,h4 ,,res4 #hbc  ,in the ,house of      
,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41  ,december   
#g1 #bjbj  ,,resolution  ,whereas1 in   
#aihb1 #aihd1 #aihh1 #aiij1 #aiib1      
#aiic1 #aiid1 #aiif1 #bjjj1 #bjjd1      
#bjjf1 #bjjh1 #bjji1 #bjab1 #bjac1      
#bjae1 #bjaf1 #bjag1 and #bjah1         
,congress declared that it deplored the 
religious persecution by the ,government
 of ,iran of the ,baha'i community and  
would hold the ,government of ,iran     
responsible for upholding the rights of 
all ,iranian nationals1 including       
members of the ,baha'i faith2 ,whereas1 
since #aigi1 ,iranian authorities have  
killed or executed more than #bjj       
,baha'i leaders1 and more than #aj1jjj  
have been dismissed from government and 
university jobs2 ,whereas the ,report of
 the ,united ,nations ,special          
,rapporteur on the situation of human   
rights in the ,islamic ,republic of     
,iran 7,a_/#gd_/ahh7 dated ,july #ah1   
#bjai1 provides1 in part-- 7#a7 the     
,iranian authorities and the ,iranian   

criminal justice system regard the      
,baha'is as unprotected infidels2 the   
,baha'i faith is also regarded as a     
misguided sect2 and ,baha'i worship and 
religious practices are deemed heresy42 
7#b7 ,baha'is have been murdered with   
impunity and violations of their human  
rights have not been investigated42     
7#c7 members of the ,baha'i faith       
frequently face charges1 such as1       
#8breaching national security1          
#8propaganda against the holy regime of 
the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran1 or     
propaganda activities against the regime
 in the interests of the ,baha'i sect2  
7#d7 ,since ,august #bjje1 more than    
#a1afh ,baha'is have been arrested and  
charged with vaguely worded offences42  
7#e7 ,there were a total of #ie ,baha'is
 reportedly arrested in #bjah1 compared 
with at least #hd in #bjag and #ha in   
#bjaf42  7#f7 ,on #a ,january #bjai1 the
 court of appeal of ,isfahan reportedly 
condemned1 in separate judgments1 nine  
,baha'i citizens to a total of #dh years

 of prison4 ,they had been charged with 
membership of the illegal ,baha'i       
community and propaganda against the    
regime by spreading the ,baha'i faith in
 the society42  7#g7 directed by a #bjjg
 letter from the ,security ,unit of the 
,public ,place ,supervision ,office of  
the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran to      
police commanders throughout the        
country1 ,iranian authorities continue  
to apply economic pressure against the  
,baha'i community1 by banning them from 
specific professions and halting their  
entry to high earning businesses2 and   
7#h7 ,since #bjac1 there have been more 
than #hjc incidents of violations of    
economic rights of the ,baha'is1        
including arbitrary shop closures1      
unfair dismissals from employment and   
the actual or threatened revocation of  
business licenses42 ,whereas the        
,department of ,state's ,international  
,religious ,freedom ,report for #bjai1  
,iran section1 provides1 in part--  7#a7
 ,non-,shia ,muslims and those          

affiliated with a religion other than   
,islam1 especially members of the       
,baha'i community1 continued to face    
societal discrimination and harassment1 
and employers experienced social        
pressures not to hire ,baha'is or to    
dismiss them from their private sector  
jobs42 and  7#b7 ,the law bars ,baha'is 
from founding their own educational     
institutions4 ,a ,ministry of ,science1 
,research1 and ,technology order        
requires universities to exclude        
,baha'is from access to higher education
 or expel them if their religious       
affiliation becomes known42  ,whereas1  
on ,march #aa1 #bjbj1 the ,department of
 ,state released the ,country ,reports  
on ,human ,rights ,practices for #bjai  
and1 in connection with ,iran1 the      
report provides1 in part-- 7#a7 ,iranian
 authorities barred ,baha'i students    
from higher education1 and in #bjai1    
denied enrollment to at least #bb       
,baha'i college applicants solely       
because of their religious affiliation  

