Jun 21, 2010

Democracy in Iran: Visions for Real Change


International gathering of civil society movements, political actors, human rights activists, ethnic and religious minorities and women’s rights campaigners to take place in the Chamber of Deputies, Rome.

Democracy in Iran: Visions for Real Change

International gathering of civil society movements, political actors, human rights activists, ethnic and religious minorities and women’s rights campaigners to take place in the Chamber of Deputies, Rome.

29-30 June 2010

 

To mark the one year anniversary of the disputed presidential elections in Iran, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) together with the Nonviolent Radical Party and Sen. Marco Perduca are holding a conference in the Sala delle Colonne, Chamber of Deputies, Rome on 29th June 2010 followed by a round-table event on 30th June 2010. The conference, entitled ‘The Democratic Movement in Iran: Pitfalls and Potential’ will bring together 75 politicians, human rights defenders, media agents and representatives of the various religious, ethnic and political groups in Iran. The round-table discussion on June 30, due to take place at the headquarters of the Nonviolent Radical Party will be open to all Iranian participants, in order to further dialogue between different political and civil society actors.

In light of a year which has seen harsh clampdowns on civil uprising and protest, continued executions without due process, and the controversial election of Iran onto the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the conference and round table are intended to concretely advance the debate on democracy within Iran. The meetings will seek input from a variety of stakeholders on what strategies could be employed to bring about tangible democratic change, but will do so with the full understanding that the diverse and multifaceted Iranian population has as major a role to play within  the international community.

Confirmed speakers include:

Sen.  Emma Bonino, Vice President of the Senate; Sen. Pietro Marcenaro, Chairman of the Special Committee on Human Rights; Mr. Marino Busdachin, General Secretary, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization; Mr. Matteo Mecacci MP, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Rapporteur of the Committee on Human Rights of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; Mr. Nasser Boladai, Baloch Spokesperson, Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran; Dr. Reza Baraheni, novelist, poet, critic and political activist; Mr. Yousef Azizi Benitorof,  Co-founder of the Iranian Writers Union and member of English PEN; Mr Farokh Negahdar, Co-founder and elected member of the leadership of The Union for Iranian Republican, Mr. Abdollah Mohtadi, Secretary General of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan;  Sen. Luigi Compagna, Member of the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE; Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh, Senior Researcher, Centre for Arab & Iranian Studies; Mr. Hassan Sharafi,  Vice President Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran; Mr. Mehrdad Davishpour, Secular Republican Alliance; Mr. Bezad Karimi, Analyst, Political Activist; Mr. Raof Kaabi, Kurdish political activist, Member of the Central Committee of Union of People's Fedaian of Iran; Mr. Shahriar Ahy, Co-founder of Solidarity Iran; Mr. David Keyes, Director, Cyberdissidents.org; Mr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracy; Mr. Mark Lattimer, Executive Director, Minority Rights Group International; Mr. Harry van Bommel MP, Dutch Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party; Ms. Fiamma Nirenstein, Vice President, Committee of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Ahmad Batebi, Exiled student activist, Marco Pannella,  President of the Senate of the Nonviolent Radical Party; Mr. Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, Secretary General, No Peace Without Justice; Mr. Hossein Ladjevardi, President, Association of Iranian Researchers; Mr. Ahmedi Idris, Researcher, Department of Political Science, Stockholm University; Ms. Roya Kashefi, Head of Human Rights Committee - Association des Chercheurs Iraniens; Sen. Marco Perduca, Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Nonviolent Radical Party.

 

The conference on June 29 will take place in English, Italian and Persian. The round table on June 30 will be conducted in Persian only.

 

Further information on the conference

Conference Programme ENGLISH VERSION click here

Conference Programme ITALIAN VERSION click here

Press Release, 15 June 2010 ENGLISH VERSION click here

Press Release, 15 June 2010 ITALIAN VERSION click here

Press Release, 15 June 2010 PERSIAN VERSION click here

Past events on Iran

2009 Conference: Human Rights and the Question of Democratisation and Federalism in Iran click here



CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Democratic Movements in Iran: Pitfalls and Potential
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the Nonviolent Radical Party
June 29 2010- Sala delle Colonne, Chamber of Deputies, Rome


Welcoming Remarks

Moderator: Sen. Marco Perduca,  Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Nonviolent Radical Party

Sen.  Emma Bonino, Vice President of the Senate
Mr. Marino Busdachin, General Secretary, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Mr. Matteo Mecacci MP, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Rapporteur of the Committee on Human Rights of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Sen. Pietro Marcenaro, Chairman of the Special Committee on Human Rights.
Mr. Nasser Boladai, Baloch Spokesperson, Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran
Dr. Reza Baraheni, Novelist, poet, critic and political activist



PANEL 1. Disappointment and Disillusionment - Why the Democratic Impasse?

