Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House for 1 minute and revise and extend my remarks.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, I was in Long Beach, California hosting Deputy Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari and Maritime Administrator David T. Matsuda at an important national transportation conference held in my district.

On Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23, I was in American Samoa and Samoa monitoring the ongoing relief and recovery efforts of FEMA and others currently underway in response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck those islands on September 29. As the Member of Congress with the nation's largest concentration of Samoan Americans on the mainland and as a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, undertaking this fact-finding mission was directly related to my representational, legislative, and committee responsibilities.

Because of these excused absences I was unable to return in time for rollcall votes 793 through 813.

Had I been present I would have voted as follows:

1. On rollcall No. 793, I would have voted ``aye.'' S. 1793. Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009.

2. On rollcall No. 794, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 811. Expressing support for designation of October 2009 as ``National Principals Month.''

On rollcall No. 795, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 837. Recognizing Kentucky Wesleyan College for their service as an institution of higher education for over 150 years.

On rollcall No. 796, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 660. Recognizing the distinguished history of the Laurinburg Normal Industrial Institute.

On rollcall No. 797, I would have voted ``aye.'' S. Con. Res. 43. Authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to former Senator Edward Brooke.

On rollcall No. 798, I would have voted ``aye.'' Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule for H.R. 3585--Solar Technology Roadmap Act of 2010 (H. Res. 846).

On rollcall No. 799, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 846. Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3585--Solar Technology Roadmap Act of 2010.

On rollcall No. 800, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 797. Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to raising awareness and enhancing the state of cyber security in the United States, and supporting the goals and ideals of the sixth annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month (Representative Clarke--Science and Technology).

On rollcall No. 801, I would have voted ``no.'' Broun (GA) amendment. Changes the number of years for which the Committee is authorized from five to three; reduces to $250,000,000 the amount authorized in each of the three years, from 2011 to 2013.

On rollcall No. 802, I would have voted ``aye.'' Kaptur (OH) amendment. Requires the Roadmap Committee to provide recommendations to strengthen the use of research and development strategies in making domestic industry more competitive and to assist in the commercialization of solar technologies.

On rollcall No. 803, I would have voted ``aye.'' Klein (FL) amendment. Includes research on solar energy storage technology as eligible for funding under the Secretary of Energy's research and development program.

On rollcall No. 804, I would have voted ``aye.'' Titus (NV)/Teague (NM)/Cohen (TN) amendment. Includes the development of solar technology products that are water efficient as a focus of the bill.

On rollcall No. 805, I would have voted ``aye.'' Heinrich (NM) amendment. Requires the Solar Technology Roadmap Committee to release a draft Roadmap to the public at least one month prior to publication in order to receive public input.

On rollcall No. 806, I would have voted ``aye.'' Himes (CT) amendment. Clarifies that solar thermal technologies and concentrating solar photovoltaic technologies will be included within the scope of the research and development program authorized by the bill.

On rollcall No. 807, I would have voted ``aye.'' Final Passage of H.R. 3585. Solar Technology Roadmap Act of 2010.

On rollcall No. 808, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 175. Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.

On rollcall No. 809, I would have voted ``aye.'' Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule for H.R. 3619--Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (H. Res. 853).

On rollcall No. 810, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 853. Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3619--Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010.

On rollcall No. 811, I would have voted ``aye.'' H. Res. 836. Expressing support for Teen Read Week.

On rollcall No. 812, I would have voted ``aye.'' Kratovil (MD) amendment. Requires the Coast Guard to study the facility infrastructure requirements needed to fulfill the Coast Guard's missions and capabilities, and ensure that the department in which the Coast Guard is operating maintains the ability to utilize the latest technologies.

On rollcall No. 813, I would have voted ``aye.'' Final Passage of H.R. 3619. Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as the author of this important resolution, I rise in strong support, and I urge its adoption.

I want to thank the chairman and ranking member for bringing up this resolution on the floor today, and I want to thank Mr. McGovern for helping garner bipartisan support for this effort.

As many of my colleagues know, my district is home to the North American Baha'i Temple located in Wilmette, Illinois. The Baha'i faith was founded in Iran 165 years ago on principles of peace and tolerance. Baha'is are a gentle and nonviolent people. They follow the teachings of Baha'u'llah, who taught respect for Moses, Jesus and Mohammad, teaching respect and tolerance around the world.

Yet, since the Iranian revolution of 1979, the Government of Iran has committed a deliberate campaign of discrimination, harassment, detention, arrests, imprisonment, and the execution of one of their largest religious minorities. Based solely on their religious beliefs, Baha'is in Iran are now denied jobs, are robbed of pensions, are stripped of property rights, and are forced to endure the barbarous desecration of their holy sites as well as forced to watch their leaders being imprisoned and executed.

Last spring, seven leaders of the Baha'i community were arrested and detained in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Their trial date has been repeatedly postponed as they languish in prison without legal resource. Although no charges have been publicly filed, Iranian news agencies report that these individuals will be charged with ``espionage for Israel, insulting Islam, propaganda against the Islamic Republic, and spreading corruption on Earth.'' Conviction of these crimes carries a penalty of death.

