Condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of the Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Wyden (for himself, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Hickenlooper, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This Senate resolution formally condemns the Iranian government's decades-long persecution of the Baha'i religious minority. It calls on Iran to immediately release imprisoned Baha'is, end hate propaganda campaigns against them, and restore their rights to education, employment, and religious practice. The resolution also urges the U.S. President and Secretary of State to use existing sanctions authorities against Iranian officials responsible for these human rights abuses.
Who Benefits and How
The Baha'i community in Iran receives official Congressional support and moral backing, though this resolution has no direct legal effect. Human rights advocacy organizations gain a symbolic Congressional endorsement of their ongoing efforts to document and publicize Iranian religious persecution. The resolution strengthens the political case for applying existing U.S. sanctions against Iranian officials.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Iranian government officials responsible for persecuting Baha'is face increased risk of U.S. sanctions if the executive branch acts on this resolution's urging. The Government of Iran is publicly condemned by the U.S. Senate for violating international human rights commitments.
Key Provisions
- Condemns Iran's state-sponsored persecution of Baha'is as violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- Calls on Iran to immediately release all prisoners held solely for their religious beliefs
- Demands Iran end state-sponsored hate propaganda against Baha'is
- Urges Iran to reverse policies denying Baha'is access to higher education, employment, and due process
- Calls on the President and Secretary of State to utilize existing sanctions authorities (under the 2010 Iran Sanctions Act) against officials directly responsible for human rights abuses
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
A Senate resolution condemning the Government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i religious minority and calling for the use of U.S. sanctions authority against Iranian officials responsible for human rights abuses.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Express Congressional condemnation of Iran's religious persecution while urging the executive branch to utilize existing sanctions authorities against Iranian officials."
Likely Beneficiaries
- Baha'i community in Iran
- Religious minorities in Iran
- Human rights advocacy organizations
- Iranian political prisoners
Likely Burden Bearers
- Government of Iran
- Iranian officials responsible for human rights abuses
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_president"
- → President of the United States
- "government_of_iran"
- → Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- "the_secretary_of_state"
- → U.S. Secretary of State
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8514) which authorizes the President to impose sanctions on individuals responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses against Iranian citizens.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology