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The forgotten Kurds of Iran asking
for solidarity from British parliament and International communities.
By: kameel Ahmady &
Doug Holton
01/11/2005
Committee Room 8 in the House of Commons was the
unlikely venue for a moving and passionate meeting highlighting the
plight of the forgotten Kurds of Iran. Experts and activists came
together to listen and contribute to a wide ranging discussion of the
continuing human rights abuses committed by the Islamic Republic
against the Kurds and other minorities.
Dr Nazila Ghanea-Hercock
Senior Lecturer International Law,
University of London
was the first speaker. She set out the stall outlining the treatment
of the various religious and ethnic minorities in Iran.
Kameel Ahmady: Kurdish
Journalist student activist from UK Kurdish student organisation in
his presentation did cover student and youth movement in Iran/
Diaspora, talking also about importance of media and discussing ways
to achieve solidarity and mobilisation. Pardeed Singh Rai A
Punjabi environmental activist talked about the importance of
communities working together
Hugo Charlton, human rights lawyer and
former Chair of the Green Party was among many speakers from the top
table and the floor calling for oppressed people to make common cause
with one another and not to allow oppressors to divide them as so
often happens. The meeting followed by
Dr Paul Todd speech co-author of "Global
Intelligence". His filed in Middle East affairs as a journalist and
PhD work on Iran under the Shah did gave the meeting overview of Iran
and its political change and system.
The meeting
continued by DR Tanyel talk from Kurdish Human Right Project who
prepared a discussion that highlights the current situation of up to
the minute information concerning some important cases and events that
are going on regarding recent upraising in Iranian Kurdistan- in
August 2005.
Towards the end of Dr
Pourgourides is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Honorary Senior Lecturer
at St George’s Mental Health.
Who works in the field of
medicine and human rights
at introduced a film about the victims of chemical warfare from
Iranian Kurdistan in village of Zardeha.
And finally
Tim Finch Director of
Communications, from Refugee Council Refugee council: briefly talked
about issues of refugee/asylum seekers from forgotten countries.
Throughout the discussions that followed the theme
was how best to pursue the issue to bring it into the public arena.
Campaigning in student unions and amongst activists was seen as two
useful options to build a firm base to address the wider population.
Human rights abuses occur because governments can get away with them
out of the spotlight of public attention. Only when the situation is
widely known can something be done about it.
The newly formed campaign is planning a
number of meetings in the near future. Contact kameel Ahmady:
UK Kurdish
student org
Tel 020
87487 917 & 0795 864 7705
Email: ka61@kent.ac.uk
See also:
The forgotten Kurds of Iran: Mobilising International Solidarity
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