Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Support Iranian Citizens’ Rights Amid Regime Crackdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), joined Senate colleagues to introduce a bipartisan resolution condemning the Iranian regime for suppressing its citizens' right to peacefully assemble and highlighting its long pattern of censorship, intimidation, and violent crackdowns against the Iranian people.

"The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right that no government should impede," said Kaine. "The Iranian government's use of violence, intimidation, and censorship to crack down on peaceful protestors is unacceptable, and I'm proud to join colleagues on both sides of the aisle in condemning this horrific violence."

The resolution denounces the Iranian regime's sweeping crackdown since protests began in late December, including mass arrests, internet blackouts, and the killing of peaceful protesters in the streets. Protests erupted across the nation in response to a sharp collapse of Iran's currency and a deepening economic crisis.

The resolution is led by U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). In addition to Kaine, the resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Andy Kim (D-NJ).

Full text is available here.

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