Undoctrination.org

The following is a letter that has been forwarded to me as it is being sent to President Obama from inside the Iranian democracy movement. As to whether the president will see it, and more importantly, whether he will give a damn if he does, we can only make our own individual judgments. The words evince a respectful and temperate tone, even as those involved are being arrested, imprisoned, raped, tortured and executed, which is indicative of the character of these people who risk giving up what few freedoms they have for the hope of joining and contributing to the civilized world. The West, and especially Israel, whose close relationship with the Persians spans the centuries, could have no better friend than a free Iran.

Mr. Barack Obama

United States President

Greetings,

Thirty one years ago on this day, a group of students claimed to act “in the name of Imam (Khomeini)” forcefully seized the United States Embassy in Iran, thereby violating international law and American property. This illegitimate seizure marked the beginning of increased conflict and severe differences between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America and consequently led to amplified diplomatic tension between the two countries.

Today, three decades later, after all relations between the two governments have been suspended, the nuclear ambitions of the Islamic government of Iran pose a dangerous threat and at the same time this repressive regime has blocked all means of true domestic opposition towards its dangerously destructive policies inside the country.

We would like to emphasize that the publicly known human rights record of these autocrats is so openly horrendous that further explanation should not be necessary.

More than ever before, freedom fighters and freedom thinkers around the world have made evident the tortures, imprisonment, and murder of Iranian citizens. They have raised concerns about this government that disrespects the people’s fundamental rights so blatantly. What if such a government gains access to nuclear weapons? What would they do to the people of this world?

Mr. President,

Thirty one years ago on this day, the Islamic Republic of Iran began taking hostages from the free world starting with taking of American diplomats hostage and for the past thirty one years, they have continued down this destructive path. Even today at least two US citizens (Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer) suffer as hostages of this regime. Additionally, more than 80 students, our friends and classmates are currently held in various prisons. We regard them as ‘university hostages’.

Honorable Mr. President Obama,

What prompted us to directly address you on the anniversary of the occupation of the United States embassy, is the situation of our imprisoned friends in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Young men and women  Instead of studying in classrooms, must persevere in a prison-cell and are sometimes even subjected to solitary confinement, while constantly living under the most inhumane pressure.

Not only as the president of the United States, but also a Nobel Peace Laureate, we expect you to continuously and fervently observe the systematic human rights violations in our country in addition to your rightful concern about the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and we call upon you not to hesitate to employ any means of leverage necessary to stop these atrocities.

While closely monitoring the situation of current American hostages in Iran, we, a group of former and current student activists, diligently and persistently ask you to likewise observe the situation of our fellow Iranian students taken hostage by this regime and to question the motives of Iran’s authoritarian rulers in regards to these hostages.

We specifically demand humanitarian efforts by the international community and call for increased pressure to attain the immediate release of the below mentioned social and student activists:

Hamed Rouhinejad, Kouhyar Goudarzi, Majid Dori, Majid Tavakoli, Shabnam Madadzadeh, Zia Nabavi ( All six currently in a horrible situation, forced into exile), Abbas Kakaiee, Abdollah Momeni, Abed Tavanche, Aidin Khajei, Ali Jamali, Ali Malihi, Atefeh Nabavi, Arman RezaKhani, Arsalan Abadi, Bahareh Hedayat, Emad Bahavar, Foad Sojoodi, Hassan Assadi Zeidabadi, Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, Javad Ali khani, Kiarash Kamrani, Mahdieh Golroo, Masoud Babapour, Mehdi Khodaei, Mehdi NezamEslami, Milad Asadi, Mohammad Pourabdollah, MohammadAmin Valian, Naeim Aghaiee, Navid Mohebbi, Nezam Hassanpour, Nima Nahvi, Ronak SaffarZade, Sina Golchin

We believe that it is the time for the United States government to move past the bitter memories of November 4th, 1979, and to stand next to the Iranian people in order to achieve a peaceful life under the wings of a government truely born of popular vote.

Respectfully yours,

Signatures:

Ali TaghiPour; Former Secretary of  Islamic community of students Babol Noshirvani University of Technology

Ahmad Eshghyar; Student Activist, A member of Iranian Liberal Students and Graduates

AmirHossein Etemadi; Former Student Activist, A member of Advar Tahkim Vahdat Party

AmirHossein Fotouhi; Secretary of  Islamic community of students University of Hormozgan

Amir Rashidi; Student & HumanRights Activist

Liuna EisaGholian, Student Activist, A member of Iranian Liberal Students and Graduates

Mazdak AbdiPour; Student Activist

Rahim Hemmati; Student Activist

Saeed GhassemiNejad; Former Student Activist, Spokesperson of Iranian Liberal Students and Graduates

Saeed YaghoubiNejad; Former Secretary of  Islamic community of students University of Mazandaran

Salman Sima; Student Activist, A member of Political committee of Advar Tahkim Vahdat Party

Youhana Najdi, A member of Political committee of Advar Tahkim Vahdat Party