IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 828 
Calling for the unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and all prisoners 
of conscience in Iran, and the utilization by the United States of direct 
multilateral and bilateral diplomacy with Iran to address Iran’s human 
rights situation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 11, 2012 
Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. 
MICHAUD, and Mr. MORAN) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Calling for the unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh 
and all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the utiliza-
tion by the United States of direct multilateral and bilat-
eral diplomacy with Iran to address Iran’s human rights 
situation. 
Whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh is an Iranian human rights lawyer 
who has worked on behalf of journalists and human 
rights defenders, including 2003 Nobel Peace Prize lau-
reate Shirin Ebadi; 
Whereas on September 4, 2010, Sotoudeh was arrested on al-
legations of acting against national security and the 
spread of propaganda and eventually sentenced to 6 years 
in prison and banned from practicing law for 10 years; 
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•HRES 828 IH 
Whereas on October 17, 2012, Sotoudeh began a 49-day hun-
ger strike in response to a travel ban imposed on her 12- 
year-old daughter and other restrictions on her family; 
Whereas on December 4, 2012, Sotoudeh ended her hunger 
strike after Iranian authorities lifted the travel ban 
against her daughter; 
Whereas international human rights nongovernmental organi-
zations have repeatedly condemned the imprisonment of 
Sotoudeh as a violation of human rights and called for 
the release of Sotoudeh and all other prisoners of con-
science in Iran; 
Whereas in addition to lawyers like Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iran 
continues to imprison prisoners of conscience in influen-
tial fields including artists like Jafar Panahi, students 
like Majid Tavakoli, women’s rights activists like 
Bahareh Hedayat, journalists like Ahmad Zeidabadi, and 
former officials like Mostafa Tajzadeh; 
Whereas on October 28, 2012, Iranian blogger Sattar 
Beheshti was detained at Evin prison by Iran’s cyber po-
lice due to writings critical of the Government of Iran 
and was later found beaten to death; 
Whereas the Government of Iran is signatory to 4 major 
United Nations human rights treaties, including the Con-
vention on the Rights of the Child, the International Con-
vention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Dis-
crimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Po-
litical Rights, and the International Covenant on Eco-
nomic, Social and Cultural Rights; 
Whereas the United States has held no formal multilateral or 
bilateral negotiations with Iran that have included the 
issue of human rights; and 
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•HRES 828 IH 
Whereas Iranian democracy human rights defenders includ-
ing Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, Shirin Ebadi, 
and Akbar Ganji have warned that threats of war and in-
creasing sanctions have undermined the human rights sit-
uation, set back Iran’s pro-democracy movement, and 
empowered hardliners inside Iran: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) calls upon the Government of Iran to un-
conditionally release Nasrin Sotoudeh and all pris-
oners of conscience; 
(2) encourages the President to utilize direct bi-
lateral and multilateral diplomacy with Iran to sup-
port human rights; 
(3) encourages the President in coordination 
with the Secretary of State to support the establish-
ment of multilateral mechanisms to advance human 
rights issues in Iran; and 
(4) commends the people of Iran who have 
braved repression to peacefully exercise their funda-
mental human rights, as enshrined in international 
human rights law. 
Æ 
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