U.S. House of Representatives Condemns 'Flagrant' Human Rights Violations in Iran

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives issued a resolution described as a 'strong message to Iran ahead of the deadline for reaching a nuclear agreement,' condemning 'flagrant human rights violations by the Iranian government.' According to a statement from the office of Ed Royce, the Republican representative and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, this resolution was passed on Wednesday, November 28. The resolution had the support of members from both the Democratic and Republican parties in the House. Ed Royce, a Republican representative, and Eliot Engel, a senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were the sponsors of the resolution. After the resolution was passed, Royce referred to the Obama administration's efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution regarding Iran's nuclear issue, stating that the U.S. Congress 'should not have any doubt about the brutal nature of the Iranian government.' The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also described the Islamic Republic as a government that 'systematically violates the fundamental rights of its society.' According to Ed Royce, Iran 'brutally suppresses the voices of human rights activists, journalists, and religious minorities, kills its political opponents, and is lenient towards acid attackers.' The chairman characterized these actions as 'a deviation in Persian culture,' noting that 'the first human rights declaration during the reign of Cyrus the Great was issued with his tolerance for all cultures and religions.' The sponsor of the House resolution condemning the human rights situation in Iran stated, 'While the Iranian government is seriously pursuing its nuclear ambitions, it is also suppressing the demands for freedom of millions of people in this country. Today's U.S. foreign policy solutions can and should be based on strategic goals such as destroying Iran's nuclear program while promoting and advancing human rights and democracy in this country.' The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom emphasized in its 2014 report that the Islamic Republic systematically and permanently violates religious freedoms through torture and imprisonment. The United Nations has also emphasized human rights violations in Iran. According to Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic has worsened under Hassan Rouhani's government. In this context, 'the logic of the Islamic Republic is opposed to the logic of Europe regarding human rights.'