Commending the Bravery, Courage, and Resolve of the Women and Men of Iran Demonstrating in More Than 133 Cities and Risking Their Safety to Speak Out Against the Iranian Regime's Human Rights Abuses

Floor Speech

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Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 7) commending the bravery, courage, and resolve of the women and men of Iran demonstrating in more than 133 cities and risking their safety to speak out against the Iranian regime's human rights abuses, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.

The text of the concurrent resolution, as amended, is as follows: H. Con. Res. 7

Whereas, on September 16, 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini passed away in the custody of Iranian ``morality police'' following a 3-day coma due to wounds, including bone fracture, hemorrhage, and cerebral edema consistent with severe beating, inflicted by the police for purportedly wearing a hijab improperly;

Whereas, on September 16, Iranians gathered in the streets of Tehran to protest the killing of Mahsa Amini;

Whereas demonstrations have since spread to more than 133 cities and 130 universities in Iran, where women are removing or burning hijabs, cutting their hair, and dancing in front of Iranian security forces, joined by their fellow Iranian citizens;

Whereas Iranian security forces have responded to such demonstrations with violence and detentions, including detentions of journalists and activists for covering the protests;

Whereas the security forces have reportedly killed more than 450 protestors, including at least 58 children; however, the number of injuries and deaths is likely higher but unobtainable due to internet blackouts;

Whereas at least 18,000 Iranians have been arrested across Iran according to official sources, and many thousands more have been detained according to independent reports;

Whereas videos, images, and demonstrations have spread to social media platforms and are an important way for the voices of the Iranian people to be heard;

Whereas internet monitoring groups have reported that the Iranian regime has--

(1) caused near-total disruption of internet connectivity in parts of Iran and partial disruptions in city centers; and

(2) blocked WhatsApp, Twitter, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, and video games with chat functions;

Whereas common protest chants include--

(1) ``Women, life, and freedom!'';

(2) ``Iranians die but will not be suppressed!''; and

(3) ``Death to the dictator Ayatollah Ali Khamenei!'';

Whereas the Iranian regime has a long history of structural and legal discrimination against women, including barriers for women seeking justice against domestic violence and criminal prohibitions against women singing or showing hair in public and studying certain technical subjects;

Whereas the Iranian regime approved of ``depriving one social right or more'' for any woman who posts an unveiled picture of herself on social media, and, in August 2022, approved of enforcing mandatory hijab laws through facial recognition;

Whereas, through misogynistic criminal statutes, the Iranian regime for decades has detained and engaged in the ongoing persecution of women, including--

(1) Saba Kord Afshari, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for posting videos to social media without a hijab and transferred into Ward 6 of the notorious Qarchak Women's Prison, identified by the Secretary of the Treasury for gross violations of human rights;

(2) Yasaman Aryani, her mother Monireh Arabshahi, and Mojgan Keshavarz, who were sentenced to serve five and a half years in prison for posting a video for International Women's Day in 2019, during which they walked without headscarves through a metro train in Tehran, handing flowers to female passengers;

(3) human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was sentenced in 2019 to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes for providing legal defense services to women charged with not wearing a hijab;

(4) Narges Mohammadi, a prominent rights advocate, who-- (A) was arrested in November 2021 on the second anniversary of countrywide protests and is currently serving a 2-year sentence in prison; (B) was handed a further sentence of 15 months imprisonment for ``propaganda against the state''; and (C) previously, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2015 for ``establishing an illegal group'', ``assembly and collusion to act against national security'', and ``propaganda against the state'';

(5) former Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi, who was charged with encouraging ``corruption, prostitution, and sexual deviance'', a common charge against women refusing mandatory hijab laws, and sentenced in December 2020 to 30 months in prison for defending the right of women to attend sporting events and criticizing the practice of child marriage;

(6) six women who were sentenced by the Culture and Media Court of Tehran in July 2022 to each serve 1 year in prison for the offense of singing songs in public;

(7) Niloofar Hamedi, one of the first Iranian journalists to report on Mahsa Amini's death, who was arrested on September 22, 2022, and is being held in solitary confinement; and

(8) countless other women; and

Whereas peaceful protests in Iran over the last year have focused on grievances that include--

(1) mismanagement of the economy and national resources;

(2) prioritization of funding for terror groups and pariah regimes over social services for the people of Iran; and

(3) widespread political corruption: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--

(1) condemns--

(A) the brutal beating and death of Mahsa Amini; and

(B) the violent suppression by the Iranian regime of women and men participating in the current demonstrations, including children, and calls for transparent accountability for all killings of protesters by Iranian security forces;

(2) supports the women and men of Iran who are--

(A) participating in the current protests to defend their fundamental human rights; and

(B) risking their safety to speak out against the human rights abuses committed by the Iranian regime;

(3) supports internet freedom programs that circumvent the regime and provide support for VPNs and other alternatives that can be used to bypass attempts by authoritarian governments to censor internet access during times of protest, and commends private entities willing to provide programs to circumvent such censorship;

(4) encourages continued efforts by the Biden Administration to respond to the protests, including the recent sanctioning of the Iranian morality police, and further encourages the Biden Administration--

(A) to immediately impose, under existing authorities, additional human rights sanctions on officials and entities responsible for the repression of the current protests;

(B) to prioritize efforts to expand unrestricted internet access in Iran, consistent with existing law; and

(C) to work to develop a strategy to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining and exploiting facial recognition data and software for the use of mass surveillance and enforcement of mandatory hijab;

(5) encourages the private sector, following the recent clarification by the Biden Administration of sanctions exemptions on communications technology, to work with the Biden Administration to ensure protestors and activists have access to tools needed to circumvent government surveillance and repression; and

(6) welcomes the efforts of the international community to support protestors in Iran, and calls on the international community--

(A) to publicly condemn violence by the Iranian regime against peaceful protesters;

(B) to speak out against violations by the regime of fundamental human rights, including the freedom of expression, assembly, and redress of grievances of the Iranian people; and

(C) to impose human rights sanctions on officials and entities that are responsible for the repression of current protests and involved in violating the human rights of the Iranian people.

