Topic

Human Rights Iran

21 petitions

Update posted 4 months ago

Petition to Kevin McCarthy, Adam B. Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Robert Orrock, Nancy Pelosi, US State Department, Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, The Student and Exchange Visitor Program, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, National Security Agency, US Department of Education, Department of Education, Department of Justice, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Jeanne Shaheen, Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell, Charles E. Schumer, Charles Schwertner, Marco Rubio, Dianne Feinstein, Kristin M. Corrado, Kristen Cloutier, Cory A. Booker, Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham, Tim Kaine, Dick Dever, Dick Anderson, Robert G. Ortt, Robert M. Hertzberg, Tammy Baldwin, Tammy Duckworth, Jon Tester, Jon Ossoff, NC Senator Jeff Jackson, Lisa Murkowski, Tim Scott, Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Rodriguez, Alma A. Allen, Alma Adams, Alma Hernandez, Kurt Schrader, U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, Maxine Waters, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Adam B. Schiff, Bill Cassidy, Eric Swalwell, Doug Ericksen, Steny Hoyer, Jackie Speier, John Kerry, John Cornyn, John Thune, Gavin Newsom, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, New York State House, New York State Senate, New Jersey Governor, Phil King, USA Today, EDUCATION USA, Wall Street Journal, Jay Inslee, Patty Murray, Washington State Senate, Maria Cantwell, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. Consulate Dubai, U.S. Embassy UAE, U.S. Embassy United Arab Emirates, Kay J. Christofferson, Frederica S. Wilson, Frank Lucas, Katie Zolnikov, Katy M. Duhigg, Bobby L. Rush, Karen Boback, Robert D. Orrock, Sr., Bob Keenan, Frank A. Farry, University at Buffalo, United States Supreme Court, Samantha Power, Jo-Ellen Darcy, university of florida, Harvard University, UCLA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Northwestern University, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), University of Washington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, New York University (NYU), University of Pittsburgh, University of California, Irvine (UCI), University of Colorado Boulder, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, University of Notre Dame, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, University of California, San Antonio, University of Oregon, University of Kansas, University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, Cornell University, University Of Utah, Southern Utah University, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Kevin S. Parker, Washington Governor, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, Andy Billig, Mark Schoesler, U.S. consulate in Istanbul, U.S. Embassy in Ankara, U.S. Embassy in Türkiye, U.S. Consulate General Istanbul, Joseph R. Biden

Please Stop Long Time US non-immigrant Visa Administrative Processing for Iranian Students

How on earth is it possible that an impressive achievement turns into a nightmare? If you are surprised reading this question, here’s the story of Iranian students: After years of studying, hardworking, and dedication, we -the students-  were admitted to US universities to pursue our higher education. However, that was the only happy moment we experienced on this journey due to the nightmare of visa delays.Most of the applicants who attended visa interviews in the United States embassies such as Turkey (Istanbul and Ankara), United Arab Emirates, Armenia, and Pakistan were subjected to Administrative Processing (AP). What is concerning is that until now, a large number of applicants are still waiting for the result of their visas (F & J Visas). Having gone through administrative processing, we have been waiting for 6 to 18 months for our visas to be approved. The pressure, stress, disappointment, and uncertainty we have been experiencing are by no means tolerable. After 6 months of pure distress, we were left with no choice except to hire an immigration attorney to help us with our visa process. Although it cost us more than we could afford, it was the only promising and helpful way.  Unfortunately, the government filed a motion to dismiss in response. The reasons for the dismissal of our lawsuits show nothing but pure discrimination against Iranian students. We are just students full of hopes and enthusiasm to pursue our education and we deserve to be treated equally and respectfully. The past 6 to 18 months of our lives have been a nightmare and hardly do we remember what it is like to be happy and to enjoy life. With the beginning of the Fall semester soon, we feel even more devastated and heartbroken not having our visas yet. Although our advisors and the universities have been really supportive during this excruciating long delay, they cannot wait for us anymore and we may lose our admissions and scholarships. We wholeheartedly ask you to support us in this process to have our visas approved before it is too late. For these reasons, we respectfully urge all relevant departments and services, specifically the United States Department of State, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to kindly take our concern into consideration and assist us with this matter and alleviate this burden for all Iranian students and researchers. We understand and respect the importance of taking into consideration the national interests of the United States in issuing visas and by no means do we ask for any intervention in this process.  Respectfully submitted.   -------------------------- DISCLAIMERTHE PURPOSE OF THIS PETITION IS TO SOLELY REPRESENT THE DIFFICULT SITUATION OF IRANIAN STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS WHO ARE WAITING FOR THEIR U.S. VISAS TO ATTEND THEIR UNIVERSITIES INSIDE THE UNITED STATES (CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC). NO POLITICAL OR OTHER PURPOSES ARE BEING FOLLOWED. ANY MISUNDERSTANDING OR MISCONCEPTION OF THIS PETITION BY NEWS MEDIA OR OTHER ENTITIES AND INDIVIDUALS IS ON THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY. THE ADDRESSEES OF THIS PETITION ARE U.S. OFFICIALS AND RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ISSUANCE OF VISAS.  

