III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 80 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 1, 2011 

Mr. KIRK (for himself and Mr. DURBIN) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

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, 2008, and 2009, 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 the 2010 Department of State International Religious Freedom Report stated, ‘‘Since the 1979 Islamic 

Revolution, more than 200 Baha’is have been killed, and 


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many have faced regular raids and confiscation of property.’’; 

Whereas the 2009 Department of State Human Rights Report stated, ‘‘The government [of Iran] continued to repress Baha’is and prevent them from meeting in homes 

to worship. It banned them from government and military leadership posts, the social pension system, and public schools and universities unless they concealed their 

faith.’’; 

Whereas, on October 15, 2010, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a special report on human rights in 

Iran, stating that ‘‘the Baha’i, who comprise the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, face multiple 

forms of discrimination and harassment, including denial 

of employment, Government benefits and access to higher 

education’’; 

Whereas, on December 21, 2010, the United Nations General 

Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/65/226) noting 

‘‘serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations’’ 

in Iran, including against the Baha’i community; 

Whereas, in November 2007, the Ministry of Information of 

Iran in Shiraz jailed Baha’is Ms. Raha Sabet, 33, Mr. 

Sasan Taqva, 32, and Ms. Haleh Roohi, 29, for educating underprivileged children, and gave them 4-year 

prison terms; 

Whereas Ms. Sabet remains imprisoned in Iran; 

Whereas Ms. Sabet, Mr. Taqva, and Ms. Roohi were targeted 

solely on the basis of their religion; 

Whereas, in March and May of 2008, intelligence officials of 

the Government of Iran in Mashhad and Tehran arrested 

and imprisoned Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. 


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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, in August 2010, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran 

sentenced the 7 Baha’i leaders to 20-year prison terms 

on charges of ‘‘spying for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, propaganda against the regime and spreading corruption on earth’’; 

Whereas the lawyer for these 7 leaders, Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, 

the Nobel Laureate, has been denied all access to the 

prisoners and their files; 

Whereas these 7 Baha’i leaders were targeted solely on the 

basis of their religion; 

Whereas, in February 2011, the Revolutionary Court in 

Tehran sentenced human rights activist and follower of 

the Baha’i faith, Navid Khanjani, to a 12-year prison 

term on charges of ‘‘propaganda against the regime by 

publishing news, reports, and interviews with foreign TV 

and radio,’’ among others; 

Whereas the Government of Iran is party to the International 

Covenants on Human Rights; and 

Whereas the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, 

and Divestment Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–195) authorizes the President and the Secretary of State to impose sanctions on ‘‘the officials of the Government of 

Iran and other individuals who are responsible for continuing and severe violations of human rights and religious freedom in Iran’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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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, and Mr. Navid Khanjani; 

12 (3) calls on the President and Secretary of 

13 State, in cooperation with the international commu14 nity, to immediately condemn the Government of 

15 Iran’s continued violation of human rights and de16 mand the immediate release of prisoners held solely 

17 on account of their religion, including Mrs. Fariba 

18 Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif 

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

20 Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, Ms. Raha 

21 Sabet, and Mr. Navid Khanjani; and 

22 (4) urges the President and Secretary of State 

23 to utilize all available measures, such as those avail24 able under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Ac25 countability, and Divestment Act of 2010 and ExecVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:43 Mar 01, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR80.IS SR80

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1 utive Order 13553, to sanction officials of the Gov2 ernment of Iran and other individuals directly re3 sponsible for egregious human rights violations in 

4 Iran, including against the Baha’i community. 

Æ 


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