After a lot of thinking and some feedback I came to the conclusion that an embargo on oil and gas is not going to be supported and many were in favour of using the citizens’ initiative clause of Lisbon treaty towards something that the majority would favour i.e. a ban on technology used for oppression. I do apologize to those who signed the petiton that has now been closed but clearly after one week there were only 169 signatures there and this could not reach the target.
We are more likely to get support form opposition groups for the new petition, now I appreciate that there are similar petitons around but I hope that you would also sign this. If I get my target I will personally take it to the EU Parliament. I am chasing lawyers to get some support and have been talking to people to get the campaign off the ground so this is still active.
The new petiton is global, here is the wording, and the new link:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/noeviltechnology/
To: International CommunitiesDemand to the International Communities to take Urgent action in order to stop the trade in technology used for the purpose of persecution and oppression of any kind by any organization, corporation, private or public company within their national dominion, as well as their economic and political union to Iran
We the Iranian people, with this petition echo the cry for freedom from our homeland to you the people of the world and demand the support of all political, humanitarian, and judicial bodies across the globe to take new or existing political and legislative action to stop any organization, corporation, private or public company within your national dominion as well as economic and political union from trading in technology used for the purpose of persecution and oppression of our people.
We urge you to consider the magnitude of this petition, which today we bring to you, the good people of the world and in which the interests, not of one country, nor a region, but of the whole world, and of posterity, are involved.
We demand that you recognize that today just as the slave trade once had to be abolished that you find the trade of technology used for the purpose of oppression as morally unacceptable, and that you take the protection of Human rights beyond your sovereign states and include it in your code of conduct for International trade.
Specifically, the trade of technology for intrusive monitoring of emails, private communication, electronic surveillance systems, SMS monitoring and internet filtering system by companies such as Nokia and siemens which has resulted in the arrest, imprisonment, torture and rape of thousands of peaceful demonstrators since last summer has to be stopped.
We signatories of this petition demand that all those legal entities that represent us, as their electorates be they our Government or our Government within an economic and political union in which legislative or political decisions are made to make the appropriate political and legislative change and implement the demands of this petition.