We know what happened the last time the Iranian regime struck the Baha'i community leadership. In August of 1980, all of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is were executed. We should do all we can to prevent such a crime against humanity from being committed again.

As the President pursues his negotiation policy with the brutal Iranian dictators, we should not forget the kind of people we are dealing with. Iran denies its citizens basic human rights and is persecuting its minorities and executes what they call apostates. If our diplomats ignore Iranian Baha'is and silence the voice of Iranian human rights activists, America will have failed a great moral test in Iran.

Today, the House of Representatives sends a signal to the Iranian regime, and it contains an important message. The U.S. Congress will expose this regime that murders innocent women and children in the streets and denies citizens basic human rights. To the dictators in Iran we say, release your political prisoners, especially release your Baha'i prisoners, and end your ignorant and uncultured persecution of the peaceful Baha'is.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ken Bowers, the secretary general of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is, and Juana Conrad, the deputy secretary, for their steadfast devotion to their fellow Baha'is worldwide. I also want to thank the Local Spiritual Assemblies in Arlington Heights, Deerfield, Glencoe, Glenview, Northbrook, Palatine, Vernon Hills, Waukegan and Wilmette for contributing to our community and calling attention to this human rights abuse.

Thank you also to Hans Hogrefe from Chairman Berman's hardworking staff and Jeff Philipps and Richard Goldberg of my staff for bringing this to the floor. A special thanks to Kit Bigelow and Shastri Purushotma from the National Spiritual Assembly of Baha'is of the United States for their dedication and pursuit of religious freedom and human rights for Baha'is worldwide.

I cannot for the life of me think of what's going on in Iran that she would commit such crimes against 330,000 peaceful Baha'is in Iran. I am worried that the Iranian intelligence service and ministry has now registered the address of every Baha'i and every Baha'i business in the country. I am worried that they have already labeled Baha'i businesses as ineligible for government contracting.

We have seen the bureaucracy of a new Kristallnacht formed in Iran. I worry that with this bureaucracy now fully formed, we could see a tremendous human rights abuse occur against hundreds of thousands of peaceful individuals. That's why this resolution is so important, not just to call attention to crimes that have been committed, but to a potential crime against humanity, which, in my judgment, the dictators of Iran are fully capable of committing. That's why this institution rises to its fullest potential, underscoring the point that America is not the most powerful, best nation in the world because we are rich or have a large military, but because we represent the moral authority of a democratic people representing the dignity of each individual on this planet.

I urge adoption of this resolution and thank the Members.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express both my deep concern and the deep concern of some of my constituents about the unjust imprisonment of several members of a religious minority in Iran. In particular, I wish to speak of the member of the Baha'i faith who have been persecuted and imprisoned in Iran. My home district in Chicago has a rich diversity of people from all backgrounds and faiths, and I am fortunate to have Baha'is as part of this rich diversity. The Baha'i faith is a peaceful religion that teaches the oneness of humanity and that all forms of prejudice should be eliminated.

Some of you will recall that in 2009 I was one of the co-sponsors to House Resolution 175. That resolution condemned the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. H. Res. 175 passed with 407 ``aye'' votes on October 22, 2009. However, some of my constituents have informed me that the persecution and suppression of the Baha'i faith in Iran persist with no relief in sight.

In 2009 the international press reported that seven Baha'I leaders in Iran were unjustly arrested and held in prison without knowing the charges for their arrest for approximately 20 months.

The unjust prosecution of these seven particular Baha'is was condemned by international leaders and drawn into our national awareness for a short time. Those seven Baha'is are real people with families, who continue to suffer injustice because of their peaceful religious beliefs. The more disturbing fact is that those seven Baha'i leaders are merely the ones that made the headlines. There are approximately 48 additional Baha'is currently imprisoned in Iran. Approximately 132 Baha'is have been arrested and released on bail to await trial, and another 92 Baha'is have been sentenced to imprisonment. In the last decade, hundreds of Baha'is have been prosecuted and imprisoned for their religious beliefs. But that is not the only degradation that Baha'is in Iran must face. Baha'is have been dismissed from their jobs, expelled from universities, and deprived of their property and pensions, all because of their religious beliefs.

Our national consciousness would not be so aware of this unjust and unfair treatment if it had not been for yet another unjust prosecution of a young American journalist, Roxana Saberi, in 2009. While Roxana shared a prison cell with two of the female Baha'i leaders in Evin prison, she was astounded by the tranquility of her Baha'i cell mates even as they faced harsh conditions and uncertainty about their future. Fortunately, Roxana was freed from prison and has returned safely to the United States; however, those seven Baha'i leaders remain in prison and were sentenced to 10 years of confinement in one of the most dreadful prisons in Iran.

