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.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 134) 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 in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 134 introduced by my good friend and colleague from Illinois (Mr. Dold).

House Resolution 134 condemns the Iranian regime's persecution of Iran's Baha'i minority. Baha'is are the largest non-Muslim minority in Iran, numbering over 300,000 members in Iran alone. This resolution marks the 12th congressional action urging the Iranian regime to end its persecution of the Baha'i minority. And still, Baha'is do not have the freedom to practice their religion. In fact, restrictions on Baha'is extend far beyond their religious practices to further restrict their civil rights and human rights. Many members of the Baha'i faith living in Iran are even subject to harassment, to persecution by the regime, and others with extensive reports of confiscation of property, restrictions on travel, and raids on Baha'i homes and businesses. The Iranian Government continues to arrest and detain Baha'is based on their religious beliefs, with at least 60 cases logged last year alone.

The members of the national leadership of the Baha'i in Iran, arrested in 2008 and unfairly tried with minimal access to their defense attorneys, are now serving a 20-year sentence for crimes, crimes including insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the regime. The government maintains possession of many Baha'i properties that were seized following the 1979 revolution, including holy places, cemeteries, and historical sites. Many of those properties have now been destroyed.

Baha'is are barred from leadership positions in the government and are only permitted to enroll in schools if they do not identify themselves to be Baha'i and are required to identify as members of another religion in order to register for their entrance examinations. Many Baha'is are denied admission to the universities, and even those who are admitted may face expulsion due to their faith.

The Baha'i Institute for Higher Education, established after Baha'is were barred from attending other universities, was declared illegal this year and six educators from that institute are currently imprisoned in Iran.

These are just a fraction of the injustices that the Baha'is face at the hands of the Iranian regime. The regime has sought to make life as a Baha'i in Iran simply unlivable. They seek to take away aspects of everyday life that you and I would consider fundamental, inalienable rights.

This resolution draws attention to their plight and calls on the Iranian regime to end its campaign of abuse against the Baha'is. It condemns the Iranian regime for the persecution of the Baha'is and calls on the regime to immediately release the Baha'is that it wrongfully holds in captivity, including the seven Baha'i leaders and the six Baha'i educators; and it calls for the President and the Secretary to publicly express the same sentiments.

Finally, the resolution urges the President and the Secretary of State to use measures already enacted into law under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to sanction Iranian officials responsible for human rights violations against Baha'is and others.

Mr. Speaker, I was a co-author of that legislation, and those measures are not here for show. They are there to punish those responsible for these egregious crimes and deter future human rights violations. It is therefore time for the administration to walk the walk and hold the Iranian regime officials--from the so-called ``supreme leader'' and Ahmadinejad on down--responsible for their violations of the human rights of the Baha'is and other Iranians.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York for those kind words. Mr. Engel is a true mensch. That's a good thing.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Dold), a member of the Financial Services Committee, the Tom Lantos Congressional Human Rights Committee, and the author of this measure, whom we will miss greatly.

Mr. Speaker, I also have no further requests for time. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 134, as amended; and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, before I get into the substance of the bill, I just want to say a couple of things as we're ending the 112th Congress. In the 113th Congress, I'm about to take over as ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The man I'm replacing, who spoke before me, the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), I just want him to know, which he already does, but I want to say it for the record how much we're going to miss him and what a role model he really is for all of us on the committee, first as chair and then as ranking member. There isn't a person on either side of the aisle who doesn't respect him. There isn't a person who doesn't understand how important he's been to the Congress the many years he has served in Congress, and particularly on the Foreign Affairs Committee. His shoes are going to be very hard to fill. I'm going to try the best I can, but I want him to know, which he already does, but I want to say it for the record that I'm going to

miss him. I'm going to miss him as a friend, and I'm going to miss him as a colleague; and I think the Congress as a whole will miss him because he's one of the best, and I wish him only the very, very best as he moves on to a future endeavor.

Let me also say the gentlewoman from Florida, the current chair of the committee and former ranking member of the committee, she knows the affection I have for her both personally as a friend but also as a colleague, as chair of the committee for the past 2 years and as ranking member for the previous 4. She and I have worked together not only in these past 6 years but for all of the years we've been in Congress, and I think we've been in Congress for almost the exact same time. It's been a pleasure and an honor to work with her, and I continue to look forward to collaborating with her on all these issues of importance to us--we agree on many, many, many things--in the 113th Congress. Madam Chair, I just want to tell you how much we appreciate you on both sides of the aisle.

