IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 252 
Calling for free and fair elections in Iran, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 6, 2013 
Mr. FRANKS of Arizona (for himself, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. LATTA, Mr. PETERS 
of California, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. WOLF, Mr. 
NUNNELEE, Mr. COTTON, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. PITTENGER, Mr. ROD-
NEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. STEWART, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. WESTMORE-
LAND, Mr. MICHAUD, and Mr. BRADY of Texas) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Calling for free and fair elections in Iran, and for other 
purposes. 
Whereas democracy, human rights, and civil liberties are uni-
versal values and fundamental principles of United States 
foreign policy; 
Whereas an essential element of democratic self-government 
is for leaders to be chosen and regularly held accountable 
through elections that are organized and conducted in a 
manner that is free, fair, inclusive, and consistent with 
international standards; 
Whereas governments whose power does not derive from free 
and fair elections lack democratic legitimacy; 
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•HRES 252 IH 
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is 
a signatory to the United Nations International Covenant 
on Civil and Political Rights, adopted December 16, 1966 
(ICCPR), which states that every citizen has the right to 
vote ‘‘at genuine periodic elections’’ that reflect ‘‘the free 
expression of the will of the electors’’; 
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran reg-
ularly violates its obligations under the ICCPR, holding 
elections that are neither free nor fair nor consistent with 
international standards; 
Whereas elections in Iran are marred by the disqualification 
of candidates based on their political views; the absence 
of credible international observers; severe restrictions on 
freedom of expression, assembly, and association, includ-
ing censorship, surveillance, and disruptions in tele-
communications, and the absence of a free media; wide-
spread intimidation and repression of candidates, political 
parties, and citizens; and systemic electoral fraud and 
manipulation; 
Whereas the last nationwide election held in Iran, on June 
12, 2009, was widely condemned inside Iran and 
throughout the world as neither free nor fair and pro-
voked large-scale peaceful protests throughout Iran; 
Whereas, following the June 12, 2009, election, the Govern-
ment of the Islamic Republic of Iran responded to peace-
ful protests with a large-scale campaign of politically mo-
tivated violence, intimidation, and repression, including 
acts of torture, cruel and degrading treatment in deten-
tion, rape, executions, extrajudicial killings, and indefi-
nite detention; 
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•HRES 252 IH 
Whereas, on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General 
Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the serious 
human rights abuses occurring in the Islamic Republic of 
Iran; 
Whereas no woman has ever been permitted to run for presi-
dent by the Council of Guardians; 
Whereas authorities in Iran have announced that nationwide 
elections for the presidency and for municipal councils 
will be held in June 2013; 
Whereas no international election observers are scheduled to 
oversee the June 2013 elections; 
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran con-
tinues to hold candidates from the 2009 election under 
house arrest and dissidents in indefinite detention; and 
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
seeks to prevent the people of Iran from accessing news 
and information by incarcerating more journalists than 
any other country in the world, according to a 2011 re-
port from the Committee to Protect Journalists; dis-
rupting access to the Internet, including blocking e-mail 
and social networking sites and limiting access to foreign 
news and Web sites, developing a national Internet that 
will facilitate government censorship of news and infor-
mation, and jamming international broadcasts such as 
the Voice of America’s Persian News Network and Radio 
Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) reaffirms the commitment of the United 
States to democracy, human rights, civil liberties, 
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•HRES 252 IH 
and rule of law, including the universal rights of 
freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and free-
dom of association; 
(2) expresses support for freedom, human 
rights, civil liberties, and rule of law in Iran, and for 
elections that are free, fair, and meet international 
standards, including granting independent inter-
national and domestic electoral observers unre-
stricted access to polling and counting stations; 
(3) expresses strong support for the people of 
Iran in their peaceful calls for a representative and 
responsive democratic government that respects 
human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law; 
(4) reminds the Government of the Islamic Re-
public of Iran of its obligations under the inter-
national covenants to which it is a signatory to hold 
elections that are free and fair; 
(5) condemns the Government of the Islamic 
Republic of Iran’s widespread human rights viola-
tions; 
(6) calls on the Government of the Islamic Re-
public of Iran to respect freedom of expression and 
association in Iran by— 
(A) ending arbitrary detention, torture, 
and other forms of harassment against media 
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