We Must Act Today
March 19, 2006
The government of Iran faces hard days ahead in its relations with the world community. With its rejection of the Russian enrichment proposal, Iran?s rulers are now completely isolated diplomatically. Because from now on, Russia will be among the supporters of harsh measures against Iran.
The new atmosphere has rapidly pushed aside those who stress human rights to be the most important issue regarding Iran. This is because the continuous crises-fomenting of Iranian officials is increasingly raising the concerns of the international community about Iran?s nuclear activities as a global threat, thus minuscule other serious issues in Iran.
By pursuing policies contrary to Iran?s national interest, Iran?s government is also become less tolerant in its domestic treatment of the Iranian people. The principal reason for this behavior is the maintenance of the regime with its rigid ideology and the small ruling circle, while goals such as democracy, pluralism, and respect for human rights will all be pushed to the periphery.
Last week?s behavior of Iranian rulers regarding the peaceful rally by a group of women on the occasion of the international women?s day is an example of the harsher and less tolerant policies of the regime.
This new intolerant behavior, however, requires greater unity by human rights activists inside and outside Iran. Without this unity, it will be impossible to break the current atmosphere of the country where everything ? including human rights - is peripheral to the nuclear issue. At the same time, support for unity among human rights groups is greater today than ever before. For example, when women activists decide to stage an open rally by accepting all the threats and dangers that this carries, other pro-democracy groups in Iran support it and Iranian women are thus not alone.
Every one of us must be take up our responsibility towards such events. Through the Dutch Parliament, I have asked the Dutch foreign ministry to take a position and respond to the harsh police crackdown of Iranian women at their March 8th rally within the context of the European Union and the UN commission on Human Rights. This is especially important as the UN Human Rights commission is soon going to take up Iran?s human rights situation.
It appears that current sensitive circumstances require measures stronger than just resolutions and speeches and Iran?s situation is so critical that it requires serious efforts to make the international community more sensitive to events in Iran.
Perhaps no immediate event such as a war or a military strike is threatening Iran immediately, but such events as extensive sanctions, complete isolation of Iran, stirring up of minority uprisings, re-emergence of Mojahedin Khalq group (by being dropped from official terrorist lists) and others are possible in the short term.
If we really want to prevent such an outcome for Iran, then we must stand by other human rights groups, such as the women?s movement and stop being driven to the sidelines.
Tomorrow may be too late.