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1 1 (December 15, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govejtu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ * Research Service Protests in Iran: Issues for Congress December 15, 2022 Iran has been roiled by nationwide unrest since protests began after the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year old woman, who reportedly was beaten by security forces while in custody for allegedly violating Iran's mandatory hijab (head covering) law. Women have played a prominent role in the protests, which have been geographically dispersed, feature a broad range of grievances, and include what media reports described as one of the largest general strikes in decades. Iranian government personnel have reportedly killed hundreds of protesters and arrested thousands in response. The Iranian government has hanged protesters sentenced to death for their part in the protests. Iranian officials blamed the United States (as well as Israel and Saudi Arabia) for fomenting what they call riots. More than three months into the protests, neither the government nor the protesters have shown signs of backing down. Observers are wrestling with the extent to which the protests, information about which is opaque, fluid, and highly contested, represent a threat to the Iranian government. One expert has compared the 2022 unrest to the circumstances that preceded the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Observers also highlight the government's determination to crush dissent. On December 5, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines stated we have yet to see how this ultimately evolves ... this is not something that we see right now as being ... an imminent threat to the regime. Some Members of Congress have issued statements and proposed legislation condemning the crackdown, and Congress may consider how protests impact U.S. policy initiatives on Iran, including nuclear talks, and U.S. support for democracy programs. Administration Responses In addition to statements, including by President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in support of the protesters, the Administration has taken other actions, including: New sanctions designations. Following Amini's death, the Biden Administration issued new designations, invoking Executive Order (E.O.) 13553, with respect to serious human rights abuses by Iran's government; E.O. 13606, with respect to grave human rights abuses by the governments of Iran and Syria via information technology; and E.O. 13846, which authorizes sanctions on persons who engage in censorship or other activities with respect to Iran. Several military and security forces were already designated under other E.O.s, including Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF). Entities so designated since September include Iran's Morality Police (a component of the LEF) and a number of Iranian Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12061 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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