Urging Iran to Release All Detained United States Citizens and Provide Any Information Regarding United States Citizens that Have Disappeared Within Its Borders

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I do want to start by thanking Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for moving this bill forward; and a huge thanks to my great colleague from Michigan, Representative Kildee, he has been described as tireless and courageous and relentless. He is all of that and more in working to highlight the injustice that these American detainees are facing in Iran.

[Time: 16:45]
One of these detainees, Jason Rezaian, has been mentioned as having grown up in California. He actually grew up in my district. I have gotten to know his family. And in some way, I feel like I have gotten to know Jason--at least a little bit--through this tragic situation. So I know something about the terrible hardship that he and his family have been going through for this past year.

It is with that unconscionable level of hardship in mind that I am proud to join with my colleagues in working to make sure that Congress does everything that it can to secure Jason's safe release and also the safe release of these other unjustly detained Americans.

Passing this resolution on a bipartisan basis is one of the most important things that we can do to reaffirm to the Iranian regime that the whole world is watching.

Jason Rezaian was The Washington Post Tehran bureau chief when he was arrested in Tehran on July 22 last year. He has now been held twice as long as any previous western journalist in Iran.

The circumstances under which he has been held are an absolute mockery of justice. There has never been any evidence brought against him. For 9 months, there were no charges brought against him publicly. Jason was denied the most basic rights: denied access to a lawyer for months, denied bail after he was charged, and held in solitary confinement after his investigation ended.

Jason's family members and his fellow journalists have been fierce advocates for his freedom. I hope that the passage of this resolution today will make the sentiment of Congress very clear: that Iran should immediately release Jason Rezaian and the other detained Americans.

Whatever issues or disagreements that we may have about broader issues involving Iran, it is important that we are able to speak today with one voice for the Americans who are unjustly detained and for their families. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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