Florida Senate - 2023                                     SM 848
       
       
        
       By Senator Powell
       
       
       
       
       
       24-02004-23                                            2023848__
    1                           Senate Memorial                         
    2         A memorial to the Congress of the United States,
    3         urging Congress to stand in support of the fight for
    4         freedom of the people of Iran.
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, the people of Iran have the right to live in a
    7  safe, democratic country that is free of religious persecution
    8  and extremism, and
    9         WHEREAS, the heroism displayed by the people of Iran is
   10  inspirational, and those protesting on the streets deserve our
   11  full attention and support as they call for women, life, and
   12  freedom, and
   13         WHEREAS, the people of Iran are calling for a new
   14  government that is democratically elected, free, and where the
   15  people have the right to self-determination, and
   16         WHEREAS, according to the United States-based human rights
   17  monitor Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 469 people,
   18  including 63 children and 32 women, have been killed since
   19  demonstrations began in Iran on September 17, 2022, and
   20  thousands of people have been arrested, and
   21         WHEREAS, the protests began after the brutal murder of
   22  Mahsa “Jina” Amini by the morality police for not wearing her
   23  hijab correctly, and
   24         WHEREAS, the activism of millions worldwide has resulted in
   25  the Islamic Republic of Iran’s removal from the United Nations
   26  Women’s Commission, and an independent investigation has been
   27  launched by the United Nations into the ongoing deadly violence
   28  against protesters in Iran, and
   29         WHEREAS, the United States is encouraged to stop all
   30  discussions on the Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the
   31  Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to continue to sanction
   32  members of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic
   33  Revolutionary Guard Corps, and to continue to amplify the voices
   34  and the will of the people of Iran by maintaining Internet
   35  access so that Iranians may continue to expose the injustices of
   36  their daily lives, and
   37         WHEREAS, federal representatives should continue to push
   38  the United Nations’ investigative mechanism for crimes against
   39  humanity committed by Iran and demand the end of unlawful
   40  imprisonment and execution in Iran, and
   41         WHEREAS, as the fearless people of Iran continue to take to
   42  the streets, the call for unity among all Americans in support
   43  of the people of Iran should continue to be amplified, NOW,
   44  THEREFORE,
   45  
   46  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   47  
   48         That the Congress of the United States is urged to stand in
   49  support of the fight for freedom of the people of Iran.
   50         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that that the Secretary of State
   51  dispatch copies of this memorial to the President of the United
   52  States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker
   53  of the United States House of Representatives, and each member
   54  of the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.