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 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; 
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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 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; 
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 ‘‘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; 
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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; 
Whereas the Iranian regime was implicated in a June 2018 
terrorist plot against a meeting of Iranian opposition ac-
tivists 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 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’’; 
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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 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 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 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.’’; 
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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 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 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; 
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(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 
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; and 
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): Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) stands with the people of Iran that are en-
gaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an 
oppressive, corrupt regime; 
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(2) condemns the Iranian regime’s serious 
human rights abuses against the Iranian people, sig-
nificant corruption, 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 in-
stitutions 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 as-
sembly, speech, and press; 
(6) urges the Administration to work to con-
vene emergency sessions of the United Nations Secu-
rity Council and the United Nations Human Rights 
Council to condemn the ongoing human rights viola-
tions perpetrated by the Iranian regime and estab-
lish a mechanism by which the Security Council can 
monitor such violations; 
(7) encourages the Administration to expedite 
the license of communications technology to Iran to 
improve the ability of the Iranian people to speak 
freely; 
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(8) calls on companies to reject requests by the 
regime 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 people of Iran to promote the establishment of 
basic freedoms that build the foundation for the 
emergence of a freely elected, open, and democratic 
political system; 
(10) supports the right of Iranian dissidents to 
assemble, 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 informal multilateral or bilateral discus-
sions with and regarding Iran. 
Æ 
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