After recognizing myself, chairman smith am a Ranking Member deutsche for opening statements, i will then recognize other members seeking recognition for one minute. Then we will hear from our witnesses and without objection the witnesses prepared statement will be made part of the record. Members may have five days to insert statements and questions for the record subject to the length demonstration like limitations. The chair recognizes herself for five minutes. Ng aqua data jobs of course, we cannot forget the 2009 Green Movement in iran in which millions took to the streets calling for reforms. The administration refused to the soap refused to support the Green Movement and a part of the world that is resistant to peaceful change. It is unfortunately a mistake we have seen with this administration too often and we are seeking the results we are seeing the results of this in action and indecisiveness now. Then along came the socalled moderate rouhani and the administration trip dollar themselves saying that he was a man who could bring reforms to iran. They were forgetting are choosing to willfully be oforant of what the fact this rouhani was the consummate regime insider, handpicked by the supreme and the Supreme Leader to be a finalist in the president ial selection. Policy, domestic or foreign, gets selected without the Committee Say so. Everybody wanted to believe that rouhani would be the reformer. Just like he had done when he was irans chief nuclear negotiator, he managed to pull the wool over the eyes of many. Aat we have seen so far in one year since rouhani won the june 14, 2013, selection, and i colored a selection because the people of iran were given a false choice of selecting one of the many handpicked choices, according to the most objective analysis, the choices and iran have not gotten better and in many areas it has decreased. Gotten worse. There have been more than 670 executions a lender under rouhani. They wanted and flagrant human rights practices do not end there. The regimeiran, continues to stifle free speech, freedom of the press, right to assembly, jailing bloggers and social media users and shutting media organizations and jailing journalists. Some reports indicate that there 40 journalists and bloggers. Iran has the highest number of jailed journalists, 100 human rights defenders and hundreds of religious minorities unjustly imprisoned in iran. One of the most endangered nonmuslimirans religious minorities who have seen the committee constantly targeted for persecution and imprisonment. There are 150 members of the Bahai Community currently in irans prisons, including these prisoners of conscience or bay held in iranian cousins merely for professing iranian prisons nearly for professing freedom believes. Placed in solitary confinement, subjected to cruel conditions and denied the political the medical attention they need. Of course, there is a Software Resident who lives in congressman deutschs district who was abducted in iran over 2500 days ago and is now the longest held captive in u. S. History. To aid iranian promises in the investigation and search for him, they have been left less than forced coming. The litany of cruel and human rights abuses that continue to occur is seemingly endless. Rouhani knows that all he needs to do is smile and sweet and thomas the u. S. And the west that he will cooperate on the Nuclear Issue on his transgressions and they will be forgiven are overlooked. Is that how we want america to project his Foreign Policy . Theyve we wont i am pleased to yield to the Ranking Member. Thank you, madam chairman, for holding this very important hearing. Remains focused on irans Illicit Nuclear program, we must not and cannot ignore this regime which is still the Worlds Largest state sponsor of terror, responsible for the retention of american citizens and is one of the worlds worst human rights abusers. We will share light on the continued road to continued grotesque human Rights Violations. June 14 marseille year since rouhani june 14 marks a year. Ince rouhani repression of basic rights, discrimination against minority groups has continued every single day. Theress has passed and administration that has enacted in 2011. In 2010 and this last week, a u. S. Special repertory in iran whose mandate march, eightn months into the romney presidency, expressed outrage over the alarming amount of executions that have taken place in iran this year. Per capita, iran ranks first in the world in terms of executions according to the iran documentation hearing, more than five have more than 500 have taken place this year alone. But the government has only reported on when 25. A 95 att least least 895 incarcerated. This includes political minorities,ouis students, journalists, and other Civil Society leaders. Political prisoners face widespread physical, mental, and often sexual abuse. Iran continues to discriminate and to perpetrate egregious abuses against minorities. The bahai, the largest nonmuslim religious group in the denial for jobs and other Educational Opportunities based on Group Membership and face discrimination throughout the iranian judicial system. Aref last year, 136 bahai being held in iranian prisons for religious reasons. Since 2005, 49 incidents of arson have been reported on behind property without a single arrest on bahai property without a single arrest. Women are rarely afforded equal treatment in the judicial system. An irani runny subject toad been arrest and stoning was released. This is why constant pressure is so critical. Iran he women have been constantly been persecuted for posted pictures of themselves. Women are subject to fines by the Morality Police for failing to where it in public. Now there are calls for a actress toirani be publicly flawed after a male director kissed her cheek. Homosexuality is a crime. Iran is one of the seven countries where