There is unofficial news that China has sold anti-riot armoured vehicles to Islamic Republic of Iran and the first shipment has already arrived in Iran. The equipment is to be used in confronting crowds by spraying water, tear gas, and burning chemicals. This summer I also heard rumors that Islamic Republic of Iran is in receipt of large orders of tasers, pepper spray, sticks, and other crowd abuse hardware from China and Russia.
If like me, you have been thinking about how to help the people of Iran without jeopardizing them or putting them further in harm’s way, this may very well be our chance to do something to help. We need to pull together and design a campaign to get information about this heinous and immoral trade between China and Iran. We need to bring international attention to the trade and to ask other countries to monitor this.
This campaign will have to go well past signing petitions. It will require organization and targeted contact with parliaments and policy makers of the world. We need to build a support base to reach out and educate ordinary people and government officials alike.
We will need some information first.
Is this something that the current or impending sanctions against Iran would include? Is China violating any sanctions or laws by selling this equipment to Iran?
Are there disclosures a manufcturing country has to submit in order to sell this stuff? Could anyboy who has the money order this equipment?
What is the position of international human rights organizations vis a vis such sales? Are these sales monitored at all?
People, please help. This could be a very important thing. It will be an independent campaign, driven by us, Iranians in diaspora worldwide, to put pressure on suppliers who help a regime which is now completely obsessed with doing everything to confront its people’s will and hopes for freedom.
Please write your thoughts, ideas, answers, suggestions. We can build our campaign through the dialogue, I hope.
