House Resolution 175

Below is a copy of the letter I sent to Representative Rob Bishop and Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett. The letter asks for the Congressmen's support in House Resolution 175 and Senate Resolution 71, bills which request that the United States reaffirm its opposition to the Islamic Republic's continued abuses against the Baha'i religious minority of Iran. The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center report refferenced can be found here. Please feel free to use or copy this letter if you wish to send in one of your own! Constructive comments of any kind are also appreciated.

Honorable Representative (name),

It is doubtless that you have heard of the issues in Iran surrounding June’s elections and the protests and rallies carried out thereafter. During this political fallout it was difficult to see exactly what was going on in Iran due to the extreme measures the Iranian government took to cover up the state sponsored violence and abuses of civil and political rights. Fortunately, the world was able to get a frightening glimpse at what was going on due to the efforts of courageous individuals who risked their very security in an attempt to gather strength from the international community. Sadly, many of these freedom fighters lost their lives during the turmoil and more still continue to be unfairly tried in televised state tribunals.

Unsurprisingly these heinous crimes are not isolated events taking place only recently in the Islamic Republic. The strategies of coercion, violence, torture, and abuse have long been part of the necessary stratagem for the Islamic Republic to retain its power. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, his predecessors, and many others, have used these same strategies to force what is essentially genocide upon one of Iran’s most prominent minority religions- the Baha’is. A report released by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center entitled Crimes Against Humanity: The Islamic Republic’s Attacks on the Baha’is outlines in detail the multifaceted approach the Islamic Republic has taken to murder, coerce, imprison, or otherwise harm the Baha’i minority.

I am writing to you today to encourage you to read the aforementioned report in full and to request that you co-sponsor and support House Resolution 175, a bill which reaffirms the United States opposition to these practices by the Islamic Republic and which asks for the immediate release of a number of Baha’i political prisoners who are currently detained solely for their religious affiliation. I also urge you to publicly gather support for this bill as a means to increase the likelihood of the release of these prisoners. Time is of the essence and the survival of those individuals may very well depend on the timeliness and efficiency of all those who oppose the brutality of the Islamic Republic.

Sincerely,
Zachary J. Stickney