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DE RUEHWR #1018/01 2731646
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O 301646Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8983
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 001018 
 
IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 
UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IR, EUR/CE, AND DRL/MLGA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM IR PL
SUBJECT: IRANIAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS: CHALLENGES AND 
REQUESTS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Embassy Berlin Iran Watcher and Embassy 
Warsaw Public Affairs Counselor attended a "Women's 
Solidarity for Democracy" conference organized by the 
Warsaw-based Permanent Secretariat of the Community of 
Democracies.  The conference topic was the Iranian civil 
rights movement and the Iranian women's rights  movement. 
Iranian panelists focused on the question of how the West can 
help and asked (1) that human rights issues be discussed 
along with nuclear issues when the West holds talks with 
Iran; (2) for more vocal support for human rights activists 
and defenders who have been imprisoned; (3) for more Farsi 
language material on Human Rights movements and activism; (4) 
for opportunities for activists inside the country to 
learn/network from those outside; and (5) for help in telling 
Iran's story to the outside world.  The  panelists also 
discussed the particular challenges they faced inside Iran 
and talked about the importance of campaigns such as the One 
Million Signatures Campaign. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) The September 13 conference, which was open to the 
media, was hosted and organized by the City of Warsaw in 
partnership with the Warsaw-based Permanent Secretariat of 
the Community of Democracies (an intergovernmental 
organization of democracies launched in 2000 in Warsaw by the 
U.S., Poland, and six other co-founders.)  Polish FM Sikorski 
made a surprise appearance to introduce politician and writer 
Ayaan Hirsi Ali.  Sikorski's wife, Washington Post columnist 
Anne Applebaum, moderated one of the two panels.  Panelists 
discussed the role of women in democracy movements and what 
the West can do to support the women's and democracy 
movements inside Iran.  The conference was opened by Hanna 
Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Mayor of Warsaw, along with Radville 
Morkunite, MP European Parliament (Lithuania); Robert 
LaGamma, President of the Council for a Community of 
Democracies; and Bronislaw Misztal, Executive Director of the 
Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies (Note: 
Misztal is a close Sikorski advisor seconded from the Polish 
MFA).  Former Polish First Lady Jolanta Kwasniewska closed 
the conference.  Also present were about a dozen Iranian 
women, all of whom currently live outside of Iran, and fifty 
other guests, mostly Polish with some representation from 
Russia, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Lebanon, France, and 
Germany.  One of Kuwait's first female parliamentarians also 
participated. 
 
How Can the Outside World Help -- Do Not Forget Neda's Eyes 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Fariba Davoodi-Mohajer, a journalist and women's 
rights activist who had been imprisoned for her activism and 
left Iran for the U.S. about two years ago, began the 
discussion panel on what the international community can do 
to help support human rights and women's rights activists 
inside Iran.  She received great applause from the audience 
when she asked the West to put human rights on the table when 
raising the nuclear question with the Iranian government. 
She noted that the goal of the Iranian regime is to keep the 
women's movement from getting assistance -- and to keep it 
isolated.  Any criticism from the movement is seen/spun by 
the Iranian government as emanating from Western governments 
and not from the Iranian people.  She called on the Western 
media to tell Iran's story -- especially the story of Iran's 
women.  Western governments and human rights organizations 
should put pressure on the Iranian government by highlighting 
and following individual cases of jailed activists. 
 
¶4. (U) Davoodi-Mohajer suggested the West could help Iranians 
by facilitating networks between Iranians inside Iran and 
members of the international community working in human 
rights/civil society fields.  She noted that journalists and 
activists are scattered outside the country -- they need 
structures to get in touch.  She asked for financial 
assistance for Iranian women to attend worldwide conferences 
-- "without money we simply can't attend, but let us decide 
if it's too risky."  Women in Iran desperately need access to 
Farsi language material on human rights movements/civil 
society.  She asked for more books to be translated into 
Farsi and documents to be made available on the Internet. 
She said her colleagues need training in Women's Rights to 
combat trafficking in persons and harassment against women. 
She suggested setting up Farsi language websites to raise 
awareness inside Iran and to provide scholarships and 
training for young Iranians who have left Iran so they can 
contribute when they return.  She called on the international 
community to do what it can to improve Internet access in 
Iran and to block government filters.  She concluded her 
 
