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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) announced the formation of a bipartisan caucus of nearly 20 lawmakers on Thursday, which focuses on the women of Iran.
The caucus, named the Iranian Women Congressional Caucus, will serve as a forum in which members of Congress can address issues and developments relating to women’s freedom and democracy in Iran. The committee’s first move was a joint resolution condemning the chemical attack on Iranian school girls.
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“So many Iranian women are showing their bravery and resiliency in the face of challenges in their fight for equality and human rights,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner. “As we have witnessed, women and youth have displayed tremendous courage in leading the protests in Iran over the past five months, calling for social freedom and political change. We will be on the side of freedom and oppose the oppression of women, in the United States, Iran, and around the globe.”
The resolution is the latest move from Congress to condemn the current Iranian regime and support the thousands of women and girls protesting for a secular, democratic, and nuclear-free Iran. The House passed a resolution in January that specifically praised the bravery and courage of Iranian protesters. The protests began in September after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody for not wearing her hijab correctly.
The House also passed a more detailed resolution in February that supported the protests and its leader, Maryam Rajavi. It also supported Rajavi’s 10-point plan, which calls for the universal right to vote, free elections, and a market economy, as well as gender, religious, and ethnic equality.
Since September, a series of chemical attacks have targeted hundreds of school girls in what is believed to be a response to the protests. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said if the poisonings are deliberate, he will seek the death penalty for the “unforgivable” crimes. However, no suspects or details on the chemicals used in the attacks have been released.
The United States’s relationship with Iran has been rocky recently amid the Biden administration’s efforts to revitalize the Iran nuclear deal. But advocates, including lawmakers, have called on the U.S. and other Western democracies to cut ties with the regime. The administration ramped up its response to the protests last month by sanctioning people and companies believed to play a role in the violent crackdown.
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There have been more than 500 deaths in the protests and brutal crackdown from the regime so far, human rights activists in Iran told the Associated Press. Over 19,700 others have been detained by authorities.
The new committee is expected to promote dialogue by providing a regular flow of information to members of Congress with documentation based on a range of viewpoints, including U.S. and other governmental sources, nongovernmental organizations, Iranian dissident groups, and leaders of the Iranian American community.
