1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act . 2. United States policy on human rights violations by the Government of Iran (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Iran is a member of the United Nations, voted for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other international human rights treaties. (2) In violation of these and other international obligations, Iranian regime officials continue to violate the fundamental human rights of the people of Iran. (3) The Iranian regime persecutes ethnic and religious minority groups, such as the Baha’is, Christians, and Sufi, Sunni, and dissenting Shi’a Muslims (such as imprisoned Ayatollah Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi), through harassment, arrests, and imprisonment, during which detainees have routinely been beaten, tortured, and killed. (4) The 2016 Department of State Human Rights Report on Iran noted severe restrictions on civil liberties, including the freedoms of assembly, association, speech, religion, and press. Other human rights problems included abuse of due process combined with use of capital punishment for crimes that do not meet the requirements of due process, as well as cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment