President's Message
Dear John,
At NIAC, we believe human rights are a universal principle – not a tool to selectively deploy against enemies and shield from friends. Whether there are violations of the civil rights of Iranian Americans or other communities here at home, or human rights violations committed against loved ones in Iran, or violations conducted with the support of our U.S. taxpayer money – we will always stand up for the rights of all people.
As we enter the 2024 election year, and the prospect of the return of Donald Trump who would disregard human rights and rule of law abroad and perhaps most profoundly here at home, we are deeply concerned with the Biden Administration's Middle East policy – or lack thereof – and its continued inability to seize the reins to demand the simple solution to humanitarian suffering, human rights violations, and risk of regional war in the Middle East: a ceasefire.
With the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency looming on the horizon, and legitimate concerns that American democracy is very much in jeopardy, the Administration's failures are doubly damning. By failing to embrace the strategic and moral imperative of a ceasefire, the Biden team is helping pave the way for Trump's return as many Americans are repulsed by our government's complicity with the slaughter in Gaza and dumbfounded by the Biden Administration's apparent willingness to drift into regional war.
Trump built the current foundation for the Middle East crisis we are witnessing with his ill advised "Abraham Accords'' and disastrous abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal. Sadly, instead of reversing Trump's Middle East policy, the Biden Administration has become its custodian. The most recent concerning signal of the Biden Administration's position is the decision to engage in military action in Yemen. As we warned with many others [[link removed]] in December and are now witnessing, U.S. strikes on the Houthis in Yemen have only increased threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and elsewhere, while bringing the U.S. closer to a broader regional war.
So much damage has been done and so many lives have been lost in this spiraling conflict, and it is imperative that Biden reverse course. Until now, Biden's team has seemingly buried its heads in the sand as Israel has inflicted a devastating war on the Palestinian people and tensions in the region have boiled over. The truth is the same it has been for months: we urgently need a sustainable ceasefire to halt the killing and prevent a broader war from breaking out - before it is too late at home and abroad.
- Jamal Abdi
Protecting Civil Rights
The Threat of Another Muslim Ban is No Cover for Biden By Ryan Costello, NIAC Action Policy DirectorWith the 2024 Presidential Election on the horizon, many who supported Joe Biden in his first contest against Donald Trump are facing a moral and political conundrum. Trump poses an existential threat to American democracy. Yet Biden has been complicit in what many credibly argue is a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians with few modern precedents, and may be on course to opening a Pandora’s box of total war across the region.
When asked directly about the increasing number of Arab Americans who have said they will not vote for him following his backing of Israel’s brutal war against Palestinians, President Biden deflected by citing the Muslim ban. “The former President (Donald Trump) wants to put a ban on Arabs coming into the country. So we’ll make sure we understand who cares about the Arab population number one.”
Biden was right to make ending the Muslim ban a Day One priority for his administration, and affirmed that Trump’s discriminatory orders were “just plain wrong.” But as bad as blatant discrimination was under Trump, voters aren’t going to believe that two wrongs make a right, particularly given the scale of inhumane devastation we are witnessing in Gaza. Biden can’t simply rest on a ban he rescinded on Day One of his administration, and the threat of its return, to deflect righteous anger and concerns about what policies he is pursuing now. Instead, Biden must rediscover two elements that led him to victory in 2020.
>> Read the full essay [[link removed].]
[link removed] [[link removed]] Discriminatory Florida Law Bars Certain University Offers to Iranian Nationals [[link removed]]Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law banning universities from making offers to students from China, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and Syria. Now, Universities in Florida have since halted all fellowships and positions for students from the above-mentioned countries for the 2024-2025 academic year.
NIAC's ongoing fight against laws like the property ownership bans that were passed in Florida last year made it very clear to us that the trend of cracking down on adversarial countries, particularly through the targeting of individuals and immigrants in particular, has become increasingly prevalent. Just as we organized and mobilized to push back against the wave of blatantly discriminatory land laws, bank account closures, and travel ban restrictions, we will do the same with this newest threat of restriction against our community. People, especially students pursuing their education and a better life, are not their governments, and we will continue to work to rid both local and federal harmful and xenophobic policies.
