Resolution 1032 – in Support of the Mahsa Act, H.R. 589

WHEREAS Washington is home to a significant population with Iranian heritage that enrich our communities through their leadership and contributions in technology, medicine, business, academia, government, and the arts; and

WHEREAS on September 16, 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman named Mahsa Jina Amini passed away in the custody of a division of Iran’s security force called the “Morality Police” following a three-day coma due to wounds, including bone fracture, hemorrhage, and cerebral edema – consistent with severe beating – inflicted by the police for purportedly wearing a hijab improperly; and

WHEREAS the Iranian people have been advocating for basic human rights in Iran with the ongoing movement of Woman, Life, Freedom, translated from the Kurdish slogan of “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi”; and

WHEREAS the news of Mahsa’s death in September 2022 spread to cities around the world – including Bellevue and Kirkland – inspiring marches to amplify the voices of Iranian people and show support for countless Iranians sacrificing their lives for basic human rights; and

WHEREAS the Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC) supports the Iranian people fighting for justice and freedom, and stands with the Iranian American community amplifying the voice of the woman, life, freedom movement; and

WHEREAS since 1979 revolution, Iran has been called the ‘Islamic Republic of Iran’, but the Islamic religion has become a scapegoat for brutal forms of control by a patriarchal dictatorship upon women and girls, youth, ethnically diverse, and LGBTQIA communities in Iran subject to imprisonment, torture, and killing for simply living their lives peacefully; and

WHEREAS the bipartisan House Resolution 589, known as the “Mahsa Amini Human rights and Security Accountability Act or the MAHSA Act” has been introduced in 118^th Congress; and

WHEREAS the MAHSA Act calls for sanctioning of the Supreme Leader of Iran, the President of Iran, members of their cabinet and their appointees;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the WSDCC fully supports the Iranian people calling for their freedom, and the Iranian American community; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the WSDCC support the MAHSA Act and call on Washington State Congresspeople to support the Mahsa Act; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the WSDCC condemn the use of violence to enforce policies that discriminate against women and other people.