Roskam leads push to enforce U.S. sanctions against Islamic broadcaster

The Trump administration should reinstate sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) for its destructive behaviors against the nation’s own people, said U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), co-chair of the U.S. House Republican Israel Caucus.

“IRIB continues to perpetrate serious human rights abuses against the people of Iran, and U.S. sanctions against IRIB should be fully enforced,” wrote Rep. Roskam in a Sept. 21 letter sent to the president and cosigned by eight other members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS).

Congress approved initial sanctions against the IRIB in December 2012 via enactment of the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act. However, waivers on those sanctions have been issued since 2013 despite ongoing IRIB abuses, according to the lawmakers’ letter.

For instance, Rep. Roskam said in a Sept. 21 statement that Iran’s regime uses the IRIB as a tool to broadcast propaganda.

“Notably, the IRIB has broadcast brutal forced confessions, including that of 18-year old Maedeh Hojabri, whose only ‘crime’ was to post a video of herself online dancing without a head-covering,” the congressman said.

And such “destructive behavior” isn’t just confined to Iran, noted Rep. Roskam.

“Recently, Google identified and disabled online accounts connected to the IRIB that have been engaged in hacking and malign influence campaigns, with targets across the globe,” he said. “I urge the administration to combat Iran’s aggression and support those suffering under dictatorship by lifting this waiver.”

According to the representatives’ letter, the Obama administration in February 2013 complied with the initial federal law and sanctioned the IRIB and its director for restricting information to the Iranian people and for contributing to human rights abuses.

“One year later, in what observers believed was a confidence building measure amidst an interim nuclear agreement, the administration waived the application of sanctions on IRIB,” the members wrote.

The lawmakers commended the Trump administration for taking steps aimed at ending the Iranian regime’s human rights abuses, but said it’s “vital that America fully enforce sanctions against IRIB” to end its practice of forced televised confessions, which they said oftentimes lead to increased jail time and death sentences for dissidents.

“As new protests erupt in Iran every day, the people of Iran are looking to the United States to stand with them with more than just words,” the lawmakers concluded. “We urge you to answer their call by fully enforcing U.S. sanctions against IRIB.”