2023 Senate Joint Resolution 72
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: supporting the people of Iran in their quest for a democratic government.
Whereas, the people of Iran have bravely protested for their fundamental rights and freedoms for years, and the Iranian regime has suppressed such protests with repressive forces, arresting thousands and killing hundreds; and
Whereas, since September 2022, protests have erupted in at least 100 cities across Iran in response to the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who was arrested by morality police for a violation of Iran’s mandatory dress code; and
Whereas, these protests are rooted in more than four decades of organized resistance against the Iranian dictatorship and are led by women who have endured torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and death; and
Whereas, for years, the Iranian regime has also arbitrarily and brutally suppressed ethnic and religious minorities—including Iranian Kurds, Baluchis, Arabs, Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Zoroastrians, and Sunni Muslims—depriving them of their fundamental human rights, and in many cases executing them; and
Whereas, senior Iranian government, military, judicial, and security officials have for decades ordered and committed egregious human rights violations and acts of terror against Iranian citizens; and
Whereas, the Iranian people are now rejecting monarchic dictatorship and religious tyranny, and demanding social freedom and political change, including the universal right to vote, free elections, a market economy, a foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence, and gender, religious, and ethnic equality as specified in the opposition leader Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan for the future of Iran; and
Whereas, the similarity in slogans and tactics used by protestors nationwide reflect the overarching demands of the Iranian people and point to the organized nature of the protests; and
Whereas, Wisconsinites support the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin Legislature condemns past and present violations of human rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian government and stands in solidarity with the people of Iran in their quest for a democratic and secular republic government that respects the rights and dignity of all individuals.
Representative Robin J. Vos
Speaker of the Assembly
Senator Chris Kapenga
President of the Senate
Richard A. Champagne
Acting Senate Chief Clerk
