Maryam Nayeb Yazdi

In my opinion, anyone interested in a free Iran should carefully read this letter to Barack Obama from Iranian activists and consider SENDING IT to as many international authorities as possible.

My reason: I agree with those who say sanctions can be ineffective. Is it even possible for sanctions to be effective when the international community continues to skirt them? If the international community stayed true to the sanctions and implemented the additional ones stated in this letter, then the probability of the sanctions effectively weakening the Iranian regime in a shorter span of time significantly increases. However, this is all contingent on whether the international community is willing to weaken the Iranian regime. If not, then it means that sanctions, the freedom movement, and human rights in Iran as a whole is trivial to the world.

For those who are very opposed to sanctioning the Iranian regime but still wish for Iran's freedom: Other than sanctions, what else can weaken the Iranian regime? Are there other options? Waiting on nature to take its course is not an option, when the greatest Iranian souls are suffering behind bars.

READ THE LETTER:

//persian2english.com/?p=23182

EXCERPT

In order to help the Iranian people, please focus on:

• Placing sanctions against human rights violations, high-ranking Iranian regime members, and IRGC commanders and members of their immediate families.
• Sanctioning companies the IRGC holds shares in. The managers of these companies should also be sanctioned.
• Freezing the Iranian authorities’ bank accounts, blocking their property(ies) and assets, and banning their trips abroad.
• Making it easier for the Iranian people to access the Internet and satellite.
• Assisting in the circulation of free information in Iran.
• Speaking out against censorship, Internet filtering, blocking of satellite signals, and the surveillance of Iranian dissidents- and severely punish companies and governments who provide equipment to make it possible.
• Adhering to the already-existing sanctions- and placing pressure on the governments, institutions, and companies who skirt and violate these sanctions.
• Urging allies to also end their cooperation with the Iranian regime and put the sanctions into effect.
• Carefully ensuring that media funded by the American tax-payers’ money does not provide platforms for supporters and sympathizers of the Islamic Republic or anti-western and anti-American thoughts.
• Sanctioning the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Ending appeasement and passive government policies with dictators.
• Sanctioning the purchase of Iranian oil.