H. Res. 752 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
January 28, 2020. 
Whereas, on November 15, 2019, popular protests against 
the Iranian regime began and rapidly spread to at least 
100 cities throughout the country, in the most significant 
antigovernment protests in Iran since June 2009; 
Whereas the protests began in response to an announced in-
crease 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; 
Whereas reports indicate that Iranian security forces have 
used lethal force in arresting more than 7,000 people and 
killed hundreds of people in connection with the protests; 
Whereas reports indicate that Iranian Government authori-
ties have, in many instances, refused to return victims’ 
bodies to their families and that security forces have re-
moved bodies from morgues and transferred them to un-
known 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;
•HRES 752 EH 
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 General License D–1 authorizes the provision of key 
communication tools to the Iranian people with the aim 
of ensuring that the Iranian people can freely access the 
internet; 
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 ‘‘vil-
lains’’ galvanized by foreign enemies and domestic insur-
gents and ordered Iranian security services to ‘‘imple-
ment their duties’’ to end the protests; 
Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Iran’s Islamic Revolu-
tionary Guard Corps deployed to the city of Mahshahr 
and engaged in mass repression, reportedly killing as 
many as 100 people; 
Whereas several laws provide authorities to designate and 
sanction elements of the Iranian regime involved in sig-
nificant corruption or serious human rights abuses, in-
cluding the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Account-
ability, 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;
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Whereas the Iranian regime was implicated in a March 2018 
plot in Albania and June 2018 plot in France against 
Iranian opposition activists; 
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 in August 2018 the United States criminally 
charged two persons for acting as illegal agents of the 
Government of Iran for having conducted surveillance on 
Jewish and Israeli facilities and Iranian political dis-
sidents; 
Whereas the regime has routinely violated the human rights 
of Iranian citizens, including by implementing ongoing, 
systematic, and serious restrictions of freedom of peace-
ful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and 
expression, including the continuing closures of media 
outlets, arrests of journalists, and the censorship of ex-
pression in online forums such as blogs and websites; 
Whereas the Department of State’s 2018 Human Rights Re-
port on Iran noted ‘‘severe restrictions on free expression, 
the press, and the internet, including censorship, site 
blocking, and criminalization of libel; substantial inter-
ference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom 
of association, such as overly restrictive nongovernmental 
organization (NGO) laws; egregious restrictions of reli-
gious freedom; restrictions on political participation; 
widespread corruption at all levels of government’’; 
Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Secretary of State Mike 
Pompeo stated that, ‘‘The United States is monitoring
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the ongoing protests in Iran closely. We condemn strong-
ly 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 imme-
diately 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 Commu-
nications Technology for his role in shutting down inter-
net 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 cur-
rent protests with a willingness to engage in dialogue * 
* *. We urge the government in Tehran to respect free-
dom of assembly and expression.’’; 
Whereas, on November 20, 2019, the French Foreign Min-
istry 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 at-
tachment 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 par-
ticular the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights.’’; 
Whereas, on November 21, 2019, the European Union stated 
that, ‘‘The protests in several Iranian cities over the past
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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 ad-
dressed through inclusive dialogue and not through the 
use of violence. We expect Iran’s security forces to exer-
cise maximum restraint in handling the protests and for 
protestors to demonstrate peacefully. Any violence is un-
acceptable. The rights to freedom of expression and as-
sembly must be guaranteed. We also expect the Iranian 
authorities to ensure the free flow of information and ac-
cess to the internet.’’; 
Whereas, on November 26, 2019, Secretary of State Michael 
Pompeo stated, ‘‘The Iranian people are once again on 
the streets because of the regime’s poor economic man-
agement. And instead of addressing their grievances, 
Tehran has responded with violence and blaming those 
outside of the country.’’; 
Whereas, on December 8, 2019, the High Representative of 
the European Union Josep Borrell Fontelles stated that, 
‘‘A growing body of evidence indicates that despite re-
peated calls for restraint, the Iranian security forces’ dis-
