| 1 | 1 | | 88R8675 BPG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Goodwin H.R. No. 302 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The people of Iran have risen up powerfully against |
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| 7 | 7 | | the grim oppression of a cruel theocracy; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, In September 2022, a vibrant young woman, Mahsa |
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| 9 | 9 | | Amini, was detained by the country's morality police for allegedly |
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| 10 | 10 | | wearing her headscarf improperly; she was killed in their custody, |
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| 11 | 11 | | and women took to the streets in protest, tossing their headscarves |
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| 12 | 12 | | onto bonfires, cutting off their long hair, and even engaging in |
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| 13 | 13 | | physical confrontations with police; demonstrations against the |
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| 14 | 14 | | savagery of gender apartheid and political persecution spread |
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| 15 | 15 | | across the country, filling the streets with defiant cries of |
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| 16 | 16 | | "Women, Life, Freedom" and vows to fight the dictatorship; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, The government attempted a complete crackdown, |
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| 18 | 18 | | sending security forces to attack protesters with tear gas, batons, |
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| 19 | 19 | | and bullets; rather than retreating, the freedom movement grew in |
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| 20 | 20 | | size and determination, crossing lines of religion, class, age, and |
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| 21 | 21 | | ethnicity; it galvanized major cities, college campuses, and small |
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| 22 | 22 | | towns all across Iran, as chants of "I will defend my sister" |
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| 23 | 23 | | underlined the centrality of women in the struggle against a |
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| 24 | 24 | | corrupt and brutal regime; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Over 500 protesters have now been killed, including |
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| 26 | 26 | | some 70 children, according to human rights monitors; nearly 20,000 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Iranians have been arrested, and at least 100 have received death |
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| 28 | 28 | | sentences or been charged with capital offences; sham trials have |
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| 29 | 29 | | already led to a number of executions; nevertheless, with women and |
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| 30 | 30 | | youth at the forefront, resistance to authoritarian rule continues; |
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| 31 | 31 | | and |
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| 32 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Iranian women have taken the lead in a courageous |
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| 33 | 33 | | fight for liberty, justice, and human rights, becoming agents of |
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| 34 | 34 | | change, and their self-sacrifice and fierce resolve are a source of |
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| 35 | 35 | | tremendous inspiration to people the world over; now, therefore, be |
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| 36 | 36 | | it |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 38 | 38 | | Legislature hereby express solidarity with the freedom movement in |
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| 39 | 39 | | Iran and heartily commend the brave women who lead it. |
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