March 17, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 3 4291 yet, and I have not settled on what I Shortly after the discredited Iranian Members of the Kurdish community have believe are the best solutions. But we Presidential election in June 2009, Mr. continued to be executed on various national are working hard and talking to the ex- Mashaei was appointed Presidential security-related charges including Mohareb. perts about the best way to proceed. Chief of Staff—after a very brief and At least nine Kurdish political prisoners, in- cluding Jafar Kazemi, Mohammad Ali Haj I am sure of one thing, however, and unsuccessful attempt to serve as the Aghaei, and Ali Saremi were executed since I want to be 100 percent clear about first Vice President of Iran. January 2010, and several others remain at this. There will be no Federal bailout Since then, the persecution and re- risk of execution. of any State or local government. Let pression in Iran has steadily increased. And regarding Iran’s persecution of me just repeat that. No Federal bail- Thousands of peaceful protesters, dis- Christians, we read: out. sidents and activists have been de- Reports also continued to be received Just last month, after Illinois sold tained. about Christians, in particular converts, its high-interest bonds, the Governor Let there be no doubt, Mr. Mashei, being subjected to arbitrary arrest and har- indicated that he plans to ask for a like his President, is directly respon- assment. Federal guarantee. Well, Governor, you sible for human rights abuses in Iran. The Secretary-General’s report fol- can save your breath. The answer is, He should not be granted a visa to lows others by our own State Depart- no. enter the United States and he, like his ment and human rights groups like We cannot ask taxpayers and the rest President, should be designated under Amnesty International and Human of the country to pay for underfunded U.S. law as a human rights abuser in Rights Watch. pensions in Illinois, California, or any Iran. While we expect the State Depart- other State that made promises it Mr. Mashaei’s visit will come just 4 ment to release its 2010 country human clearly cannot keep. To do so would be days after the United Nations Sec- rights reports on March 25, these are a more than unfair; it would be immoral. retary-General released an interim re- few highlights from the 2009 report on A Federal bailout cannot happen, and port on the human rights in Iran. Iran. it will not happen. The report states: Security forces were implicated in custo- Mr. President, I suggest the absence The human rights situation in Iran has dial deaths and the killings of election pro- of a quorum. been marked by an intensified crackdown on testers and committed other acts of politi- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The human rights defenders, woman’s rights ac- cally motivated violence, including torture, clerk will call the roll. tivists, journalists and government oppo- beatings, and rape. The assistant legislative clerk pro- nents. *** ceeded to call the roll. Concerns about torture, arbitrary deten- The government administered severe offi- tions and unfair trials continue to be raised cially sanctioned punishments, including Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I ask unan- by UN human rights mechanisms. imous consent the order for the death by stoning, amputation, and flogging. Additionally: *** quorum call be rescinded. Discrimination persisted against minority Authorities responded to all the dem- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without onstrations with raids on opposition activ- objection, it is so ordered. groups, in some cases amounting to persecu- tion. ists’ offices. f A worrying trend is the increased number *** Some prison facilities, including Evin Pris- IRAN’S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS of cases in which political prisoners are ac- cused of Mohareb—or enmity against God— on in Tehran, were notorious for cruel and Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I rise today offences which carry the death penalty. prolonged torture of political opponents of to speak about the deteriorating the government. Authorities also maintained At least 22 people charged with ‘‘unofficial’’ secret prisons and detention human rights situation in Iran. Mohareb have been executed since Jan- We understand that Esfandiar Rahim centers outside the national prison system uary 2010. where abuse reportedly occurred. The gov- Mashaei—Iranian President Mahmoud Journalists, bloggers, human rights ernment reportedly used white torture—pro- Ahmadinejad’s Chief of Staff will be ar- defenders and lawyers continue to be longed solitary confinement with extreme riving in the United States as early as arrested or subjected to travel bans. sensory deprivation—especially on political tomorrow. Blogs and Web sites are restricted and prisoners, often in detention centers outside Mr. Mashaei is a close friend and now more than 10 national dailies have the control of prison authorities, including trusted adviser of President Section 209 of Evin Prison. been shut down for refusing to toe the *** Ahmadinejad. Their kinship began in official line. 1982 when President Ahmadinejad was The government threatened, harassed, and Concern remains over a lack of due arrested individuals who posted comments governor of Khoy in West Azerbaijan process rights and the failure to re- critical of the government on the Internet; and the Intelligence Ministry ap- spect the rights of detainees. in some cases it reportedly confiscated their pointed Mr. Mashaei to the security Particularly, ‘‘concerns were ex- passports or arrested their family members. team in the Kurdistan region next pressed at routine practice for incom- Amnesty’s 2010 report on human door. Since then, Mr. Mashaei has been municado detention, use of torture and rights in Iran starts with the following a member of Ahmadinejad’s inner cir- ill-treatment in detention, use of soli- summary: cle. tary confinement and of individuals An intensified clampdown on political pro- The world knows of President without charges.’’ test preceded and, particularly, followed the Ahmadinejad’s public incitement Finally, ‘‘concerns were expressed in presidential election in June, whose outcome against Jews and Israel—most infa- public about people sentenced to death was widely disputed, deepening the long- mously with his pledge to wipe Israel often do not have access to legal rep- standing patterns of repression. The security off the map. But the world may not resentation and their families and law- forces, notably the paramilitary Basij, used know the virulent anti-Israel and anti- excessive force against demonstrators; doz- yers are not even informed of the exe- ens of people were killed or fatally injured. Semitic views of his trusted adviser. cution.’’ In 2008, Mr. Mashaei told Sudanese The authorities suppressed freedom of ex- The report continues to detail the pression to an unprecedented level, blocking President Omar Hassan Ahmad al- Iranian persecution of religious mi- mobile and terrestrial phone networks and Bashir: norities, especially the Baha’i. The re- Internet communications. Well over 5,000 The corrupt and criminal Zionist regime is port notes concern for six members of people had been detained by the end of the harming not only the Arab and Islamic the Baha’i community arrested by offi- year. Many were tortured, including some world, but humanity in its entirety . . . in cials from the Intelligence Ministry in who were alleged to have been raped in de- order to save humanity from its different the months of June and July 2010—and tention, or otherwise ill-treated. Some died crises, there is no other way other than the from their injuries. Dozens were then pros- limiting of Zionist influence on human soci- the seven Baha’i community leaders re- ecuted in grossly unfair mass ‘show trials.’ ety, because the root and origin of most of cently sentenced to 10 years in prison. Most were sentenced to prison terms but at the world’s current crises are related to Zi- Regarding Iran’s persecution of its least six were sentenced to death. onism. Kurdish minority, the report notes: ***

VerDate Mar 15 2010 09:04 Feb 07, 2014 Jkt 099102 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR11\S17MR1.001 S17MR1 pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 4292 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 3 March 17, 2011 The election-related violations occurred tions, the whereabouts of hundreds of The PRESIDING OFFICER. The against a background of severe repression, Iranians, including journalists and po- clerk will call the roll. which persisted throughout 2009 and whose litical activists, arrested just before The assistant legislative clerk pro- victims included members of ethnic and reli- the February 14 opposition protests re- ceeded to call the roll. gious minorities, students, human rights de- main unknown. Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I ask fenders and advocates of political reform. unanimous consent that the order for Women continued to face severe discrimina- To each of them, I echo President tion under the law and in practice, and wom- Reagan’s words: ‘‘I came here to give the quorum call be rescinded. en’s rights campaigners were harassed, ar- you strength, but it is you who have The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without rested and imprisoned. Torture and other ill- strengthened me.’’ objection, it is so ordered. treatment of detainees remained rife and at As we approach the Iranian New Year f least 12 people died in custody. Detainees celebration of Nowruz, it is time for IRAN SANCTIONS ACT were systematically denied access to law- the President to demonstrate this ad- yers, medical care and their families, and ministration’s commitment to the Ira- Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I rise to many faced unfair trials. nian people’s struggle for human speak on an issue I feel I have spent a In its 2011 World Report chapter on rights. lot of time talking about in recent Iran, Human Rights Watch writes: We know that Iranian President years but without much effect on ei- Iran’s human rights crisis deepened as the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian Presi- ther of the last two administrations. government sought to consolidate its power dential Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim This is the issue of the Iran Sanctions following 2009’s disputed presidential elec- Mashaei and other senior Iranian gov- Act. Congress has worked in a bipar- tion. Public demonstrations waned after se- ernment officials are directly respon- tisan way to strengthen and expand the curity forces used live ammunition to sup- sible for and complicit in ordering, Iran Sanctions Act, but in spite of our press protesters in late 2009, resulting in the controlling, or otherwise directing the repeated efforts, the administration death of at least seven protesters and, I has not been willing to use the tools would add, we all remember Neda, who was commission of serious human rights killed online. Authorities announced that se- abuses against the people of Iran on or the Congress has given them. curity forces had arrested more than 6,000 in- after June 12, 2009. In my mind—and I am sure in the dividuals after June 2009. Hundreds—includ- Pursuant to Executive Order 13553 minds of a great many of my col- ing lawyers, rights defenders, journalists, and the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, leagues—nothing would be more desta- civil society activists, and opposition lead- Accountability, and Divestment Act of bilizing to the Mideast region and to ers—remain in detention without charge. 