congressional_record: CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgE2241-4
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgE2241-4 | 2010-12-22 | 111 | 2 | STATEMENT OF CONCERN ABOUT UNJUST IMPRISONMENT OF BAHA'I RELIGIOUS MINORITY IN IRAN | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2241 | E2242 | [{"name": "Danny K. Davis", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "111", "type": "HRES", "number": "175"}] | 156 Cong. Rec. E2241 | Congressional Record, Volume 156 Issue 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010) [Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E2241-E2242] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] STATEMENT OF CONCERN ABOUT UNJUST IMPRISONMENT OF BAHA'I RELIGIOUS MINORITY IN IRAN ______ HON. DANNY K. DAVIS of illinois in the house of representatives Wednesday, December 22, 2010 Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express both my deep concern and the deep concern of some of my constituents about the unjust imprisonment of several members of a religious minority in Iran. In particular, I wish to speak of the member of the Baha'i faith who have been persecuted and imprisoned in Iran. My home district in Chicago has a rich diversity of people from all backgrounds and faiths, and I am fortunate to have Baha'is as part of this rich diversity. The Baha'i faith is a peaceful religion that teaches the oneness of humanity and that all forms of prejudice should be eliminated. Some of you will recall that in 2009 I was one of the co-sponsors to House Resolution 175. That resolution condemned the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. H. Res. 175 passed with 407 ``aye'' votes on October 22, 2009. However, some of my constituents have informed me that the persecution and suppression of the Baha'i faith in Iran persist with no relief in sight. In 2009 the international press reported that seven Baha'I leaders in Iran were unjustly arrested and held in prison without knowing the charges for their arrest for approximately 20 months. The unjust prosecution of these seven particular Baha'is was condemned by international leaders and drawn into our national awareness for a short time. Those seven Baha'is are real people with families, who continue to suffer injustice because of their peaceful religious beliefs. The more disturbing fact is that those seven Baha'i leaders are merely the ones that made the headlines. There are approximately 48 additional Baha'is currently imprisoned in Iran. Approximately 132 Baha'is have been arrested and released on bail to await trial, and another 92 Baha'is have been sentenced to imprisonment. In the last decade, hundreds of Baha'is have been prosecuted and imprisoned for their religious beliefs. But that is not the only degradation that Baha'is in Iran must face. Baha'is have been dismissed from their jobs, expelled from universities, and deprived of their property and pensions, all because of their religious beliefs. Our national consciousness would not be so aware of this unjust and unfair treatment if it had not been for yet another unjust prosecution of a young American journalist, Roxana Saberi, in 2009. While Roxana shared a prison cell with two of the female Baha'i leaders in Evin prison, she was astounded by the tranquility of her Baha'i cell mates even as they faced harsh conditions and uncertainty about their future. Fortunately, Roxana was freed from prison and has returned safely to the United States; however, those seven Baha'i leaders remain in prison and were sentenced to 10 years of confinement in one of the most dreadful prisons in Iran. In short, the Baha'i faith teaches tolerance, patience, peace and self-investigation of the truth. Yet, Baha'is are singled out and marked from persecution and ridicule from the class room to the court room and from the lunch room to the laboratory. We have our own history of unjust treatment in this country and the grievous and slow healing wounds from such pernicious and repugnant conduct can still be felt today. However, the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion in our great country have contributed greatly to the healing of our society. I believe each and every human being has a fundamental right to freedom of religion that should not be curtailed or circumscribed by the coincidence of one's citizenship in a particular nation. The freedom in our country to choose how to peacefully worship God is something many of us take for granted. We need only consider the unjust and inhumane treatment of Baha'is in Iran to realize that this freedom is not available to everyone in the world. I agree with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she condemned the sentencing of the Baha'i leaders and stated that the ``United States is committed to defending religious freedom around the world, and we have not forgotten the Baha'i community in Iran.'' I speak to you today as a reminder that religious persecution remains a fact of life in our [[Page E2242]] world and that the plight of the Baha'is in Iran is a poignant example of injustice. On behalf of my Baha'i constituents, I ask that you lend your voice to mine, so that we may create a chorus of diverse voices against the type of blatant religious persecution that we are witnessing in the unjust treatment of Baha'is in Iran. ____________________ |