H.R. 4744, Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act

Floor Situation

On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, the House will consider H.R. 4744, the Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, under suspension of the rules. The bill was introduced on January 9, 2018, by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), and was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, which ordered the bill reported, as amended, by unanimous consent on March 15, 2018.

Summary

H.R. 4744 details the human rights abuses and hostage-taking perpetrated by the Government of Iran. It requires the President to determine whether senior Iranian officials are responsible for human rights abuses and whether official Iranian businesses should be sanctioned for public corruption under existing law.  It also imposes property-blocking and visa-denial sanctions for Iranian officials (and family members) responsible for politically motivated detentions of U.S. citizens and residents, or abuses against Iranian expatriates.

Background

U.S. and international criticism of Iran's human rights practices has been long-standing. State Department reports and reports from the U.N. Special Rapporteur have long cited Iran for a wide range of abuses including the denial of fair public trial, harsh and life-threatening conditions in prison, and unlawful detention and torture. A U.N. Special Rapporteur on Iran human rights was reestablished in March 2011 by the U.N. Human Rights Council (22 to 7 vote). A previous Special Rapporteur on Iran human rights existed during 1988-2002. Former Maldives Foreign Minister Ahmad Shaheed was appointed to this role in June 2011, and he was replaced by Pakistani human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir in September 2016. She issued two Iran human rights reports, the latest of which was dated August 14, 2017 (A/72/322), before she passed away in February 2018. Her report findings were largely consistent with those of the State Department and those of her predecessor. The Special Rapporteur mandate was extended on March 24, 2018, but a successor to Jahangir has not been announced.[1]

On December 28, 2017, the latent fissures erupted in significant unrest throughout Iran. Demonstrations were smaller than the 2009-2010 protests, but were more widespread, occurring in more than 80 cities. Protests initially cited economic concerns--the high prices of staple foods--but the demonstrations quickly evolved to expressions of opposition to Iran's power structure and leadership as well as to the government's expenditure of resources on its interventions throughout the Middle East. Some protesters might have been motivated by Rouhani's 2018-2019 budget proposals that increased funds for clerical business enterprises and the IRGC, while at the same time continuing to cut subsidies that Iranian economic experts argued were inflationary.[2]

The Trump Administration voiced its strong support to the protestors, in part by warning the regime against using force and vowing to hold officials responsible for harming protestors. The Administration also requested a U.N. Security Council meeting to consider Iran's crackdown on the unrest. The Administration imposed U.S. sanctions on identified regime officials and institutions responsible for abuses against protestors, including judiciary chief Sadeq Larijani. The designation of Larijani for human rights sanctions represented the highest level Iranian official sanctioned by the United States to date. The House of Representatives passed H. Res. 676, supporting the rights of protestors and condemning the use of force against them by the Iranian Government.[3]

Iran continues to detain U.S. and U.S.-Iran dual nationals. Iranian foreign ministry officials acknowledged unspecified discussions about the dual nationals with the Trump Administration on the sidelines of a late April 2017 multilateral meeting on the nuclear deal, but Iran has not outlined publicly any specific demands for their release.[4]

Cost

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that implementing the bill would cost less than $500,000 each year and would total $1 million over the 2018-2023 period, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

Staff Contact

For questions or further information please contact Ryan Hofmann with the House Republican Policy Committee by email or at 2-6674.