Iranian human rights and democracy defenders on sanctions and war
Below is a compendium of public statements by notable Iranian human rights and democracy defenders regarding the impact that sanctions and threats of war have on Iran: Iran sanctions strengthen Ahmadinejad regime – Karroubi, The Guardian, August 11, 2010: “These sanctions have given an excuse to the Iranian government to suppress the opposition by blaming […]
Why Do We Need to Stand Up to the MEK?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttVUXDF717U] The push to remove the MEK from the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations is intensifying in Congress and in pro-war circles in Washington. A vote is coming before the House Foreign Affairs Committee this week on whether to endorse removing the Iranian Mujahedin from the U.S. foreign terrorist organizations lists. This would enable it […]
Each Iranian: One Voice Campaign
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjo4MHA2VuA] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B88yLjz3zVs] On Friday, June 19, twelve political prisoners in Iran started an indefinite hunger strike in protest over the killing of two fellow political prisoners, Haleh Sahabi and Hoda Saber, Green Voice of Freedom reported. One day after that, Kaleme, the opposition website close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, called on all Iranians around the […]
Haleh Sahabi killed at father’s funeral
Haleh Sahabi, a human rights activist and women rights champion, died today in a scuffle that broke out with Iranian government security forces at her father’s funeral, Reuters reported. Haleh was arrested for participating in protests following the 2009 election, and temporary released to attend the ceremony. Her father, Ezzatollah Sahabi (1930-2011) was a politician […]
NIAC Interview with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi
At an event hosted by NIAC on Saturday, Nobel Laureate and human rights lawyer Dr. Shirin Ebadi called for international attention on the human rights situation in Iran and warned that war, or threats of an attack on Iran, would be devastating for the country’s indigenous human rights and democracy movement. But before speaking at the […]
Nokia Feels the Heat
Nokia Siemens Networks has been under fire lately. Anyone who watched what happened in the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 election knows how hard it was for Iranians to get information out to the rest of the world without being caught by Iranian officials. And, as it was widely reported, Nokia’s technology played a major role […]
One Year Later: Are We Missing the Real Story?
Much attention has been given to the absence of large street protests on the anniversary of Iran’s disputed elections. This focus on street protests however, largely misses the point of the opposition movement today. “A government that is scared of a corpse is a weak government,” Shirin Ebadi said, referring to the government’s decision to […]
ICHRI Calls for Release of ‘All Arbitrarily Arrested’
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran called for the release of Emaddedin Baghi and “All Arbitrarily Arrested” by security forces over the weekend during the Ashura protests. Baghi is a prominent Iranian human rights activist with a heart and nerve condition resulting from his previous incarcerations. The campaign also called for the release […]
Norway: Nobel Peace Prize Seized from Shirin Ebadi’s Bank Box
The Norwegian government said today that Shirin Ebadi’s 2003 Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma have been removed from her bank box by Iranian authorities. More from CNN: “The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi’s bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief,” […]
Friendly advice on how to engage Iran
From Nobel Peace laureate to Nobel Peace laureate. Shirin Ebadi talked to the Washington Post, offering some advice to President Obama. Although it’s not a mistake to be engaging with the government, she said, “paying so much more attention to Iran’s nuclear ambitions than to its trampling of democracy and freedom is a mistake both […]
Ebadi: ‘Iran’s women are not afraid’
In a column published in the UK’s Guardian, human rights attorney and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi declares unequivocally that Iran’s women are strong in their convictions and unafraid of facing an oppressive government. Excerpts are below but the full column can be read here. Iran today is a country where women are more educated than […]