IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 274 
Condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of its 
Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Cov-
enants on Human Rights. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 25, 2017 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. 
SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. JENKINS of Kansas, and 
Mr. SCHNEIDER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored perse-
cution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation 
of the International Covenants on Human Rights. 
Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 
1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 
and 2016, Congress declared that it deplored the reli-
gious 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 United States Commission on International Reli-
gious Freedom 2016 Annual Report states— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:20 Apr 26, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR274.IH
HR274
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 274 IH 
(1) ‘‘The Baha’i community, the largest non-Muslim 
religious minority in Iran, long has been subject to par-
ticularly severe religious freedom violations. The govern-
ment views Baha’is, who number at least 300,000, as 
‘heretics’ and consequently they face repression on the 
grounds of apostasy.’’; 
(2) ‘‘Since 1979, authorities have killed or executed 
more than 200 Baha’i leaders, and more than 10,000 
have been dismissed from government and university 
jobs.’’; and 
(3) ‘‘Over the past 10 years, approximately 850 Ba-
ha’is have been arbitrarily arrested.’’; 
Whereas the Department of State 2015 International Reli-
gious Freedom Report states— 
(1) religious minorities in Iran ‘‘continued to face 
societal discrimination, especially the Bahai community, 
which reported continuing problems at different levels of 
society, including personal harassment.’’; 
(2) the Government of Iran ‘‘continued to prohibit 
Bahais from officially assembling or maintaining admin-
istrative institutions, actively closed such institutions, 
harassed Bahais, and disregarded their property rights.’’; 
(3) in Iran, ‘‘Bahai blood may be spilled with impu-
nity, and Bahai families are not entitled to restitution’’ 
and ‘‘Bahais cannot receive compensation for injury or 
crimes committed against them and cannot inherit prop-
erty.’’; 
(4) the Government of Iran ‘‘requires universities to 
exclude Bahais from access to higher education or expel 
them if their religious affiliation becomes known.’’; and 
(5) in Iran, ‘‘Bahais are banned from government 
employment’’ and ‘‘[t]here were reports of non-Bahais 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:20 Apr 26, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR274.IH
HR274
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 274 IH 
being pressured to refuse employment to Bahais or dis-
missing Bahais from their private sector jobs.’’; 
Whereas, on June 8, 2016, the United Nations Special 
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Is-
lamic Republic of Iran and the United Nations Special 
Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief issued a joint 
statement condemning the ‘‘wave of incitement of hatred 
of the Baha’i community reflected in speeches made by 
religious, judiciary and political officials in the Islamic 
Republic of Iran’’; 
Whereas, on September 6, 2016, the United Nations Sec-
retary-General issued a report on the situation of human 
rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/71/374), which 
stated that ‘‘human rights violations have continued at 
an alarming rate’’; 
Whereas, on December 17, 2016, the United Nations General 
Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/70/179), which 
‘‘[e]xpresse[d] serious concern about ongoing severe limi-
tations and restrictions on the right to freedom of 
thought, conscience, religion or belief and restrictions on 
the establishment of places of worship, as well as attacks 
against places of worship and burial, as well as other 
human rights violations, including but not limited to har-
assment, persecution and incitement to hatred that lead 
to violence against persons belonging to recognized and 
unrecognized religious minorities, including Christians, 
Jews, Sufi Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Zoroastrians and 
members of the Baha’i Faith and their defenders’’; 
Whereas since May 2008, the Government of Iran has im-
prisoned the 7 members of the former ad hoc leadership 
group of the Baha’i community in Iran, known as the 
Yaran-i-Iran, 
or 
‘‘friends 
of 
Iran’’—Mrs. 
Fariba 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:20 Apr 26, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR274.IH
HR274
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 274 IH 
Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, 
Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Mahvash 
Sabet, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm—and these individuals 
were convicted of charges including ‘‘spying for Israel, in-
sulting religious sanctities, propaganda against the re-
gime and spreading corruption on earth’’ and sentenced 
to 20-year prison terms, the longest sentences given to 
any prisoner of conscience in Iran at that time, now re-
portedly reduced to 10 years; 
Whereas beginning in May 2011, officials of the Government 
of Iran in 4 cities conducted sweeping raids on the homes 
of dozens of individuals associated with the Baha’i Insti-
tute for Higher Education (referred to in this Resolution 
as ‘‘BIHE’’) and arrested and detained several educators 
associated with BIHE, with 16 BIHE educators ulti-
mately sentenced to 4- or 5-year prison terms, 7 of whom 
remain in prison; 
Whereas scores of Baha’i cemeteries have been attacked, and 
in 2014, Revolutionary Guards began excavating a Baha’i 
cemetery in Shiraz, which is the site of 950 graves, and 
built a cultural and sport center on the cemetery site; 
Whereas the Baha’i International Community reported that 
there has been a recent surge in anti-Baha’i hate propa-
ganda in Iranian state-sponsored media outlets, noting 
that— 
(1) in 2010 and 2011, approximately 22 anti-Baha’i 
articles were appearing every month; 
(2) in 2014, the number of anti-Baha’i articles rose 
to approximately 400 per month; and 
(3) by 2016, the number of anti-Baha’i articles rose 
to approximately 1,500 per month; 
Whereas there are currently 90 Baha’is in prison in Iran; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:20 Apr 26, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR274.IH
HR274
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 274 IH 
Whereas the Government of Iran is party to the International 
Covenants on Human Rights and is in violation of its ob-
ligations under such Covenants; 
Whereas section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 
Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 
8514) authorizes the President to impose sanctions on in-
dividuals ‘‘responsible for or complicit in, or responsible 
for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the com-
mission of serious human rights abuses against citizens 
of Iran or their family members on or after June 12, 
2009’’; and 
Whereas the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights 
Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–158) amends and expands 
the authorities established under the Comprehensive Iran 
Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 
(Public Law 111–195) to sanction Iranian human rights 
abusers: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns the Government of Iran’s state- 
sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its 
continued violation of the International Covenants 
on Human Rights; 
(2) calls on the Government of Iran to imme-
diately release the 7 imprisoned Baha’i leaders, the 
7 imprisoned Baha’i educators, and all other pris-
oners held solely on account of their religion; 
(3) calls on the President and the Secretary of 
State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to im-
mediately condemn the Government of Iran’s contin-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:20 Apr 26, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR274.IH
HR274
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 274 IH 
ued violation of human rights and demand the im-
mediate release of prisoners held solely on account 
of their religion; and 
(4) urges the President and the Secretary of 
State to utilize available authorities to impose sanc-
tions on officials of the Government of Iran and 
other individuals directly responsible for serious 
human rights abuses, including abuses against the 
Baha’i community of Iran. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:20 Apr 26, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR274.IH
HR274
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS