Two Republican members of Congress have introduced a bill in the United States called the “MAHSA Act” that is geared towards further sanctioning Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, 61, joined with Congressman Jim Banks, 43, “as an original cosponsor of the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act, or MAHSA Act, to support Iranian human rights protests”, according to a statement on Tenney’s official government website dated 21st October.
The statement also said: “The bill codifies sanctions that originally began under former President Trump.”
The statement explained that the bill “codifies former President Trump’s Executive Order (E.O.) 13876, which sanctioned the Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office and inner circle, and also mandates sanctions under the authorities of E.O. 13553 (Human rights abuses by the Iranian government) and E.O. 13224 (counter-terrorism).”
Congresswoman Tenney, who has been serving as the US representative for New York’s 22nd congressional district since 2021, said: “The Iranian regime’s heartless murder of Mahsa Ahmini once again exposed the reality that Iran’s government abuses and subjugates women.”
She added: “Furthermore, the brutal crackdown on protestors has shown their disdain for basic human rights and underscores the need for a more permanent sanctions regime against the Iranian government. I am grateful to Congressman Banks for his leadership on this critical initiative.”
The statement also said: “Protests have exploded throughout Iran since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested for violating the country’s strict dress codes and later died while in custody. Reports indicate that Amini was beaten before collapsing and falling into a coma.
“In response to the protests, the regime in Iran has once again violently cracked down on protesters, with at least 233 protestors now having been killed by Iranian security forces. The regime also has triggered widespread Internet blackouts to stop all communications.
“Last month, Congresswoman Tenney also introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution, which commends the Iranian people protesting against gross human rights abuses and in support of freedom and urges the Biden administration to continue to impose human rights sanctions, prioritize efforts to expand internet access in Iran, and work to develop a strategy to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining and exploiting facial recognition data and software for the use of mass surveillance and enforcement of mandatory hijab.
“The resolution now has 40 cosponsors in the House, and the Senate Companion, introduced by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), has 10 cosponsors.”
Jim Banks has been serving as the US representative for Indiana’s 3rd congressional district since 2017. Both Tenney and Banks are Republicans.
Mahsa Amini, 22, from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was on a visit to Tehran when she was arrested by morality police accused of violating hijab rules on 13th September.
She was allegedly beaten while in custody and spent the following days in a coma in the hospital before succumbing in the ICU on 16th September.
The clinic where she was treated said in a now-deleted social media post that she had been admitted brain-dead.
Alleged medical scans of her skull leaked by hackers showed that she had suffered bone fractures, haemorrhages, and brain oedema.
Anti-regime media are claiming that Mahsa’s medical records showing her history of heart disease were faked by the Iranian government.
The protests her death sparked are ongoing and, according to the non-profit Iran Human Rights, at least 201 people, including 28 children, have been killed so far, according to its latest figures released on 12th October.
