WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Lance Gooden (R-TX) introduced a resolution condemning the Iranian government for its gross human rights abuses, specifically the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and the recent violent response to uprisings in 2018, 2019, and 2022.
Background: In 1988, a religious edict was issued by the Supreme Leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, initiating a deliberate campaign in Iran to eliminate individuals regarded as political adversaries of the regime. Because of the issued fatwa, subsequent death commissions carried out as many as 30,000 executions of political prisoners for remaining loyal to the Iranian Resistance.
Breakdown: This resolution shines a light on serious human rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian government, including the brutal suppression of protests, systemic forced disappearances, and the horrific 1988 mass execution of political prisoners.
The resolution includes a call for international protection for Iranian political refugees in Albania, a request for the United Nations Human Rights Council to include the 1988 massacre in its ongoing investigations, and unified support for the Iranian people's struggle to establish a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic.
"This resolution affirms the commitment of Congress to support the Iranian people's pursuit for a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear Republic of Iran." - Congressman Lance Gooden
Steve Cohen (D-TN), Don Bacon (R-NE), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Randy Weber (R-TX), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Andre Carson (D-IN), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), John Duarte (D-CA), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), David Scott (D-GA), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Brian Babin (R-TX), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Mike Garcia (R-NY), George Santos (R-NY), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), and Austin Scott (R-GA).