Iran’s Civil Society Movement Sets Up "National Peace Council"

CASMII Press Release

10 July 2008

Iran’s Civil Society Movement Sets Up "National Peace Council"

On Thursday July 3, the National Peace Council in Iran convened its first meeting. Tens of prominent individuals engaged in various spheres of political, social and cultural work held the inaugural meeting of the founding committee of the National Peace Council.

The meeting expressed strong opposition to war and sanctions, calling for an end to the situation of “neither war, no peace”, so detrimental to the economy as well as the democratic and civil society movement in Iran.

In this conference, political and civil society activists, from Dr Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian Peace Nobel Laureate and Dr Ebrahim Yazdi, the Secretary General of the “Nehzat-e Azaadi-e Iran” (Iran’s Freedom Movement), to Dr Khosrow Paarsa, the renown physician exchanged their views and discussed various issues.

This gathering followed the call on November 19, 2007 by Shirin Ebadi, the Head of the Centre for Defenders of Human Rights, who in a public gathering intended for unifying and organising the peace movement in Iran, invited all Iranian peace lovers to do whatever in their power to achieve a long lasting peace in Iran. A Temporary Committee for Peace, which was then set up, invited a large number of civil society, political and cultural activists to form the founding committee of the National Peace Council.

The proposed draft Charter attached to the invitations defined the Objective of the movement as “Long-lasting Peace in Iran”.

The Aims were outlined as “Creating and strengthening the basis for peace; Preventing a military attack; Abolishing the imposed sanctions and preventing any additional sanctions; Ending the situation of “Neither war, Nor Peace”.

The Mission was stated as “Striving to end the situation of “Neither War, Nor Peace” and establishing long lasting peace; Promoting a culture of humanism, peace and respect for human rights in Iran; Mobilising all the means and resources for establishing and preserving peace; Defence of all individuals and groups striving for peace; Collaborating with the global peace movement to prevent the imposition of war by either sides of the dispute on Iran; Striving to unify and form a coalition between various social strands of the peace movement in Iran, and opposing internal and external warmongers”.

According to the Draft Charter the following Activities were adopted in order to achieve the Objective of Long lasting Peace: “Disseminating a culture of peace and raising awareness of the negative effects of war through the medium of film, theatre, books, media, meetings and talks; Educational workshops to strengthen the basis of a lasting peace; Contact and dialogue with national and international peace activists opposing the imposition of war on Iranians; Setting up campaigns to oppose the situation of “Neither War, Nor Peace”, economic sanctions and war” .

With the approach of the US elections and the final six months of the Bush Administration’s term in office, the people of Iran have been facing harsher sanctions and increasing threats of military intervention.

In the face of this tangible and heightened intimidation, several independent peace movements and organizations have been formed in Iran. Early this month a large group of academics from universities in Iran also released a statement which calls for opposition to sanctions and military intervention and an end to the situation of “Neither war, Nor peace”.

The Founding Committee of National Peace Council consists of seventy two prominent civil society, political and cultural activists including journalists from several banned newspapers and former political prisoners, as listed below:

Hashem Aghagari, Taher Ahmadzadeh, Babak Ahmadi, Parvin Ardalan, Mansour Asaalou, Hussain Akbari, Nor al-din Akbari, Abbas Amir Entezam, Hassan Amini Kaak, Ebrahim Ansari Lari, Adib Boroman, Rakhsahn Bani Etemad, Simin Behbahanie, Mahmoud Behzadi, Khosro Parsaa, Jafar Panahi, Safaar Pishbin, Habibollah Peymaan, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Jalal Jalalzadeh, Hamid Hussainpoor, Davoud Hussaini, Manijeh Hekmat, Mohammad Khaksaari, Seif Khosro, Ali Ashraf Darvishiaan, Hussain Deghati, Sadegh Rabaani, Taghi Rahmaani, Sohraab Razzaaghi, Hussain Rafiee, Koroush Za’eim, Babak Zamani, Mohammad Sattarifar, Ezatollah Sahaabi, Issa Saharkhiz, Abbdollah Salaami, Abdolfataah Soltani, Mansour Shakerifar, Hussain Shaah hussaini, Jila Shariat panaahi, Soosan Shariati, Masha allah Shamsul-Wazeien, Ataollah Shirazi, Ahamd Sadr Haj Seyed Javadi, Hassan SadrZaadeh, Alireza Sarafi, Keyvan Samimi, Azam Taleghani, Jafar Ebadi, Shirin Ebadi, Abaas Abdi, Mohammad Ali Amooyi, Ali Asghar Ghorravi, Hassan Farhoudniya, Rahman Kargoshar, Bahman Keshavarz, Hussain Mojahed, Fakhr alSaddaat Mohtameshipoor, Ebrahim Modadi, Baayazid Mardokhi, Faatemeh Mo’atamed Aariya, Ali Akbar Moeinfar, Khadijeh Moghim, Maleki Mohammad, Ali Mansouri, Abollah Momeni, Lotfollah Meysami, Mohammad Hashemi, Davoud Har Midas Baavand, Ebraahim Yazdi

For more information or to contact CASMII please visit http://www.campaigniran.org

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