At Religious Freedom and Human Rights Meeting on Iran, Demands Made for Sanctions Against Regime Officials and Facilitation of Religious Refugee Acceptance

Calls for sanctions against officials of the Islamic Republic and facilitation of accepting religious refugees were among the most important matters emphasized by speakers at a meeting on religious freedom and human rights in Iran.

At this meeting held on Wednesday, June 21st in Washington, Senator Ted Cruz, referring to the persecution of Christians around the world, said: The Iranian regime raids the homes of Christians, arrests and imprisons them.

Referencing the persecution of Iranian Christians in prisons and their pursuit, he emphasized: America has been and will continue to be on the side of these people. We know that truth will prevail.

Similarly, Sam Brownback, U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic violates human rights and religious freedom, stated: We are working with all the tools at our disposal to condemn the Iranian regime in international forums and to continue sanctioning human rights violators.

Tony Perkins, Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, was another speaker who urged the U.S. government to continue sanctions against Iranian officials involved in human rights violations and religious freedom violations, and to accelerate the acceptance of refugees persecuted by the Iranian regime.

Steve King, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, also said: The Islamic Republic has created a religious dictatorship and promotes extremism. I urge the State Department to continue pressure on the Iranian regime for the release of Christian servants and to accept a greater number of religious refugees.

Previously, on May 2nd of this year, the State Department’s special advisor on religious minorities in the Middle East, South and Central Asia, criticized the continued persecution of minorities in Iran and called for the Islamic Republic to immediately release all political prisoners of conscience and respect religious freedom.

Source: Voice of America