Kirk: “Standing for Human Rights” in the Senate

Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) published the first edition of his newsletter entitled “Standing for Human Rights,” in which he outlines his efforts, through various programs and legislation, to champion human rights through the United States Senate. Among his initiatives is the Iranian Dissident Awareness Program, and the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Promotion Act of 2011, a bicameral bill that “would make it the policy of the United States to deny the Iranian regime the ability to oppress the people of Iran, to fully support democratic activists inside Iran, and to help the Iranian people freely and safely access and share information.” Kirk has also been active in encouraging the protection of religious minorities in Iran and Iraq.

Kirk has remained vocal in his denouncement of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad‘s human rights violations and has cosponsored the “Syria Sanctions Act of 2011.” The Act imposes sanctions on companies that “contribute directly and significantly to the Syrian government’s ability to develop its petroleum resources.”