; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Sense of Congress. Sec. 4. Statement of United States policy. Sec. 5. Requirements. Sec. 6. Appropriate congressional committees defined. 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The protests that began on December 28, 2017, in Iran (in this Act referred to as the protests ) were instigated and supported by a diverse demographic of Iranian citizens, especially including the poor and economically disenfranchised populations across the country, located in both rural and urban areas. (2) Rather than invest in the legitimate economy and future of the Iranian people, the Government of Iran budgeted billions of dollars to continue supporting illegitimate armed groups and terrorists in the region, primarily through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). (3) The Government of Iran has arrested at least 4,500 individuals for participating in the protests, at least 490 of whom remain in custody, according to news reports. (4) According to Reuters, Iranian Deputy Interior Minister Hossein Zolfaghari stated on January 1, 2018, that more than 90 percent of the people arrested in these unrests were young people and teenagers under the age of 25 and virtually none of them have any arrest history . (5) On January 8, 2018, Hamid Shahriari, deputy head of the Government of Iran’s judiciary, said that those who organized and led the unrest against the establishment can expect the maximum penalty, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. (6) Three detained prisoners were reported to have committed suicide in Iranian prisons since their incarceration, including Iranian-Canadian academic Kavous Seyed-Emami. (7) The Iranian Security Forces have killed over 20 individuals during the protests, including 13-year-old Armin Sadeghi. (8) The Government of Iran has consistently blocked Internet access and use of communications applications like Telegram and Instagram. As of January 31, 2018, protests continue