By Pooya Stone
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution, entitled “Supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression, condemning the Iranian authorities for their crackdown on legitimate protests, and for other purposes”, on Tuesday.
The resolution, sponsored by Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch of Florida, was introduced shortly after the November uprising began in Iran and gained bipartisan support.
It highlights that the security forces used “lethal force” in the subsequent crackdown on peaceful protesters, which led to the deaths of at least 208 people, including 100 in the Mahshahr massacre on November 18, and the arrests of 7,000 people.
However, it should be noted that the Iranian Resistance has actually released the figures of 1,500 killed and 12,000 arrested, both of which are still underestimated due to the secrecy of the government.
The US House of Representatives wrote: “The House of Representatives stands with the people of Iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive, corrupt regime.”
The resolution also condemned the Iranian government’s terrorist activity, including the thwarted bomb plot against the 2018 “Free Iran” gathering in Paris, which resulted in Iranian “diplomat” Assadolah Assadi being arrested. It further condemned the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in Iran, most of whom were members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
The Resolution read: “In 1988, the Iranian regime carrying out the barbaric mass executions of thousands of political prisoners by hanging and firing squad for refusing to renounce their political affiliations and in some cases for possessing political reading material, including prisoners of conscience, teenagers, and pregnant women.”
The US House of Representatives condemned the mullahs for their human rights abuses, corruption, and destabilizing activities abroad. They further urged the White House to convene an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn the Iranian authorities’ ongoing human rights violations and “establish a mechanism by which the Security Council can monitor such violations”.
Soona Samsami, the US Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US), welcomed the passing of the resolution, saying that it sends an “unequivocal and powerful message” to the Iranian people that the US Congress fully supports their nationwide uprising for a free Iran and condemns the regime’s massacre.
She added: “The NCRI’s President-elect, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, has repeatedly underscored that the slaughter of protesters in November was a manifest case of a crime against humanity and, therefore, the United Nations Security Council must take urgent action to halt the killings and suppression and secure the release of those arrested.”
