Support the Protesters in Iran - Passed House

UPDATE (01/25/23): The House has passed H.Con.Res.7 in support of the protesters in Iran. The legislation now moves to the Senate for a vote.

In September of 2022, the Iranian morality police arrested a 22 year old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, for violating Iran’s mandatory hijab law. Soon after her arrest, she was transferred to a hospital in Tehran where she died under suspicious circumstances. The Iranian government alleges Amini collapsed due to a heart attack at a detention center, however her family claims she was perfectly healthy prior to arrest. Furthermore, eyewitnesses assert to have seen police forces beat Amini in a van following her detainment and images of her in the hospital appear to confirm violence lead to her death.

Since the news of Amini’s passing widespread protests have broken out across Iran, with women leading the charge. Women showed their anger and solidarity by removing their hijabs, cutting their hair, and demanding gender equality. The uprisings have become the most significant in Iran since the 1979 revolution, threatening the repressive regime’s hold on power.

In an attempt to crack down and suppress the protests, the Iranian government has begun performing public executions of the young protesters. Thus far the government has executed four men with another 15 currently sentenced to death. The youngest of these is a 19-year old teenager.

While the United States has limited power to directly stop the human rights abuses of the Iranian government, it can speak out against their actions. House Continuing Resolution 7 (H. Con. Res. 7) does just that. The legislation “commends the bravery, courage, and resolve of the women and men of Iran demonstrating in more than 133 cities and risking their safety to speak out against the Iranian regime’s human rights abuses.” While the bill takes no policy steps, it does send a strong message of support from the United States to the Iranian protesters.

Urge your representatives to support H. Con. Res. 7 and to speak out loudly against the human rights violations of the Iranian government.