Tag Archives: nazanin afshin-jam

Nazanin’s views on current situation in Iran

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and Stop Child Executions support the movement of the the Iranian people and demands an immediate stop to the atrocities, violations of the human rights and freedom of expression by the current regime and demand full compliance with the expressed will of the Iranians. 

In solidarity with Iranians , SCE has changed the colors of its blog to green and encourage others to also show their support.

You can listen to a radio interview (AM770) with Nazanin Afshin-Jam about the recent events in Iran here: podcast page.
 
Also this is Nazanin’s open letter to the Iranian people:
 
Oh how we, living in exile, wish we could be at your side at this critical juncture in history.

Please keep the momentum going with acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. Like a snowball in motion, once underway, cannot be stopped by anyone.

The eyes of the world are watching your every step and are behind you. World leaders are closely observing the country proclaiming their desire to see the wishes of the Iranian people met. They simply need to see the sheer numbers of the population that seek change and reform. They too will be on your side.

This is our chance to regain our destiny as the freedom loving sons and daughters of Cyrus the Great. This is our chance to bring down the theocracy and rise up to establish a democracy so that our children will be able to enjoy the fruits of liberty: freedom, equality, the rule of law, separation between religion and state and a constitution based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Beauty and the Barbarians”

Nazanin Afshin-Jam is president and co-founder of Stop Child Executions. She is shown here holding photographs of youths who could be executed.

“Beauty and the barbarians”

Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, published: Saturday, October 25, 2008.

Ahmad Nourzehi is on death row in an Iranian jail. He was 12 when he was sentenced to death for carrying and supplying heroin. Soghra Najafpour spent 17 years on death row, having been convicted at 13 of murdering an eight-year-old boy — the son of the family who she had been working for as a maid since she was nine. Najafpour denied the charges, but was only released from prison a year ago after her family managed to raise $66,000 US to compensate the boy’s family for its loss. Five days after her release, she was ordered to return to jail and face execution.
These are only two of the 139 juvenile offenders scheduled for public execution in Iran. These are the children for whom Nazanin Afshin-Jam weeps, loses sleep over and has gone into debt as she tries to save them from stonings, hangings or being dropped from a crane often after coerced confessions, inconclusive or rigged trials or no trial at all. (In Iran, there’s something called the ‘divine knowledge of judges,’ which allows them to rule on a case without ever hearing the facts and arguments.)

Afshin-Jam is haunted by her conviction that there are many others, and the fact that last year Iran executed 17 juvenile offenders.

Full article  can be found here:
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=f1e336d3-5bee-4317-9af8-4eac47ce3d1d

Message from Nazanin Afshin-Jam

On behalf of the Stop Child Executions organization I would personally like to THANK YOU for your efforts in our campaign.

We hope this latest news of Iran’s desire to end the death penalty for minors is sincere and abide by their word . We are pleased that Iran is taking the right step forward but we are being cautious as we have seen announcements before where the Islamic Republic of Iran’s officials have reneged on their statements . We at Stop Child Executions are hopeful that this is a battle that can be won. Our voices together really do make a difference and are being heard and addressed worldwide!

Thank you for being a part of the solution,

Nazanin Afshin-Jam
President and Co-Founder
Stop Child Executions
www.stopchildexecutions.com
scenews.blog.com

For a full report by Stop Child Executions please read: http://scenews.blog.com/4023595/

More about the Wall of shame Rally and it’s speakers

One of the speakers at the Stop Child Executions Wall of Shame Rally in New York in front of UN was AHMAD BATEBI.

During his studies at the University of Tehran Ahmad Batebi gained international fame for his appearance on the July 17, 1999 cover of The Economist magazine, holding up a shirt splattered with the blood of a fellow protester. Human Rights activist Shirin Ebadi reports that the shirt belonged to Ezzat Ebrahim-Nejad, a student who was shot and killed reportedly by a plainclothes police or vigilante.

The photo, which has been called “an icon for Iran’s student reform movement”, was taken during the Iranian Student Protests in July 1999 in Tehran. Following its publishing, Batebi was arrested, tried in closed-door proceedings, found guilty of “creating street unrest”, and sentenced to death.

This was reduced to 15 years after domestic and international outcry.Less well-known are persistent reports of torture and ill-treatment of Batebi in prison, and his resulting poor physical and mental health. While temporarily released from prison to receive medical attention, Batebi was able to flee Iran into Iraq , then Austria and then United States where he was granted asylum.

Other speakers at the Wall of The Shame Rally were Ex-Political prisoner Kianoosh Sanjari, Dr. Ramin Ahmadi with Iran Human Rights Documentation Center,  Pastor Reza F. Safa founder of Christian Satellite network in Farsi Nejat TV, Furugh Arghavan from the International committee against Execution and stoning, and the Honourable Dr. David Kilgour ex Canadian Member of Parliament and director of Council for a Community of Democracies.

In her myspace blog Nazanin Afshin-Jam writes: “It was very important for me to have true voices of Iranians share their experiences and knowledge of the brutalities and human rights abuses that take place in Iran like executions, stoning, political prisoners, persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, curtailment of the freedom of press and of course women’s rights. I also thought it was very important to gather Iranians from one side of the political spectrum to the other and everything in between, as a symbolic gesture to prove that in the face of human rights we stand united together. We all have the same dream for Iran’s future: a country that is free, democratic, equal, the rule of law, separation between religion and state, and a constitution based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

want, one of the forefathers of Persia, Cyrus the Great, who founded the first charter of Human Rights the world has ever known, to be proud that his people have followed his legacy.

I made a disclaimer in my speech by saying that by demonizing the regime, by NO MEANS am I advocating for war or any type of conflict or military intervention on Iran.  It would only play into the hands of the mullahs and wipe out any advancement made by human rights activists thus far in Iran.  The only long term solution for peace and stability in the Middle East, and world security is by empowering Iran’s civil society, the women, the students, labour unions and the life.

I concluded the rally by reminding how much power we have as individual to make change in this world. Together, united, with enough pressure and collaboration we will be able to stop putting on band aid solutions; rather we will be able to help empower the Iranian people to gain a democratic system whereby they can chose their own leaders and their own destiny“

UN : September 23, 2008

“Today we’ve organized the Ahmadinejad wall of shame rally, and we’re trying to bring attention to the world community that Ahmadinejad does not represent the people of Iran, and we have true voices of Iranians speaking today about the human rights abuses that are taking place in the country.”   Nazanin Afshin-Jam

“This wall of shame demonstration is hoping to give a ‘voice to the voiceless’ and address the concerns of the vast majority of Iranian people who believe in a united, secular, democratic Iran based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and no military intervention on Iran,”  Nazanin Afshin-Jam

“We’re here to show Ahmadinejad does not represent all Iranians,”  Nazanin Afshin-Jam