Thursday, April 2, 2015

We have to stop nuclear negotiations from overshadowing Iran's human rights record - Opinion Piece from The Guardian



"One of the first areas of focus should be a halt on all executions in Iran. The US, in partnership with the UN, should also pressure Iran to release imprisoned human rights defenders and political prisoners. Perhaps the most critical support is to help Iranians access safe and reliable communications technology. The international community should support projects that would ultimately enable world citizens, including Iranians, to bypass the governments’ control over internet, in the same way that satellite technology has bypassed government censorship efforts. At the very least, the west should increase its support for internet censorship circumvention technologies, and secure communication platforms.
Though the government of Iran claims otherwise, it does not like to have its ugly side in the spotlight. For too long, the focus has been on the nuclear weapons program. But recent progress should finally free us to start thinking about other important questions, such as the transformation of Iranian society."
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