Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Contact: Mike Morey (Schumer)
202-380-5990
Angie Hu (Gillibrand)
212-688-9780
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND
ANNOUNCE SENATE PASSAGE OF BIPARTISAN IRAN SANCTIONS BILL WHICH TOUGHENS
PENALTIES AGAINST IRAN, ENFORCE SANCTIONS AGAINST SYRIA
Senators'
Proposals Included in Iran Bill Would Broaden Penalties Against Iran's Human
Rights Abusers, Require Companies to Disclose Iran-Related Business to SEC, and
Target Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps
Gillibrand-Schumer-Brown
Measure Imposes Sanctions in Effort to End Campaign of Killings, Torture, and
Other Human Rights Abuses by the Syrian Government of Bashar
al-Assad
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten
Gillibrand announced that the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive bipartisan Iran
sanctions bill which includes measures authored by Senators Gillibrand and Mark
Kirk (R-IL) to strengthen economic sanctions against Iran, as well as a proposal
introduced by Senators Gillibrand, Schumer (D-NY), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) that
would enforce sanctions against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.
The Iran Sanctions,
Accountability, and Human Rights Act of 2012 will now be reconciled with the House version of the
bill.
"By imposing crippling sanctions on Iran, this bill is a tough and smart plan to address the real threat Iran poses to the U.S. and our allies, particularly Israel," said Senator Schumer. "This legislation also takes an important step toward imposing sanctions on the brutal Syrian regime. If the Syrian government will not stop their campaign of terror, then we will do everything we can to send the strongest message possible to that nation's leadership that this behavior is beyond the pale and not without consequence."
"The Iranian regime is an existential threat to the
United States and our allies and we must quickly act to enforce a broader set of
sanctions," said Senator
Gillibrand. "If we can isolate Iran and
bring greater transparency to any investment being made in Iran, we can help
defund the nuclear militarization of one of the world's most hostile nations. It
is also time for the Iranian regime's best friend Syrian President Assad to step
down. This new bill is an important step to end the bloodshed by the Syrian
government and provide the Syrian people with tools needed to take back their
own country."
Senators Gillibrand and Kirk's proposals would impose
sanctions against those who aid in Iran's human rights abuses and require
companies that trade on the U.S. stock exchange to disclose any sanctionable business
activities with Iran to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The
measure's target of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is based on Gillibrand
language in the Iran,
North Korea, and Syria Sanctions Consolidation Act of 2011.
The Gillibrand-Schumer-Brown measure would require the
President to identify those persons in the Syrian government, and those helping
them, who have violated the human rights of pro-democracy demonstrators, members
of the opposition, or other Syrians, for the purposes of blocking of any
financial and property transactions in the US. The sanctions bill also prohibits
the sale of technology or weapons to Syria, by any company seeking to do
business with the United States, which would be used for censorship or human
rights abuses in the country.
In April, President Obama issued an executive order which
largely puts into place the Senators' legislation. The White House's executive
order would require the President to identify those persons in the Syrian or
Iranian government, and those helping them or providing to them information
technology tools that allow the Syrian and Iranian governments to monitor, track
or disrupt communications. These governments have used these tools to violate
the human rights of pro-democracy demonstrators, members of the opposition, or
others in their countries. Persons found to have assisted the governments of
Syria or Iran would have their property in the U.S. blocked.
Sincerely,
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
United States Senator
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