Bayh Announces Iran Human Rights Sanctions Act at Bipartisan Press Conference

Press Conference

Senator Evan Bayh today gave the following remarks at a Capitol Hill press conference alongside Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ):

One of the reasons the American people are angry about Washington these days is their perception that we can't agree on anything. But today's announcement stands in stark contrast to that. We have Democrats and Republicans and Independents working together. Some of the most conservative members of the United States Senate and some of the most liberal members of the United States Senate have chosen to cosponsor this important legislation.

It's a very timely announcement today. Not only is it the 31st anniversary of the Iranian nation's founding, people are being beaten in the streets as we speak, and their president announced today that they perhaps have taken major steps forward in becoming a nuclear power.

It is in the national security interest of the Untied States of America to foster the peaceful evolution of that government so that the nation of Iran can join the community of nations as a responsible country, rather than the menace that it currently is, both to its own people, to its neighbors, and to the rest of the world. That's what today's announcement is all about.

Our country is at its strongest and its best when we ally ourselves with freedom. Currently, if you're a journalist in Iran, you risk being imprisoned and tortured. If you speak out against the regime, you risk being beaten and killed. We have to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran against that kind of tyranny and that kind of despotism.

The final thing I'd say is that I've been privileged to serve on the Intelligence Committee for many years and on the Armed Services Committee with some of my colleagues here for the past several years. One of the profound questions that we face is what is the antidote to radical Islam and global terror? I believe the antidote is for us to stand on the side of freedom in all its manifestations. The freedom to speak your own mind, to enjoy the fruits of your own labor, to worship God as you see fit, and to elect a government of your own choosing.

When we stand on the side of freedom, we send a beacon of hope to those across the world and a message to radicalized Islamic youth that there is a better way than a despotism in Tehran that only retains its grip on power by imprisoning, beating, and killing its own civilians. That is a contrast that we will win.