The $1.7 trillion spending bill that the U.S. Congress passed last week includes measures to hold accountable those who work for or on behalf of the Iranian government to harass and monitor Iranian citizens. increase.
The Masih Alinejad Harassment and Unlawful Targeting Act is named after a VOA Persian TV presenter and Iranian government critic who was targeted in a plot to kidnap her and bring her back to Iran.
“The Congress believes that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran will monitor, harass, and terrorize individuals who peacefully defend human rights and freedoms in Iran, as well as innocent groups and individuals considered enemies by the Government of Iran. , torture, kidnap, and murder.The regime holds foreigners hostage, including U.S. citizens on the U.S. mainland,” the law says.
The move provides the U.S. Secretary of State with information on the human rights situation in Iran, the actions taken by the Iranian government over the past year to target dissidents inside and outside Iran, and how it is funding its critics to silence them. I am instructed to submit a report detailing what I have done.
Updated annually, the report identifies those working for the Iranian government who are involved in harassing, surveilling, kidnapping, torturing or killing Iranian and U.S. citizens seeking to expose illegal or corrupt practices committed. is also required. by Iranian officials.
These individuals are subject to sanctions, including disqualification from entering the United States, revocation of existing visas, and blocking property ownership in the United States.
Foreign financial institutions that knowingly conduct material transactions with these individuals are also subject to sanctions.
