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November 2008:
Messages to Obama From Iran
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| In November of 2008, three
CODEPINK activists traveled to Iran as citizen diplomats
by bringing our "Let's Talk" Campaign to the country.
The Iranian people welcomed them generously, and shared their
own non-violent actions for peace with them. You can read Medea
and Jodie's accounts from Iran at our blog, PinkTANK. |
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Our friends at Feminist Majority have been pushing on the Iranian regime
to release the women--show your support by clicking
here and read more about the Iranian One Million Signatures campaign
here.
Iranian Dissidents in Deportation Watch List:
Bita
Ghaedi deportation canceled: The British High Court granted
Ghaedi interim relief pending a renewed application to apply for judicial
review, while the European Court of Human Rights put a ban on her deportation.
Activists from Mission
Free Iran and CODEPINK came together to work against her deportation.
For more info on the Bita Ghaedi story, click here.
In 2008, immediately following our delegation to Iran,
we
called on the Iranian government to stand up for human
rights and women's rights activists working in Iran as they
were being unjustly targeted and taken into police custody.
Months later, during and after the election related protests
we saw our Iranian sisters again targeted, only this time
the detainment has continued. While some imprisoned Iranian
women’s rights activists have been released, many are still
in custody and being brought up on charges such as committing
‘War against God’ and many are in solitary confinement.
After initial excitement about Obama’s election, Iranians have
expressed concern that his appointments signaled a continued policy of
belligerence rather than a new era in U.S.-Iranian relations. They
say that Obama must show them, through actions and not just words,
that his administration will lead to real changes such as direct talks,
a lifting of the economic sanctions that are hurting Iranian businesses,
increasing academic exchanges and establishing an Interest Section that
will pave the way for full diplomatic relations.
CODEPINK has led several peace
delegations to Iran to build bridges between the two nations.
In the most recent trip (see youtube on right) CODEPINK
cofounders met with women members of Parliament, Presidential
media advisors, and women’s peace, business and student
groups.
We believe in being the change we
want to see. As citizen diplomats, our trips and work
around Iran underscores that the Iranian people, like the
American people, want peace and not war. As we have seen from
the American invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq,
the use of our military to resolve security issues kills and
injures innocent civilians, destroys cities and villages,
creates more people who dislike/hate our country and who may
be willing to use violence against us, and jeopardizes, not
enhances, the security of the United States. America’s
best policy would be to treat Iran with respect and not with
threats of military action.
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