Iran Focus
London, 2 Jul – Struan Stevenson is a former Conservative MEP representing Scotland in the European Parliament from 1999 until his retirement in 2014. He chaired the Friends of a Free Iran Intergroup (Caucus) in the European Parliament for over 10 years. He was President of the Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq from 2009 to 2014. He is now President of the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA).
Iran Focus
London, 2 Jul – In a press release Thursday, the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom endorsed the 10-point plan for Iran’s future emphasizing the establishment of a secular democratic republic, free elections, gender equality in all fields, prohibition of discrimination, abolition of the death penalty, and peace and coexistence in the region and the world.
Iran Focus
London, 1 Jul – At a conference in the House of Commons on Thursday, June 30, UK policy toward Iran was discussed by a panel consisting of experts on Iranian affairs and parliamentarians from both Houses of Parliament and each major political party, Politics Home reported on Friday.
Iran Focus
Washington, 1 Jul – In an “Opinion” piece for the Washington Times on Thursday, former US Homeland Security Secretary, Tom Ridge, wrote the following:
“About two days after an Orlando gunman carried out the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, the Iranian foreign ministry issued a statement purporting to decry the incident. Speaking via the state-run IRNA, a spokesperson said the Iranian regime ‘condemns’ the attack ‘based on its principled policy of condemning terrorism and its strong will to seriously confront this evil phenomenon.’
Iran Focus
London, 1 Jul – Raymond Tanter is a professor emeritus at the University of Michigan and a former senior staff member of the United States National Security Council. He is an adjunct scholar of The Washington Institute, researching U.S. policy options toward Iran.
London, 30 Jun – On Wednesday, a former Iranian ambassador wrote an article in The Diplomat stressing the West to take notice of the deteriorating human rights condition in Iran. Perviz Khazaii points out that the international community shouldn’t let their guard down just because Iran has signed a nuclear agreement with the P5+1. Subsequently, there have been 2,400 executions in the past three years in Iran, the highest number of executions in the past 25 years. Iran currently has the highest number of executions per capita in the world. Moreover, many of the people being executed are political dissidents, whose only crime has been wanting a free Iran. Juvenile execution, as well as the execution of religious minorities and ethnic minorities has also increased in Iran, as the Baha’i community and the Baluchi people have become a prime target of the theocratic regime.
By Hamid Yazdan Panah
Recent reports have shed light on the tactics used by the Obama administration to sell the Iran deal to the American public. Ploughshares, a group identified by the White House as a key partner in selling the Iran deal to the public has recently been found to have provided funding to specific reporters and media outlets. The revelation calls into question the ethics of the administration, and raises serious questions as to the integrity of certain non-governmental organizations and media outlets. Putting aside the nuclear deal with Iran, the Ploughshares controversy uncovers a deeper issue with respect to the treatment of the Iranian opposition by those involved in the “echo chamber.”
Iran Focus
London, Jun 29 – A former Iranian political prisoner has written a moving op-ed for The Hill about the importance of the Free Iran rally and a strong political opposition.
Farzad Madadzadeh, who was released in 2014 after five years’ imprisonment, said: “Needless to say, it is a significant international event regarding an important international issue. But for me, it is very personal. In spirit, I will be with a much larger crowd. We will be joined by countless Iranians still living under the thumb of the theocratic regime, who will risk reprisals to watch the proceedings on banned satellite television channels.”
Iran Focus
Paris, 28 Jun – The National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI) points out that José Bové, a French Member of the European Parliament, has declared his solidary with the major gathering of Iranians, “Free Iran” that will be held on 9 July, in Paris.
Iran Focus
Ottawa, 28 Jun – The “Free Iran” gathering in Paris on 9 July has the support of Canadian Member of Parliament James Bezan. He has expressed his solidarity in a message for an Iran that is free and democratic and respects liberty and human rights.
