IRANIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF NORTH TEXAS SUPPORTS H.RES. 627: JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF IRANIAN REGIME'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES

IACNT; July 28, 2023

DALLAS, TEXAS — The Iranian-American Community of North Texas (IACNT) firmly supports House Resolution 627 (H.Res. 627) introduced yesterday by Representative Lance Gooden and joined by over 40 original co-sponsors, including many bipartisan Texas representatives. It calls for accountability of the Iranian regime leaders for their severe human rights violations, specifically the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and recent uprisings.

H.Res. 627 addresses two critical concerns of our community: justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre, the majority of whom were supporters of the People's Mojahedin of Iran (MEK), and the protection and full refugee rights of Iranian political refugees based in Ashraf 3, Albania. These issues are of utmost importance to us as we have many community members with relatives in Ashraf 3 and many others who have lost loved ones in the 1988 massacre.

The resolution addresses the protection and full refugee rights of Iranian political refugees based in Ashraf 3, Albania. Many of these individuals are former political prisoners and witnesses to the 1988 massacre. Their safety is essential for potential testimonies in international courts investigating Iran's political killings. H.Res. 627 “calls on the United States Government, in cooperation with our ally Albania, to ensure the full protection of the Iranian political refugees in Ashraf 3 in Albania and for them to benefit from all rights stipulated in the Geneva Convention 1951 and the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to life, liberty, and security, and protection of property, as well as freedom of expression and assembly.”

In 1988, the then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a death decree that led to the execution of 30,000 political prisoners, the majority of whom loyal to the Iranian Resistance. Amnesty International confirmed that the victims were primarily supporters of the MEK. One key individual who implemented this dreadful fatwa is the current Iranian regime’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, who was a member of the “Death Commission” at the time. To this day, those responsible have not faced justice. H.Res. 627 unequivocally condemns these atrocities and demands justice for the victims.

The resolution also highlights the Iranian people's recent uprisings, their yearning for freedom and democracy, and their “rejecting monarchic dictatorship and religious tyranny, as evident in their protest slogans.” Their resilience and bravery are paramount, even in the face of lethal force from the regime’s repressive forces. H.Res. 627 stands firmly with the Iranian people in their quest for justice and “recognizes the rights of the Iranian people and their struggle to establish a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran.”

The IACNT applauds Congressman Gooden as well as Sheila Jackson-Lee, Randy Weber, Sylvia Garcia, Pete Sessions, Jasmine Crockett, Brian Babin, Jake Ellzey, Troy Nehls, and all bipartisan co-sponsors of H.Res. 627 for their unwavering commitment to these critical issues. Their united support of this resolution sends a powerful message of solidarity with victims of human rights abuses in Iran and the Iranian political refugees in Ashraf 3, Albania.

The IACNT strongly urges all U.S. House of Representatives members, particularly the Texas delegation, to support H.Res. 627, as it represents a significant step towards justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre and those murdered during the uprisings since 2017, as well as protecting Iranian political refugees.

About the Iranian-American Community of North Texas (IACNT)
The Iranian-American Community of North Texas (IACNT) is an independent non-profit organization serving the Iranian Community of North Texas. IACNT advocates for democratic values, human rights, and justice for the people of Iran to establish a democratic, free, non-nuclear republic in Iran.