Solidarity for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran

Declaration of Formation

Solidarity for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran

In the name of Happiness of the Iranian Nation

Our country today is in such a sensitive and dangerous situation that staying silent or indifferent toward the country’s destiny not only will not slow down the inevitable downfall, but may cause acceleration of social and political collapse.

Ideological one-sidedness, forcing of people to follow a one-sided look at family and society by the limiting, and often violent enforcement of, anti-human rights laws and denial of even the very basic citizens’ rights, has caused an anti-religion backlash. The people of a country with thousands of years of religious culture are now driven toward faithlessness and hatred of religion by the anti-human rights policies of the governing body, which has led to moral decline. A nation known for highest social morals, good thoughts, good speech and good deeds is declining to the lowest levels ever known in history.

Today, our country finds itself in deepest conditions of political and moral decay and, as the result, alarming rise of addiction and felony. The governing establishment has been drowned in so much corruption, graft and felony that cleaning it up will be an extremely difficult task. The poverty caused by the economic collapse has created widespread unemployment, brain drain, flight of capital, poverty, collapse of family unit, addiction, prostitution, thievery, hopelessness and suicide.

Disregard of International obligation and commitments, rebellious behaviour and continued unwise and belligerent foreign policies of the Islamic Republic has caused imposition of devastating sanctions by the international community thus blocking all forms of meaningful development such as that of oil and gas industry, petrochemical industry, oil and gas pipelines. In addition, it has endangered our sovereignty at certain border areas, has cause aggressive policies by the international community against our national interests such as in Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, Arvand and Hirmand rivers, which all have become playfields for our neighbouring countries.

On the economic front, illegal import monopolies in the hands of officials and cronies, religious and military organizations are responsible for uncontrolled importation of poor quality cheap agricultural and industrial products leading to virtual destruction of local production, leaving our agricultural and industrial sectors in ruins. Our economy has transformed from industrial and agricultural production into a brokering operation. Reduction of activity in development, industrial and agricultural production has caused rise of unemployment and poverty to highest levels ever experienced in our history, such that only 20% of population control 80% of total wealth, over 60% of population have dropped under poverty line and is getting worse due to unchecked double digit inflation.

Since the ruling group do not believe in the rule of law and ignore the most basic citizens’ rights, civil protest movements formed by special interests groups like women, students and workers have been on the rise and growing. The government in order to extinguish the ever increasing civil protests has resorted to illegal and violent behaviour such as beating up women and youth in the streets, threatening political activists, arrests, imprisonment and wide spread executions.

On the other hand, violent and medieval court orders such as stoning, dismemberment and vengeful execution of even under-age youth, has painted an ugly picture of Iran and made it the most despised in the world community.

The animosity the regime displays toward rich Iranian history and culture, and the trend of systematic destruction of our cultural heritage which has been taken place since the establishment of Islamic Republic, has taken an astronomically devastating surge during the past four years of the new government. Our ancient relics and monuments are called worthless broken pottery and stones. The leader of Islamic republic refers to respected ancient Iranian personalities such as Cyrus the Great as tyrant and his world heritage mausoleum along with tens of other unique world heritage sites becomes target of deliberate destruction. Iranian natural environment and ecology has been target of greed and profiteering of Islamic republic officials and their cronies and savagely destroyed. More than one third of our forests have been destroyed, rivers, lagoons and lakes have dried up and wildlife, which ensures equilibrium of living nature, has become but non-existent.

Now, our great nation, the founder of human rights and the rule of law, and who have always believed in and professed friendship and equality of all peoples, integrity and honesty, and the three slogans of Good Thoughts, Good Speech and Good Deeds as the symbol of being Iranian, deserves a government based on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. For this reason, and in line with this ancient Iranian want, a group of Iranian national personalities and members of political parties and civil and professional organizations who believe in and are committed to the geographical sovereignty of Iran, democracy, republicanism, political and economic independence, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Iranian culture, have gathered to declare their united front under the banner of Solidarity for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran.

We call on all political, civil and professional organizations and national personalities who believe in the following principles to join us. We request of all Iranians and freedom activists around the world to come to our assistance toward achieving the following goals:

One: Protecting and guarding the geographical sovereignty of Iran

Two: Observance of the Unite Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related conventions and protocols.

Three: Establishing the rule of a law created by the free will of the people.

Four: Revising the current Constitution by deleting and/or modifying Articles that deny the will of people and human rights.

Five: Secularism (separation of religion from the state)

Six: Emphasis on democracy, human rights and basic freedoms.

Seven: Emphasis on equal rights for all Iranian ethnic groups and cultures.

Eight: Emphasis on equality of man and woman.

Nine: Removing all forms of discrimination based on religion, belief, gender, race or ethnicity.

Ten: Guarding Persian language which is the foundation of Iranian culture, sovereignty and national identity, while respecting and accepting all other languages and dialects spoken in Iran.

