Larry Everest is a spokesperson for the International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners. He’s the author of Oil, Power, and Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda and a contributor to Revolution/revcom.us, who has reported from Iran (in 1979 and 1980) as well as Iraq, Palestine and India. Follow/connect with him on Twitter @LarryEverest.

Dear fellow social justice activists and organizers,

We invite you to join us and organize a fitting “kick-off” for social justice in 2022:  The International Emergency Campaign (IEC) to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners NOW and the UUSF Forum will co-sponsor AN AFTERNOON OF SOLIDARITY TO FREE IRAN’S POLITICAL PRISONERS: HEROISM FOR OUR TIME.

Location: Zoom Webinar or YouTube Live Stream
Featured Speakers:

‍Mariam Claren, daughter of German-Iranian dual citizen and political prisoner Nahid Taghavi held in Iran since October 2020. Mariam will speak about the case of her mother and how it is related to the struggle to free all of Iran’s political prisoners.

Lawdan Bazargan, former political prisoner, a family member of victims of the 1988 massacre of Iran’s political prisoners, and human rights activist. A graduate of Cal StateUniversity Fullerton, she has written extensively on the 1988 massacre, movements of mothers and family members who lost their children, and grief.

Larry Everest, a spokesperson for the IEC; author of the book “Oil, Power and Empire“; a journalist and contributor to revcom.us.

Dr. Azam Niroomand-Rad, an emeritus professor, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; an honorary faculty member of the Dept. of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin at Madison.

There will be music, a Question & Answer period, and more.

‍REGISTER HERE to receive Zoom/YouTube links and reminder

The program will generally be informed by the content of the Emergency Appeal: The Lives of Iran’s Political Prisoners Hang in the Balance—We Must ACT Now.  

People from a broad range of viewpoints have endorsed this call published as an ad in the summer issue of the New York Review of Books. Signers include former Iranian political prisoners and relatives of current prisoners such as Mariam Claren, Elika Ashoori, and Taghi Rahmani; prominent voices of conscience Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Gloria Steinem, and Daniel Ellsberg; writer Ariel Dorfman; 1997 Nobel Laureate Jody Williams; Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross, producers of the documentary film NASRIN; Raymond Lotta, NY Revolution Books and advocate for the new communism developed by Bob Avakian; as well as academics, activists, people of faith and over 3,000 others.

Sponsors and participants from diverse political perspectives will join together for this event. We urge you (individually or as an organization) to co-sponsor this exciting January 9 program, to sign the Emergency Appeal now and to donate to its further publication.

We aim to reach out to UUCs and other faith denominations in the U.S., the Burn the Cage/Free the Birds movement in Europe,  family members of Iranian political prisoners, and to reach an international audience from Europe and Canada, and, if possible, beyond.