Democratic senator Ben Cardin (Md.) is blocking the upper chamber from advancing a bipartisan bill that would sanction Iran’s leadership for its role in mass human rights crimes, prompting outrage among Iranian-American dissidents who have been lobbying in favor of the legislation for months.
Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, informed activists at the end of last year that he would not be moving forward with the MAHSA Act, named after 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who was killed by Tehran’s morality police in September 2022. Amini’s death sparked nationwide protests that are still percolating more than a year later.
The bill, which overwhelmingly passed the House last year with more than 400 votes, would sanction Iran’s supreme leader and his inner circle for decades of human rights abuses. Those include the murder and torture of anti-regime dissidents, including those detained by the country’s security forces for protesting Amini’s murder.
As the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s head, Cardin has the power to stall the bill and prevent it from coming up for a full vote in the chamber. The senator’s office in a Dec. 21 email informed Iranian-American activists of the decision. Cardin’s decision to delay the legislation prompted outrage among Iranian dissidents, who have been championing the bill as a centerpiece of their efforts to increase American pressure on the Islamic Republic.
“At this time, our office will not be moving forward with this bill,” Cardin’s staff wrote to Iranian-American activist Nick Nikbakht, who shared the correspondence on X, formerly Twitter.
“Killing innocent civilians in Israel, Ukraine & Iran is not enough for Cardin,” Nikbakht wrote alongside a screenshot of the email, which was sent to the activist after more than 100 of the senator’s constituents organized a joint letter in support for the MAHSA Act.
Nikbakht said that he and other Iranian-American activists met with Cardin’s office, as well as other senators from both sides of the aisle, to garner support for the sanctions bill. The activists were trying to ensure that the bill made its way through the Senate after it received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House. These efforts, Nikbakht said, are now stalled because of Cardin.
“Despite the persistent advocacy, multiple meetings, and heartfelt pleas by Maryland constituents who sent letters, we’ve seen no movement from Senator Cardin and, more recently, been informed that they will not be moving forward with the bipartisan human rights bill,” Nikbakht told the Free Beacon.
It is unclear why Cardin is blocking the bill. His office did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for comment on the matter.
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.), one of the MAHSA Act’s sponsors in the House, said that with Hamas waging war against Israel with primary support from Iran, now is the time to hold the Islamist regime’s leaders accountable.
“Senate Democrats are delaying Israel aid while refusing to sanction Iran, the leading state backer of terrorism and the sworn enemy of Israel,” Banks told the Free Beacon. “We’re letting our enemies off the hook and leaving our allies in the lurch. It’s a recipe for chaos.”
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Sir Peter
4 months ago
The massacre of October 7 has revealed the true nature of Islam AND the Democrats
Staff Sgt
4 months ago
There more TRAITORS among us! Eradicate them out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cut off one Traitors head, 2 more take it’s place……………..than we will take them down too and so on!
Yea true but it’s 2024 and we now live in a world where you go to jail for defending yourself. The civilian side says kill them but the Spiritual side, which is my strongest side says turn the cheek however that don’t apply when me, family or the innocent is attacked!!!!!!!!!Killing someone doesn’t come easy to most people but you better be ready to do it when your life or someone else’s that’s innocent is on the line!
danknight
4 months ago
Disappointing … but not at all surprising.
The Demokkkrat party is the party of the KKKrats … despite what KlaNN will tell you.
… They hate Jews …
… Just like they hate blacks, Catholics, Asians, Irish, Christians, etc. etc. etc. …
Those of us Angry White Men have been trying to warn y’all of this … but I cannot yell loud enough from poor white trash, east Texas … loud enough to be heard up there in Yankee land.
(We figured it out during Vietnam … when they sent us off to fight for their fun and profit … and we came home to last-class citizenship … and it just went downhill from there. … To be clear I am not a Vietnam vet – not that old – but all of my enlisted friends who were just a bit older were.)
So this has been going on and on and on … right under your nose.
Wrong. Theses people love whites. To manipulate and get them on side. Do you know how many white muslim woem I see at the shops wearing roves & towels? If I asked them what’s your background I’d be called a racist for microagression. You cannot talk about race. They’ll lie yo you say 3 different races except their real one.
Joe Biden, that’s says it all. Again, monetary value outweighs human life.
Sly
4 months ago
Another JINO and a true enemy within. Follow the money with this traitor in our own government
ORRN31
4 months ago
Cardin must be so compromised. Thank G-d this traitorous dinosaur is leaving the senate. Great way to exit, scumbag. Not to worry, Maryland demoncrats have another anti-American politician in the wings.
Robert L. Kahlcke
4 months ago
He can’t help himself he was WHELPED from a SWINE.
STJOHNOFGRAFTON
4 months ago
Senator Ben Cardin functions as a useful dhimmi idiot.
jim
4 months ago
Maybe the Cardin Creature was spending too much time on his knees with his exhibitionist aide ?
D
GWC
3 months ago
Damn the MSM…Damn them all. How come they have not pigeon holed this Klown from Kloud KooKooland and asked him repeatably why, just why he has frozen this bill? Klowns like this is why the 17A should be repealed. Senators should go back to representing the States like it was intended.
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