,h4 ,,res4 #geb ,in the ,house of ,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41 ,january #bh1 #bjbj ,,resolution ,whereas1 on ,november #ae1 #bjai1 popular protests against the ,iranian regime began and rapidly spread to at least #ajj cities throughout the country1 in the most significant antigovernment protests in ,iran since ,june #bjji2 ,whereas the protests began in response to an announced increase on the price of fuel and protesters have expressed numerous economic grievances1 while also calling for the structural reform of the political system and condemning current and former ,iranian leaders2 ,whereas reports indicate that ,iranian security forces have used lethal force in arresting more than #g1jjj people and killed hundreds of people in connection with the protests2 ,whereas reports indicate that ,iranian ,government authorities have1 in many instances1 refused to return victims' bodies to their families and that security forces have removed bodies from morgues and transferred them to unknown locations2 ,whereas1 on ,november #af1 #bjai1 ,iranian authorities began implementing a near-total shutdown of internet services1 stopping nearly all means of online communications for people inside ,iran1 to preclude the sharing of images and videos of deadly violence being used by security forces2 ,whereas section #ajc7;b77#b77;,b7 of the ,comprehensive ,iran ,sanctions1 ,accountability1 and ,divestment ,act of #bjaj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #heab7;b77#b77;,b77 authorizes licensing services relating to personal communications over the ,internet1 to improve the ability of the ,iranian people to speak freely2 ,whereas ,general ,license ,d-#a authorizes the provision of key communication tools to the ,iranian people with the aim of ensuring that the ,iranian people can freely access the internet2 ,whereas1 on ,november #af1 #bjai1 ,iran's ,interior ,minister ,abdolreza ,rahmani ,fazli said that the ,iranian regime will no longer show tolerance and self-control toward the protesters2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ag1 #bjai1 ,iranian ,supreme ,leader ,ayatollah ,ali ,khamenei called the demonstrators villains galvanized by foreign enemies and domestic insurgents and ordered ,iranian security services to implement their duties to end the protests2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ah1 #bjai1 ,iran's ,islamic ,revolutionary ,guard ,corps deployed to the city of ,mahshahr and engaged in mass repression1 reportedly killing as many as #ajj people2 ,whereas several laws provide authorities to designate and sanction elements of the ,iranian regime involved in significant corruption or serious human rights abuses1 including the ,comprehensive ,iran ,sanctions1 ,accountability1 and ,divestment ,act of #bjaj1 the ,countering ,america's ,adversaries ,through ,sanctions ,act1 and the ,iran ,threat ,reduction and ,syria ,human ,rights ,act of #bjab2 ,whereas the ,iranian regime was implicated in a ,march #bjah plot in ,albania and ,june #bjah plot in ,france against ,iranian opposition activists2 ,whereas ,iran's ,islamic ,revolutionary ,guard ,corps and its ,basij militia have been sanctioned by the ,united ,states for planning and carrying out serious human rights abuses against the ,iranian people1 including for the cruel and prolonged torture of political dissidents2 ,whereas in ,august #bjah the ,united ,states criminally charged two persons for acting as illegal agents of the ,government of ,iran for having conducted surveillance on ,jewish and ,israeli facilities and ,iranian political dissidents2 ,whereas the regime has routinely violated the human rights of ,iranian citizens1 including by implementing ongoing1 systematic1 and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression1 including the continuing closures of media outlets1 arrests of journalists1 and the censorship of expression in online forums such as blogs and websites2 ,whereas the ,department of ,state's #bjah ,human ,rights ,report on ,iran noted severe restrictions on free expression1 the press1 and the internet1 including censorship1 site blocking1 and criminalization of libel2 substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association1 such as overly restrictive nongovernmental organization 7,,ngo7 laws2 egregious restrictions of religious freedom2 restrictions on political participation2 widespread corruption at all levels of government2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ah1 #bjai1 ,secretary of ,state ,mike ,pompeo stated that1 ,the ,united ,states is monitoring the ongoing protests in ,iran closely4 ,we condemn strongly any acts of violence committed by this regime against the ,iranian people and are deeply concerned by reports of several fatalities 99 99 994 ,the ,islamic ,republic must cease violence against its own people and should immediately restore the ability of all ,iranians to access a free and open ,internet42 ,whereas1 on ,november #bb1 #bjai1 the ,united ,states imposed sanctions on ,iran's ,minister of ,information and ,communications ,technology for his role in shutting down internet access in ,iran2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ah1 #bjai1 the ,office of the ,german ,chancellor stated that1 ,it is legitimate and deserving of our respect when people courageously air their economic and political grievances1 as is currently happening in ,iran4 ,the ,iranian government should respond to the current protests with a willingness to engage in dialogue 99 99 994 ,we urge the government in ,tehran to respect freedom of assembly and expression42 ,whereas1 on ,november #bj1 #bjai1 the ,french ,foreign ,ministry stated that1 ,france is following the demonstrations taking place in ,iran with concern4 ,it expresses its deep concern at reports that a large number of demonstrators have been killed in the last few days4 ,it reaffirms its attachment to respect for the freedom of expression and to access to means of communication1 as well as to the right to demonstrate peacefully4 ,france calls on ,iran to comply with its international human rights obligations1 in particular the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights42 ,whereas1 on ,november #ba1 #bjai1 the ,european ,union stated that1 ,the protests in several ,iranian cities over the past days have1 according to reports1 led to serious loss of life and left many people injured4 ,we convey our condolences to the families of victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured4 ,socio-economic challenges should be addressed through inclusive dialogue and not through the use of violence4 ,we expect ,iran's security forces to exercise maximum restraint in handling the protests and for protestors to demonstrate peacefully4 ,any violence is unacceptable4 ,the rights to freedom of expression and assembly must be guaranteed4 ,we also expect the ,iranian authorities to ensure the free flow of information and access to the internet42 ,whereas1 on ,november #bf1 #bjai1 ,secretary of ,state ,michael ,pompeo stated1 ,the ,iranian people are once again on the streets because of the regime's poor economic management4 ,and instead of addressing their grievances1 ,tehran has responded with violence and blaming those outside of the country42 ,whereas1 on ,december #h1 #bjai1 the ,high ,representative of the ,european ,union ,josep ,borrell ,fontelles stated that1 ,a growing body of evidence indicates that despite repeated calls for restraint1 the ,iranian security forces' disproportionate response to recent demonstrations has led to high numbers of deaths and injuries4 ,for the ,european ,union and its ,member ,states1 the widespread and disproportionate use of force against nonviolent protestors is unacceptable42 ,whereas1 on ,december #h1 #bjai1 the ,high ,representative of the ,european ,union ,josep ,borrell ,fontelles stated that ,a growing body of evidence indicates that despite repeated calls for restraint1 the ,iranian security forces' disproportionate response to recent demonstrations has led to high numbers of deaths and injuries4 ,for the ,european ,union and its ,member ,states1 the widespread and disproportionate use of force against nonviolent protestors is unacceptable42 ,whereas ,iran is a member of the ,united ,nations1 voted for the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 and is a signatory to the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights1 among other international human rights treaties2 ,whereas in violation of these and other international obligations1 ,iranian regime officials continue to violate the fundamental human rights of the ,iranian people2 ,whereas the ,iranian regime has a long history of violent repression of dissent1 including-- 7#a7 in #aihh1 the ,iranian regime carrying out the barbaric mass executions of thousands of political prisoners by hanging and firing squad for refusing to renounce their political affiliations and in some cases for possessing political reading material1 including prisoners of conscience1 teenagers1 and pregnant women2 7#b7 in #aiii1 the ,iranian regime brutally suppressing a student revolt that was one of the largest mass uprisings up until that point in the country since #aigi2 7#c7 following voting irregularities that resulted in the #bjji election of ,president ,mahmoud ,ahmadinejad1 the ,iranian regime brutally suppressing peaceful political dissent from wide segments of civil society during the ,green ,revolution in a cynical attempt to retain its undemocratic grip on power2 and 7#d7 beginning in ,december #bjag1 and continuing for several months after protests erupted in more than #hj cities1 the ,iranian regime suppressing such protests with repressive force that resulted in at least #be deaths and #d1jjj arrests2 ,whereas1 on ,january #i1 #bjah1 the ,house of ,representatives overwhelmingly passed ,h4 ,res4 #fgf1 a resolution supporting the rights of the people of ,iran to free expression and condemning the ,iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests2 ,whereas1 on ,december #e1 #bjai1 the ,department of ,state identified the ,great ,tehran ,penitentiary 7,fashafuyeh7 and ,qarchack ,prison as entities responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights in ,iran and subject to the imposition of sanctions under section #ajf of the ,countering ,america's ,adversaries ,through ,sanctions ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #idje72 ,whereas1 on ,january #h1 #bjbj1 the ,iranian military shot down a civilian airliner ,ukrainian ,airlines ,flight #geb in a surface-to-air missile strike1 killing #agf civilians aboard2 ,whereas for #c days1 the ,iranian military denied that it shot down ,ukrainian ,airlines ,flight #geb before admitting responsibility on ,january #aa1 #bjbj2 ,whereas peaceful protestors amassed throughout ,iran on ,january #aa1 #bjbj1 and subsequent days1 decrying the ,government of ,iran's downing of the ,ukrainian airliner1 subsequent campaign of lies and obfuscation1 and continued undemocratic practices2 and ,whereas in response to peaceful protests throughout early ,january #bjbj1 ,iranian ,government forces fired live rounds and used brutal tactics against civilians in a manner well-documented by international human rights organizations1 media1 and scores of ,iranians3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 stands with the people of ,iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive1 corrupt regime2 7#b7 condemns the ,iranian regime's serious human rights abuses against the ,iranian people1 significant corruption1 and destabilizing activities abroad2 7#c7 commends the statements of support for the protesters from the executive branch and key allies2 7#d7 calls on all democratic governments and institutions to clearly support the ,iranian people's right to live in a free society2 7#e7 demands that the ,iranian regime abide by its international obligations with respect to human rights and civil liberties1 including freedoms of assembly1 speech1 and press2 7#f7 urges the ,administration to work to convene emergency sessions of the ,united ,nations ,security ,council and the ,united ,nations ,human ,rights ,council to condemn the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the ,iranian regime and establish a mechanism by which the ,security ,council can monitor such violations2 7#g7 encourages the ,administration to provide assistance to the ,iranian people to have free and uninterrupted access to the internet1 including by broadening ,general ,license ,d-#a2 7#h7 calls on companies to reject requests by the regime to cut off the ,iranian people from social media and other communications platforms2 7#i7 respects the proud history and rich culture of the ,iranian nation and fully supports efforts by the people of ,iran to promote the establishment of basic freedoms that build the foundation for the emergence of a freely elected1 open1 and democratic political system2 7#aj7 supports the right of ,iranian dissidents to assemble1 without fear of persecution and violence1 whether in ,iran or internationally2 and 7#aa7 urges the ,president and the ,secretary of ,state to work with the international community to ensure that violations of human rights are part of all formal and informal multilateral or bilateral discussions with and regarding ,iran4 ,clerk4