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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1534 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1534

  To hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its human rights 
        record and to support a transition to democracy in Iran.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 25, 2007

Mr. Brownback (for himself and Mr. Bayh) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its human rights 
        record and to support a transition to democracy in Iran.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Iran Human Rights Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) There is currently not a democratic government in Iran. 
        Instead, Iran is an ideological dictatorship presided over by 
        an unelected Supreme Leader with limitless veto power, an 
        unelected Expediency Council, and a Council of Guardians 
        capable of eviscerating any reforms.
            (2) The Supreme Leader appoints the heads of the judiciary, 
        the clergy members on the powerful Council of Guardians, the 
        commanders of all the armed forces, Friday prayer leaders, and 
        the head of radio and television and confirms the president's 
        election, rendering him the most powerful person in Iranian 
        politics with little accountability within the political 
        system.
            (3) Members of the Council of Guardians in Iran, who are 
        chosen by the Supreme Leader, must vet all candidates for 
        election based on their political predispositions and all 
        legislation before it can be entered into law.
            (4) There has been a re-entrenchment of revolutionary 
        forces in the political system in Iran. Elections held in 
        February 2004 resulted in significant gains by conservative 
        hard-liners affiliated with the regime's clerical army, the 
        Pasdaran, culminating in the election of President Mahmoud 
        Ahmadinejad in June 2005.
            (5) Over the past decade, human rights have been in steady 
        decline in Iran. Torture, executions after unfair trials, and 
        censorship of all media remain rampant throughout the country. 
        Stoning, amputation, flogging, and beheading are used as 
        methods of punishment.
            (6) Since his rise to power, President Ahmadinejad has 
        embarked upon a concerted campaign of domestic repression, 
        including new restrictions on radio, television, and film 
        content, a ban on the publication of virtually all books, and 
        an expansion in the activities of the regime's ``morals 
        police''.
            (7) The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 
        61/176 on December 19, 2006, to express its grave concern over 
        the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran. The 
        resolution urges the Government of Iran ``to ensure full 
        respect for the rights to freedom of assembly, opinion and 
        expression ... to eliminate the use of torture and other cruel, 
        inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ... [and] to 
        eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination 
        based on religion, ethnicity, or linguistic grounds.
            (8) The 2006 State Department Country Reports on Human 
        Rights Practices states that ``the Government's poor human 
        rights record worsened, and it continued to commit numerous, 
        serious abuses''.
            (9) According to Human Rights Watch's World Report 2006, 
        many of the human rights violations committed in Iran were 
        performed by quasi-official ``parallel institutions'', which 
        include ``paramilitary groups and plainclothes intelligence 
        agents [that] violently attack peaceful protesters, and 
        intelligence services [that] run illegal secret prisons and 
        interrogation centers''. Uniformed police officers are fearful 
        of challenging plainclothes agents, who belong to groups such 
        as Ansar-e Hizbollah and Basij.
            (10) According to the 2006 State Department International 
        Religious Freedom Report, the population of Iran is 89 percent 
        Shi'a Muslim and 8 percent Sunni Muslim; less than 2 percent of 
        the remaining population is comprised of Baha'is, Jews, 
        Christians, Mandaeans, and Zoroastrians.
            (11) Religious minorities in Iran face significant 
        discrimination, including imprisonment, harassment, and 
        intimidation. Accordingly, the Secretary of State has, since 
        1999, designated Iran as a country of particular concern 
        pursuant to section 402(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious 
        Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)).
            (12) Ambeyi Ligabo, United Nations Special Rapporteur on 
        the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, submitted a 
        report to the Commission on Human Rights in 2004 on ``Civil and 
        Political Rights, Including the Question of Freedom of 
        Expression''. Mr. Ligabo asserted that ``the climate of fear 
        induced by the systematic repression of people expressing 
        critical views against the authorized political and religious 
        doctrine and the functioning of the institutions coupled with 
        the severe and disproportionate sentences imposed lead to self-
        censorship on the part of many journalists, intellectuals, 
        politicians, students and the population at large, thus in 
        effect impeding freedom of expression''.
            (13) According to the 2006 State Department Country Reports 
        on Human Rights Practices, on July 31, 2006, student protestor 
        Akbar Mohammadi died in Evin Prison from medical complications 
        related to a hunger strike. The report states that 
        ``authorities reportedly denied Mohammadi's parents permission 
        to see their son's body and did not respond to calls for an 
        independent investigation into the cause of death.
            (14) Amnesty International's 2003 Report on Iran detailed 
        the arrest of Iranian-born Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi for 
        taking photographs outside Evin prison in Tehran on June 23, 
        2003. Over the course of her detention, judicial officials 
        interrogated Ms. Kazemi for three days. While in custody, Ms. 
        Kazemi was beaten, and she died of a brain hemorrhage on July 
        23, 2003. Despite court orders for investigation, no progress 
        has been made on this case.
            (15) Men and women are not equal under the laws of Iran, 
        and women are legally deprived of their basic rights. The 2006 
        State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 
        stated that the weight of a woman's court testimony in Iran is 
        half that of a man's testimony and the family of a female crime 
        victim in that country receives only half the amount of ``blood 
        money'' provided to the family of a male crime victim. The 
        Government of Iran mandates gender segregation in most public 
        spaces, including on public buses and at entrances to public 
        buildings, universities, and airports.
            (16) The April 30, 2007, State Department Country Reports 
        on Terrorism states that Iran remains the most active state 
        sponsor of terrorism.
            (17) There exists a broad-based movement and desire for 
        political change in the Islamic Republic of Iran that is pro-
        democratic and seeks freedom and economic opportunity, and 
        which represents all sectors of Iranian society, including 
        youth, women, students, military personnel, and religious 
        figures.
            (18) The people of Iran have increasingly expressed 
        frustration at the slow pace of reform in Iran, and any efforts 
        for nonviolent change in their society have been suppressed.
            (19) On September 7, 2006, Mohammad Khatami, President of 
        Iran from 1997 to 2005, became the highest ranking Iranian to 
        visit Washington, DC, since the hostage crisis of 1979, despite 
        his government's state sponsorship of terrorism, repression of 
        political opponents, and dismal human rights record and the 
        advancement of Iran's uranium enrichment program.
            (20) President Ahmadinejad is moving to limit freedom of 
        expression in higher education. On September 5, 2006, he 
        expressed concern that universities were too secular and called 
        for a purge of liberal and secular faculty members from 
        universities in Iran.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE IRAN FREEDOM SUPPORT ACT.

