,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eci ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #aa1 #bjbj,mr4 ,cardin 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,ms4 ,rosen7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,supporting the rights of the people of ,iran to determine their future1 condemning the ,iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests1 and for other purposes4 ,whereas1 on ,january #h1 #bjbj1 the ,government of ,iran shot down ,ukraine ,international ,airlines ,flight #geb1 lied about its culpability1 and then admitted to downing the plane on ,january #aa after evidence was made public by other sources2 ,whereas all #afg passengers and #i crewmembers aboard ,ukraine ,international ,airlines ,flight #geb died in the resulting crash2 ,whereas passengers were mostly citizens of ,iran1 but also included citizens of ,canada1 ,ukraine1 ,great ,britain1 ,afghanistan1 and ,sweden2 ,whereas1 during ,january #aa through #ac1 #bjbj1 protesters gathered across ,iran to denounce lying and incompetence by regime leadership with respect to the airline shootdown2 ,whereas video clips of protests from ,january #aa through #ac1 #bjbj1 showed protestors chanting against ,iran's ,supreme ,leader ,ali ,khamene'i and the ,,irgc2 ,whereas video clips suggest ,iranian authorities deployed tear gas and live ammunition against protestors in ,january #bjbj2 ,whereas earlier antigovernment protests in ,iran began on ,november #ae1 #bjai1 and rapidly spread to dozens of ,iranian cities in #bi of ,iran's #ca provinces1 in the most significant antigovernment protests in ,iran since the ,green ,movement demonstrations in #bjji and #bjaj2 ,whereas the protests began in response to an announced increase on the price of fuel1 and protesters 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 responded to protests with lethal force1 killing hundreds of demonstrators and arresting thousands more2 ,whereas reports indicate that the ,government of ,iran 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 ,iran to prevent the sharing of images and videos of deadly violence being used by security forces2 ,whereas1 on ,november #af1 #bjai1 ,iran's ,interior ,minister ,abdolreza ,rahmani ,fazli suggested that the ,iranian regime would no longer show tolerance toward the protesters2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ag1 #bjai1 ,iranian ,supreme ,leader ,ayatollah ,ali ,khamene'i called the demonstrators villains1 suggested that protests were incited by foreign enemies and domestic insurgents1 and ordered ,iranian security services to 8implement their duties0 to end the protests2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ah1 #bjai1 the ,,irgc deployed to the southwestern city of ,mahshahr1 which had been taken over by demonstrators1 and engaged in mass repression over a period of #d days1 reportedly killing as many as #ajj people2 ,whereas multiple ,united ,states laws provide authorities to designate and sanction elements of the ,iranian regime for its repressive conduct1 including those involved in significant corruption or serious human rights abuses1 including-- 7#a7 the ,comprehensive ,iran ,sanctions1 ,accountability1 and ,divestment ,act of #bjaj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #heja et seq472 7#b7 the ,iran ,threat ,reduction and ,syria ,human ,rights ,act of #bjab 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #hgja et seq472 7#c7 the ,countering ,iran's ,destabilizing ,activities ,act of #bjag 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #idja et seq472 and 7#d7 the ,global ,magnitsky ,human ,rights ,accountability ,act 7subtitle ,f of title ,,xii of ,public ,law #aad-cbh2 #bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bfef note72 ,whereas the ,iranian regime was implicated in a terrorist plot targeting gatherings of ,iranian dissidents in ,paris in ,june #bjah and in ,albania in ,march #bjah2 ,whereas1 in ,august #bjah1 the ,united ,states ,government arrested #b ,iranian nationals who later pleaded guilty for acting on behalf of the ,iranian regime to conduct covert surveillance in the ,united ,states against officials of the ,iranian opposition for a target package which1 according to the ,department of ,justice complaint1 may have included apprehension1 recruitment1 cyber exploitation1 or capture_/kill operations2 ,whereas the ,iranian 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 ,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 ,whereas the ,department of ,state's most current ,human ,rights ,report noted that the ,government of ,iran levied 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 and that there is widespread corruption at all levels of government2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ah1 #bjai1 the ,office of the ,german ,chancellor stated1 ,it is legitimate and deserving of our respect when people courageously air their economic and political grievances1 as is currently happening in ,iran ''' ,we urge the government in ,tehran to respect freedom of assembly and expression42 ,whereas1 on ,november #bj1 #bjai1 the ,french ,foreign ,ministry stated1 ,france is following the demonstrations taking place in ,iran with concern4 ,it expresses its deep concern at reports