Political Quotes

“for more than 40 years, this body has been passing resolutions condemning the Iranian Government's persecution of the Baha'is. This nightmare is not going away. In fact, the government of Iran has only intensified its ruthless agenda against the Baha'is. Over the last 16 months, attacks against women and violent home raids have increased, hate speech has spread, and scores of Baha'is remain behind bars on arbitrary, trumped up charges. Furthermore, Baha'is face ongoing employment and educational discrimination, as well as intrusive surveillance and invasive monitoring. The Baha'is are even denied the right to bury their dead, and when they do, their cemeteries are often vandalized or destroyed. Men, women, and children bear the brunt of the Iranian Government's fear mongering day in and day out, with no end in sight. It is crucial for the Senate to pass my resolution today and strongly condemn the repressive Iranian Government. The Iranian Government's long history of harassing, dehumanizing, and persecuting the Baha'i community in all forms is only getting longer and worse. The Wyden family knows firsthand about authoritarian regimes targeting and persecuting individuals on the basis of religion. This issue is personal to me. I have been promised for years that this resolution would receive consideration through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but the committee hasn't taken up this important issue.…”