ABS Community Research, Inc.

~ Draft for Commission Meeting with Constituents: June 6, 2011 ~

CITY OF BERKELEY PEACE & JUSTICE COMMISSION

Resolution to Condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran for treatment of religious minorities, treatment of ethnic minorities, treatment of women, censorship, massive number of executions, juvenile executions, gay executions, and pursuit of nuclear weapons coupled with genocidal incitement

WHEREAS, the Peace and Justice Commission advises the City Council in all matters relating to the City of Berkeley’s role in issues of peace and social justice(Berkeley Municipal Code(BMC) Chapter 369.070; and

WHEREAS Iran continues to defy the international community with a quest for nuclear weapons while making statements of genocidal incitement which could have desvastating consequences for the United States and the rest of the world,

WHEREAS Interpretations of Islamic law by the government have meant that women have systematically been refused education, have had their homes destroyed and have faced constant harassment.

WHEREAS, Iran 180, whose slogan is “human rights not nuclear rights”, and other human rights groups staged a protest seminar in front of the United Nations on March 3, 2011, one day before Iran was elected to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, in which a litany of human rights abuses that take place daily in Iran were highlighted, which was staged with the objective of raising awareness of Iran’s violations of women’s rights and protesting against the welcoming of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the newest member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women at its 56th session. Irwin Cotler, Canadian MP and chair of the International Responsiblity to Protect Coalition has warned that “Iran is on an execution binge, making a wholesale assault on its own people. In 2011 alone, Iran has executed at least 120 people. Many executions are in secret, taking place after arrests, detentions, beatings, torture, kidnappings, disappearances and brief trial at which no evidence is presented.” Iranian rights activist Fariba Davoodi told of her incarceration in Iran and the barbaric tortures inflicted upon her. “We hope very soon we will live in a free and democratic Iran, but so long as this regime is in power our hopes will not be realized.”

WHEREAS, United States Secretary of State Clinton testified to the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 2, 2011, that the leadership of Iran is “a human rights abuser”, and that “it is not possible to contain a nuclear Iran”, and

WHEREAS, Iran has brutally suppressed its own popular Green Movement, a pro-democracy movement which needs outside help, and

WHEREAS, In the face of massive regime violence, Iran’s anti-regime protesters are out in force in cities throughout the country demanding their freedom and a new regime. Secretary of State Clinton testified that, ” It will be much harder for any other pro-democracy forces such as in Egypt to build an open democracy with the current Iranian leadership arming proxies to increase influence in the entire region”,and

WHEREAS, no one has supplied Iran’s embattled revolutionaries with proxy servers when the regime brought down their internet communications, no one has given them arms, no one has demanded that Iran be thrown out of all UN bodies pending the release of thousands of political prisoners being tortured in the mullah’s jails, no one funds round the clock broadcasts into Iran to help regime opponents organize and coordinate their operations, and no one has discussed instituting a no-fly zone over Iran to protect protesters, and

WHEREAS, according to the testimony of Secretary of State Clinton, ” Iran is a primary engine of war, terror, nuclear proliferation and instability, and as long as the regime survives it will be very difficult for liberal forces in the region to gain strength and influence, and the only way to curb Iran’s danger to the region, the only chance of preventing Iran from plunging the world into war, is the overthrow of the regime. A secular democratic Iran would be far less dangerous to the region and the world”.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Berkeley condemns ongoing violations of human rights by the leadership of Iran as presented by Iran 180, a movement of people and organizations who have come together as a unifed voice to demand a 180 by the Iranian government on their pursuit of nuclear weapons and the treatment of their citizens.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Berkeley condemns the United Nations for electing Iran to the Commission on the Status of Women, which is a serious insult to the women of the world.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Berkeley supports the efforts of the United States in all relevant agencies to assist the Green movement in Iran, to assist torture victims, to assist prisoners, to supply proxy servers, broadcast communications, to institute a no-fly zone to protect protesters, and to generally indicate that peace will come not through appeasement but through resolve.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Berkeley send copies of this resolution to President Barack Obama, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Lee, President of the United Nations General Assembly Ban Ki-Moon, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice.


