Press Release

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2010

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), one of a select group of 24 members of Congress who negotiated the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act (H.R. 2194), issued the following statement in response to President Ahmadinejad’s address to the UN General Assembly today:

“I strongly condemn the outrageous remarks made by so-called President Ahmadinejad today at the UN. His glaring and unfounded accusations are clearly intended to incite rather than address the real issue at hand – that is, his blatant disregard for human rights and his unwavering quest for a nuclear program.

“Ahmadinejad is a thug of the worst kind. Under his illegitimate rule, we’ve seen the abuse of women, torture of dissidents and activists, harassment of opposition leaders and cruel discrimination against minorities. Under his illegitimate rule, we’ve seen threats against Israel. And under his illegitimate rule, we’ve seen an ongoing effort to advance a nuclear program and a flagrant snub of the UN, the IAEA and the international community.

“Rather than deliver rants at the UN, Ahmadinejad should concentrate on ending human rights abuses against his own people and fulfilling his country’s international responsibilities. Until this happens, the world will continue to treat his outlandish statements for what they really are – irrelevant.”

Crowley is a six-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and served as one of 24 members of Congress on the House-Senate conference committee on the Iran Sanctions measure.

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