samesex relationships can be punished and it is death. Free speech and freedom of expression, freedom of the press are virtually nonexistent in iran. We must not allow iran to drop in electronic or nonits people. Electroni to drop on electroc curtain on its people. We could literally spend all day sharing examples of all of the ways that the people of iran are deprived of the most a sick human rights. The u. S. Must continue to speak out in support and to implement policies for policies to bolster education. Human rights cannot take a backseat in negotiations with iran. We must commit ourselves and must continue to call on every nation that we call a partner to not ignore what is going inside of the iran. Or a country that values human rights must end of war those right everywhere. I thank you for what you do. Thank you very much for an excellent statement. I am now pleased to yield to the chairman of the subcommittee on Africa Global health and human rights, mr. Smith of new jersey. Thank you, madam chair. Working together, the two subcommittee send a clear on human rights in iran. It is great to work with you and your subcommittee. At the end of this month will mark two years since a pastor has seen or hugged his wife and his children. What started out as a meaningful humanitarian trip to build a orphanage for children and iran be his children to fatherless for the past two years. The pastor has been arrested before but was released and told he could enter and exit for humanitarian work if he agreed housep pastoring churches. Iranianted the government. But iran did not uphold its end of the agreement. He was arrested in september of 2012 and remanded to a prison the taurus for irans worst criminals to he was denied contract contact with his attorney until trial. The trial was a sham. They were barred from for dissipating in key portions of the trial and was sentenced to eight years in prison. What a cruel joke. Onot of the details are clearer and discussion is difficult as the iranian government has denied access to the judicial decision. Although the pastor was finally allowed to be examined i a private physician where it was determined he needed surgery, he was denied necessary treatment instead, just a few weeks ago, he was severely beaten at the total in front of his iranian family and then returned to prison. Unfortunately, he isnt the only american held under questionable conditions by the iranian government. He has been accused of being a cia agent. Prisonbeen in a iranian on trumped up charges. Meanwhile, his father is dying and may never hes may never see his son again and life. The iranian government is believed Robert Levinson who traveled to dubai to irans kish island and has not been seen since. That he isndications being held somewhere in southeast asia. The iranian government has not lived up to his best to their prominence to their promise. The false imprisonment of american citizens did not change under president rouhani. What excuse proffered is that somehow the iranian legal system is organized differently than the american legal system. Of course, we believe that the president has huge power. Said, in the United States, the executive branch investigates, prosecute, and imprisons those committed did those convicted of crimes. They tried traced and execute senses, supervises programs that reportedly have prisoners. The chief justice is also the official whose request for pardons are initially addressed for it is he who bears the responsibility of making recommendations to the Supreme Leader for pardoning or reducing the senses of convicts within the framework of islamic criteria. I therefore respectfully call on the chief justice who called on the president many times. Now we us have conveyed call the chief justice to address these cases. The chief justice reviewed been trial andthe of the instructed the prosecutor general to release for public review the appeal records and the evidence should be courts relied on each of their cases. The chief justice has also been asked to permit the swiss ambassador in tehran to visit with each of these prisoners and report back to his government and two hours on the state of their health and the condition of their imprisonment. Article six in the iranian constitution is that it is the judiciarys role to serve as a director for the rights of individuals and society, call on the chief justice to lament that. Ironically, iran wants the world to lift sanctions and trust them with Nuclear Capabilities despite continued and violent disregard for fundamental rights, not just for americans but for countless other people, especially indigenous iranians. The u. N. Special repertory for warned ints in iran march 2014, just a few months ago, that hundreds of individuals reportedly remained in some form of confinement, including 179 bahai, 48 christians, and working dervish muslims. In final, while i am grateful that the president raise the residenthe call to rouhani less september, the United States can do much more to secure his release and that of two other americans. I was devastated to learn that the administration did not even ask for my husbands release when seated directly across the table. She went on to say my husband is suffering because he is a christian. He is suffering because he is an american. American representatives have abandoned him. We need to redouble our efforts. With the deadline coming, july of we have a window opportunity. Thank you for a very eloquent statement. I now recognize members for one minute opening remarks and we will begin with mr. Connelly of virginia. Thank you, madam chairman. Imagine for a moment that you are a gay woman, an iranian ethnic minority whose working conditions are deplorable and would like to take action to improve your life. First, your efforts to join the workforce is commendable. It is presumed that your husband did not at