IAAB's Third International Conference on Iranian Diaspora-NYC

I am on the committee of this conference and I hope my friends and my blog's readers consider coming to our conference and supporting the conference through their contributions or simply by spreading the word! I hope to see many of you there! In addition to the email address that is provided in the press release, feel free to also contact me with any questions about the conference or about Iranian Alliances Across Borders.

azadeh@iranianalliances.org

IAAB Opens Registration for Third International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora

Washington D.C. – Building upon the success of its two previous Conferences, Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB) announced this week the opening of registration for its Third International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora to be held April 28-29, 2007 at New York University's Kimmel Center in New York, NY.

Through a combination of panels and workshops, the 2007 Conference will bring together academics, journalists, artists, activists, students, and community leaders from across the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, Japan, and Iran to discuss issues pertinent to the international Iranian diaspora community.

The speakers will convene in New York to address issues such as media and cultural expression, transnational collaborations, the implications of self-perception and representation, Persian language learning, diasporic literature, and the changing needs and duties of the Iranian diaspora community in trying political climates.

IAAB is a non-partisan, non-profit volunteer organization with a young, dedicated staff spread across the United States, Europe and Iran. The mission of the organization is to address issues of the Iranian diaspora community while raising awareness of the Iranian community, promoting leadership, and connecting Iranians across borders.

Students with a valid student ID and student groups of five or more will be eligible for a discount on conference fees. To view the complete Conference schedule and registration information, please visit the Conference website at www.iranianalliances.org/conf07. Please note that registration is limited and is on a first come, first served basis.

Questions may be directed to conference@iranianalliances.org

NoRouz in NYC!

Looking at the NYC Norooz Parade pictures made me happy today. What I like about this parade is the fact that Iranians leave their houses and their isolated Haftseen and come to the streets of NYC as an important diaspora group of the US. It strikes me that these Iranians share their beautiful ceremonies with the city of NY rather than hiding away from their society on this day. I wish a a happy new year for all of my Iranian friends and Happy Spring to my friends from all nationalities and backgrounds who live in the Northern Hemisphere.

May peace protect our beloved Iran during this new year! This is seriously one of my biggest wishes this year! I am worried and yet still hopeful :)

Call for Action: Women Activists Arresred in Tehran! We Need Your Help!

Campaign to Free Women's Rights Defenders in Iran

March 4, 2007 - Thirty three women's rights defenders were arrested today in Tehran during a peaceful gathering in front of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. The gathering was to protest the recent state pressures on women's rights defenders.

In today's peaceful protest, women held banners reading, "Article 27 of the constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protests" and "We, too, participated in the previous peaceful protest on 22 Khordad" to show their solidarity with the five women activists who had been summoned to the court for previous peaceful protests and had their appearance in court at the time.

The organizers of the two major current campaigns, Stop Stoning Forever, and One Million Signatures to Change the Discriminatory Law, have been among the women rights defenders by the National Security Police.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Sign the petition:

Please by signing this online petition:

http://www.meydaan.com/English/petition.aspx?cid=52&pid=11

When you sign the petition, a copy of it is sent to the offices of Mr. Seyed Mahmoud Shahroudi, the Head of Judiciary, and another copy is sent to Mr. Golam-Ali Haddad-Adel, the leader of the Iranian Parliament.

• Spread the Word:

Please tell friends about this campaign and ask them to support the release of women's rights defenders, too.

• Write a Letter:

Also, you can directly write to the Iranian authorities, including Mr. Seyed Mahmoud Shahroudi, the Head of Judiciary, Mr. Golam-Ali Haddad-Adel, the leader of the Iranian Parliament ,and Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In your letter, please ask the Iranian authorities to uphold the law and refer to the article 27 of the Iranian constitution, "Public gatherings and marches may be freely held, provided arms are not carried and that they are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam." and ask for an immediate and unconditional release of all the women rights defenders.

Please send letters to:


Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: irjpr@iranjudiciary.org (mark 'Please forward to HE Ayatollah Shahroudi')
(Salutation: Your Excellency)

President:
His Excellency Dr. Mahmoud AhmadiNejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 649 5880
E-mail: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir

(Salutation: Dear Sir)

Golam-Ali Haddad-Adel, the leader of the Iranian Parliament Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami
Imam Khomeini Avenue, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 646 1746 (occasionally difficult to reach, please be patient)
(Salutation: Dear Sir)

Please note that it is not always easy to send fax and email to Iran and we urge you to also courier your letters to the Iranian embassy in your country (see the listing of an Iranian embassy in your country here:

http://www.salamiran.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=220&Itemid=324

You could Find pictures of the peaceful gathering by clicking on the following links:
Part I
http://www.khosoof.com/archive/355.php
Part II
http://www.khosoof.com/archive/356.php

Many Women's Rights Activists were Arrested in Tehran! Sunday, March 4th, 2007

Iran-Emrooz,Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 04, 2007

http://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/news1/12208/

50 of the women's rights movement activists were arrested in front of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

The security police forces attacked a peaceful gathering of women's rights activists that had taken place at 8:30 am in front of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran in objection to the recent governmental oppressions and the summoning of some of these activists. The police forces who used violence to scatter the crowd, arrested at least 21 of the protesters.

According to the report published by Advar News, the list of the arrested is as follows:

Asieh Amini, Jila Bani Yaghoub, Mahboubeb Abbasgholizadeh, Mahboubeh Hosseinzadeh, Sara Loghmani, Zara Amjadian, Mariam Hossein Khah, Jelveh Javaheri, Niloofar Golkar, Parastoo Dokoohaki, Zeinab Peyghambarzadeh, Maryam Mirza, Saghar Laghayee, Khadijeh Moghaddam, Saghie Laghayee, Nahid Keshavarz, Mahnaz Mohammadi, Nasrin Afzali, Tal'at Taghinia, Fakhri Shadfar, Maryam Shadfar, Elnaz Ansari, Fatemeh Govarayee, Azadeh Forghani, Sommayeh Farid, Minoo Mortezayee, Sara Imanian.

Nooshin Amhadi Khorasani, Parvin Ardalan, Shahla Entesari and Susan Tahmasebi—five prominent members of the women's rights movement—who had to attend their court hearing left the court session in support of their fellow activists. They, too, got arrested upon their departure from the court.

The police officers hit Nahid Jafari's head to the police van and as a result of such violent actions, her teeth broke and the officers are currently refusing to take her to the emergency room.