EVENT DETAIL:

North Berkeley Senior Center, northeast corner of Hearst & MLK, Berkeley, CA 7p.

http://atimetobetray.com/blog/city-of-berkeley-peace-and-justice-commission/

June 12th was the first anniversary of election fraud in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which spawned the Green movement to take to the streets by the millions for days. The Green movement grew out of a preceding 10+ year student movement, and 31 years of an oppressive regime. The 1979 revolution backfired against the people. With the overthrow of the Shah, the community anticipated there would be spiritual renewal in the culture. However, Islam quickly turned to great violence against the people, and years of atrocities built upon years, hundreds to thousands of innocent Iranians murdered, tortured, publicly, and behind closed doors.

Thoughout this past year, the Iranian people have exhibited a clear and unfettering committment to peaceful process. The citizens are nonviolent, barely employing any methods of self-defense. My one concern: what has the world seen? The community is aware of the atrocities, the threats, the blood, various facets of the Green movement. But, does the global community see only oil/gas, nukes, and terrorist funding?

In recent days, I have seen postings of over 100 martyrs for the green movement, but there are so many more. Thousands have been imprisoned, at minimum. Neda Soltan is one among the slain, well known to the people. But with the number of unknown mass graves, bodies burnt with acid to cover the evidence, missing persons, we don't know how many more there are.

Yesterday, Amir Abbas Fakhravar gave a speech at an event for Neda's anniversary in Toronto with Caspian Makan, Neda's fiance. Please allow me to select a few quotes from Amir Abbas, survivor of the political prisons, and student movement leader:

"'In the name of Almighty, in the name of love, in the name of Iran, and in the name of freedom...Come closer so perhaps we could experience unity together. Get closer to one another so we don't have to be frightened of each other. We could put an end to 31 years of talking behind each other's backs. Perhaps Neda, a beautiful girl who became the face of freedom for Iran a year ago this time. The beautiful eyes of Neda could bring us closer to one another. Could teach us, although Neda did not belong to any one group or political organization...Let us respect each other more than ever before. Look at Neda's eyes, look carefully to those eyes and see if Neda would have wanted us to remain under our individual group logos. Put aside our differences and hold each other's hands so we can support the 74 million of our people inside Iran. Freedom from these, freedom from the grip of this small group of mullahs...For everyone else who lost their lives in the struggle for freedom in the past 31 years.."

Video (Persian): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erMDI6kVsqE

Some of the following nonprofits have second or third-party relations with other organizations in the US suspected of representing the regime. The list below is selected out of over 60 groups identified by the regime. Were these entities blacklisted because of a sudden shift, or to distract the public from an existing affiliation?

Suggestion: Actual* or Distraction**

1. Soros Foundation Open Society Institute**
2. Woodrow Wilson Center
3. Freedom House
4. National Endowment for Democracy (NED)**
5. National Democratic Institute (NDI)
6. National Republican Institute (NRI)
7. Ford Foundation
8. Rockefeller Brothers Foundation**
9. Hoover Institution
10. Stanford University
11. United Nations Association (USA)
12. Population Council
13. Aspen Institute**
14. New America Foundation
15. Smith Richardson Foundation
16. International Center for Peaceful solution
17. Nabih Berri Human Rights
18. Foundation for Democracy in Iran
19. International Trade Center
20. American Center for Workers International Solidarity
21. International Center for Democratic Transition
22. Community Organization Democracy
23. Albert Einstein Institute*
24. World Movement for Democracy
25. International Movement for Parliamentary Democracy
26. Democracy Institute Network Search
27. Riga Institute
28. America Council on Foreign Relations
29. Association of German Foreign Policy
30. Center for Democracy Studies, England
31. Meridian Institute
32. Yale University
33. National Defense University America
34. Human Rights Documentation Center of Iran
35. Brookings Institute
36. Human Rights Watch*
37. New America Foundation

Source: Khabar Online (Farsi)