Eleven: Abolition of capital punishment and denial of forms of violence and torture whether from official or unofficial channels.

Twelve: Economic and social development coupled with social justice and prevention any unjust profiteering and exploitation.

Tehran: May 10, 2009

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Thursday 6 May 2010

Executive Board

President: Dr. Davud H. Bavand

Political Secretary: Engr. Kourosh Zaim

General Secretary: Dr. Mohammad Maleki

Executive Secretary: Isa Khan Hatami

Spokesman: Engr. Heshmat Tabarzadi

General assembly

Iran National front:

Ardalan, Dr. Mahlagha Member, Central Council and Exec. Board

Bakhtiari, Engr. Mehran Member, Engineers Committee

Bavand, Dr. Davud H. Member, Central Council and Leadership

Darrudi, Jamal Member, Central Council

Hatami, Isa Khan Member, Central Council

Khadem, Engr. Hamid Reza Member, Engineers Committee

Naghipour, Dr. Ali Akbar Member, Central Council

Owliayi Far, Mohammad A. Member, Lawyers Committee

Nour Tabrizi, Sharar Member, University Students Committee

Rahmani, Engr. Arash Member, Engineers Committee

Ramezani, Farzad Member, University Students Committee

Razavi, Engr. Ashkan Member, Engineers Committee

Sepanta, Dr. Shahin Member, Central Council

Zaim, Engr. Kourosh Member, Central Council, Exec. Board

Iran Party:

AmirBakhtiar, Amir Reza Khuzestan Province Coordinator

Iran Democratic Front:

Emami, Dr. S. javad Member, Central Council

Kavehpour, Abdolrahim Member and Author

Safari, Parviz Member, Central Council

Salamati, Mohammad M. Member, Central Council

Tabarzadi, Engr. Heshmat General Secretary

Iran Democratic Party:

Khorsandi, Abbas General Secretary

Azadi Party:

Samimi behbahani, Engr. Keyvan General Secretary

Iran Writers Society:

Jabbari, Ali Reza Member, Board of Directors

Nouiala, Partow Member

Raisdana, Dr. Fariborz Member

Human Rights Defenders Center:

Dadkhah, Dr. Mohammad Ali Member, Board of Directors

Jafari, Sedigheh Iran Representative

Sotudeh, Mrs. Nasrin Member

Human Rights Reporters Committee:

Kalaneki, Saeid Member

Political Prisoners Society:

Fallahiehzadeh, Mohammad Hassan

Khonsari, Mohammad Reza

Derakhshandeh, Saeid

Teachers Occupational Society:

Bodaghi, Rasul Member, Board of Directors

Haft-Tappeh Workers Union:

Rakhshan, Reza Public Relations Director

Tehran Municipal Bus Drivers Union:

Osanlu Mansur Director of Board

Karami, Hassan Member, Board of Directors

NejadKudaki, Abbas Member, Board of Directors

Pirhadi, Ali Akbar Member, Board of Directors

Shahabi Zakaria, Reza Member, Board of Directors

Shekari, Soltan Ali Member, Board of Directors

Torabian, Saied Member, Board of Directors

Liberal Nationalist Students Society:

Zeinali, Shahin President

United Students front:

Kord, Amin Member, Central Council

Rastegar, Hassan Member

Kurdistan Province Human Rights Organization:

Aghvami, Jalal Spokesman

Lorestan Province Cultural Center:

Abtin, Bahram Founder and President

Melli Mazhabi Activists Council:

Bastenegar, Mohammad Member

Maleki, Dr. Mohammad Member, Former Tehran Univ. President

Pan Iranism Party:

Janfeshan, Bijan Member

Union for Democracy:

Moradi, Abdollah Member, Central Committee

Fars Province Ahuramanesh Society:

Khosrowani, Hamid Reza Member

Human Rights Activists:

Firuzi, Dr. Hesam Former Political Prisoner

Fallah, Yusef Mashhad, Province of

central Khorasan

Ghobadlu, Ali

Pouraghayi, Mohammad

Pourebrahimi, Ahmad

Rahami, Dr. Mohsen Sabzevar, province of So.

Khorasan

Sabbaghpour, Sohrab Karaj, Province of Tehran

Vafamehr, Marzieh Film Director

Journalists and Webloggers:

Kheyrani, Nahid

Mehrani, Behzad

Political Activists:

Asgari, Mohammad

Daneshpazir, Ahmad

Feyzollahzadeh, Saeid

Javid Tehrani, Behruz Former Political prisoner

Moftizadeh, Esmail Former Political Prisoner

Tabari, Kazem

Taghvayi, Nasser Author and Film Director

Taheri, Siamak

Student Movement Activists:

Jahandar, Abolfazl

Hajilu, Ziba

Rownaghi Maleki, Hossein

Yazdani, Hanif

Women’s Movement Activists:

Mahjub, Maryam

Shemirani, Gowhar

Yusefpour, Minu