Duval Times

During a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations business meeting, the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability (MAHSA) Act, co-led by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), was favorably reported. The bipartisan and bicameral bill now heads to the full Senate.

Senator Rubio expressed, “It’s long overdue for sanctions to be imposed against top leaders of the oppressive Islamic regime, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and the President of Iran, as they continue to commit human rights violations against their own people. I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly pass this bill.”

Senator Padilla echoed the sentiment by stating, “Senator Rubio and I introduced the MAHSA Act to impose sanctions on top Iranian political leadership after its brutal crackdown on protesters, who demonstrated tremendous courage in voicing their outrage toward the Iranian regime after the heinous murder of Mahsa Amini. Today, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations took an important step to hold Iranian leaders accountable for the regime’s ongoing repression, censorship, and abuse against its people.”

The MAHSA Act specifically requires a report to Congress regarding individuals responsible for human rights violations in Iran, including the Supreme Leader, the President of Iran, and entities overseen by their offices. The bill also mandates sanctions determinations on these identified individuals through various Executive Orders, such as EO 13224 on terrorism, 13818 on human rights, and 13553 on Iran’s nuclear programs.

U.S. Representative Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced companion legislation in the House to support the efforts of Senators Rubio and Padilla in addressing human rights violations in Iran.