National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI)
The National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), Persian: (اتحادیه ملی برای دموکراسی در ایران) is a nonprofit.[1], nonpartisan Iranian-American civic organization[2] based in Washington, DC. The organization was founded in the early 2000’s but relaunched its public activities in early 2020 including announcing new staff. The group is focused on promoting human rights and democracy[3] in Iran.
Background[edit]
NUFDI was founded in 2003 by Iranian-American community leaders, most notably Dr. Saeed Ganji.[4] The organization actively opposed[5] the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and favored a more comprehensive American policy approach to Iran focused on the promotion of human rights.
NUFDI has hosted numerous public engagement forums aimed at connecting American media, elected officials, and the public with Iranian activists. In response to the Council on Foreign Relations’ hosting of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif after the execution of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari, NUFDI hosted New York Times columnist Brett Stephens[6] along with leading[7] activists inside Iran Fatemeh Sepehri and former political prisoner Ahmad Batebi.
The group has also hosted former US Special Envoy for Iran Brian Hook[8] and frequently appears in Western media[9] to comment on Iran and the human rights situation[10]
The group’s writings have featured prominently in the Wall Street Journal[11][12] and Newsweek[13] on multiple occasions and they have hosted roundtable[14] discussions with leading international outlets including the Journal, AFP, Bloomberg, Reuters and others.
In August 2021, the group wrote a highly-publicized letter[15] to US President Joe Biden urging[16] him to use the Iranian government’s frozen funds to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Iranians and reported[17] that it had been ignored by the State Department despite multiple attempts to meet with its representatives. After the letter, the group secured a meeting with the US State Department.
In September 2021, NUFDI hosted former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a fireside chat on Iran. This was one week after Pompeo had appeared in an event with the controversial exile group MEK which caused much controversy among Iranians and Iranian-Americans for criticizing the former Shah of Iran. In his conversation with NUFDI, Pompeo reiterated[18] his long-held policy that the future form[19] of government in Iran after the fall of the Islamic Republic, whether a republic or monarchy, will be decided by the Iranian people.
Views[edit]
Opposition to Rob Malley[edit]
In January 2021 NUFDI launched a public campaign[20] against President Joe Biden’s selection for the position of US Special Envoy on Iran, Rob Malley. The campaign[21] started with an open letter, broken by Bloomberg[22], by twelve former American hostages in Iran and Iranian human rights activists. The opposition to Malley’s selection became one of the earliest challenges to a Biden staffing choice, with NUFDI’s campaign covered[23] widely in the political press.
Administration allies, including in the Washington Post[24], dismissed NUFDI’s concerns on Malley’s human rights record and he was eventually appointed. NUFDI was also attacked[25] in press outlets close to the Islamic Republic in Iran for its opposition to Malley.
Boycott of EU-Iran Business Forum[edit]
In December 2020 after the Islamic Republic executed journalist Rohoullah Zam, NUFDI launched a virtual campaign to #BoycottEuropeIranBusinessForum[26] which was being hosted jointly by the European Union and the Iranian government. As activists, think tanks, journalists[27] and others joined the campaign urging participants to boycott the conference in solidarity with Zam and political prisoners in Iran, the organizers of the event cancelled it.
References[edit]
- ↑ "NATIONAL UNION FOR DEMOCRACY IN IRAN INC | Charity Navigator Profile". www.charitynavigator.org. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ↑ "Iran's Absentee Voting Events at US Hotels Raise Sanctions, Ethics Questions | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ↑ "Iran's regime to execute another champion wrestler". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ↑ دکتر سعید گنجی: بعد از ۴۰ سال، خواسته مردم رفتن خامنه‌ای و این رژیم است, retrieved 2021-10-20
- ↑ "A Letter to The Honorable President Donald J. Trump". NUFDI. 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ The Truth From the People of Iran, retrieved 2021-10-20
- ↑ لندن, کیهان (2021-08-04). "نشست رسانه‌ای «نوفدی» درباره رویدادهای ایران با حضور نمایندگان رسانه‌های بین‌المللی و شاهزاده رضا پهلوی". KayhanLondon کیهان لندن (in فارسی). Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ Iran Human Rights: Why it Matters for US Policy, retrieved 2021-10-20
- ↑ Iran, Biden and a Nuclear Bomb, retrieved 2021-10-20
- ↑ Ragip, Soylu (8 September 2020). "Turkey will not deport Iranian anti-hijab activist facing arrest: Officials". Middle East Eye. Retrieved https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-turkey-maryam-shariatmadari-not-deport-anti-hijab-activist. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Khansarinia, Navid Mohebbi and Cameron (2021-07-20). "Opinion | Iranian Terror Comes to America". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ Shahrooz, Cameron Khansarinia and Kaveh (2020-08-30). "Opinion | How to Stop Iran From Terrorizing Dissidents Abroad". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "Iran's Ebrahim Raisi is exactly who you think he is | Opinion". Newsweek. 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "Briefing on Iran Protests". NUFDI. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "US-Based Group Urges Un-Freezing Iranian Money To Fund Covid Vaccines". Iran International. 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ لندن, کیهان (2021-08-14). "نامه «نوفدی» به رئیس جمهوری آمریکا درباره تهیه واکسن: آمریکا می‌تواند از ادامه جنایت علیه بشریت در ایران جلوگیری کند". KayhanLondon کیهان لندن (in فارسی). Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "State Dept Refuses to Meet with Iranian-American Regime Opponents". Washington Free Beacon. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ لندن, کیهان (2021-09-29). "مایک پمپئو در گفتگو با «نوفدی»: انتخاب مردم ایران برای حکومت پادشاهی یا جمهوری قابل احترام و حمایت است". KayhanLondon کیهان لندن (in فارسی). Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "https://twitter.com/iranintl/status/1443067685655482368". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-10-20. External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ "Biden's Choice Of Iran Special Representative Sparks Opposition". Iran International. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ actualización, Nueva York Creada /Última (2021-01-30). "Robert Malley, el hombre de Biden para reflotar el acuerdo nuclear con Irán". La Razón (in español). Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "Biden's First Foreign Policy Blunder Could Be on Iran". Bloomberg.com. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ Homan, Timothy R. (2021-01-31). "Biden faces deadline pressure on Iran deal". TheHill. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "Opinion | Biden's pick for Iran envoy is a pro. Deal with it". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "A fake carrot to Iran". Tehran Times. 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "https://twitter.com/hashtag/boycotteuropeiranbusinessforum?src=hashtag_click". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-10-20. External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ "WSJ, Bloomberg staff under fire for speaking at Iran forum after reporter's killing". Al Arabiya English. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
External links[edit]
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