2010, the President should designate Middle Eastern regional security or Since the election crackdown last year, well these individuals as human rights global security than Iran’s develop- over a thousand people have fled Iran to seek ment of a nuclear weapon. I will not asylum in neighboring countries. Interroga- abusers and reaffirm our core Amer- ican values: freedom, democracy and spend a lot of time talking about why tors used torture to extract confessions, on that is because I doubt there is any which the judiciary relied on to sentence human rights. people to long prison terms and even death. I would just end by quoting from sec- Member of this body who is not aware Restrictions on freedom of expression and as- tion 105 of the Comprehensive Iran of how dangerous this situation is or sociation, as well as religious and gender- Sanctions Accountability and Divest- could be, which is why it is even more based discrimination, continued unabated. ment Act of 2010, signed by the Presi- frustrating that we have not been able The report continued: dent into law last year. It requires that to get the administration to push a Authorities systematically used torture to the executive branch produce a list of more robust set of sanctions using the coerce confessions. Student activist persons who are responsible or sanctions policy and the sanctions Abdullah Momeni wrote to Supreme Leader complicit in certain rights abuses. It tools we have given them. Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in September says: During the 15 years between the time the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act was describing the torture he suffered at the Not later than 90 days after the date of the hands of jailers. At this writing no high-level enactment of this Act, the President shall passed, in 1996, and last year, no mean- official has been prosecuted for the torture, submit to the appropriate congressional ingful application of these sanctions ill-treatment, and deaths of three detainees committees a list of persons who are officials was ever adopted. From 1996 until last held at Kahrizak detention center after June of the Government of Iran or persons acting year, no meaningful application has 2009. on behalf of that Government (including ever been adopted. We cannot allow these violations to members of paramilitary organizations such In 2006, I worked closely with the go unnoticed. Nor can we continue to as Ansar-e-Hezbollah and Basij-e Bush administration to pass a bill turn a blind eye to the countless pris- Mostaz’afin), that the President determines, known as the Iran Freedom Support oners of conscience fighting for basic based on credible evidence, are responsible Act, to improve the menu in the human dignity in this brutal dictator- for or complicit in, or responsible for order- ing, controlling, or otherwise directing, the choices of sanctions available to that ship. commission of serious human rights abuses administration and future administra- It is time we take a stand for people against citizens of Iran or their family mem- tions. Under that bill, Congress codi- like Nasrin Sotoudeh, detained for her bers on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of fied some of the executive actions work as a human rights lawyer, wom- whether such abuses occurred in Iran. President Clinton and President Bush en’s rights activist, and defender of Clearly this official about to arrive appropriately took and ensured that children who face capital charges; in the United States meets the stand- these tools became more permanent. Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki, detained for ard under section 105 of CISADA, and Last year, alarmed again at the ad- his work as a blogger and human rights the U.S. administration should des- ministration’s disinterest in using the activist. He has been refused medical ignate him as an abuser of human sanctions available to it, Congress treatment for kidney failure; and rights. He should not be admitted again acted to tighten our sanctions Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin entry into the United States. policy. The Congress sunsetted the Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saied Rezaie, We should call it the way we see it, State Department’s period of investiga- Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfahm, which is, this is one of the most dan- tory review to ensure that once an in- Mahvash Sabet—all detained for their gerous human rights-abusing officials vestigation is launched, it has to be leadership in the Baha’i community. that we know of. Comprehensive data concluded. It is now up to the Obama As of today, the precise whereabouts now exists from Human Rights Watch, administration to pursue a vigorous of opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi from Amnesty International, even from sanctions policy that sends the mes- and Mir Hossein Mousavi, and their re- the United Nations on what this man sage to Iran that: You are isolated in spective wives Fatemeh Karroubi and has directed. He should not be given a the world and the world will not tol- Zahra Rahnavard, remain unknown fol- visa, and he should be so listed under erate this nuclear program. lowing their arrest and detention in U.S. law. On March 26, 2009, I sent a letter to February. Meanwhile, according to I yield the floor and suggest the ab- Secretary Clinton asking for clarifica- international human rights organiza- sence of a quorum. tion on why the administration had not

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