WARSAW 00001018  002 OF 002 
 
 
intervention with an emotional appeal to the audience to "not 
forget Neda's eyes" -- referring to the young Iranian 
demonstrator whose death was filmed and broadcast around the 
world via Internet.  (Comment:  Picking up on this theme, 
panel moderator Anne Applebaum later authored an editorial 
suggesting that the best way to exert leverage with the 
Iranian government, even on nuclear issues, would be to 
encourage the democratic opposition and raise the profile of 
human rights issues.  End Comment.)  Davoodi-Mohajer 
suggested that President Obama show a photograph of Neda at 
press conferences. 
 
¶5. (U) Mahmonir Rahimi, a journalist from VOA, echoed 
Davoodi-Mohajer's comments saying that Iranian women urgently 
need a platform to get their voices heard both inside their 
country and outside.  She noted that Farsi-speaking radio is 
great for getting the West's story inside Iran -- but no one 
is helping Iranians get their story out.  She concluded her 
presentation with a personal story about the hardships she 
faced in Iran when she was denied a divorce by her abusive 
husband.  She told of her imprisonment, the loss of custody 
of her daughter, and her long struggle to be reunited after 
many years of separation, thanks largely to the courageous 
work of Mehraghiz Kar and Shadi Sadr (Iranian Human Rights 
defenders -- both currently living outside of the country for 
fear of persecution). 
 
What Can NGOs Do - What Are Irish NGOs Already Doing... 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶6. (U) Mary Lawlor, Director of Front Line, an Irish NGO 
working to protect Human Rights activists around the globe 
gave a detailed presentation of her organization's efforts in 
Iran.  Front Line researches international activists' efforts 
and lobbies in Brussels and at the UN especially to encourage 
countries to take "urgent action" for pressing cases.  In 
Iran, Front Line has a staff member who is trained to help 
send activists to safe-havens should the need arise.  They 
also translate documents into Farsi about how to save 
electronic documents safely and navigate the internet without 
being traced.  They issue small grants for safety/security 
upgrades to facilities and for stress management counseling. 
Lawlor said Front Line had already completed 70 emergency 
re-locations this year (Note. It was not clear from her 
remarks if these were 70 relocations from Iran or globally. 
End Note.) 
 
Women in Democracy Movements: Challenges, Opportunities 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶7. (U) Maryam Hosseinkhah, an Iranian journalist and member 
of the Women's Cultural Center in Iran, who had to leave Iran 
after the elections and is currently living in Malaysia, 
spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing Iranian 
women.  She spoke about her role in the One Million 
Signatures Campaign and her experiences in prison.  She said 
the Campaign raised awareness of discriminatory laws and 
explained what individuals can do about it.  While she was in 
Iran she and her fellow activists took their petitions 
everywhere; at her wedding she asked guests for signatures in 
lieu of gifts.  She explained that her colleagues became 
subjects of discrimination within their families for such 
actions but that they persevered because they felt their 
actions helped to connect them to a global society. 
Hosseinkhah called on the West to shine spotlights on human 
rights abuse cases, especially on those who have been 
unjustly jailed.  She said that when her prison interrogator 
let slip that thousands of people had signed a petition 
calling for her release, it gave her the strength to make it 
through the ordeal. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: The conference, organized by the Permanent 
Secretariat of the Community of Democracies (CD) with strong 
support from FM Sikorski, is part of a Permanent Secretariat 
effort to raise the CD's profile and to transform it from a 
talk shop into an action-oriented body.  Permanent 
Secretariat Executive Director Misztal hopes to use next 
year's 10th anniversary of the Warsaw Declaration to 
"re-launch" the CD.  Misztal is also optimistic that the new 
Lithuanian Presidency will re-energize the Community of 
Democracies. 
 
¶9. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Berlin. 
TULLEY