    (a) Foreign Policy Priorities.--Section 301(a) of the Iran Freedom 
Support Act (Public Law 109-293; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``in Iran.'' and 
        inserting ``inside and outside Iran that maintain 
        internationally recognized human rights standards, including 
        those provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
        and the Helsinki Commitments;''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) to make the deplorable human rights record of the 
        Government of Iran a top concern and priority of United States 
        foreign policy; and
            ``(4) to keep the deplorable human rights record of Iran a 
        top priority, irrespective of ongoing nuclear issues.''.
    (b) Support for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran.--Section 302 of 
such Act is amended--
            (1) by amending the section header to read as follows: 
        ``support for democracy and human rights in iran''; and
            (2) by redesignating subsections (a) through (g) as 
        subsections (b) through (h), respectively;
            (3) in subsection (d), as redesignated--
                    (A) by inserting ``, acting through the Special 
                Envoy,'' after ``The President''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``(g)'' and 
                inserting ``(h)''; and
            (4) by inserting before subsection (b) the following:
    ``(a) Special Envoy on Human Rights in Iran.--
            ``(1) Appointment of special envoy.--The President shall 
        appoint a special envoy for human rights in Iran within the 
        Department of State (in this section referred to as the 
        `Special Envoy'). The Special Envoy should--
                    ``(A) be a person of recognized distinction in the 
                field of human rights;
                    ``(B) not be an incumbent official of the 
                Department of State; and
                    ``(C) report directly to the Secretary of State.
            ``(2) Duties.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Special Envoy shall 
                coordinate and promote efforts to improve respect for 
                the fundamental human rights of the people of Iran and 
                work with organizations committed to promoting 
                democracy in Iran.
                    ``(B) Specific duties.--The Special Envoy shall--
                            ``(i) support and promote international 
                        efforts to promote human rights and political 
                        freedoms in Iran, including coordination 
                        between the United States and the United 
                        Nations, the European Union, the Organization 
                        for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and 
                        countries in the region;
                            ``(ii) establish the regional framework 
                        described in section 304;
                            ``(iii) coordinate with appropriate offices 
                        of the Department of State, the Department of 
                        Defense, the National Security Council, and 
                        such other agencies as may be necessary to 
                        coordinate the establishment and operation of 
                        the regional framework;
                            ``(iv) serve as point of contact for 
                        opposition groups, diaspora groups, and 
                        nongovernmental organizations interested in 
                        advocating democracy and human rights in Iran;
                            ``(v) coordinate efforts with appropriate 
                        departments and agencies of the Federal 
                        Government, international organizations, 
                        nongovernmental organizations, and individuals 
                        and organizations from the Iranian diaspora to 
                        acquire greater information and reporting on 
                        conditions in Iran;
                            ``(vi) oversee funding for, and providing 
                        consultative authority with respect to, public 
                        and private broadcasting into Iran; and
                            ``(vii) review strategies for improving the 
                        protection of human rights in Iran, including 
                        technical training and exchange programs.
            ``(3) Report on activities.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of the Iran Human Rights Act of 2007, 
        and annually thereafter for each of the following 5 years, the 
        Special Envoy shall submit a report on the activities 
        undertaken under paragraph (2) during the preceding 12 months 
        to--
                    ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    ``(B) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
                Senate;
                    ``(C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives; and
                    ``(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
                of Representatives.''.
    (c) Sense of Congress.--Title III of such Act is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

