authorities held political prisoners and intensified a crackdown against women’s rights reformers, ethnic minority rights activists, student activists, and religious minorities’’; 

Whereas hundreds of political prisoners remain imprisoned by 

the Government of Iran; 

Whereas Ahmad Jannati, who heads the Government of 

Iran’s powerful Guardian Council, has called for the execution of more dissidents and protestors, and a senior official of the Iranian ‘‘judiciary’’ has stated that the Government of Iran will soon execute further dissidents; 

Whereas thousands of Iranian citizens have continued to 

peacefully and courageously assemble and protest against 

the Government of Iran’s denial of human rights and democracy to the people of Iran; 

Whereas article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human 

Rights recognizes that ‘‘(1) Everyone has the right to 

take part in the government of his country, directly or 

through freely chosen representatives; (2) Everyone has 

the right of equal access to public service in his country; 
5 

•HRES 1457 EH 

(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal 

and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by 

equivalent free voting procedures’’; 

Whereas the United States supports the right of the citizens 

of Iran to freedom and democratic governance, including 

the right to select their political leaders in free, democratic, and independent elections; 

Whereas the Government of Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability which, if obtained, would usher in a dangerous new era of instability in the Gulf and the Middle 

East, and allow the Government of Iran to act with impunity in the face of international pressure to cease its 

dangerous international behavior and its horrific human 

rights abuses; 

Whereas Iran continues to enrich uranium and carry out 

other nuclear activities in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 

1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), and 1929 

(2010); 

Whereas Iran has failed to cooperate with International 

Atomic Energy Agency inspectors looking into the possible military nature of the Iranian nuclear program, including by denying inspectors access to facilities, people, 

and documents; and 

Whereas according to the Department of State’s Country Reports on Terrorism, Iran remains ‘‘the most active state 

sponsor of terrorism’’, continues to provide arms, financing, training, and other support to Hamas, Hezbollah, 

and other groups designated by the United States as for-
6 

•HRES 1457 EH 

eign terrorist organizations, in addition to providing lethal support to violent militants in Iraq and Afghanistan: 

Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) reaffirms its support for all Iranian citizens who 

courageously struggle for freedom, human rights, civil 

liberties, and the protection of the rule of law; 

(2) condemns the ongoing violence and human 

rights abuses against the people of Iran by the Government of Iran and pro-government militias, as well as the 

ongoing government suppression of independent electronic communication through interference with the 

Internet and cell phones; 

(3) condemns the Government of Iran’s continued 

pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability and unconventional weapons and ballistic missile capabilities, and its 

use of its nuclear program to distract attention from its 

horrific abuses of the human rights of the Iranian people; 

(4) urges the immediate release of all political prisoners detained by the Government of Iran and the immediate end of all harassment and violence against the 

people of Iran by the Government of Iran and pro-government militias; 

(5) reaffirms the universality of individual human 

and political rights; and 
7 

•HRES 1457 EH 

(6) calls for freedom and democracy for the people 

of Iran, including fair, democratic, and independent elections in Iran. 

Attest: 

Clerk.