John, I am deeply inspired by Iranians demanding freedom. But I'm also deeply worried about mass arrests and continued violence the Iranian government is perpetrating on its own people.
The displays of bravery, art, and solidarity online have brought together our community in ways we haven't seen in a long time. This is our moment to affect meaningful change.
To that end, we wanted to update you on the latest actions we're taking at NIAC to help the Iranian people and give tools to Iranian Americans who want to take action.
Solidarity Center
This week, NIAC launched the Solidarity Center [[link removed]] , a hub for the latest news, our response to it, and ways you can get involved and stand in solidarity. The hub includes our Human Rights Trackers on the protests, which we've been publishing frequently so we can keep you up-to-date on what's happening on the ground in Iran. It also includes events you can attend near you, our latest action alerts, and updates on campaigns and meetings we've had with lawmakers and the Biden administration on how to best support the Iranian people. All in one place.
VISIT THE HUB [[link removed]]
Human Rights Tracker
All of our trackers are organized in the Solidarity Center but the latest [[link removed]] one focuses on the international response to human rights violations in Iran. Security forces have brutally killed an estimated 83 people (as of Thursday) and, there is mounting concern over the torture of protestors. As bloodshed and protests continue, the UN Secretary-General called for a "prompt and impartial investigation" into Mahsa (Jhina) Amini's killing.
Impactful Action
NIAC is focused on advocating for U.S. policies that support rather than undermine Iranians demanding freedom. Last week, after years of working on this issue, we helped secure a huge win to lift sanctions on internet access [[link removed]] . Because of our direct advocacy, we've made it harder for Iran's government to shut off internet access to Iranians in the future. Now, we're mobilizing our community to take action to urge Congress to take further action to open the internet, and to call on tech companies to end the censorship of online content. This is direct action we're taking because of feedback we got from our community about posts from Iranians that have been taken down mysteriously.
take action [[link removed]]As we head into next week, we will continue amplifying content we see online with our community, and I hope you can take a few minutes to share any thoughts on your mind with me and my team. This is a pivotal moment for our community and as a community organization, and we want to have our ears close to the ground. Do you have ideas for things we should or shouldn't be doing? Send us a reply, and someone will read it and respond.
With you, always.
Jamal Abdi
President, NIAC