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SCON 78 IS

Condemning the repression of the Iranian Bahai community and calling for the emancipation of Iranian Bahais.

October 30, 2003

Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. MCCAIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, and Mr. BROWNBACK) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

Condemning the repression of the Iranian Bahai community and calling for the emancipation of Iranian Bahais.

Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 2000, Congress, by concurrent resolution, declared that it holds the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the rights of all Iranian nationals, including members of the Bahai Faith;

Whereas in those resolutions and in numerous other appeals, Congress has deplored the religious persecution by the Government of Iran of the Bahai community and has condemned the execution by Iran of more than 200 Bahais and the disruptive imprisonment of thousands of others solely on account of their religious beliefs;

Whereas Iranian Bahais are not permitted to elect their leaders, assemble or organize as a community, operate religious schools, or conduct other religious community activities that are guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) of December 10, 1984;

Whereas the continued denial of Bahai property rights by the Iranian Government is demonstrated by the confiscation by the Iranian Government of a multitude of Bahai community and private properties;

Whereas the Government of Iran continues to deny individual Bahais access to higher education and government employment, in addition to denying recognition and religious rights to the Bahai community;

Whereas because Bahais have been banned from teaching and studying at Iranian universities since the Islamic Revolution, Bahais established the Bahai Institute of Higher Education, or Bahai Open University, to provide educational opportunities to Bahai youth using volunteer faculty and a network of classrooms, libraries, and laboratories in private homes and buildings throughout Iran;

Whereas in September and October of 1998, officers of the Ministry of Information, the intelligence agency of the Iranian Government, arrested 36 faculty members of the Open University;

Whereas on July 19, 2002, Iranian Revolutionary Guards systematically disrupted student qualifying examinations for the Open University in 9 different districts by videotaping the proceedings, questioning the students, and confiscating examination papers and Bahai books;

Whereas the use of arbitrary arrests, suspended sentences, and short-term detentions against the Iranian Bahais have become widespread;

Whereas as of June 2003, 4 Bahais remain in Iranian prisons solely because of their religious beliefs: 1 serving a life sentence on charges of apostasy, 1 serving 4 years on charges of participation in Bahai activities, and 2 sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on charges of association with Bahai institutions;

Whereas on October 10, 2003, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2003 to Shirin Ebadi for her efforts involving democracy and human rights, including advocating equal rights for the Bahai community in Iran;

Whereas the conclusions contained in the report of October 13, 2003, by the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the European Union, conveyed the continuing concern of the European Union about the violations of the Bahais' right to freedom of religion, and urged the Iranian Government to comply with both the recommendations made in June 2003 by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and with the recommendations made in August 2003 by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concerning injustice, particularly in relation to education, property rights, and employment; and

Whereas in the 2003 General Affairs and External Relations Council report, the European Union urged the Government of Iran to expedite reform on many fronts, while recognizing the meetings held in 2003 and the planned meetings that have been welcomed by the Government of Iran, to be an important step toward progress: Now, therefore, be it

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

(1) continues to hold the Government of Iran responsible for upholding all the rights of its nationals, including members of the Bahai community, in a manner consistent with Iran's obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) of December 10, 1984, and other international agreements guaranteeing the civil and political rights of Iranian citizens;

(2) condemns the repressive anti-Bahai policies and actions of the Government of Iran, including the denial of legal recognition to the Bahai community and the basic rights to organize, elect leaders, educate youth, and conduct the normal activities of a law-abiding religious community;

(3) expresses concern that individual Bahais continue to suffer from severely repressive and discriminatory government actions, solely on account of their religion;

(4) urges the Government of Iran to permit Bahai students to attend Iranian universities and Bahai faculty to teach at Iranian universities, to return the property confiscated from the Bahai Open University, and to permit the Open University to continue to function;

(5) urges the Government of Iran to implement fully the conclusions and recommendations on the emancipation of the Iranian Bahai community made by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and also to comply with the recommendations made in August 2003 by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination;

(6) urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Bahai community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) of December 10, 1984, and other international covenants of human rights, including the freedoms of thought, conscience, and religion, and equal protection of the law;

(7) calls upon the President to continue to--

(A) assert the concerns of the United States Government regarding--

(i) the violations by the Iranian Government of the rights of Iranian citizens, including members of the Bahai community;

(ii) the support by the Iranian Government of international terrorism; and

(iii) the efforts of the Iranian Government to develop nuclear weapons and acquire weapons of mass destruction;

(B) emphasize that the United States regards the human rights practices of the Government of Iran, including its treatment of the Bahai community and other religious minorities, as a significant factor in the development of relations between the United States and Iran;

(C) urge the Government of Iran to emancipate the Bahai community by granting those rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 217(A)(III) of December 10, 1984, and other international covenants on human rights; and

(D) cooperate with international organizations, including the United Nations and its agencies, in efforts to protect the religious rights of the Bahais and other minorities through joint appeals to the Government of Iran; and

(8) calls upon the President to--

(A) initiate an active and consistent dialogue with other governments who are influential with Iran in order to persuade the Government of Iran to rectify its human rights practices; and

(B) urge the European Union to use its relationship with Iran to address and advance these fundamental human rights issues.

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