Peace Action Statement on Iranian Elections

“Peace Action supports free and fair democracy for every nation. When any democracy is threatened, here at home in the United States or abroad, our organization engages in non-violent action that demonstrates dissent towards those who would subvert the democratic process.

“Evidence shows that in response to this weekend’s Iranian presidential elections the government has blocked access to cell phone and internet communication, arrested members of Mir Hossein Mousavi’s campaign, and used violent force to subdue his supporters. Peace Action stands in solidarity with the Iranian people’s right to protest the suspicious outcome of the elections.

“Pro-democracy Iranians are calling for a truth commission with representatives from the campaigns, religious institutions and the Parliament; a new election with ballot counting transparency; and the release of all recent political prisoners, which seems prudent.”

In response to the huge restrictions the U.S. puts on providing Iranians visas, the Iranian government gives only a few hundred Americans visas every year.  Four people from the Peace Action network have traveled to Iran in the last few years to practice citizen-to-citizen diplomacy including Paul Kawika Martin.  Rebecca Griffin with Peace Action West just returned from a ten-day trip.

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Founded in 1957, Peace Action (formerly SANE/Freeze), the United States’ largest peace and disarmament organization, with over 100,000 paid members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to abolish nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights and support nonmilitary solutions to the conflicts with Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. The public may learn more and take action at http://www.Peace-Action.org. For more up-to-date peace insider information, follow Peace Action’s political director on Twitter. http://twitter.com/PaulKawika