{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://schakowsky.house.gov/media/press-releases/schakowsky-mccaul-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-condemning", "Schakowsky, McCaul, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Persecution of Iranian Baha\u2019i", "2025-12-03", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Janice D. Schakowsky", "S001145", "schakowsky.house.gov", "schakowsky", "https://schakowsky.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Full Text of Resolution (PDF)\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Michael McCaul (TX-10) led 20 House colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution condemning Iran\u2019s government for persecuting members of the Baha\u2019i faith. The Iranian Baha\u2019i community is the largest religious minority in Iran with a membership of more than 300,000 people.\n\n\"The Iranian government\u2019s relentless assault on its Baha\u2019i minority is an outrage that demands immediate action,\u201d said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. \u201cWe have updated the bipartisan resolution, which passed the House of Representatives last Congress, to send an even stronger, more unified message from the United States to the government of Iran condemning its grave human rights abuses. The United States and our allies must use every diplomatic tool available to hold Iran accountable and put a stop to this hate-fueled campaign once and for all.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Iranian regime\u2019s assault on the peaceful Baha'i community is abhorrent and must be condemned by leaders across the free world,\u201d said Congressman Michael McCaul. \u201cThrough this resolution, the United States Congress is sending a clear message that we stand with the Baha\u2019i community and will not tolerate Iran\u2019s efforts to silence, intimidate, and persecute members of the Baha\u2019i faith.\u201d\n\nUnlike some other religious minorities such as Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, Iran's Baha'is have never been recognized by their government and are often persecuted by the Iranian regime. The regime often seizes personal property, denies Baha'i access to education and employment opportunities, and detains or imprisons Baha'is based solely on their religious beliefs.\n\nThe Iranian government\u2019s reprehensible persecution of its Baha\u2019i minority is a continued violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In addition to denouncing the Iranian government\u2019s oppression of the Baha\u2019i community, this resolution calls on Iran to immediately release imprisoned Baha\u2019is and put an end to its state-sponsored hate campaign against them. The resolution encourages the U.S. president and secretary of state to condemn Iran\u2019s continued rights violations and imposes sanctions on Iranian government officials who are responsible for those abuses.\n\nU.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John Boozman (R-AR) are leading companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.\n\n\u201cThe Iranian government has squeezed every freedom from members of the Baha\u2019i community,\u201d said Senator Ron Wyden. \u201cImprisoning and torturing Baha\u2019is and taking away their rights is immoral, unjust, and just plain wrong. The Baha'i community in Iran deserves to freely practice their religion without fear of state-sponsored persecution. I will not stop making it loud and clear that we will not stand for any part of Iran's full-scale attack on the Baha'i community.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe persecution of members of the Baha\u2019i community in Iran remains alarming and disturbing,\u201d said Senator John Boozman. \u201cAs Americans, we are blessed with religious freedom and stand with members of the Baha\u2019i faith in their pursuit of this fundamental principle. This resolution reaffirms our commitment to their cause and solidarity against efforts to repress minority religious expression.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Reps. Schakowsky and McCaul, this resolution is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by Reps. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Don Beyer (VA-08), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Rich McCormick (GA-07), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), and Rudy Yakym (IN-02).\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://schakowsky.house.gov/media/press-releases/schakowsky-mccaul-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-condemning"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.101448994129896, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}