>> Read More [[link removed]]
Advocating for Peace & Diplomacy
[link removed] [[link removed]] Ceasefire and Regional Escalation on the Hill: A Legislative Outlook [[link removed]] The U.S. Congress has returned to work this month amid continued conflict and turmoil in the Middle East. While some voices in Washington continue to push for outrageous escalation, including calling for bombing Iran, others are working to end the horrific war between Israel and Palestine and prevent conflict from boiling over into full-blown regional war.Learn more about these Congressional initiatives backed by NIAC regarding Regional Escalation, the U.S. Strikes in Yemen, and Transparency in U.S. Aid to Israel here [[link removed]] .
[link removed] [[link removed]] Twelve Senators Support [[link removed]] Accountability for Israel, but Sanders Resolution Rejected by Full Senate [[link removed]]Senator Bernie Sanders’ introduced a privileged resolution under Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act, which requires that states receiving U.S. aid and military support uphold international human rights and laws of war. The resolution would have required the State Department to submit a report on whether use of U.S. weapons by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank violates these standards and provided transparency to the American people whose tax dollars fund these weapons transfers. While the resolution was defeated on the Senate floor last week, it represents an important step towards ending the suffering of Palestinians, preventing a wider regional war, and beginning a shift in U.S. foreign policy that is so badly needed.
Learn more:
>> NIAC Endorses Sanders Resolution with 70+ Organizations [[link removed]]
>> NIAC Volunteer Leaders Organize Locally in Colorado [[link removed]] , Illinois [[link removed]] , Washington [[link removed]] , and New Mexico [[link removed]] in Support of the Sanders Resolution
>> What is S.Res. 504? – Sanders Resolution to Hold U.S. and Israel Accountable [[link removed]]
Read more here [[link removed]] .
Human Rights Tracker
[link removed] [[link removed]] Mohammad Ghobadlou’s Execution: Disregard for Due Process and Human Rights [[link removed]]
NIAC strongly condemns the recent execution of Mohammad Ghobadlou, who is yet another victim of the callous violations of international law inflicted by the Iranian judiciary. Our thoughts are with the Ghobadlou family and all those impacted by this heinous execution. We reiterate our call on Iran to halt its application of the death penalty, to reform its judiciary system in line with international standards, including by stopping the use of torture and coerced confessions, and to release all prisoners of conscience unjustly detained in Iranian prisons.
[link removed] [[link removed]] After 400 Days of Unjust Imprisonment, Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi are Released [[link removed]]
Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two Iranian journalists well known for their reporting on Mahsa Amini’s killing and their subsequent unjust imprisonment, were finally released from prison on bail following more than a year in custody. NIAC welcomes the release of these two journalists and condemns the new, unjust charges levied against them for allegedly violating the nation’s hijab laws. Journalism is not a crime, and Iran is obligated by international law not to inhibit freedom of the press as it has historically done by arresting journalists who report on the state’s abuses.
[link removed] [[link removed]]
The Defiance of Roya Heshmati: Lashes Fail to Break the Resilience of Iranian Women [[link removed]]
Roya Heshmati, a 33-year-old Iranian woman, has become a symbol of resistance throughout the ongoing “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement through her consistent defiance against Iran’s compulsory hijab law. After facing official charges for her ongoing protest, she was recently sentenced to 74 lashes, a horrifying experience through which she still courageously maintained her resilience.
NIAC’s Human Rights Tracker is a weekly newsletter monitoring the latest human rights stories out of Iran. 📥 Subscribe to receive our Human Rights Tracker in your inbox > [[link removed]]
Iran Unfiltered
[link removed] [[link removed]] Escalation with a Nuclear-Armed Neighbor: Pakistan Counterattacks Iranian Strikes, Abdullah Momeni Sent to Evin Prison and More

Escalation with a Nuclear-Armed Neighbor: Pakistan’s Counterattack Follows Iranian Strikes on Pakistani Soil

Government’s Efforts to Encourage Voter Turnout, Including Unveiled Women

Death and Injury of 5 Workers in Semnan Factory Explosion

Iran’s Drought Crisis: 13 National Dams Facing Severe Water Volume Reduction

After the Assault, Abdullah Momeni was Sent to Evin Prison

Khamenei Backs the Houthis After the United States Contacts Iran on Yemen

Death Penalty for Security Officer Who Killed a Protester


Iran Unfiltered is a digest tracking Iranian politics & society by the National Iranian American Council - here are stories from our latest edition. 📥 Subscribe to receive Iran Unfiltered in your inbox > [[link removed]]
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