[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 415 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 415
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 20, 2006
Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Condemning the repression of the Iranian Baha'i community and calling
for the emancipation of Iranian Baha'is.
Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 2000, Congress, by
concurrent resolution, declared that it deplores the religious
persecution by the Government of Iran of the Baha'i community and holds
the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the rights of all
Iranian nationals, including members of the Baha'i Faith;
Whereas on March 20, 2006, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of
Religion or Belief, Ms. Asthma Jahangir, revealed the existence of a
confidential letter dated October 29, 2005, from the Chairman of the
Command Headquarters of Iran's Armed Forces to the Ministry of
Information, the Revolutionary Guard, and the Police Force, stating that
the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, had instructed the Command
Headquarters to identify members of the Baha'i Faith in Iran and monitor
their activities;
Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur expressed ``grave concern and
apprehension'' about the implications of this letter for the safety of
the Baha'i community;
Whereas in 2005 the Iranian Government initiated a new wave of assaults, homes
raids, harassment, and detentions against Baha'is, and in December 2005,
Mr. Zabihullah Mahrami died after 10 years of imprisonment on charges of
apostasy due to his membership in the Baha'i Faith; and
Whereas beginning in October 2005, an anti-Baha'i campaign has been conducted in
the state-sponsored Kayhan newspaper and in broadcast media: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) condemns the Government of Iran for the October 29,
2005 letter, calls on the Government of Iran to immediately
cease such activities and all activities aimed at the
repression of the Iranian Baha'i community, and continues to
hold the Government of Iran responsible for upholding all the
rights of its nationals, including members of the Baha'i
community; and
(2) requests the President to--
(A) call for the Government of Iran to emancipate
the Baha'i community by granting those rights
guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and other international covenants on human rights;
(B) emphasize that the United States regards the
human rights practices of the Government of Iran,
including its treatment of the Baha'i community and
other religious minorities, as a significant factor in
the foreign policy of the United States Government
regarding Iran; and
(C) initiate an active and consistent dialogue with
other governments and the European Union in order to
persuade the Government of Iran to rectify its human
rights practices.
Passed the House of Representatives September 19, 2006.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.