Long AP
4,034 supporters
This petition won 9 months ago

Petition to

Free Iranian Human Rights Defender Dr. Farhad Meysami

Farhad Meysami is a doctor, publisher, and civil rights defender who has been on a hunger strike since October 7, 2022, in Rajaee-Shahr Prison in Karaj. He has reportedly lost 53kgs (117lbs). He began with only consuming liquids, but since December 19 has been on a “dry” hunger strike.  Meysami, 53, was arrested in his office in July 2018 and taken to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison for campaigning against compulsory hijab. He was accused of possessing pins stating: “I am against the compulsory hijab.” He was sentenced to six years in prison.  He was charged with “collusion and conspiracy to threaten national security”, “disseminating propaganda against the establishment” and “insulting the hijab, an essential sacrament of Islam”. In a recent letter titled "For the days of suffering and suffering and suffering" Meysami wrote:  “At a time when the rulers have denied the people their rights to a healthy body, livelihood, and dignity, leaving nothing but daily pain and suffering, I have begun my own small contribution, hoping to turn these poisonous times into an antidote with a collective effort." I will still stand by my three demands: stopping the executions of protesters, releasing political-civil prisoners, and stopping forced-hijab harassment, and I will continue my impossible mission in the hope that it may become possible later on with a collective effort." This is not the first time Meysami has gone on a hunger strike in prison to protest social conditions in Iran and advocate for other political prisoners.  In May 2022, he went on a hunger strike to protest the threat of execution of Ahmadreza Djalali, a Brussels university professor with dual Iranian-Swedish citizenship who has been detained in Iran since 2016.  "I don't want to just oppose Dr. Djalali's execution, I want to draw attention to something much more important, to draw attention to the fact that they send a man to his death many times and bring him back. Regular and intentional torture like this is definitely a crime against humanity," he wrote last year. Dr. Farhad Meysami's imprisonment is another reminder of the Islamic Republic's disregard for human rights. The international community must pressure the Islamic Republic to immediately and unconditionally release Meysami and other prisoners of conscience.   

Middle East Matters Organization
20,415 supporters
Update posted 10 months ago

Petition to

15 Iranian men, women and children imprisoned over their faith in the Ahmadi religion

On the 15th of December 2022, 15 Iranian members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light were arrested and taken to the Evin Prison of Iran. The group was targeted because of their belief in the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, and are scheduled to appear in front of the Clergy Court in Tehran 3 months from now.  Two of the 15 had already been previously jailed because of their faith in the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, three others are minors, two are women, and one is also persecuted additionally because of his sexual orientation, as he is a homosexual. The passports of four of them have also been confiscated.  We demand the immediate release of our members in Iran and urge all international human rights organizations to address this gross violation of human rights and freedom of belief at the hands of the Iranian government.  We are concerned over the safety and life of this group who have been labeled as heretics and infidels in Iran, we are also concerned over the safety of the two detained Iranian women who, as part of their belief in the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light do not wear the headscarf. They based this choice on the fact that the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light teaches that the head covering is optional and not obligatory. Our members in Iran have been subjected to all forms of religious discrimination, imprisonment, and torture at the hand of the Iranian police for no crime committed, but for simply exercising their most  basic human right to believe in what they want to believe in.   في تاريخ 15 ديسمبر 2022 ، إعتُقل 15 فرداً من أعضاء دين السلام والنور الأحمدي في إيران وتم إحتجازهم في سجن إيفين الإيراني. تم استهداف المجموعة بسبب إيمانها بدين السلام والنور الأحمدي، ومن المقرر أن تمثل المجموعة  أمام محكمة رجال الدين في طهران بعد 3 أشهر من الآن.  اثنين من الخمسة عشر فرداً قد سُجنوا من قبل بسبب إيمانهم بدين السلام والنور الأحمدي ، وتشمل المجموعة كذلك ثلاثة من القصر، وامرأتان، وفرد يتعرض للملاحقة القضائية ليس فقط بسبب معتقده ولكن لأنه مثلي. كما صادرت السلطات الإيرانية جوازات سفر أربعة منهم.  نطالب بالإفراج الفوري عن أعضائنا في إيران ونحث جميع منظمات حقوق الإنسان الدولية على مخاطبة هذا الانتهاك الجسيم لحقوق الإنسان وحرية المعتقد على يد الحكومة الإيرانية.  نحن قلقون بشأن سلامة وحياة هذه المجموعة التي يصف النظام الإيراني أفرادها بأنهم خارجين عن الملة، كما نعبر عن قلقنا بشأن سلامة المرأتين الإيرانيتين المحتجزتين اللتين، كجزء من إيمانهما بدين السلام والنور الأحمدي لا يرتدين الحجاب. حيث يعد الحجاب في دين السلام والنور الأحمدي سنة وليس فرضاً. تعرض أعضاؤنا في إيران لجميع أشكال الإضطهاد الديني والسجن والتعذيب على يد الشرطة الإيرانية، هذا وهم لم يرتكبوا أي جريمة سوى ممارستهم لأبسط حقوقهم الإنسانية وحقهم في حرية المعتقد.   در 15 دسامبر 2022، پانزده نفر از اعضای ایرانی دین صلح و نور احمدی دستگیر و به زندان اوین ایران منتقل شدند. این گروه به دلیل اعتقاد به دین صلح و نور احمدی هدف قرار گرفتند و قرار است تا 3 ماه دیگر در مقابل دادگاه روحانیت تهران حاضر شوند. دو نفر از پانزده تن قبلاً به دلیل اعتقاد به دین صلح و نور احمدی زندانی شده بودند، سه نفر دیگر زیر ۱۸ سال هستند، دو نفر زن هستند و یک نفر نیز به دلیل تمایلات جنسی خود مورد آزار و اذیت قرار گرفته است، زیرا او همجنس گرا است. پاسپورت چهار نفر از آنها نیز ضبط شده است. ما خواستار آزادی فوری اعضای خود در ایران هستیم و از همه سازمان های بین المللی حقوق بشر می خواهیم که به این نقض فاحش حقوق بشر و آزادی عقیده توسط دولت ایران رسیدگی کنند. ما نگران امنیت و جان این گروه هستیم که در ایران به آنها برچسب بدعت گذار و کافر زده شده است، همچنین نگران امنیت دو زن ایرانی بازداشتی هستیم که به عنوان بخشی از اعتقادشان به دین صلح و نور احمدی، روسری سر نمی کنند. آنها این امر را بر این اساس انتخاب کردند که دین صلح و نور احمدی تعلیم می‌ دهد که پوشش سر اختیاری است و اجباری نیست. اعضای ما در ایران تحت هر گونه تبعیض دینی، حبس و شکنجه توسط پلیس ایران قرار گرفته اند، بدون ارتکاب هیچ گونه جرمی، بلکه صرفاً برای به کار بردن ابتدایی ترین حق انسانی خود، یعنی اعتقاد به آنچه می خواهند به آن باور داشته باشند.

