IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 752 

Supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression, condemning 

the Iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 9, 2019 

Mr. DEUTCH (for himself and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression, 

condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on 

legitimate protests, and for other purposes. 

Whereas, on November 15, 2019, popular protests against 

the Iranian regime began and rapidly spread to at least 

21 cities throughout the country, in the most significant 

antigovernment protests in Iran since June 2009; 

Whereas the protests began in response to an announced increase on the price of fuel and protesters have expressed 

numerous economic grievances, while also calling for the 

structural reform of the political system and condemning 

current and former Iranian leaders; 


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•HRES 752 IH 

Whereas reports indicate that Iranian security forces have 

used lethal force in arresting more than 7,000 people and 

killed at least 208 in connection with the protests; 

Whereas reports indicate that Iranian Government authorities have, in many instances, refused to return victims’ 

bodies to their families and that security forces have removed bodies from morgues and transferred them to unknown locations; 

Whereas, on November 16, 2019, Iranian authorities began 

implementing a near-total shutdown of internet services, 

stopping nearly all means of online communications for 

people inside Iran, to preclude the sharing of images and 

videos of deadly violence being used by security forces; 

Whereas section 103(b)(2)(B) of the Comprehensive Iran 

Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 

(22 U.S.C. 8512(b)(2)(B)) authorizes licensing services 

relating to personal communications over the internet, to 

improve the ability of the Iranian people to speak freely; 

Whereas, on November 16, 2019, Iran’s Interior Minister 

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said that the Iranian regime 

will no longer show ‘‘tolerance’’ and ‘‘self-control’’ toward 

the protesters; 

Whereas, on November 17, 2019, Iranian Supreme Leader 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the demonstrators ‘‘villains’’ galvanized by foreign enemies and domestic insurgents and ordered Iranian security services to ‘‘implement their duties’’ to end the protests; 

Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed to the city of Mahshahr 

and engaged in mass repression, reportedly killing as 

many as 100 people; 


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•HRES 752 IH 

Whereas several laws provide authorities to designate and 

sanction elements of the Iranian regime involved in significant corruption or serious human rights abuses, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, the Countering 

America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and the 

Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 

2012; 

Whereas the Iranian regime was implicated in a June 2018 

terrorist plot against a meeting of Iranian opposition activists in Paris; 

Whereas Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its 

Basij militia have been sanctioned by the United States 

for planning and carrying out serious human rights 

abuses against the Iranian people, including for the cruel 

and prolonged torture of political dissidents; 

Whereas the regime has routinely violated the human rights 

of Iranian citizens, including by implementing 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, and the censorship of expression in online forums such as blogs and websites; 

Whereas the Department of State’s 2018 Human Rights Report on Iran noted ‘‘severe restrictions on free expression, 

the press, and the internet, including censorship, site 

blocking, and criminalization of libel; substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom 

of association, such as overly restrictive nongovernmental 

organization (NGO) laws; egregious restrictions of religious freedom; restrictions on political participation; 

widespread corruption at all levels of government’’; 


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•HRES 752 IH 

Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Secretary of State Mike 

Pompeo stated that, ‘‘The United States is monitoring 

the ongoing protests in Iran closely. We condemn strongly any acts of violence committed by this regime against 

the Iranian people and are deeply concerned by reports 

of several fatalities . . . The Islamic Republic must cease 

violence against its own people and should immediately 

restore the ability of all Iranians to access a free and 

open internet.’’; 

Whereas, on November 22, 2019, the United States imposed 

sanctions on Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology for his role in shutting down internet access in Iran; 

Whereas, on November 18, 2019, the Office of the German 

Chancellor stated that, ‘‘It is legitimate and deserving of 

our respect when people courageously air their economic 

and political grievances, as is currently happening in 

Iran. The Iranian Government should respond to the current protests with a willingness to engage in dialogue 

. . . We urge the government in Tehran to respect freedom of assembly and expression.’’; 

Whereas, on November 20, 2019, the French Foreign Ministry stated that, ‘‘France is following the demonstrations 

taking place in Iran with concern. It expresses its deep 

concern at reports that a large number of demonstrators 

have been killed in the last few days. It reaffirms its attachment to respect for the freedom of expression and to 

access to means of communication, as well as to the right 

to demonstrate peacefully. France calls on Iran to comply 

with its international human rights obligations, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political 

