IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 175 

Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of 

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

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2009 

Mr. KIRK (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. MORAN of Virginia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored 

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

Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 

2000, 2006, and 2008, 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; 

Whereas in November 2007, the Iranian Ministry of Information in Shiraz jailed Baha’is Ms. Raha Sabet, 33; Mr. 

Sasan Taqva, 32; and Ms. Haleh Roohi, 29; for eduVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:58 Feb 14, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR175.IH HR175

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•HRES 175 IH 

cating underprivileged children and gave them 4-year 

prison terms, which they are serving; 

Whereas Ms. Sabet, Mr. Taqva, and Ms. Rooshi were targeted solely on the basis of their religion; 

Whereas, on January 23, 2008, the United States Department of State released a statement urging the Iranian regime to release all individuals held without due process 

and a fair trial, including the 3 young Baha’is being held 

in an Iranian Ministry of Intelligence detention center in 

Shiraz; 

Whereas in March and May of 2008, Iranian intelligence officials in Mashhad and Tehran arrested and imprisoned 

Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. 

Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, 

Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, the members of the coordinating group for the Baha’i community 

in Iran; 

Whereas, on February 11, 2009, the deputy prosecutor in 

Tehran, Mr. Hassan Haddad, announced that those 

seven leaders will go on trial at a Revolutionary Court 

the week of February 15, 2009, on charges of ‘‘espionage 

for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda 

against the Islamic Republic’’; 

Whereas the lawyer for these seven leaders, Mrs. Shirin 

Ebadi, the Nobel Laureate, has been denied all access to 

the prisoners and their files; 

Whereas these seven Baha’i leaders were targeted solely on 

the basis of their religion; and 

Whereas the Government of Iran is party to the International 

Covenants on Human Rights: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 175 IH 

1 (1) condemns the Government of Iran for its 

2 state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority 

3 and its continued violation of the International Cov4 enants on Human Rights; 

5 (2) calls on the Government of Iran to imme6 diately release the seven leaders and all other pris7 oners held solely on account of their religion, includ8 ing: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin 

9 Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. 

10 Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Vahid 

11 Tizfahm, Ms. Raha Sabet, Mr. Sasan Taqva, and 

12 Ms. Haleh Roohi; and 

13 (3) calls on the President and Secretary of 

14 State, in cooperation with the international commu15 nity, to immediately condemn Iran’s continued viola16 tion of human rights and demand the immediate re17 lease of prisoners held solely on account of their reli18 gion, including Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. 

19 Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid 

20 Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Mahvash 

21 Sabet, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, Ms. Raha Sabet, Mr. 

22 Sasan Taqva, and Ms. Haleh Roohi. 

Æ 


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