Obama Administration has cut funding to four Iran-centred human rights organisa
//enduringamerica.com/ / By Farah Stockman
07-Oct-2009 (2 comments)

WASHINGTON - For the past five years, researchers in a modest office overlooking the New Haven green have carefully documented cases of assassination and torture of democracy activists in Iran. With more than $3 million in grants from the US State Department, they have pored over thousands of documents and Persian-language press reports and interviewed scores of witnesses and survivors to build dossiers on those they say are Iran’s most infamous human-rights abusers.

But just as the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center was ramping up to investigate abuses of protesters after this summer’s disputed presidential election, the group received word that - for the first time since it was formed - its federal funding request had been denied.

“If there is one time that I expected to get funding, this was it,’’ said Rene Redman, the group’s executive director, who had asked for $2.7 million in funding for the next two years. “I was sur prised, because the world was watching human rights violations right there on television.’’

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didani

Way to go President Obama!!!

by didani on

He also has received good review from Ahmadinejad!

 He appeared on Iran state television after a Cabinet meeting to confirm Tehran’s willingness to consider “third-party enrichment” of its uranium, adding:

I think these negotiations were a step forward and I hope we proceed with the same trend so we will have constructive cooperation to resolve all outstanding global issues….In these negotiations we witnessed better behaviour than in the past from some countries and we noticed that the logic of respect and justice is being established gradually. These talks are good basis for continuation of the negotiations.



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Ostaad

US gov's support comes with strings attached...

by Ostaad on

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center will be better served not to be beholden to the meager monetary assistance from the US government, which is one of its contributors among many. I'm sure the reputation of IHRDC will be enhanced once its funding sources become strictly non-govenrmental.

Here's the list of IHRDC contributors available on their web site:

  • American Association of University Women
    The Beckman Family Foundation
    The Chicago Community Foundation   
    The Diamondston Foundation   
    Foley Hoag LLP, Washington and Boston Offices   
    Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada   
    Friends of the Scranton Memorial Library  
    The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights   
    John Doar Foundation  
    King & Spalding LLP, New York Offices
    The New York Community Trust
    Rights and Democracy (Canada)
    Scholars at Risk / International Institute of Education
    Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom LLP
    The Speakers Action Group
    The U.S. State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and Human Rights and Democracy Fund
    United Nations Study Group
    The Vlock Family Foundation

I know some folks are addicted to receiving candy from the government, but in this case this is actually good news.