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February 02, 2008
What is happening to
Amnesty International?
By Mohammad Parvin
Preface:
The
following critical review of the AI's involvement with one of the known
lobby groups, should not ignore the fact that we admire the very
valuable efforts of this great organization in defense of human rights
all over the world.
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Amnesty International (AI) is sponsoring an event in
Los Angeles
under the title,“Human Rights in
Iran
: How to Move Forward” on February 22, 2008. Mr. Trita Parsi,
president of National Iranian American Council (NIAC) an extremely
dedicated activist for the establishment of normal and unconditional
relations between the religious dictatorship in
Iran
and the
U.S.
[1] is one of the
panelists in this event. This is not the first time NIAC has manipulated
AI. On July 26, 2007, AI was one of the sponsors of an event organized
by NIAC under the title, “Human Rights in
Iran
and U.S. Foreign Policy Options.”
NIAC is not a human rights organization. There is no trace of a
reference to human rights in its mission statement, goals, programs or
anywhere else. NIAC has not contributed to any of the numerous urgent
actions issued by Amnesty International to stop imminent execution of
political prisoners or stoning of men and women to death. NIAC has not
made any statements condemning Mullahs for stoning, torture, the
execution of political prisoners, or the treatment of women and
religious minorities.
To be fair to NIAC, it is possible to recall the event in which
Trita Parsi came out in defense of “human rights” principles when
Mullahs’foreign minister Kamal Kharazi’s appearance at UCLA in 2000
was opposed by several groups in
Los Angeles
. In an apparent reference to MEHR he wrote [2]:
“It is quite disturbing to witness groups that titles themselves
as Human Rights activists, openly and blatantly opposing the freedom of
speech of an individual, no matter how despised he or she may be.”
To justify his stance, he rejects the struggle for
democracy in
Iran
because of the threat it poses for Mullahs’ by stating that [3]:
“… the current choice Iranians face is not between Islamic
tyranny and democratic freedom. It is between chaos and stability.”
Now, the explanation that AI owes us is how and why they have
become involved with an organization that has such a dismal record in
regards to human rights.
The irony is that AI has always shrugged criticism
regarding its conservative approach to dictatorships such as the
Mullahs’ tyranny in
Iran
and has cited the restriction that its goals and mandate place on taking
political position. If AI’s mandate for not taking political position
prevents it from encouraging the world to apply pressure on Mullahs, why
is it that promoting the defender of such regime is not considered
political?
NIAC stands tall among
all lobby groups in the sense that no other group dares to speak so
frankly for the ruling clergy in
Iran
. The following demand has been made in almost every recent statement
made by Mr. Trita Parsi. He writes
[3]:
“… only
Washington
can offer
Tehran
what it really seeks: de-containment and reintegration in the
Middle East
.
Iran
wants a seat at the table and a say as a legitimate player in all
regional decision-making.”
Should one with such
disturbing and questioning record be allowed to address the AI’s panel
discussion on Human Rights especially since there is no one on the panel
to challenge him?
We can give credit to NIAC for manipulating an international human
rights organization in order to cover up the human rights violation in
Iran
. After all, NIAC’s goal as stated above is to earn recognition for
the Mullahs and to remove the obstacle of human rights. However, what is
really occurring within Amnesty International? So far, AI has not shown
any interest to deal with this vital issue in spite of many warnings
given by human rights activists.
Mohammad Parvin, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor at the
California State University , an Aerospace Specialist, and Founding
Director of the
Mission
for Establishment of Human Rights in
Iran
(MEHR) - http://mehr.org
Notes:
- Investigative
Reports on the Role of the Lobby Groups in the US
- The
Need for Genuine Human Rights Activists, Trita Parsi, The Iranian,
Sept. 23, 2000
- The
Iranian Challenge, Trita Parsi, Nation, November 19, 2007
Main Source:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/02/what_is_happening_to_amnesty_i.html
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