text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Iran Human Rights Act of 2007''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress makes the following findings:
              (1) There is currently not a democratic government in Iran. 
          Instead, Iran is an ideological dictatorship presided over by 
          an unelected Supreme Leader with limitless veto power, an 
          unelected Expediency Council, and a Council of Guardians 
          capable of eviscerating any reforms.
              (2) The Supreme Leader appoints the heads of the judiciary, 
          the clergy members on the powerful Council of Guardians, the 
          commanders of all the armed forces, Friday prayer leaders, and 
          the head of radio and television and confirms the president's 
          election, rendering him the most powerful person in Iranian 
          politics with little accountability within the political 
          system.
              (3) Members of the Council of Guardians in Iran, who are 
          chosen by the Supreme Leader, must vet all candidates for 
          election based on their political predispositions and all 
          legislation before it can be entered into law.
              (4) There has been a re-entrenchment of revolutionary 
          forces in the political system in Iran. Elections held in 
          February 2004 resulted in significant gains by conservative 
          hard-liners affiliated with the regime's clerical army, the 
          Pasdaran, culminating in the election of President Mahmoud 
          Ahmadinejad in June 2005.
              (5) Over the past decade, human rights have been in steady 
          decline in Iran. Torture, executions after unfair trials, and 
          censorship of all media remain rampant throughout the country. 
          Stoning, amputation, flogging, and beheading are used as 
          methods of punishment.
              (6) Since his rise to power, President Ahmadinejad has 
          embarked upon a concerted campaign of domestic repression, 
          including new restrictions on radio, television, and film 
          content, a ban on the publication of virtually all books, and 
          an expansion in the activities of the regime's ``morals 
          police''.
              (7) The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 
          61/176 on December 19, 2006, to express its grave concern over 
          the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran. The 
          resolution urges the Government of Iran ``to ensure full 
          respect for the rights to freedom of assembly, opinion and 
          expression ... to eliminate the use of torture and other cruel, 
          inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ... [and] to 
          eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination 
          based on religion, ethnicity, or linguistic grounds.
              (8) The 2006 State Department Country Reports on Human 
          Rights Practices states that ``the Government's poor human 
          rights record worsened, and it continued to commit numerous, 
          serious abuses''.
              (9) According to Human Rights Watch's World Report 2006, 
          many of the human rights violations committed in Iran were 
          performed by quasi-official ``parallel institutions'', which 
          include ``paramilitary groups and plainclothes intelligence 
          agents [that] violently attack peaceful protesters, and 
          intelligence services [that] run illegal secret prisons and 
          interrogation centers''. Uniformed police officers are fearful 
          of challenging plainclothes agents, who belong to groups such 
          as Ansar-e Hizbollah and Basij.
              (10) According to the 2006 State Department International 
          Religious Freedom Report, the population of Iran is 89 percent 
          Shi'a Muslim and 8 percent Sunni Muslim; less than 2 percent of 
          the remaining population is comprised of Baha'is, Jews, 
          Christians, Mandaeans, and Zoroastrians.
              (11) Religious minorities in Iran face significant 
          discrimination, including imprisonment, harassment, and 
          intimidation. Accordingly, the Secretary of State has, since 
          1999, designated Iran as a country of particular concern 
          pursuant to section 402(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious 
          Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)).
              (12) Ambeyi Ligabo, United Nations Special Rapporteur on 
          the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, submitted a 
          report to the Commission on Human Rights in 2004 on ``Civil and 
          Political Rights, Including the Question of Freedom of 
          Expression''. Mr. Ligabo asserted that ``the climate of fear 
          induced by the systematic repression of people expressing 
          critical views against the authorized political and religious 
          doctrine and the functioning of the institutions coupled with 
          the severe and disproportionate sentences imposed lead to self-
          censorship on the part of many journalists, intellectuals, 
          politicians, students and the population at large, thus in 
          effect impeding freedom of expression''.
              (13) According to the 2006 State Department Country Reports 
          on Human Rights Practices, on July 31, 2006, student protestor 
          Akbar Mohammadi died in Evin Prison from medical complications 
          related to a hunger strike. The report states that 
          ``authorities reportedly denied Mohammadi's parents permission 
          to see their son's body and did not respond to calls for an 
          independent investigation into the cause of death.
              (14) Amnesty International's 2003 Report on Iran detailed 
          the arrest of Iranian-born Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi for 
          taking photographs outside Evin prison in Tehran on June 23, 
          2003. Over the course of her detention, judicial officials 
          interrogated Ms. Kazemi for three days. While in custody, Ms. 
          Kazemi was beaten, and she died of a brain hemorrhage on July 
          23, 2003. Despite court orders for investigation, no progress 
          has been made on this case.
              (15) Men and women are not equal under the laws of Iran, 
          and women are legally deprived of their basic rights. The 2006 
          State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 
          stated that the weight of a woman's court testimony in Iran is 
          half that of a man's testimony and the family of a female crime 
          victim in that country receives only half the amount of ``blood 
          money'' provided to the family of a male crime victim. The 
          Government of Iran mandates gender segregation in most public 
          spaces, including on public buses and at entrances to public 
          buildings, universities, and airports.
              (16) The April 30, 2007, State Department Country Reports 
          on Terrorism states that Iran remains the most active state 
          sponsor of terrorism.
              (17) There exists a broad-based movement and desire for 
          political change in the Islamic Republic of Iran that is pro-
          democratic and seeks freedom and economic opportunity, and 
          which represents all sectors of Iranian society, including 
          youth, women, students, military personnel, and religious 
          figures.
              (18) The people of Iran have increasingly expressed 
          frustration at the slow pace of reform in Iran, and any efforts 
          for nonviolent change in their society have been suppressed.
              (19) On September 7, 2006, Mohammad Khatami, President of 
          Iran from 1997 to 2005, became the highest ranking Iranian to 
          visit Washington, DC, since the hostage crisis of 1979, despite 
          his government's state sponsorship of terrorism, repression of 
          political opponents, and dismal human rights record and the 
          advancement of Iran's uranium enrichment program.
              (20) President Ahmadinejad is moving to limit freedom of 
          expression in higher education. On September 5, 2006, he 
          expressed concern that universities were too secular and called 
          for a purge of liberal and secular faculty members from 
          universities in Iran.
  
  SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE IRAN FREEDOM SUPPORT ACT.
  
      (a) Foreign Policy Priorities.--Section 301(a) of the Iran Freedom 
  Support Act (Public Law 109-293; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) is amended--
              (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
              (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``in Iran.'' and 
          inserting ``inside and outside Iran that maintain 
          internationally recognized human rights standards, including 
          those provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
          and the Helsinki Commitments;''; and
              (3) by adding at the end the following:
              ``(3) to make the deplorable human rights record of the 
          Government of Iran a top concern and priority of United States 
          foreign policy; and
              ``(4) to keep the deplorable human rights record of Iran a 
          top priority, irrespective of ongoing nuclear issues.''.
      (b) Support for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran.--Section 302 of 
  such Act is amended--
              (1) by amending the section header to read as follows: 
          ``support for democracy and human rights in iran''; and
              (2) by redesignating subsections (a) through (g) as 
          subsections (b) through (h), respectively;
              (3) in subsection (d), as redesignated--
                      (A) by inserting ``, acting through the Special 
                  Envoy,'' after ``The President''; and
                      (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``(g)'' and 
                  inserting ``(h)''; and
              (4) by inserting before subsection (b) the following:
      ``(a) Special Envoy on Human Rights in Iran.--
              ``(1) Appointment of special envoy.--The President shall 
          appoint a special envoy for human rights in Iran within the 
          Department of State (in this section referred to as the 
          `Special Envoy'). The Special Envoy should--
                      ``(A) be a person of recognized distinction in the 
                  field of human rights;
                      ``(B) not be an incumbent official of the 
                  Department of State; and
                      ``(C) report directly to the Secretary of State.
              ``(2) Duties.--
                      ``(A) In general.--The Special Envoy shall 
                  coordinate and promote efforts to improve respect for 
                  the fundamental human rights of the people of Iran and 
                  work with organizations committed to promoting 
                  democracy in Iran.
                      ``(B) Specific duties.--The Special Envoy shall--
                              ``(i) support and promote international 
                          efforts to promote human rights and political 
                          freedoms in Iran, including coordination 
                          between the United States and the United 
                          Nations, the European Union, the Organization 
                          for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and 
                          countries in the region;
                              ``(ii) establish the regional framework 
                          described in section 304;
                              ``(iii) coordinate with appropriate offices 
                          of the Department of State, the Department of 
                          Defense, the National Security Council, and 
                          such other agencies as may be necessary to 
                          coordinate the establishment and operation of 
                          the regional framework;
                              ``(iv) serve as point of contact for 
                          opposition groups, diaspora groups, and 
                          nongovernmental organizations interested in 
                          advocating democracy and human rights in Iran;
                              ``(v) coordinate efforts with appropriate 
                          departments and agencies of the Federal 
                          Government, international organizations, 
                          nongovernmental organizations, and individuals 
                          and organizations from the Iranian diaspora to 
                          acquire greater information and reporting on 
                          conditions in Iran;
                              ``(vi) oversee funding for, and providing 
                          consultative authority with respect to, public 
                          and private broadcasting into Iran; and
                              ``(vii) review strategies for improving the 
                          protection of human rights in Iran, including 
                          technical training and exchange programs.
              ``(3) Report on activities.--Not later than 180 days after 
          the date of the enactment of the Iran Human Rights Act of 2007, 
          and annually thereafter for each of the following 5 years, the 
          Special Envoy shall submit a report on the activities 
          undertaken under paragraph (2) during the preceding 12 months 
          to--
                      ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                  Senate;
                      ``(B) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
                  Senate;
                      ``(C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                  of Representatives; and
                      ``(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
                  of Representatives.''.
      (c) Sense of Congress.--Title III of such Act is amended by adding 
  at the end the following:
  