So let me talk about the bill. I think it's important. I agree with everything the chairwoman said. While the international community is rightfully concerned about Iran's ties to international terrorism and its nuclear weapons program, we cannot forget those who struggle for religious freedom and democracy in Iran.

The Baha'i community has long been the target of religious persecution by the Iranian regime. Much of its informal leadership has been arrested, and many members of the community executed. The Baha'i are not permitted to practice their religion and culture. Their marriages are not recognized. Their dead cannot be buried according to Baha'i law, and their cemeteries are desecrated. In addition, the Baha'i are denied government jobs and business licenses. They are not permitted to enroll in public universities, and Baha'i schoolchildren are frequently harassed by classmates, teachers, and administrators. No human being deserves this type of treatment at the hands of their government.

The social teachings of the Baha'i faith, such as the equality of women and men and the principle of each individual's responsibility to navigate the truth, are impossible for the theocratic leaders of Iran to comprehend. But these are universal values--human values--and they must be protected.

Mr. Speaker, the United States and the international community must not ignore the systematic and violent attacks against the Iranian Baha'i community, and Tehran must be held accountable. By passing this resolution, we shine a light on the persecution of the Baha'i and hopefully move us one step closer to the day that true freedom reaches Iran.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 134, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further speakers, so I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum

is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank the chairwoman for her leadership and for her friendship and her work on human rights abuses. I certainly want to thank the ranking member and my friend from New York as well.

Mr. Speaker, I've talked at length in this Chamber about the human rights abuses taking place inside the country of Iran. In response to this Iranian regime's oppressive rule, we have worked to promote democracy and human rights through a variety of legislative tools, and we have championed measures like the Lautenberg amendment to offer a lifeline to those individuals who seek nothing more than the freedom they cannot find in their home country.

Today I'm proud to stand here with my colleagues and encourage others to support House Resolution 134, officially condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i religious minority and for the continued violation of human rights. It's time for these continued violations of human rights to be fully exposed and to receive increased international attention.

The Baha'i population is Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority. Over 300,000 Iranians consider themselves part of the Baha'i faith, yet since the Islamic revolution of Iran of 1979, members of the Baha'i faith in Iran have faced intense suppression solely because of their religious beliefs. Baha'is are unrecognized under the Iranian Constitution, and over 200 Baha'is have been killed in Iran since the revolution.

Additionally, Baha'is are wrongfully imprisoned and discriminated against throughout the country. Baha'is are barred from universities, banned from government employment, and excluded from the social pension system unless they deny their religious affiliation. Their marriages are not recognized; their property is confiscated; their holy places and cemeteries have been desecrated.

The situation has worsened considerably, Mr. Speaker, in the last year as the number of Baha'is in prison has roughly doubled, and there have been raids on the Baha'i Institution of Higher Education, an alternative education system that the Baha'i community developed to educate Baha'i youth who are excluded from the state's university system.

House Resolution 134 condemns the state-sponsored persecution performed by the Iranian Government and calls on it to release the seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders, six imprisoned educators, and all other prisoners held solely on account of their religious beliefs. Additionally, the resolution calls on the President and the Secretary of State to condemn the Iranian Government's continued violation of human rights. Finally, the resolution urges the President and the Secretary of State to utilize available measures to sanction officials of the Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for egregious human rights violations, including against the Baha'i community.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the importance of this issue, this resolution currently enjoys over 146 bipartisan cosponsors. On behalf of all those who are concerned about human rights abuses, and on behalf of the Baha'i community in the Tenth District of Illinois, which is home to the Baha'i Temple of North America--the beautiful temple in Wilmette is one of only seven, Mr. Speaker, throughout the world--I'd like to encourage my colleagues, my friends to vote in support of H. Res. 134's passage.

I thank you, and I thank, again, the chairwoman for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as a cosponsor of H. Res 134, a resolution condemning the Government of Iran for the state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and to thank Representatives Dold, Lipinski and Sherman for their collaboration on this important measure.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Government of Iran has continued to repress Baha'is and prevent them from participating in the government and the military, from joining the social pension system or attending public schools and universities unless they concealed their faith.

This resolution calls on the President and Secretary of State, in cooperation with the international community, to immediately condemn the Government of Iran's violation of the human rights of the Baha'i and urges the President and Secretary of State to utilize all available measures, including sanctions on officials of the Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for egregious human rights violations against the Baha'i community and other minorities.