In short, the Baha'i faith teaches tolerance, patience, peace and self-investigation of the truth. Yet, Baha'is are singled out and marked from persecution and ridicule from the class room to the court room and from the lunch room to the laboratory. We have our own history of unjust treatment in this country and the grievous and slow healing wounds from such pernicious and repugnant conduct can still be felt today. However, the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion in our great country have contributed greatly to the healing of our society.

I believe each and every human being has a fundamental right to freedom of religion that should not be curtailed or circumscribed by the coincidence of one's citizenship in a particular nation. The freedom in our country to choose how to peacefully worship God is something many of us take for granted. We need only consider the unjust and inhumane treatment of Baha'is in Iran to realize that this freedom is not available to everyone in the world.

I agree with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she condemned the sentencing of the Baha'i leaders and stated that the ``United States is committed to defending religious freedom around the world, and we have not forgotten the Baha'i community in Iran.''

I speak to you today as a reminder that religious persecution remains a fact of life in our

world and that the plight of the Baha'is in Iran is a poignant example of injustice. On behalf of my Baha'i constituents, I ask that you lend your voice to mine, so that we may create a chorus of diverse voices against the type of blatant religious persecution that we are witnessing in the unjust treatment of Baha'is in Iran.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 175) condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I would like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Illinois, Congressman Mark Kirk, for his leadership in introducing this important resolution.

H. Res. 175 condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and of its continued violation of the international covenants on human rights.

Mr. Speaker, resolutions in support of the much persecuted Baha'i communities in the Middle East have a long and proud tradition in the House of Representatives and in the other body. While past resolutions have chronicled the abuse and harassment Baha'is have experienced in several Middle Eastern countries, nowhere is the situation as dire or does it require more urgent action than in Iran, where Baha'is are routinely arrested and face the death penalty.

Iran's Baha'i community forms that country's largest religious minority. It is difficult to know the exact number because Iran has banned communal Baha'i institutions since 1983, but it is estimated that they number over 300,000.

Since 1979, some 200 Baha'is have been executed, and thousands have been imprisoned. They have been systematically denied jobs, pensions, access to higher education, and the right to inherit property. All Baha'i cemeteries, holy places and other community properties were seized soon after the 1979 revolution. Many sites of the greatest historical significance to the Baha'is have been destroyed, and the graves of Baha'is have been desecrated throughout the country.

In the spring of 2008, seven individuals who had been serving as leaders of the Baha'i community on an ad hoc basis were arrested and were put in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Their trial date has been repeatedly postponed, and it is still unclear if and when they will face trial.

Official Iranian news agencies have reported that they are charged with espionage for Israel, insulting Islam and with propaganda against the Islamic republic. Family members have been informed of a fourth charge, that of spreading corruption on Earth. Some of these charges could carry the death penalty. The circumstances of this possible trial are particularly worrying because the Government of Iran has arrested and executed the Baha'i leadership on three previous occasions.

In addition to the seven Baha'i leaders, some 25 other Baha'is also remain in prison, including three young people in Shiraz who were arrested in 2006 for indirectly teaching the Baha'i faith and for engaging in antigovernment propaganda while merely carrying out a literacy program for underprivileged youth. These young people are currently serving 4-year sentences under very harsh conditions.

As the United States and the international community seek to engage Iran on the crucial issues of nonproliferation, we must not forget about the basic human rights of the Iranian people. International attention to the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran has been critical to preventing an even worse deterioration of their situation.

As large sections of the Iranian population are now being increasingly repressed and denied the opportunity to have a voice in their own country, it is crucial that others in the international community speak out on their behalf and support them. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) for bringing forward this important resolution.

I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 175, which condemns the Iranian regime's continuing persecution of members of the Baha'i faith, Tehran's notoriously cruel regime, which for decades has denied the people of Iran their fundamental human rights and civil liberties.

While the most recent demonstration of the regime's brutality and authoritarianism was the crackdown in the aftermath of the June leadership selection process; for years, Iran has

made a special example of the Iranian Baha'is, oppressing them without respite.

In addition to seizing Baha'i communal property, the Iranian Government prohibits the community from officially assembling; bans them from practicing or teaching their religion; excludes them from the national pension system and from public universities; prevents them from inheriting property; and jails them on account of their faith or on trumped-up charges of espionage.

Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to adopt this resolution, which condemns the Iranian regime's despicable conduct.

Mr. Speaker, totalitarian regimes everywhere, hiding behind the false excuse of state sovereignty, are eager to combat any progress in human rights and freedoms and are eager to expand their repression as far as others will allow them to do.

The Baha'is and countless other Iranians have been robbed of a better future for almost 30 years by a regime which offers nothing but more misery. Therefore, the United States must continue to make clear in both word and deed that the spread of religious freedom and human rights worldwide is not merely an ideal but an imperative. Now is the time for all responsible nations to stand four-square with the Baha'is of Iran in their moment of need.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), a member of the Committee on Appropriations and the author of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, having no more speakers on the subject, again, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois for bringing forward this very important resolution and urge my fellow Members to adopt it.