Dear John,

[[link removed]] Last Friday, the Iranian-American community watched as protests erupted across Iran in response to the government's unexpected increase in gasoline prices. As has become too common a tale, the Iranian government met these protests with brute force, resulting in numerous injuries, arrests, and the deaths of at least 106 protesters [[link removed]] across 21 cities.

Not long after the protests first took hold, the Iranian government also imposed an internet blackout [[link removed]] on an unprecedented scale meant to stifle the Iranian peoples' ability to communicate with the outside world. Iranian Americans have been disconnected from their families in Iran with few answers as to what is happening inside the country.

NIAC strongly condemned [[link removed]] the Iranian government's crackdown on protesters and its attempt to stifle dissent and further calls on the government to uphold its international human rights obligations, including the right to free expression and peaceful protest. Authorities who are complicit in using excessive force against protesters must be held accountable.

As Iranian-Americans, we stand in solidarity with our loved ones in Iran. As Americans, we must support universal human rights by ensuring our government, the U.S. government, upholds those rights and does not contribute to the violation of those rights or co-opt the aspirations of the Iranian people.

Read on for more developments and to learn about what you can do to support #IranProtests.

In Solidarity,

Jamal Abdi
Executive Director, NIAC Action




NIAC Press Statement on Widespread Protests in Iran
Saturday, November 16, 2019

[[link removed]] NIAC is closely tracking reports of protests in many Iranian cities after the government announced an increase in the price of gasoline. NIAC condemns the Iranian government’s use of force used to disperse protestors, as seen in videos showing the deployment of riot police and tear gas in parts of Iran, as well as efforts to stifle communication by limiting internet access. The Iranian people have an inalienable right to peacefully demonstrate and express their economic and political grievances. The Iranian government denies them this right at its own peril.

Ordinary Iranians have borne immense economic hardship due to government mismanagement and U.S. sanctions. Importantly, the Iranian political system is not monolithic and there are signs that more hardline elements seek to capitalize on public grievances to advance their own narrow aims. Rather than empower the Iranian people, the Trump administration’s fixation on 'maximum pressure' has served to embolden such forces. The international community must push the Iranian government to abide by its human rights obligations, allow the Iranian people to peaceful demonstrate and air their grievances, and hold repressive forces to account for abuses.

📌 Read our press statement from November 16 here → [[link removed]]




Take Action! Support the Iranian People’s Access to the Internet

[[link removed]] As demonstrations continue in Iran, we have an opportunity and obligation to stand up for the right to freedom of speech for Iranians. The Iranian government has cut off the Internet, making it nearly impossible to communicate with our loved ones inside the country and for information to get out.

Unfortunately, U.S. sanctions have helped make this Internet blackout possible and, as Iranian Americans and allies, we must hold our own government to account to fix this policy. Send a letter to your elected officials today [[link removed]] urging that sanctions that restrict Internet access for Iranians be lifted.

Take Action → [[link removed]]


Want to Support Iranians? Stop Sanctioning Iran’s Internet
By Jamal Abdi for The Iranian

[[link removed]]

As Iran erupted with protests this past weekend, the Iranian government responded with a violent clamp down against demonstrators and the severing of nearly all Internet connections between Iran and the rest of the world. In the U.S., the White House and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued statements of solidarity – despite the fact that many of the economic woes Iranians are protesting have been due to U.S. sanctions. However, if Pompeo and co are actually serious about standing for the rights and aspirations of the Iranian people, they can take real action by exempting communications tools from sanctions — a step which, until now, the administration has completely and perhaps deliberately ignored amidst a fervor to impose “maximum pressure.”

🌐 Read the full article in The Iranian → [[link removed]]




NIAC Petitions U.S. Treasury for General License Update to Support Iranians’ Access to Internet

Today, NIAC called on the U.S. Treasury Department to take necessary steps to ensure U.S. sanctions are not contributing to the Iranian government’s ability to disconnect Iranians. Iranian Americans have been unable to communicate with family members during the shutdown and the isolation of Iran due to certain sanctions has unfortunately contributed to the Iranian government’s ability to separate its population from the rest of the world.

NIAC President Jamal Abdi further explanied the rule change, saying:

"NIAC is petitioning the Treasury Department for a formal rule change request to expand General License D-1, which has not been updated in more than five years. Over the past several months, Apple, Amazon, Google and many other tech companies have begun blocking Iranians from accessing key software and services as a result of limitations and ambiguities in General License D-1 and escalating U.S. sanctions on Iran... NIAC strongly supported General License D-1 and has advocated in support of measures to prevent censorship technology from being acquired by Iran’s government and to ensure Iranians have access to communication technology. The formal rule change request is included below, and we look forward to working for its timely adoption."

📌 Read our full statement on the requested General License update → [[link removed]]




Human Rights Tracker: Iranians Killed and Arrested in Protests Across the Country

www.niacouncil.org/hrt/ [www.niacouncil.org/hrt/] On November 15, Iran’s government sharply raised gas prices, further hurting Iranians who have already been struggling economically due to government mismanagement, corruption, and the effects of harsh U.S. sanctions. The price hike sparked protests in cities across the country, as Iranians took to the streets to air their rightful grievances and express their frustrations. . However, as seen in the past, Iranian authorities have confronted protestors with inexcusable violence and have worked to stifle the demonstrations.

The protests have continued to rock different parts of the country, with banks and other buildings set on fire as Iranians resist the security forces who have killed at least 12 people, while other estimates, according to sources on Twitter, range as high as 200. Over 1,000 people have been reportedly arrested, one of which includes Sepideh Gholian, a 22 year old labor activist who had been released from prison only a few weeks ago.

📌 Read the full update on our Human Rights Tracker → [[link removed]]

Subscribe to Human Rights Tracker updates → [[link removed]]


Policy Memo: Iran Protests, Internet Blackout, & Government Crackdown

The Iranian government abruptly announced last Thursday that the price of gasoline would be increased, triggering widespread protests from a population already under severe economic hardship due to governmental mismanagement and the impact of U.S. sanctions.

For Members of Congress, NIAC encourages three actions: First, condemn the Iranian government’s ongoing stifling of the internet and brutal crackdown that is in contravention of the government’s international human rights obligations. Second, take action to ensure that sanctions do not inadvertently harm the Iranian people, including by pushing to broaden licensing for vital communication technology. Third, in solidarity with the Iranian people, push the Trump administration to end its discriminatory Muslim ban and ensure sanctions no longer inhibit humanitarian trade.

Additionally, NIAC is encouraging Members of Congress to speak out in support of the human rights of Iranians as the protests rage on. Several prominent lawmakers have already called on the Iranian government to halt its human rights abuses and allow for the free flow of communications, including Senators Bernie Sanders [[link removed]] , Tim Kaine [[link removed]] , and Ed Markey [[link removed]] , and Representative Katie Porter [[link removed]] .

📌 Read our full policy memo → [[link removed]]

[link removed] [[link removed]]

twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1196887179978592257 [twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1196887179978592257]

Want to support NIAC? Donate today. [[link removed]]




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