despite passing the national admissions 
test2  7#b7 ,the country materially     
contributed to human rights abuses 4 4 4
 in ,yemen1 through its support for     
,houthi rebels and directing authorities
 in ,houthi-controlled areas of ,yemen  
to harass and detain ,baha'is because of
 their religious affiliation42 and  7#c7
 ,in ,july #bjai1 ,iran ,wire1 a human  
rights reporting agency1 reported the   
case of ,hamed ,rezvani1 a ,baha'i      
musician and teacher1 who left his home 
in ,isfahan in ,december #bjah and has  
not been heard from since4 ,repeated    
requests by the ,rezvani family for     
information from police and local       
intelligence have not produced any      
information about his disappearance42   
,whereas according to the #bjbj ,annual 
,report of the ,united ,states          
,commission on ,international ,religious
 ,freedom 7,,uscirf7-- 7#a7 ,there are  
more than #cjj1jjj ,baha'is in ,iran1   
who together constitute the largest     
non-,muslim religious minority in the   

country42  7#b7 ,security forces also   
prevented the burial of two deceased    
,baha'i individuals in a ,baha'i        
cemetery in ,kerman after it was sealed 
in ,march #bjah4 ,in ,october1 the body 
of a deceased ,baha'i woman was exhumed 
four days after her burial and abandoned
 in a desert area outside the town of   
,jaban42  7#c7 ,there is a particular   
uptick in the persecution of ,baha'is1  
including of local government officials 
who advocated on behalf of ,baha'is1 and
 the ,iranian government blamed         
,baha'is1 without evidence1 for         
wide-spread popular protests in #bjai2  
and  7#d7 ,in ,july #bjai1 ,twitter     
banned several official ,iranian media  
accounts for incitement against ,baha'is
 in ,iran42 ,whereas the ,baha'i        
,international ,community documented a  
more than #ej percent increase in hate  
propaganda directed against the ,baha'is
 in the twelve-month period ending      
,august #bjbj compared to prior years   
with more than #i1ejj such articles1    

videos1 or web pages appearing in       
,iranian government-controlled or       
government-sponsored media2 ,whereas    
,iran is a member of the ,united        
,nations and a signatory to both the    
,universal ,declaration of ,human       
,rights and the ,international ,covenant
 on ,civil and ,political ,rights1 among
 other international human rights       
treaties1 without reservation2 ,whereas 
section #aje of the ,comprehensive ,iran
 ,sanctions1 ,accountability1 and       
,divestment ,act of #bjaj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4
 #head7 authorizes the ,president to    
impose sanctions on individuals         
responsible for or complicit in1 or     
responsible for ordering1 controlling1  
or otherwise directing1 the commission  
of serious human rights abuses against  
citizens of ,iran or their family       
members on or after ,june #ab1 #bjji2   
and ,whereas the ,iran ,threat          
,reduction and ,syria ,human ,rights    
,act of #bjab 7,public ,law #aab-aeh7   
amends and expands the authorities      

established under the ,comprehensive    
,iran ,sanctions1 ,accountability1 and  
,divestment ,act of #bjaj to sanction   
,iranian human rights abusers3 ,now1    
therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of    
,representatives--  7#a7 condemns the   
,government of ,iran's state-sponsored  
persecution of its ,baha'i minority and 
its continued violation of the          
,universal ,declaration of ,human       
,rights and the ,international ,covenant
 on ,civil and ,political ,rights2  7#b7
 calls on the ,government of ,iran--    
7,a7 to immediately release all         
imprisoned or detained ,baha'is1        
together with all other prisoners held  
solely on account of their religion2    
7,b7 to end its state-sponsored campaign
 of hate propaganda against the         
,baha'is2 and  7,c7 to reverse          
state-imposed policies denying ,baha'is 
and members of other religious          
minorities equal opportunities to higher
 education1 earning a livelihood1 due   
process under the law1 and the free     

exercise of religious practices2  7#c7  
calls on the ,president and the         
,secretary of ,state1 in cooperation    
with responsible nations1 to continue to
 condemn the ,government of ,iran's     
continued violation of human rights and 
demand the immediate release of         
prisoners held solely on account of     
their religion2 and  7#d7 urges the     
,president and the ,secretary of ,state 
to utilize available authorities to     
impose sanctions on officials of the    
,government of ,iran and other          
individuals directly responsible for    
serious human rights abuses1 including  
abuses against the ,baha'i community of 
,iran4  ,clerk4