Hands Off the People AGM 2011

international | anti-war / imperialism | event notice Tuesday January 18, 2011 15:35 by HOPI

Hands Off the People AGM 2011

12 February · 10:00 – 17:00

University Of London Union (ULU), The venue
Malet Street
London,

Highlights:

- John McDonnell MP will be launching a new campaign to fight for the freedom of Jafar Panahi and all political prisoners in Iran (see statement below)

- Moshe Machover and Mike Macnair will speak on ‘WikiLeaks, whistleblowers and war’

- Ruben Markarian (executive committee of Rahe Kargar) will inform us on the current situation and the workers’, women and student movements in Iran

Launch statement
Freedom for Jafar Panahi and all political prisoners in Iran

(if you support the statement, please email office@hopoi.info)

The Iranian regime has unleashed a new wave of oppression against opposition activists. In recent weeks, dozens of campaigners, lawyers and artists have been convicted on spurious charges and many more have been arrested.

- Award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for planning to make a film about the opposition movement that sprung up after the disputed elections of June 2009. In addition, the director was banned from making any films or travelling abroad for 20 years.

- Student activist Mohammad Pourabdollah has been in prison since early 2010.

- Habibollah Latifi, a student of Kurdish descent, has been sentenced to death after having being found guilty of “waging war against God”.

- In January, human rights activist Shiva Nazarahari was sentenced to a four-year jail term and 74 lashes on charges of subversion. Her lawyer Nasrin Soudeh was handed a jail sentence of eleven years for defending political prisoners.

- Fariborz Rais Dana, a Marxist economist and sterling critic of the regime’s neoliberal policies, was arrested on December 18 (28 Azar). No reason for his arrest has been given and not even his lawyer knows where he is being held.

The US is continuing to make military threats against Iran, while crippling the country with ever harsher sanctions. But these have not weakened the regime fundamentally. In fact, it is the people of Iran, the workers, women and students, who are suffering most – precisely those sections of society that are fighting for radical change from below.

This is why Hopi is part of an international campaign that fights for:

- Freedom for all political prisoners!

- Squash the medieval prison sentences imposed against the political opponents of the regime!

- No sanctions, no military threats against Iran! For radical change from below!