Wendy Sherman: “in March of 1999, Iran arrested 13 of its Jewish citizens solely because of their religion. The trial has just…”

“in March of 1999, Iran arrested 13 of its Jewish citizens solely because of their religion. The trial has just concluded, and it was a show trial worthy of Joseph Stalin: no evidence, but confessions, not showing the guilt of the accused, but showing their justified fear. The prosecutor is also the judge, is also the jury. Of course no one is allowed to view the trial. These men have been in prison, most of them, for a year and a half, and it is time for Iran to let them go. The charges against them are ridiculous, because in Iran's discriminatory society no one of the Jewish faith would be allowed near anything of national security significance. So certainly the CIA would not hire from this minority group in any search for spies. The verdict will be issued on Saturday. We in this House must take a stand. The agricultural appropriations bill comes up, and I will have an amendment to deny the use of funds to allow the importation of agricultural products from Iran and, thus, reinstitute the policy of Ronald Reagan to prevent those goods from coming in at this time.”