  ``SEC. 303. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN 
                IRAN.
  
      ``It is the sense of Congress that--
              ``(1) there is a direct relationship between the state of 
          freedom and democracy within Iran and the efforts of the 
          current regime of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and the long-
          term success of the global war on terror; and
              ``(2) it is essential that the issue of human rights 
          violations in Iran should remain a top United States foreign 
          policy priority, independent of efforts to address the nuclear 
          threat in Iran.
  
  ``SEC. 304. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONAL FRAMEWORK.
  
      ``(a) Finding.--Congress finds that human rights initiatives can be 
  undertaken on a multilateral basis, as demonstrated by the Organization 
  for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which established a regional 
  framework for discussing human rights, scientific and educational 
  cooperation, and economic and trade issues.
      ``(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
  United States Government should explore the possibility of a regional 
  human rights dialogue on Iran that is modeled on the Helsinki process 
  established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 
  engaging all countries in the region in a common commitment to respect 
  human rights and fundamental freedoms.
  
  ``SEC. 305. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
  
      ``It is the sense of Congress that the United Nations has a 
  significant role to play in promoting and improving human rights in 
  Iran, and that--
              ``(1) the United Nations General Assembly has taken 
          positive steps by adopting Resolution 61/176, which expresses 
          its grave concern over the deteriorating human rights situation 
          in Iran;
              ``(2) the severe human rights violations in Iran warrant 
          country-specific attention and reporting by the United Nations 
          Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the United Nations 
          Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, the 
          Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary 
          Executions, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and 
          Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, 
          the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and 
          the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women;
              ``(3) United Nations member states should not support Iran 
          as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council until 
          the Government of Iran has made significant progress in its 
          human rights record, including the adherence to the Universal 
          Declaration on Human Rights; and
              ``(4) the Special Envoy should work with the United Nations 
          to compile accurate statistical data on social and political 
          conditions inside Iran.
  
  ``SEC. 306. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON VISA POLICY.
  
      ``It is the sense of Congress that the commitment to human rights 
  and democracy of a national of Iran who has applied for a visa to enter 
  the United States should be considered when determining the eligibility 
  of such national for the visa.''.
target: Iran Human Rights Act of 2007 - Amends the Iran Freedom Support Act to direct the President to appoint a special envoy for human rights in Iran within the Department of State to coordinate efforts to improve respect for the fundamental human rights of the people of Iran and work with organizations committed to promoting democracy in Iran.
  
  Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) there is a direct relationship between the state of freedom and democracy within Iran and the efforts of the Iranian regime to acquire nuclear weapons and the long-term success of the global war on terror; (2) it is essential that the issue of human rights violations in Iran should remain a top U.S. foreign policy priority independent of efforts to address the nuclear threat in Iran; (3) the U.S. government should explore the possibility of a regional human rights dialogue with Iran; (4) the United Nations has a significant role to play in improving human rights in Iran; and (5) the commitment to human rights and democracy of an Iranian national who has applied for a U.S. entry visa should be considered when determining visa eligibility.
feat_title: To hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its human rights record and to support a transition to democracy in Iran.