proportionate response to recent demonstrations has led 
to high numbers of deaths and injuries. For the Euro-
pean Union and its Member States, the widespread and 
disproportionate 
use 
of 
force 
against 
nonviolent 
protestors is unacceptable.’’; 
Whereas, on December 8, 2019, the High Representative of 
the European Union Josep Borrell Fontelles stated that 
‘‘A growing body of evidence indicates that despite re-
peated calls for restraint, the Iranian security forces’ dis-
proportionate response to recent demonstrations has led
•HRES 752 EH 
to high numbers of deaths and injuries. For the Euro-
pean Union and its Member States, the widespread and 
disproportionate 
use 
of 
force 
against 
nonviolent 
protestors is unacceptable.’’; 
Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations, voted for 
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is a sig-
natory to the International Covenant on Civil and Polit-
ical Rights, among other international human rights trea-
ties; 
Whereas in violation of these and other international obliga-
tions, Iranian regime officials continue to violate the fun-
damental human rights of the Iranian people; 
Whereas the Iranian regime has a long history of violent re-
pression of dissent, including— 
(1) in 1988, the Iranian regime carrying out the 
barbaric mass executions of thousands of political pris-
oners by hanging and firing squad for refusing to re-
nounce their political affiliations and in some cases for 
possessing political reading material, including prisoners 
of conscience, teenagers, and pregnant women; 
(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 un-
democratic 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
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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 sup-
porting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression 
and condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on 
legitimate protests; 
Whereas, on December 5, 2019, the Department of State 
identified the Great Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafuyeh) 
and Qarchack Prison as entities responsible for gross vio-
lations 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); 
Whereas, on January 8, 2020, the Iranian military shot down 
a civilian airliner Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 in a sur-
face-to-air missile strike, killing 176 civilians aboard; 
Whereas for 3 days, the Iranian military denied that it shot 
down Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 before admitting re-
sponsibility on January 11, 2020; 
Whereas peaceful protestors amassed throughout Iran on 
January 11, 2020, and subsequent days, decrying the 
Government of Iran’s downing of the Ukrainian airliner, 
subsequent campaign of lies and obfuscation, and contin-
ued undemocratic practices; and 
Whereas in response to peaceful protests throughout early 
January 2020, Iranian Government forces fired live 
rounds and used brutal tactics against civilians in a man-
ner well-documented by international human rights orga-
nizations, media, and scores of Iranians: Now, therefore, 
be it
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Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) stands with the people of Iran that are engaged 
in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive, 
corrupt regime; 
(2) condemns the Iranian regime’s serious human 
rights abuses against the Iranian people, significant cor-
ruption, and destabilizing activities abroad; 
(3) commends the statements of support for the 
protesters from the executive branch and key allies; 
(4) calls on all democratic governments and institu-
tions to clearly support the Iranian people’s right to live 
in a free society; 
(5) demands that the Iranian regime abide by its 
international obligations with respect to human rights 
and civil liberties, including freedoms of assembly, 
speech, and press; 
(6) urges the Administration to work to convene 
emergency sessions of the United Nations Security 
Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council 
to condemn the ongoing human rights violations per-
petrated by the Iranian regime and establish a mecha-
nism by which the Security Council can monitor such 
violations; 
(7) encourages the Administration to provide assist-
ance to the Iranian people to have free and uninter-
•HRES 752 EH 
rupted access to the internet, including by broadening 
General License D–1; 
(8) calls on companies to reject requests by the re-
gime to cut off the Iranian people from social media and 
other communications platforms; 
(9) respects the proud history and rich culture of 
the Iranian nation and fully supports efforts by the peo-
ple of Iran to promote the establishment of basic free-
doms that build the foundation for the emergence of a 
freely elected, open, and democratic political system; 
(10) supports the right of Iranian dissidents to as-
semble, without fear of persecution and violence, whether 
in Iran or internationally; and 
(11) urges the President and the Secretary of State 
to work with the international community to ensure that 
violations of human rights are part of all formal and in-
formal multilateral or bilateral discussions with and re-
garding Iran. 
Attest: 
Clerk.