jet to your employment to object to your employment because by law he has a right to. Like most kurds, arabs, or believes shes in iran, you persevere to a lifetime of government who neglects institutionalized discrimination. You nonetheless are arrested for spreading propaganda for form a socialist groups. The human rights situation in iran is medieval and remains bleak and it is very important we speak out about it. Are subcommittee chairman is recognized. I want to commend you and chairmans myth on these continuing hearings on iran. Iran continues to be one of the worlds leading abusers of human rights. Regime persecutes anybody who dares to speak publicly or not so publicly against the regime and often issues death sentences to iranians who are charged with insulting islam. It has become pretty clear that the socalled moderate rouhani is just another in a long list of iranian thugs whose contempt s human own people rights. Thank you for holding todays hearing on this very important issue. I would like to thank the witnesses for the testimony this morning and to say that it is a great honor to be joined by people who exemplify courage and a deep commitment in the injustice andst human rights abuses. As we continue to closely monitor negotiations, we also have a responsibility to address other risks, such as how iran threatens human values. In a region of the world where the track for Civil Liberties and human rights come especially for women, girls and minorities, irans fans out as particularly stands out asran particularly egregious. I am particularly concerned about sexual and gender minorities in iran. Iran is one of the few countries that has Death Penalty as a gays and lesbians and other sexual minorities. Now we will turn to our panel and wonderful witnesses that we have. First, we welcome dr. John robert george. He is the mccormick professor of jurisprudence and director of the James Madison program in american ideals and institutions at princeton university. He has taught at Harvard Law School and is a senior fellow at the hoover is jewish and at stanford university. Welcome, dr. George. We will quickly introduce the other panelists. We also have ms. Claire zaharias who was born and raised in iran where she was denied entrance to university simply because of her faith. After leaving iran, she was resettled as a rep e. G. In canada before moving to the as a refugee in canada before moving to the United States. We are pleased to welcome mr. Hossain is on a who is the middle east and north Africa RegionalProgram Coordinator for the International Gay and lesbian human rights commission. He has worked over the last 15 years in iran and throughout the region to promote equality and to foster crosscultural understanding and support for the civil and human rights of all people. Mr. Amir hussain ate editorinchief of a persian website that covers human rights and Civil Society news in iran. Because of his rule his role in student protests, he was imprisoned for two years. In 2010, he was forced to leave iran. Witnesses. All of our your statements will be made a part of the record and we will begin with the esteemed actor george. The believes defining irans regime remain strongly theocratic. Any iranian dissenting from the interpretation of shia islam may be deemed enemy of the state. The United States has designated iran as a country of particular concern. That means its government ranked among the worlds worst religious freedom abusers, rejecting dissenting iranians, prolonged detention, torture and even execution. Andregime human rights freedom Record Record picture is bleak. Iran has irans already dire conditions have deteriorated during the rouhani tenure particularly for bahais, muslims and those belonging to minority sects. A sheer laird who advocates cleric who a shia advocates tolerance. Dissidents and human rights protectors have been executed for the crime of waging war against god. Dear is a snapshot of what we have seen. Without objection, that list will be made a part of the record. At least 135 bahais are in prison because of their religious beliefs, a doubling of the number since 2011. Marks six years of incarceration for leaders imprisoned following their consciences in matters of faith. Taking a cue from regime and media, members received a knife injury from an attack and a local leader was attacked was killed last autumn. The bahais, the government views protestants as their main competitor. As of february 2014, at least 40 were imprisoned, detained or are awaiting trial. Weaknesses significant increases of christians in prison meant to intimidate them. A christian pastor was one of those injured. As you can see, he is a young man. Minister serving eight years on the absurd charge of threatening irans national security. November, he was transferred to another prison known for its harsh conditions. In march, he was beaten after he was sent to a hospital in may. He was repeatedly beaten again and return to prison. During the pastor, u. S. Policy has included public statements and imposing unilateral sanctions for human Rights Violations. We recommend the following. The u. S. Government should include violation of human rights and religious freedom conversations with iran. Continued to designate iran a country of particular concern and take action appropriated under the International Religious freedom act. Agenciesree, identify and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom, barring them from entrance into the u. S. And ask for action. A knack for multiple years in forlautenberg amendment religious minorities. U. S. Officials should speak out publicly and frequently at the highest levels for the religious Freedom Abuses and work with the International Community to hold authorities accountable. Representatives should join the freedoms project. Iran,ering how to engage lets recall the pledge of conscie