Advancing Peace & Diplomacy
An Update on Iran's Coronavirus Crisis
The coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the world, impacting us here at home in the U.S., as we grapple with the struggles of our loved ones in Iran. It's indisputable that the Iranian government's lackluster response, combined with the weight of U.S. sanctions preventing the country from accessing humanitarian goods like masks and respirators, has intensified Iran's public health crisis.
 Luckily, the Iranian-American community and our pro-diplomacy allies are making waves in Washington DC, as we work with Members of Congress to make abundantly clear: the United States has a moral imperative to ease sanctions on Iran as it combats coronavirus.
In the last couple weeks, we joined 25+ organizations — including J Street, MoveOn, and Win Without War — to send a letter to Pompeo and Mnuchin call for an easing of Iran sanctions. Soon after, progressive democrats, including AOC, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Ilhan Omar, sent a letter to the White House also calling for sanctions relief. And just this week, NIAC sent a letter to former Vice President Joe Biden asking him to clarify if he would ease sanctions amid Iran's COVID-19 outbreak. The Biden campaign has since issued a statement calling for steps to ensure Iran can better access aid.
Interested in helping ensure Iran can effectively combat coronavirus? Below are two ways you can take action today:
|
|
|
Building Political Power
Take Action to Adopt "Vote by Mail" Across the Country!
 We are just months away from Election Day 2020, and Americans still struggle with access to the ballot box. Voters in states that require in-person voting are still afraid of the threat of coronavirus and often decide to stay at home.
This is a threat to our democracy. Vote by Mail can ease all of these stressors by offering voters a way to vote without fear of contracting coronavirus COVID-2019.
✍ Sign the petition to make voluntary "Vote by Mail" accessible for all! >
Protecting Civil Rights
Iranian Professor Detained by ICE
An Iranian engineering professor has been detained by ICE after being acquitted by U.S.courts of charges related to sanctions violations. While Dr. Sirous Asgari teaches at Iran's Sharif University, his ties to the U.S. have deep roots. Dr. Asgari completed his PhD in the United States in 1997 and two of his children reside here. On a visit in 2017 with his wife, Dr. Asgari was prosecuted by the U.S. government for alleged violations of U.S. sanctions. Though Dr. Asgari was acquitted on all charges by U.S. courts after a long trial, his valid visa was revoked and he was picked up by ICE the same day as his release.
Dr. Asgari has desperately tried to secure his release and return to Iran, but ICE authorities have continued to detain him indefinitely without charges. The Center for Consituational Rights has recently filed a class-action suit for Mr. Asgari and sixteen others in federal court in Louisiana, seeking to get them released from immigration dention in lieu of the risks of being incarcerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case of Dr. Asgari is troubling both for the legal implications of his detention and concerns for his health as Coronavirus cases surge in the United States. In the midst of the deadly Coronavirus outbreak, U.S. detention facilities are a hotbed of transmission, as Dr. Asgari himself has noted the lack of hygiene products and close quarters. NIAC is closely monitoring this case and will keep you updated with additional developments as we learn more and ways you can get involved.
Read more about Dr. Asgari's case here >
|
|
Community & Culture
#ICYMI: We've Got a New Look!
At a time of social distancing, it may sound strange to be talking about building bridges among people. But we have never let a crisis, big or small, get in the way of that commitment — even if the bridges, for now, must be built virtually. That’s why we're so excited to unveil NIAC’s new look and website! Check it out to find information about the issues impacting our community, ways to (digitally!) get involved, and much more Even in these challenging times, NIAC will continue to serve as a bridge for our community and we look forward to staying connected with all of you who continue to make this work possible.
🌐 Check out our new look >
Write in Iranian: Be Counted in the 2020 Census!
 NIAC is excited to have joined a coalition of national Iranian-American organizations to encourage our community to write in Iranian on the 2020 census.
For the first time, the census will provide a place for individuals to write in their national origin next to their preferred racial categories. It's important that our community write in “Iranian” for Question #9 to ensure we are accurately counted. And now that the census is online, it's even easier!
✍ Learn more here >
Donate to NIAC and Get a Free Copy of The Rumi Prescription
NIAC is partnering with award-winning Iranian-American author Melody Moezzi to offer free copies of her newest book, The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life, to anyone who donates $25 or more to NIAC!
📚 Get your free copy of The Rumi Prescription >
Spotlighting Human Rights in Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh Hunger Strikes to Release Prisoners During Coronavirus Crisis
Nasrin Sotoudeh, the well-known human rights attorney currently serving a 38-year sentence in Iran for her work as an advocate of women’s rights, began a hunger strike on March 17, 2020 to demand the release of all political prisoners, as Iran combats its Coronavirus outbreak. The lives of those still in Iranian prisons during this health crisis are surely in danger and Sotoudeh is among these prisoners. Continuing to hold prisoners like Sotoudeh is doubly unjust under the shadow of a pandemic. Sotoudeh’s own plea tragically sums it up, “If we’re going to die, let us be by our families’ sides, can’t you let us go even under these circumstances?”
📖 Read more from our Human Rights Tracker >
📥 Subscribe to receive our Human Rights Tracker in your inbox >
From Our Staff
NIAC Organizing Director Donna Farvard joins Hoda Katebi and other Iranian Americans to demand that the U.S. #EndCOVIDSanctions
📺 Watch it in on AJ+ >
NIAC Research Fellow Assal Rad joins "The Grayzone" to discuss Iran's struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and the sanctions imposed by the administration that further weaken the Iranian economy and health system.
📺 Watch it here >
Trump's Bungling of Coronavirus Started With Iran
Jamal Abdi for Newsweek
"President Donald Trump's concept of "America first" is burdened by a misapprehension: that the U.S. enjoys immense power to shape the world abroad yet is somehow immunized from the consequences at home. Not unlike the George W. Bush administration... the Trump administration mistakenly assumes that poor U.S. policy decisions with vast consequences beyond America's borders are justifiable, in part, because the blowback will never reach our shores."
Read the full article >
Trump Risks a Dual Crisis of an Iran War During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Shervin Ghaffari & Ryan Costello for The National Interest
 "While the world continues to grapple with the Coronavirus outbreak, another crisis has been brewing below the radar in Iraq that threatens to plunge the U.S. and Iran into a disastrous war... Now, just two months later, Shia militias are believed to be behind a spate of rocket attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, belying the administration’s assertions that the strike on Soleimani was decisive and restored deterrence against Iran and the groups it supports." Read the full article >
How Hawks are trying to Shatter the Iran Nuclear Deal Once and for All
Ryan Costello for Responsible Statecraft
 "If you visit the State Department’s Iran page, you’ll see an ominous clock counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the expiration of the United Nations arms embargo on Iran. The clock… reflects how far the State Department has fallen from the days when [it] worked to craft a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program and open a window to resolve additional longstanding concerns with Iran’s regional activities." Read the full article >
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PO Box 65439 | Washington, DC 20035
This email was sent to [email protected].
Please note, if you forward or distribute, links will open with your information filled in.
We'd hate to see less of you, but if you want fewer emails or need to unsubscribe, you can do that here.
|
|
|