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light
809 supporters
This petition won 10 months ago

Petition to Mike Downey

The life of Iranian actor, Hossein Mohammadi, is in grave danger.

The life of Iranian actor, Hossein Mohammadi, is in grave danger.  Dear Mr. Downey and the acting community of the world, After Mahsa Amini was murdered by the so-called "Morality" Police in Iran, the Iranian people have risen up against the oppressive Regime in a revolution led by women and young people.  The Islamic Republic of Iran has responded with a deadly crackdown, killing over 500 unarmed protestors, including 60 children. They have also arrested and kidnapped thousands of protestors, activists, artists, and dissidents, tortured and raped many to force them to confess to crimes they did not commit.    Despite these severe atrocities, starting December 8th, the Regime reached new levels of brutality when they executed 22-year-old Mohsen Shekari. Mohsen was sentenced to death for protesting without due process: he was not granted access to a lawyer or given a chance to appeal his death sentence.  On December 11th, after another sham trial, they hanged another protestor, Majid Rahnavard.  Sadly these two young men were not the only ones who received the death penalty.   One detained protestor on death row is Hossein Mohammadi, a 26-year-old theater and television actor who has always used his talents and skills to make a difference. Every Persian new year, Hossein would dress up and go to children's hospitals to bring smiles to those kids' faces. Protesting on the streets in pursuit of justice for Iranian women was the only choice for such a man of righteousness.  Today, Hossein is facing the death penalty as the Regime's kangaroo courts have accused him of meaningless allegations such as: being an "enemy of God" and spreading "corruption on Earth." We Iranians urge you to take prompt action to stop this clear violation of human rights; step forward to support the imprisoned actor by: 1- Publicly condemning the arrest of Hossein Mohammadi as a member of the acting community 2- Demanding the Iranian Regime revoke Hossein Mohammedi's death sentence 3- Assigning another actor, activist, or politician to become Hossein Mohammedi's political sponsor to advocate for him. The support of politicians and activists is essential. The attention drawn to political prisoners by elected officials provides innocent detainees with protection through publicity and media coverage.    Thank you for your support. As we all know, "injustice to one is an injustice to all." In Solidarity, Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA) Related Links:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2022/12/06/mahsa-amini-the-spark-that-ignited-a-women-led-revolution/?sh=1d4bb3da5c3d   https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/11/middleeast/iran-protests-sexual-assault/index.html   https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/middleeast/iran-executes-first-protester-intl-hnk/index.html   https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/12/iran-execution-protests-majidreza-rahnavard/   https://www.iranintl.com/en/202212131709      

The Iranian Independant Fillmmakers Association (IIFMA)
4,311 supporters