that a large respect its international human rights obligations42 ,whereas1 on ,december #b1 #bjai1 a statement from ,amnesty ,international confirmed that extensive video footage verified and analyzed by ,amnesty ,international's ,digital ,verification ,corps shows security forces shooting at unarmed protesters who did not pose any imminent risk2 ,whereas1 on ,december #f1 #bjai1 ,united ,nation's ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights ,michelle ,bachelet said1 ,verified video footage indicates severe violence was used against protesters1 including armed members of security forces shooting from the roof of a justice department building in one city1 and from helicopters in another1 and added that the ,office of the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights has also received footage showing security forces shooting to kill2 ,whereas1 on ,december #h1 #bjai1 a ,declaration by the ,european ,union ,high ,representative for ,foreign ,affairs and ,security ,policy ,josep ,borrell ,fontelles stated1 ,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 #af1 #bjai1 ,amnesty ,international further reported that eyewitness testimony suggests that1 almost immediately after the ,iranian authorities massacred hundreds ''' participating in nationwide protests1 the authorities went on to orchestrate a wide-scale clampdown designed to instill fear and prevent anyone from speaking out about what happened2 ,whereas1 on ,january #ag1 #bjbj1 the ,united ,states designated ,,irgc ,general ,hassan ,shahvarpour1 ,khuzestan ,province's ,vali ,asr ,commander1 for his involvement in gross violations of human rights against protestors during the ,november #ae through #ah1 #bjai1 protests in ,mahshahr1 ,iran2 ,whereas ,iran is a member of the ,united ,nations1 voted for the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 and is a state party to the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights1 done at ,new ,york ,december #ai1 #aiff2 ,whereas1 during ,february #bjbj parliamentary elections1 against the backdrop of regime interference1 disqualification of reformist and moderate candidates1 and anger over crackdowns on protesters1 the majority of the ,iranian people chose not to vote1 making turnout the lowest in ,iran's post-#aigi history2 and ,whereas the ,iranian regime has a long history of violent repression of dissent1 including-- 7#a7 in #aihh1 carrying out the barbaric mass executions of thousands of political prisoners--including teenagers and pregnant women--by hanging and firing squad for refusing to renounce their political affiliations and1 in some cases1 for possessing or distributing political reading material2 7#b7 in #aiii1 brutally suppressing a student revolt that was one of the largest mass uprisings up until that point in the country since #aigi1 in a crackdown since referred to as ,iran's ,tiananmen ,square2 7#c7 following voting irregularities that resulted in the #bjji re-election of ,mahmoud ,ahmadinejad1 cracking down on peaceful political dissent from wide segments of civil society 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 over economic conditions in more than #hj cities1 confronting protestors with excessive force that resulted in at least #be deaths and #d1jjj arrests3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 stands with the people of ,iran that are engaged in legitimate protests against an oppressive1 corrupt regime2 7#b7 supports the right of ,iranians to peacefully assemble1 without fear of persecution and violence1 whether in ,iran or internationally2 7#c7 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 elected and transparent republic2 7#d7 condemns the ,iranian regime's downing of ,ukrainian ,international ,airlines ,flight #geb and its repeated lying to the people of ,iran and around the world about its responsibility for the disaster2 7#e7 condemns the ,iranian regime for its record of brutal repression against peaceful protests2 7#f7 condemns the ,iranian regime's serious human rights abuses against ,iranians1 significant corruption1 and destabilizing activities abroad2 7#g7 commends the statements of support for protesters from the ,united ,states and key ,united ,states allies2 7#h7 calls on all democratic governments and institutions to support the ability of the people of ,iran to live in a free society such that they can exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms2 7#i7 demands that the ,iranian regime abide by its international obligations with respect to human rights and civil liberties1 including freedoms of peaceful assembly and speech1 including for members of the press2 7#aj7 urges the ,president 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#aa7 encourages the ,united ,states ,government to do everything in its power to ensure the ,iranian people have free and uninterrupted access to the internet2 7#ab7 calls on telecommunications companies to reject requests by the regime to cut off the ,iranian people from social media and other communications platforms2 and 7#ac7 urges the ,president and the ,secretary of ,state to work with the international community to signal through future multilateral and bilateral discussions that the ,government of ,iran's human rights violations are unacceptable4