Four American Senators Introduce Resolution Supporting Iranian Protesters' Rights

Four American senators have proposed a resolution to the United States Senate, which condemns the Islamic Republic for its "long history of human rights violations" while supporting the "rights of the people of Iran that must be heard." Marco Rubio and Bob Corker from the Republican Party, along with Ben Cardin and Bob Menendez from the Democratic Party, introduced this resolution on Thursday, January 4. The resolution calls on the U.S. government to work towards holding emergency meetings at the United Nations to condemn the ongoing human rights violations by the Iranian government and to design a mechanism to monitor such violations. It references the beginning of protests in Iran from Mashhad on January 7 and their spread across the country, with economic slogans and protests against corruption and the waste of Iran's resources in regional conflicts, the arrest of hundreds, and the deaths of several protesters. It also mentions the Iranian government's restriction of access to the internet and social media, violations of citizens' rights including serious limitations on peaceful assembly, expression, and freedom of speech, and the suppression of protests. The widespread protests in Iran, unprecedented in the past decade, have so far resulted in at least 22 deaths and over 1,800 arrests. U.S. officials, particularly President Donald Trump, have actively supported the protest movements in Iran from the outset and condemned the Tehran government's crackdown on protesters. Marco Rubio is among the American senators who have tweeted multiple times in both Persian and English about the protests in Iran in recent days and has launched an online campaign to gather signatures in support of the protesters. In the proposed resolution, the Senate is asked to support the rights of all Iranian citizens, many of whom have bravely faced ongoing and widespread threats of censorship, arrest, physical abuse, and death to have their voices heard. The senators have urged the Iranian government to respect the rights of the people of Iran regarding freedom of expression, press, religion, assembly, and association. The resolution condemns the ongoing human rights violations in Iran and warns against any use of violence or punishment against peaceful protesters. Protests against censorship, intimidation, and other restrictions on press freedom, expression, and opinion in Iran are also highlighted by the senators in their proposal. The resolution calls on the President, Secretary of State, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to work towards holding emergency sessions in the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council to condemn human rights violations by the Iranian government and to design a mechanism for monitoring these violations. It also requests that the Iranian government cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran and the UN Human Rights Commissioner and allow their entry into the country. The four American senators have also asked the President and Secretary of State to work with the international community to ensure that human rights violations are part of formal and informal discussions, both bilateral and multilateral, with and regarding Iran.