Rights.’’; 


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•HRES 752 IH 

Whereas, on November 21, 2019, the European Union stated 

that, ‘‘The protests in several Iranian cities over the past 

days have, according to reports, led to serious loss of life 

and left many people injured. We convey our condolences 

to the families of victims and wish a speedy recovery to 

those injured. Socio-economic challenges should be addressed through inclusive dialogue and not through the 

use of violence. We expect Iran’s security forces to exercise maximum restraint in handling the protests and for 

protestors to demonstrate peacefully. Any violence is unacceptable. The rights to freedom of expression and assembly must be guaranteed. We also expect the Iranian 

authorities to ensure the free flow of information and access to the internet.’’; 

Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations, voted for 

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other international human rights treaties; 

Whereas in violation of these and other international obligations, Iranian regime officials continue to violate the fundamental human rights of the Iranian people; 

Whereas the Iranian regime has a long history of violent repression of dissent, including— 

(1) in 1988, the Iranian regime carrying out the 

barbaric mass executions of thousands of political prisoners by hanging and firing squad for refusing to renounce their political affiliations and in some cases for 

possessing political reading material, including prisoners 

of conscience, teenagers, and pregnant women; 


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•HRES 752 IH 

(2) in 1999, the Iranian regime brutally suppressing 

a student revolt that was one of the largest mass 

uprisings up until that point in the country since 1979; 

(3) following voting irregularities that resulted in 

the 2009 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 

the Iranian regime brutally suppressing peaceful political 

dissent from wide segments of civil society during the 

Green Revolution in a cynical attempt to retain its undemocratic grip on power; and 

(4) beginning in December 2017, and continuing for 

several months after protests erupted in more than 80 

cities, the Iranian regime suppressing such protests with 

repressive force that resulted in at least 25 deaths and 

4,000 arrests; 

Whereas, on January 9, 2018, the House of Representatives 

overwhelmingly passed H. Res. 676, a resolution supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression 

and condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on 

legitimate protests; and 

Whereas, on December 5, 2019, the Department of State 

identified the Great Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafuyeh) 

and Qarchack Prison as entities responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights in Iran 

and subject to the imposition of sanctions under section 

106 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through 

Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9405): Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) stands with the people of Iran that are en3 gaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an 

4 oppressive, corrupt regime; 


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•HRES 752 IH 

1 (2) condemns the Iranian regime’s serious 

2 human rights abuses against the Iranian people, sig3 nificant corruption, and destabilizing activities 

4 abroad; 

5 (3) commends the statements of support for the 

6 protesters from the executive branch and key allies; 

7 (4) calls on all democratic governments and in8 stitutions to clearly support the Iranian people’s 

9 right to live in a free society; 

10 (5) demands that the Iranian regime abide by 

11 its international obligations with respect to human 

12 rights and civil liberties, including freedoms of as13 sembly, speech, and press; 

14 (6) urges the Administration to work to con15 vene emergency sessions of the United Nations Secu16 rity Council and the United Nations Human Rights 

17 Council to condemn the ongoing human rights viola18 tions perpetrated by the Iranian regime and estab19 lish a mechanism by which the Security Council can 

20 monitor such violations; 

21 (7) encourages the Administration to expedite 

22 the license of communications technology to Iran to 

23 improve the ability of the Iranian people to speak 

24 freely; 


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•HRES 752 IH 

1 (8) calls on companies to reject requests by the 

2 regime to cut off the Iranian people from social 

3 media and other communications platforms; 

4 (9) respects the proud history and rich culture 

5 of the Iranian nation and fully supports efforts by 

6 the people of Iran to promote the establishment of 

7 basic freedoms that build the foundation for the 

8 emergence of a freely elected, open, and democratic 

9 political system; 

10 (10) supports the right of Iranian dissidents to 

11 assemble, without fear of persecution and violence, 

12 whether in Iran or internationally; and 

13 (11) urges the President and the Secretary of 

14 State to work with the international community to 

15 ensure that violations of human rights are part of all 

16 formal and informal multilateral or bilateral discus17 sions with and regarding Iran. 

Æ 


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