Thursday, May 13, 2010

A chance to stand tall against Iran on human rights

Journalist Roxana Saberi was detained in Evin Prison last year. She recently wrote a book about her experiences, Between Two Worlds. Saberi also contributed to the Cannes award-winning film, No One Knows About The Persian Cats.
In today's Washington Post, Saberi writes:
"As the international community focuses on Iran's nuclear program, it should also make human rights a first-tier issue. When the U.N. Human Rights Council meets in Geneva next month, Washington and the European Union should lead calls for a resolution setting up a mechanism to investigate human rights atrocities in Iran during the past year. A bigger push should be made to send a U.N. special envoy on human rights to Iran and to aid Iranians, including the many journalists forced to flee their country out of fear of persecution.
But perhaps even more important than government efforts is the outcry of ordinary people worldwide. When everyday citizens speak out against Iran's human rights violations, Tehran has a tougher time asserting that their calls have been masterminded by foreign governments."

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