Mr. Speaker, today, we consider an urgent bipartisan concurrent resolution condemning the Iranian regime for its gross human rights abuses against protesters in Iran, who are bravely speaking out and standing up to this terrorist regime after being brutally silenced for two generations.

I thank my Democratic co-lead, Mr. Gottheimer, and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair McCaul for their support of this resolution.

While I was disappointed we were not able to get this resolution to the floor last Congress when I partnered with former Congressman Malinowski, I am grateful that this resolution is now being brought up for a vote so quickly in our new Congress and with such broad bipartisan support.

Whether it be China, Iran, or Russia, this new House Republican majority is ready and willing to stand up to our adversaries and protect America's vitally important national security interests.

Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's religious police in September of last year, the Iranian people have boldly taken to the streets to demand justice. Now, almost 4\1/2\ months later, Iranian men, women, and children continue to protest the regime and its cruelty, despite the immense risk to themselves and their families. They are literally risking their lives for a just cause greater than themselves.

These demonstrations are the most significant popular protests against the brutal regime's authoritarian rule since it came to power in 1979. The response from the regime has been vicious, violent, and vindictive, not surprisingly.

Hundreds of protesters have been murdered by regime security forces. Thousands more have been detained on trumped-up charges. Many of those in custody, especially women, have been subject to cruel and inhumane torture.

The regime has unjustly executed Iranian protesters in sham trials that lack any modicum of due process. Many dozens more face the imminent possibility of execution.

The brave Iranian people are not backing down. In fact, they are more resolved than ever. They are demanding a government that respects their rights at home, stops funding terrorism abroad, and makes peace with its neighbors. They are demanding a future built on freedom, justice, the rule of law, and a chance at prosperity.

It is vital that we, the U.S. Representatives, a body that is among the greatest symbols of freedom and democracy around the world, stand with one voice to affirm our support for the brave Iranian people.

The resolution we are considering today does just this. It reaffirms our resounding support for the brave Iranians who continue to put their lives on the line to secure their fundamental rights and freedoms.

The resolution is a call to action. It urges the Biden administration to do more. Instead of negotiating with this brutal regime at a moment of weakness and true vulnerability, the Biden administration must meet the moment and do everything in its power to stand with the Iranian people. It must sanction those responsible for these brutal killings. It must do everything it can to counter the Iranian regime's cowardly attempts to restrict internet access that prevents its citizens from sharing images and videos and communicating with the outside world.

We have the power to give the Iranian people the voice they need to tell the truth about their oppression at the hands of the Ayatollah, and we must exercise it.

Finally, the Biden administration must lead the effort to press our allies and partners around the world to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps uses terror to silence Iranian citizens at home and targets innocent citizens abroad.

The United States rightly designated the group a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019. Now, the rest of the world must join in this noble cause. The IRGC's reign of terror must come to an end.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution says loudly, clearly, and with a strong bipartisan voice that the American people are on the side of the courageous Iranian people. The U.S. House of Representatives condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the regime's horrific violence.

Finally, as we recognize the bravery of the protesters in Iran, I also want to take a moment to remember that we have American citizens being held hostage in Iran today. These innocent American citizens have endured years of false allegations, wretched conditions, and separation from their loved ones simply because they are Americans. They must all be released. No American can be left behind.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the 60 Members who have cosponsored this resolution, and I urge the entire House to support its passage.

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Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Meeks for his support, which I greatly appreciate.

Mr. Speaker, while I am pleased at the bipartisan support of this resolution, I think it is important to reinforce that there can be no legitimacy or lifeline for this inhumane regime; that means no sanctions relief or nuclear negotiations.

Just a few months ago, the Biden administration was actively negotiating sanctions relief as part of a new nuclear deal with a regime that is detaining, torturing, and killing its own citizens.

Let me be clear, Iran did not comply with the last nuclear deal. Why would they comply with a new deal?

The only thing a new nuclear deal could accomplish is giving the autocratic regime more resources to attack its own people.

Mr. Speaker, I implore the Biden administration to not resume these foolhardy efforts. We do not negotiate with terrorists, and the Ayatollah and his regime are terrorists. They use fear, violence, and intimidation to achieve political goals.

We must return to a position of firm pressure and strong resolve while enhancing our deterrence in the region. Until this regime changes its behavior, it must remain under pressure.
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Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her strong compassion for these horrific situations in Iran and for the women of Iran.

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

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Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York also for his compassionate remarks in support of this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank Speaker McCarthy, Majority Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, and the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul, for prioritizing this important resolution and bringing it to the floor.

The fact is that this resolution was brought to the floor so quickly this week because the House majority demonstrates the importance of this issue.

I want to thank Mr. Meeks for his continued support and help in ushering through unanimous support for this resolution in the last Congress. We are finally here getting it through, and I am grateful to the gentleman for his leadership and also for being so supportive.

Again, I thank Mr. Gottheimer, especially, and Mr. McCaul for cosponsoring this resolution with me and all the speakers and everyone who have spoken in support of this resolution. It is important that we stand as a united voice against the Iranian regime and in support of the people of Iran.

I say to the people of Iran: We commend your bravery, we mourn your losses, and the American people are with you as you stand up for freedom.

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

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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