,,iii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #aed ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bc1 #bjac ,mr4 ,hoeven 7for himself and ,mr4 ,blumenthal7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,supporting political reform in ,iran and for other purposes4 ,whereas democracy1 human rights1 and civil liberties are universal values and fundamental principles of the foreign policy of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas an essential element of democratic self-government is for leaders to be chosen and regularly held accountable through elections that are organized and conducted in a manner that is free1 fair1 inclusive1 and consistent with international standards2 ,whereas governments in which power does not derive from free and fair elections lack democratic legitimacy2 ,whereas the ,supreme ,leader of ,iran is unelected1 has the power to veto any decision made by the president or parliament of ,iran1 and controls the foreign and defense policy of ,iran2 ,whereas the current ,supreme ,leader of ,iran has been in power since #aihi and has never been subject to a popular referendum of any kind2 ,whereas elections in ,iran are marred by the disqualification of candidates based on their political views1 the absence of credible international observers1 widespread intimidation and repression of candidates1 political parties1 and citizens1 and systemic electoral fraud and manipulation2 ,whereas elections in ,iran consistently involve severe restrictions on freedom of expression1 assembly1 and association1 including censorship1 surveillance1 disruptions in telecommunications1 and the absence of a free media2 ,whereas the current president of ,iran came to office through an election on ,june #ab1 #bjji1 that was widely condemned in ,iran and throughout the world as neither free nor fair and provoked large-scale peaceful protests throughout ,iran2 ,whereas authorities in ,iran continue to hold several candidates from the #bjji election in indefinite detention2 ,whereas the ,government of the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran banned more than #b1bjj candidates from participating in the ,march #b1 #bjab1 parliamentary elections and refused to allow domestic or international election observers to oversee those elections2 ,whereas the ,government of the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran seeks to prevent the people of ,iran from accessing news and information by disrupting access to the ,internet1 including blocking e-mail and social networking sites1 limiting access to foreign news and websites1 and developing a national ,internet that will facilitate government censorship of news and information1 and by jamming international broadcasts such as the ,voice of ,america ,persian ,news ,network and ,radio ,farda1 a ,persian language broadcast of ,radio ,free ,europe_/,radio ,liberty2 ,whereas authorities in ,iran have announced that a presidential election will be held on ,june #ad1 #bjac2 and ,whereas the ,government of the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran has banned numerous candidates from participating in the ,june #ad1 #bjac1 presidential election3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recalls ,senate ,resolution #chf1 #aabth ,congress1 agreed to ,march #e1 #bjab1 which called for free and fair elections in ,iran2 7#b7 reaffirms the commitment of the ,united ,states to democracy1 human rights1 civil liberties1 and the rule of law1 including the universal rights of freedom of assembly1 freedom of speech1 freedom of the press1 and freedom of association2 7#c7 expresses support for freedom1 human rights1 civil liberties1 and rule of law in ,iran1 and for elections that are free and fair2 7#d7 expresses strong support for the people of ,iran in their peaceful calls for a representative and responsive democratic government that respects human rights1 civil liberties1 and the rule of law2 7#e7 condemns the widespread human rights violations of the ,government of the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran2 7#f7 calls on the ,government of the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran to respect freedom of expression and association in ,iran by-- 7,a7 holding elections that are free1 fair1 and responsive to the people of ,iran1 including by refraining from disqualifying candidates for political reasons2 7,b7 making the highest level of executive power in the ,government of the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran accountable to the people of ,iran through free and fair elections2 7,c7 ending arbitrary detention1 torture1 and other forms of harassment against media professionals1 human rights defenders and activists1 and opposition figures1 and releasing all individuals detained for exercising universally recognized human rights2 7,d7 lifting legislative restrictions on freedom of assembly1 association1 and expression2 and 7,e7 allowing the ,internet to remain free and open and allowing domestic and international media to operate freely2 7#g7 calls on the ,government of the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran to allow international election monitors to be present for the ,june #ad1 #bjac1 election2 7#h7 notes that the legitimacy of the ,june #ad1 #bjac1 election will be further called into question if-- 7,a7 candidates are disqualified for political reasons2 7,b7 international election monitors are not present2 and 7,c7 following the election1 the highest level of executive power in ,iran remains unaccountable to the people of ,iran2 and 7#i7 urges the ,president of the ,united ,states1 the ,secretary of ,state1 and other world leaders-- 7,a7 to express support for the universal rights and freedoms of the people of ,iran1 including to democratic self-government and fully accountable elected leaders2 7,b7 to engage with the people of ,iran and support their efforts to promote human rights and democratic reform1 including supporting civil society organizations that promote democracy and governance2 7,c7 to support policies and programs that preserve free and open access to the ,internet in ,iran2 and 7,d7 to condemn elections that are not free and fair and that do not meet international standards4