RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Representatives from government, religious communities and civil society organizations were among the 800 human rights supporters who gathered to call upon Iran to cease its persecution of Baha’is and other religious minorities. Participants travelled from all over Brazil to take part in the rally, held at Rio’s Copacabana Beach on 19 June 2011.

Almost 8,000 images depicting the faces of Iran’s seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders were on display at the beach, corresponding to the number of days of detention the seven had suffered after three years in prison. The photographs were arranged in a large circle, representing the world, and the union of people of all races and nations.

Read more at the BIC’s News Section.

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On June 20th 2011, Where is My Vote – NY released a video marking two years since the tragic killing of peaceful demonstrators in Iran. The footage was shot in New York City in commemoration of the second anniversary of the post-election uprisings.

This video condemns the egregious acts of violence inflicted upon ordinary people in Iran who continue to this day to demand their rights. This message is imperative given the bravery of twelve political prisoners on hunger strike in Iranian prisons today. WIMV – NY expresses solidarity with the Iranian people’s ongoing struggle and right to self-determination.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

June 18, 2011|By Eloísa Ruano González, Orlando Sentinel

It was déjà vu. Sanya Avazpour and other activists stood on State Road 436 outside the Altamonte Springs Mall on Saturday, waving signs in support for Iranians fighting for freedom.

They stood in the same spot two years ago, shortly after the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the death of Neda Agha-Soltan, who became a symbol of the protest movement after she was shot in a clash between pro-government militia and demonstrators.

The activists’ signs were similar. They read, “No more dictatorship in Iran” and “Democracy for Iran.” Their demands were the same: release reporters and demonstrators who were imprisoned, end torture and executions and remove Ahmadinejad, who they say committed voter fraud in that June election.

The group, most of whom were born in Iran, refuses to give up on their fight for human rights.

“The demands haven’t been met. As long as they haven’t been met, we will have to be their [Iranians] voices,” said Amir Ladan, an activist and writer from Orlando.

Ladan, who was born in Iran and was held prisoner there after the revolution in 1979, took part in numerous demonstrations in 2009. He participated in a three-day hunger strike in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York. In March, the U.N. Human Rights Council named a special investigator on Iran.

Ladan, who brought his wife and granddaughter to Saturday’s demonstration, said those in the U.S. have a “responsibility” to be a voice for the Iranians because “we’re a free society.”

It’s been a challenge not to be discouraged seeing Ahmadinejad in power, particularly after the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, Avazpour said. “You always want to see results for your hard work,” Avazpour said. “So many people are refugees because they can’t go back…It’s heartbreaking.”

However, she added, the Spring Awakening also serves as a reminder that citizens prevail over a repressive government. “One thing that keeps us going is that there is no dictatorship that will always stay in power,” Avazpour said.

“Getting your freedom is not going to be easy. It’s not going to be free,” she said.

Tunisia forced out its president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had ruled the country for 23 years. Egyptians followed, ending the nearly 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

Avazpour helped launch the Florida for Human Rights in Iran, which organized the demonstration. About 75 other organizations worldwide were planning similar events this month.

The demonstrations will show those in Iran that the world is still listening, said Cyrus Dowlatshahi, who participated in the demonstrations on Saturday and 2009.

“The cause is not dead,” he said.

Amnesty International USA and United4Iran partnered to coordinate an Azadi Square Campaign to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Iran in their struggle for human rights. Azadi (Freedom) Square in Tehran is a prominent public place where some of the massive peaceful protests of two years ago took place.

Sadly, the government brutally crushed the protests; but even though Iranians can no longer safely gather in their own Azadi Square, we can show our support. Activists all over the country are encouraged to symbolically rename public places in their towns or on their campuses “Azadi Square” and take photos. Click here to learn more and participate in the campaign!

In the past week, several Azadi Square actions have been held. One was in New York last Wednesday and involved about forty Amnesty International activists who very renamed the plaza right beside the Iran Mission to the United Nations in New York “Azadi Square.”.

A number of celebrities accompanied the Amnesty delegation and Executive Director Larry Cox, including acclaimed film director Paul Haggis, Griffin Dunne, Trudy Styler, Amnesty spokesperson Nazanin Boniadi and former Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari who was detained and tortured in prison in 2009.

One highlight of the action was the delivery of a stack of petitions with nearly 21,000 signatures, plus several hundred postcards, on behalf of persecuted Iranian film director Jafar Panahi to the Iranian Mission to the UN. At first the Mission was unwilling to take the petitions, but Mr. Haggis, who carried the petitions refused to back down and after prolonged negotiations, the petitions were finally accepted by an officer at the Mission.

The action was covered by the media, including Fox News, Bloomberg News, BBC Persian and VOA Persian Activists in Chicago held another Azadi Square action, including a panel discussion.

Nevada based Reno4Iran also turned downtown Reno into Azadi Square to mark two years since Iran’s disputed election, as well as to highlight detained student activist, Majid Tavakoli. All the way in Madrid, Spain, activists organized a Bike 4 Iran event to highlight various issues – including the repression of Iran’s Baha’i community – and concluded with participants taking a picture of their own recreated Azadi Square.

See photos of these actions below! For a complete gallery, please visit AIUSA’s Azadi Square flickr set.

Chicago, IL

New York, NY

Madrid, Spain

Reno, NV

Florida

Read More

AIUSA: An Azadi Square Campaign Success and a Chastening Reminder Why We Do This

AIUSA: Iran Mission to the United Nations Accepts 21,000-Plus Petition Signatures from Amnesty International Delegation of Hollywood Luminaries

On June 12, United4Iran Bayern and a group of Iranian youths and students organized a film evening to commemorate the undemocratic presidential election of June 2009 in Iran. As it was a long weekend in Germany (with many on holiday), organizers arranged an evening for themselves, friends, and anyone interested, to reflect on the past and future of the movement.

The students gave an excellent presentation on the events during the past two years in Iran – not forgetting to mention the history of human rights violations and the lastest victim, the journalist Hoda Saber who died from the consequences of a hunger strike the day before. Later, the event focused on the fate of refugees by watching the movie “For a Moment Freedom” by Arash T. Riahi.

The weekend before, June 4-5, U4I Bayern were present at “Street Life Festival” in Munich, providing information on the situation of political prisoners in Iran and refugees.

On June 11, 2011 – ahead of the two year anniversary of Iran’s disputed election – various activists hosted a rally to draw attention to the ongoing human rights crisis in Iran. The demands of the event included freedom for all prisoners of conscience, a halt to executions, and accountability for those who are responsible for human rights abuses.

The day’s sponsors included Supporters of the Green Movement / Green Path of Hope – Southern California, Supporters Of “Mothers Of Laleh’ LA-Valley, Society for Democracy in Iran LA, Society for Human Rights in Iran Southern California, Amnesty International, and UASDI-LA.