|
Dear John,
Last week, we shared with you the case of Neuromatch Academy, which was forced to bar Iranians from participating in its virtual academic conference due to U.S. sanctions. NIAC has always worked to support exchanges and connections between the American people and the Iranian people as a core element of conflict resolution, and we immediately sprang into action to raise awareness and help Neuromatch remedy this issue.
Now we have good news! After a concentrated push, we're excited to share that the Treasury granted Neuromatch an emergency license! This means that Iranians can now participate in this global knowledge exchange important to serving public health interests worldwide.
There has never been a more integral time for global scientific exchange—and that's why it's so important for us to combat sanctions that undermine such exchanges. Neuromatch Academy's success can be replicated on a case by case basis, but to truly resolve this problem we will continue to urge the Treasury to consider a general license to enable scientific exchanges regarding public health.
In the meantime, we are continuing our work to prevent ICE from deporting international students, Iranians included, if their classes go fully online this fall due to the pandemic. We are currently working with Members of Congress and the relevant committees to find a legislative solution to this recent order and need your support to ensure our voices are heard. If you haven't already, please send a message to your lawmakers to urge Congress to block ICE's plan to deport international students and we will keep you updated as these efforts proceed.
Thanks,
Jamal Abdi
President, NIAC
SUPPORT CAMPAIGNS LIKE THESE. Donate >
PS - We'll be discussing issues like this and more at our Virtual Gala on July 30th—make sure to RSVP today if you haven't already! 🎟️
|
