Cramer: House Passes H.R. 3457 Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer today joined a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 3457, the Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act. This bill prohibits the President from waiving, suspending or limiting any sanctions currently in place against the Islamic Republic of Iran, until the President has certified to Congress Iran has paid each federal court judgement. The legislation will include judgments issued after the terrorism exception was created on April 24, 1996, to the most recent judgment on May 22 which utilized the terrorism exception. Congressman Cramer is co-sponsoring the legislation.

"It only seems right to me that if Barack Obama and his Democratic colleagues insist on releasing $100 billion to the Iranian terrorist regime that the first people who get paid ought to be the U.S. citizens who are victims of Iranian terrorism," said Cramer.

During the past 15 years, Iran has received more than 80 judgments under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) exception for state sponsors of terrorism. The terrorism exception to FSIA permits civil suits against terrorist states by their U.S. victims. Since the exception was created, Iran has accumulated over $43.5 billion in unpaid damages in U.S. courts.

"Our bill simply ensures that when Barack Obama and his Democratic colleagues release that $100 billion to Iran that the first $43.5 billion be paid to the US citizens who won federal court judgments due to Iranian-sponsored terrorist acts," said Cramer. "Our victims ought to be the first to get paid -- not the Iranian Mullahs."

Some examples of the judgments against Iran include in 1985, when U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Robert Stethem of Waldorf, M.D., was killed during the hijacking of a TWA Flight 847. Iranian financed terrorist proxy Hezzbolah was found responsible for the hijacking and Stethem's murder. Stethem's family is owed $329 million, per a U.S. federal court judgment. In 1995, Alisa Flatow of West Orange, N.J., was killed in a bus bombing while traveling to the former Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom on a teaching mission. Islamic Holy War, a militant group with ties to Iran, took responsibility for the bombing. Iran was named as the defendant in the lawsuit and owes the Flatow family $247 million. In 1996, Matthew Eisenfeld of West Hartford, Conn., and Sara Duker, of Teaneck, N.J., were traveling on a bus from Jerusalem to Jordan. A suicide bomb went off and blew up the bus, killing 26 passengers. Hamas, a terrorist proxy of Iran, was found responsible for the suicide bombing. Iran was ordered to pay $327 million to the victims' families.

Congressman Patrick Meehan (R-PA) produced a short video explaining his reasons for introducing the legislation. View Congressman Meehan's video by clicking on the image below.

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