Moderator: Mr. Matteo Mecacci, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Rapporteur of the Committee on Human Rights of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Prof. Alireza Asgharzadeh, Asst. Professor, York University, Toronto
Mr. Yousef Azizi Benitorof, Ahwazi Arab writer and journalist, Co-founder of the Iranian Writers Union, member of English PEN & First Secretary of the Center for Combating Racism and anti-Arabism in Iran.
Mr Farokh Negahdar, Co-founder and elected member of the leadership of The Union for Iranian Republican, member of the presidium of the Central Council of the Organisation of Iranian People’s Fadaian, OIPFM
Mr. Abdollah Mohtadi, Secretary General of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan
Mr. Shahriar Ahy, Co-founder of Solidarity Iran



PANEL 2. The Transition to Democracy – Visions for Real Change

Moderator: Sen. Luigi Compagna, Member of the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE

Mr. Mehrdad Davishpour, Secular Republican Alliance
Mr. Bezad Karimi, Analyst, Political Activist
Mr. Hassan Sharafi, Representative of the Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran, Vice President Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran
Mr. Raof Kaabi, Kurdish political activist, Member of the Central Committee of Union of People's Fedaian of Iran



PANEL 3. Security Inside and Out

Moderator: Mr. Harry van Bommel MP, Dutch Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party

Ms. Fiamma Nirenstein, Vice President, Committee of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Ahmad Batebi, Exiled student activist.
Mr. David Keyes, Director Cyberdissidents.org
Mr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh,  Senior researcher and director at the Centre for Arab & Iranian Studies, political correspondent.
 


PANEL 4. Where next? Strategies for Change and the Role of the International Community


Moderator: Ms. Roya Kashefi, Head of Human Rights Committee - Association des Chercheurs Iraniens

Mr. Mark Lattimer, Executive Director, Minority Rights Group International
Mr. Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, Secretary General, No Peace Without Justice.
Ms. Fakhteh Zamani, Chief Executive Director, Association for the Defence of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran
Mr. Hossein Ladjevardi, President, Association of Iranian Researchers
Mr. Ahmedi Idris, Researcher, Department of Political Science, Stockholm University.



Concluding remarks

Marco Pannella,  President of the Senate of the Nonviolent Radical Party, former Member of the European Parliament
Mr. Marino Busdachin, General Secretary, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Sen. Marco Perduca, Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Nonviolent Radical Party



June 30 Round-Table Discussion

The Democratic Movement in Iran: Pitfalls and Potential

Panels include: Women and the Democracy Movement; Nationalities and the Democracy Movement; and The Green Movement – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Speakers include:
 
Ms. Asiye Amini, Poet, Journalist and Women’s Rights Activist
Ms. Nahid Bahmani, Central Committee Member, Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan,
Dr. Sedighe Adalati, Lecturer, Sociologist, Executive Committee Member of Federal-Democratic Movement of Azerbaijan
Ms. Mihan Jazani, Political Activist, Democracy and Women’s Rights Campaigner
Mr. Behzad Karimi, Analyst, Political Activist
Mr. Yousef Azizi Benitorof,  Co-founder of the Iranian Writers Union and member of English PEN;
Mr. Miro Aliyar, Head of Foreign Relations Committee of Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI)
Dr. Zia Sadr Al-Ashrafi, Spokesperson, Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran
Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh, Senior Researcher, Centre for Arab & Iranian Studies;  Mr. Mehrdad Darvishpour,
Mr. Ahmad Rafat, Journalist & Writer, Vice President of Information, Safety & Freedom
Prof. Alireza Asgharzadeh, Asst. Professor, York University, Toronto
Dr. Karim Abdian, Director, Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
Mr. Nasser Boladai, Baloch Spokesperson, Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran;
Ms. Roya Kashefi, Head of the Human Rights Committee, Association des Chercheurs Iraniens (ACI)
Mr. Farokh Negahdar, Co-founder and elected member of the leadership of The Union for Iranian Republican, member of the presidium of the Central Council of the Organisation of Iranian People’s Fadaian, OIPFM
Dr. Reza Baraheni, Novelist, poet, critic and political activist.

For more information:
Maggie Murphy,  Office of the General Secretary
Tel: +31(0)70 3646 504 or +393459563381 (in use from June 27-30)

mmurphy [at] unpo.org - www.unpo.org
Laan van Meerdervoort 70
2517 AN The Hague - The Netherlands