IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 33 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government 

of Iran’s lack of protection for internationally recognized human rights 

creates poor conditions for religious freedom in the Islamic Republic 

of Iran. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 8, 2009 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the Government of Iran’s lack of protection for internationally recognized human rights creates poor conditions for religious freedom in the Islamic Republic of 

Iran. 

Whereas the people of Iran have demonstrated a deep and 

lasting desire for peace, stability, democracy, and pluralism; 

Whereas the Department of State concluded in its March 

2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices that 

Iran’s poor human rights record worsened and the Government of Iran continues to commit serious abuses; 


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Whereas the Department of State’s International Religious 

Freedom Report 2007 concluded that there was a continued deterioration of the extremely poor status of respect 

for religious freedom, and every year since 1999 the Department has designated Iran a ‘‘country of particular 

concern’’ under the International Religious Freedom Act 

of 1998 for its violations of religious freedom; 

Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has found that the Government of Iran 

engages in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations 

of religious freedom, and continues to recommend that 

Iran be designated a ‘‘country of particular concern’’; 

Whereas the Government of Iran carries out summary executions, including of minors, following trials that lack due 

process; 

Whereas Iranian authorities continue to abuse and torture 

detainees and prisoners, including carrying out severe 

punishments such as amputations and floggings; 

Whereas the Government of Iran systematically suppresses 

the freedoms of expression and press, and severely limits 

the freedom of assembly of its own citizens; 

Whereas the Government of Iran’s monopoly on enforcement 

of their interpretation of Islam negatively affects the 

human rights of women in Iran, including their right to 

the freedoms of movement, association, thought, conscience, and religious, as well as freedom from coercion 

in matters of religion or belief; 

Whereas ethnic and religious minorities are subject to harsh 

treatment by Iranian authorities; 


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Whereas, since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, significant numbers from religious minority communities fled Iran for 

fear of persecution; 

Whereas, during the past year, the Government of Iran’s 

poor religious freedom record deteriorated with intensified harassment, detention, arrests, and imprisonment, 

especially for Baha’is, Sufi Muslims, and Evangelical 

Christians; 

Whereas Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denials 

of the Holocaust and statements calling for Israel to be 

‘‘wiped off the map’’ have created a climate of fear 

among Iran’s Jewish community, as official policies promoting anti-Semitism are on the rise and official discrimination against Jews continues to be pervasive; 

Whereas, over the past several years, and particularly since 

President Ahmadinejad came to power, members of the 

Baha’i community have been harassed, physically attacked, arrested, and imprisoned, and more than 200 Baha’is have been executed since the beginning of the Iranian Revolution in 1979; 

Whereas, in May 2008, Iranian authorities arrested 6 Baha’i 

leaders, as well as at least a dozen Christian converts 

from Islam; 

Whereas the 6 Baha’i leaders, as well as a 7th who was arrested in March 2008, are being held incommunicado, 

without access to legal counsel; 

Whereas, in November 2007, three Baha’is were sentenced to 

4 years in prison for allegedly spreading propaganda 

against the regime, and 51 others received suspended 

sentences for the alleged crime of setting up a program 

to educate poor Iranian children; 


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Whereas Baha’i youth and children in Iran are denied the 

universal right to education, expelled from educational institutions, and vilified by teachers and professors; 

Whereas Christians, in particular Evangelicals and other 

Protestants, in Iran continue to be subject to harassment, arrests, close surveillance, and imprisonment, and 

many converts from Islam to Christianity have fled the 

country for fear of persecution; 

Whereas Muslim minorities continue to face repression, including Iranian Sunni leaders who have reported widespread abuses and restrictions on their religious practice, 

such as detentions and torture of Sunni clerics, as well 

as bans on Sunni teachings in public schools and religious literature, even in predominately Sunni areas; 

Whereas Sufis face growing repression of their communities 

and religious practices by the Government of Iran, including increased intimidation, harassment, and detention 

of prominent Sufi leaders by the intelligence and security 

services in recent years; 

Whereas, in November 2007, clashes in western Iran between 

security forces and followers of a mystic Sufi order resulted in dozens of injuries and arrests after authorities 

began bulldozing a Sufi monastery; 