``SEC. 303. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN 
              IRAN.

    ``It is the sense of Congress that--
            ``(1) there is a direct relationship between the state of 
        freedom and democracy within Iran and the efforts of the 
        current regime of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and the long-
        term success of the global war on terror; and
            ``(2) it is essential that the issue of human rights 
        violations in Iran should remain a top United States foreign 
        policy priority, independent of efforts to address the nuclear 
        threat in Iran.

``SEC. 304. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONAL FRAMEWORK.

    ``(a) Finding.--Congress finds that human rights initiatives can be 
undertaken on a multilateral basis, as demonstrated by the Organization 
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which established a regional 
framework for discussing human rights, scientific and educational 
cooperation, and economic and trade issues.
    ``(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
United States Government should explore the possibility of a regional 
human rights dialogue on Iran that is modeled on the Helsinki process 
established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 
engaging all countries in the region in a common commitment to respect 
human rights and fundamental freedoms.

``SEC. 305. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS.

    ``It is the sense of Congress that the United Nations has a 
significant role to play in promoting and improving human rights in 
Iran, and that--
            ``(1) the United Nations General Assembly has taken 
        positive steps by adopting Resolution 61/176, which expresses 
        its grave concern over the deteriorating human rights situation 
        in Iran;
            ``(2) the severe human rights violations in Iran warrant 
        country-specific attention and reporting by the United Nations 
        Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the United Nations 
        Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, the 
        Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary 
        Executions, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and 
        Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, 
        the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and 
        the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women;
            ``(3) United Nations member states should not support Iran 
        as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council until 
        the Government of Iran has made significant progress in its 
        human rights record, including the adherence to the Universal 
        Declaration on Human Rights; and
            ``(4) the Special Envoy should work with the United Nations 
        to compile accurate statistical data on social and political 
        conditions inside Iran.

``SEC. 306. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON VISA POLICY.

    ``It is the sense of Congress that the commitment to human rights 
and democracy of a national of Iran who has applied for a visa to enter 
the United States should be considered when determining the eligibility 
of such national for the visa.''.
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