- Despite Widespread Government
Repression, Largest Protests In Iran Since Summer
- In Support and Response, Global Day
of Celebration of the Civil Rights Movement in Iran to Take Place on
December 12
- Calls On Iran to Respect Freedom of
Assembly, Expression, and Press; Free all Prisoners of Conscience
SAN FRANCISCO - As Iran witnesses its largest
protests since last June's contested elections, artists and activists outside
Iran have organized a celebration of the civil rights movement. On Saturday,
December 12th, people from around the Bay Area will be joined by
thirty cities worldwide to support the students and activists on the street of
Iran by taking part in Arts United 4 Iran.
Organized by United4Iran
to take place on both the six-month anniversary of the disputed elections and
the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Arts
United 4 Iran will join together artists, activists, and concerned citizens
to attend performances and displays of visual and performing arts. The events
are organized both to celebrate the civil rights movement and highlight the
ongoing protests in Iran. Events will take place in Amsterdam, Orlando,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, Tokyo, New York, London, and Washington
D.C., among other cities.
Arts United 4 Iran was organized in
support of civil rights movement inside Iran, which continues to spread across
the country despite government-sponsored repression, including the arrest and
imprisonment of hundreds of civil society activists. As Iranian students vow to
continue protests, Iranian authorities are stoking the flames of civil strife by
pitting pro-government Basiji militiamen against them. The students' demands for
reform may be the spark that ignites a far broader conflict.
The event will also take place on the United4Iran
website, www.united4iran.org, which
will display videos and sound recordings of performing and visual artists
engaged in poetry readings, displays of photos, paintings, and graphics all made
or dedicated in honor of Arts United 4 Iran.
"The civil rights movement in Iran is very much
alive," says Firuzeh Mahmoudi, "and we as global citizens and Iranians in the
Diaspora need to support and highlight these courageous men and women who risk
their lives. On December 12th, San Francisco stands in solidarity and
let the people of Iran know that the world is watching and that we honor their
civil rights movement."
Two events will be held in San Francisco.
NorCal4Iran has organized a night of live music, poetry, dance, and visual arts
that will be held at Everett Middle School Auditorium from 7:00pm to 11:00pm and
will feature a variety of music by Emad and Friends, Rojan, and Son Siete, a
dance performance by Shahrzad Dance Company, and a theatrical performance by
Mansour Taeed. Local sponsors include the regional Amnesty International chapter
and the Iranian Society for Human Rights.
More information is at http://norcal4iran.org.
The Association of Iranian-American Writers will
hold a reading in which various authors and poets share their work. The event,
at the San Francisco Public Library, runs from 2:00pm-4:00pm on Saturday. More
information is at http://iranianamericanwriters.org.
The UN General Assembly's resolution on the
situation of human rights in Iran, passed November 20, 2009, prompted members of
the international community, including United4Iran, to call upon the Iranian
government to:
- Respect Freedom of Assembly, Expression, and
Press
- Free all Prisoners of Conscience
- End Rape and Torture in Prisons
- Hold Accountable Those Responsible for
Committing Human Rights Crimes
Sponsors for ArtsUnited4Iran sponsors and
supporters include Reporters without Borders, Human
Rights Watch, the Nobel
Women's Initiative, the International
Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, ARTICLE
19, Front Line, PEN
America, PEN Kenya, Voz
Propria, and many others.
Many acclaimed artists, writers and journalists
have expressed their support for Arts United 4 Iran by posting videos
to the people of Iran and their work on the United4Iran website. These artists
include: filmmaker Narges Kalhor, the daughter of Mehdi Kalhor,
cultural advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; the Makhmalbaf family,
prominent film-makers; Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American
journalist arrested in Iran in January 2009 and imprisoned in Evin prison until
May 2009; Bahman Ghobadi, an Iranian film director of Kurdish
descent; the preeminent Iranian poet Ismail Khoei; Iranian
singers Mohsen Namjoo and Arash Sobhani; Tehran-born singer,
composer, and dancer, Sussan Deyhim. U2 used Deyhim's vocal
piece based on the Rumi poem, Beshno Az Ney, in the opening of their
performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in Barcelona, which U2
then dedicated to the people of Iran.
United4Iran is a global network in support of
civil and human rights in Iran and coordinated rallies in 110 cities on July 25th.
Many of the network's activities of take place in the Bay Area.
For more details on December 12th
global events, visit www.united4iran.org
and click on San Francisco's map point.
... Payvand News - 12/11/09 ... --