Whereas ethnic Turkmen Sunnis from northeastern Iran, 

bordering Turkmenistan, report an intense government 

campaign to convert them to Shi’a Islam; 

Whereas dissidents and political reformers continue to be imprisoned on criminal charges for criticizing the regime; 

Whereas a 2007 Department of State report cites Iran for 

widespread serious abuses, including unjust executions, 

politically motivated abductions by security forces, torVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:10 Jan 09, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR33.IH HR33

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ture, arbitrary arrest and detention, and arrests of women’s rights activists; 

Whereas a number of senior Shi’a religious leaders who have 

opposed various Iranian government policies on political 

or religious grounds have also been targets of state repression, including house arrest, detention without 

charge, trial without due process, torture, and other 

forms of ill treatment; 

Whereas the Iranian Parliament is considering a new law 

that would impose serious punishments, including the 

death penalty, on converts from Islam, as although the 

Government of Iran has applied the death penalty for 

apostasy in the past, it has not been explicitly codified; 

Whereas, in its current state, the draft penal code is not consistent with the Government of Iran’s international obligations and therefore should not enter into force; and 

Whereas Whereas, if this draft penal code is passed, it would 

seriously endanger the lives of all Baha’is, Muslim dissidents, and converts from Islam: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) calls for the release of all religious prisoners 

3 in Iran and for United States officials, at the high4 est levels, to vigorously speak out publicly about the 

5 deteriorating conditions for freedom of thought, con6 science, and religion or belief in Iran, including 

7 drawing attention to the need for the international 

8 community to hold authorities accountable in spe9 cific cases where severe violations have occurred; 


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1 (2) calls on the United Nations Human Rights 

2 Council to monitor carefully and demand compliance 

3 with the recommendations of the representatives of 

4 those special mechanisms that have already visited 

5 Iran, particularly those of the United Nations Spe6 cial Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, 

7 the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the 

8 Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion on Ex9 pression; 

10 (3) encourages the United Nations Human 

11 Rights Council to continue to use its procedures to 

12 maintain oversight conditions for freedom of religion 

13 or belief in Iran, including, as Iran has issued a 

14 standing invitation, continued visits and reporting by 

15 the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or 

16 Belief, and other relevant special rapporteurs and 

17 working groups; 

18 (4) supports— 

19 (A) the continued designation of Iran as a 

20 ‘‘country of particular concern’’ under the 

21 International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 

22 for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious viola23 tions of religious freedom; 

24 (B) funding budgeted to promote democ25 racy and human rights in Iran that includes 


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1 support for effective initiatives to advance free2 dom of religion or belief, as well as ways to pro3 mote rule of law programs that specifically seek 

4 to protect religious minorities; 

5 (C) adequate funding for United States 

6 public diplomacy entities, such as Voice of 

7 America and Radio Farda, and the expansion 

8 and development of new programming solely fo9 cused on human rights, including the freedom 

10 of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, in 

11 Iran; 

12 (D) supports the commission of an inde13 pendent review of Voice of America Persian and 

14 Radio Farda to ensure that the programming 

15 reflects the basic tenants of freedom of infor16 mation, equality, transparency, and journalistic 

17 integrity that America espouses; 

18 (E) a United Nations General Assembly 

19 resolution condemning severe violations of 

20 human rights, including freedom of religion of 

21 belief, in Iran, and calling for officials respon22 sible for such violations to be held accountable; 

23 and 

24 (F) the establishment of a diplomatic 

25 envoy to the nation immediately to establish 


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1 dialogue with the Government of Iran and deep2 en relationships with the Iranian people; and 

3 (5) calls on the Government of Iran to— 

4 (A) immediately release all prisoners who 

5 have been detained on account of their religion 

6 or belief; 

7 (B) immediately release all prisoners of 

8 conscience who have been detained on account 

9 of their political dissidence; 

10 (C) modify the draft penal code in order to 

11 respect the obligations under the international 

12 human rights conventions to which the Govern13 ment of Iran is a party; 

14 (D) uphold its international commitments 

15 by respecting and protecting the human rights 

16 of all its citizens; and 

17 (E) ratify and fully comply with inter18 national human rights instruments and cooper19 ated with United Nations human rights mecha20 nisms. 

Æ 


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