Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§8755 Statement of policy on political prisoners

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 94— - IRAN THREAT REDUCTION AND SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - MEASURES TO PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS › § 8755

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The United States must take four kinds of action to help Iranian political prisoners and dissidents. It must support work to find prisoners of conscience (people jailed for their beliefs) and document human rights abuses in Iran. It must offer refugee status or political asylum to Iranian dissidents if they ask and if U.S. law and national security allow. It must offer to help the U.N. Refugee Agency move such prisoners to other countries if asked and if it is appropriate and safe for U.S. security. It must also publicly call for the release of named Iranian dissidents and raise awareness about individual cases when the dissidents or their families request it.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §8755

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

It shall be the policy of the United States—

(1)to support efforts to research and identify prisoners of conscience and cases of human rights abuses in Iran;

(2)to offer refugee status or political asylum in the United States to political dissidents in Iran if requested and consistent with the laws and national security interests of the United States;

(3)to offer to assist, through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with the relocation of such political prisoners to other countries if requested, as appropriate and with appropriate consideration for the national security interests of the United States; and

(4)to publicly call for the release of Iranian dissidents by name and raise awareness with respect to individual cases of Iranian dissidents and prisoners of conscience, as appropriate and if requested by the dissidents or prisoners themselves or their families.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 8755

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73