In light of the UN’s unconscionable decision to seat the Islamic Republic of Iran on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, as announced in a UN press release dated April 28 2010, Mission Free Iran is coordinating the efforts of women and men around the world to achieve three specific objectives during the course of a broad-based international campaign:

1) To rebuke the UN for seating the gender-apartheidist Islamic regime on the UN Commission on Women’s Status;

2) To rebuke the governments that stood silent and fundamentally disrespected the women of Iran and the women of the world (all ECOSOC members); and

3) To demand the removal of the Islamic Republic of Iran from the UN Commission on Women’s Status.

This page will house the campaign materials for the Global Campaign to Rebuke the UN and Remove the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. All materials are meant to be freely disseminated and used to attain the campaign objectives by all concerned people worldwide. All materials will be posted as soon as they become available.

Opening Statement of this Campaign

1. Statement of Objectives and Approaches: This document specifies the objectives of this campaign and outlines the approaches that we will use to attain those objectives. English | Farsi | French | Greek | German | Italian | Portuguese | Spanish | Swedish | Turkish

2. Your campaign materials. Don’t forget, the point here is not just to send these letters and undertake these activities yourself. Do that, but then spread this initiative as far and as wide as you can. We will address this unacceptable situation from a number of angles, including by letter writing, blogging, tweeting, getting our into our communities to talk to people, share flyers at community festivals, hold teach-ins, and if they don’t come correct quickly we’ll be on the doorsteps of our respective capitols making our demands in person. As the campaign materials become available, they will be posted here.

— a) May 4, 2010: Sample letter to your head of state. No country stood up at voting time to say NO to this travesty, so they are all equally guilty. You can take this letter now and post it if you don’t need translation. We will provide contact info for heads of state as soon as we can. Send this letter to EVERYONE you know and ask them to send it as well. Especially work to reach outside of the Iranian community – go for women’s organizations, labor organizations, community organizations, students… reach everywhere you can. Dutch | English | Farsi | French | German | Spanish | Swedish

— b) May 14, 2010: Flyer that doubles as a letter to Ban-Ki Moon This is a 1-page PDF document that I initially developed to use as an awareness-raising flyer to be distributed at public events or in public locations. However, it can also easily be folded, placed in an envelope, an sent to the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon (address is included on the document). English | Italian | German

— c) June 16, 2010: For US residents: Take action! US House Resolution 1371 Calls for Removal of Islamic Republic from UN Commission on the Status of Women: HR1371 is a bill that echoes the objectives of our campaign nearly point by point. US citizens can write to their congressional representatives in support of the bill. Here is a note about why we should support this bill.

— d) June 23, 2010: For our friends outside of the US: Take action! Use US HR1371 (Removal of Islamic Republic from UNCSW) to Pressure Your Government: More letter-writing samples for our friends outside of the US. In English and Danish.

— e) June 23, 2010Letter to National Organization of Women, Feminist Majority and Code Pink to Establish Their Position on HR1371: The most well-recognized feminist organizations in the US have refused to condemn the Islamic Republic for its brutal treatment of women, even in light of the stoning case of Sakineh Ashtiani, and the other stoning cases that have since come to light. This document is our open letter to these organizations, and their addresses are listed so that you can send a letter of your own. So-called feminist organizations should be held accountable for their refusal to stand up for women who are pleading with the world not to be stoned to death.

— f) July 12, 2010: Stoning, Rape and Execution of Women is Bad Gender Policy; It is Time to Remove the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women: this is the document that was updated on July 12 in the wake of the Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and Elnaz Babazadeh outrages. It includes an updated statement and updated sample letters.

— g) July 16, 2010: Times UK: Exiles Urge That Iran be Ejected from UN Women’s Group, by Martin Fletcher. This is news coverage of the international demand to remove the Islamic Republic from the UN Women’s Commission.

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS
1. The Unkindest Cut of All: the United Nations’ Betrayal of Women. Dutch |English | Farsi | Swedish
2. Required Reading for UN Staff: How I was arrested on the 22nd of Bahman. English | Farsi | French | Italian | Swedish

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Organizational Background Materials
Next Steps (1): This document lays out the next steps we need to take in order to further develop our international campaign. English | Farsi | Swedish

Next Steps (2): Organizational chart and capabilities: This document lays out an open organizational chart for each country and asks for volunteers to fill the positions; it also shows the kinds of translation and other technical capabilities we have available to us as a group. English | Swedish