2008 Rally Against Ahmadinejad

Rally on Tuesday September 23, 2008

Iranians Will Rally in NY Against Ahmadinejad, for Democratic Change In Iran

AD-HOC COMMITTEE AGAINST AHMADINEJAD
SEPTEMBER 21, 2008

WHAT: On Tuesday, September 23, pro-democracy Iranians and fellow New Yorkers will rally against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outside the UN Headquarters in support of democratic change in Iran. Ahmadinejad, president of the religious dictatorship ruling Iran, is due to speak at the UN General Assembly on the same day. Exhibits depicting the dismal situation of Iran under Ahmadinejad will be displayed at the rally.

Ahmadinejad hopes to again exploit the UNGA tribune to promote the radical and hate-mongering policies of his tyrannical regime cloaked in religion. The Iranians will rally outside the UNGA to denounce Ahmadinejad's record and advocate a very different Iran: a democratic, secular, peaceful, and nuclear-free Iran.

WHY: Ahmadinejad's trip coincides with an appalling rise in public executions in Iran - victimizing juveniles in particular. In late July, in one day alone, 29 people were executed. His government continues to arrest and kill dissidents in prisons and crush anti-government protests. It is also conspiring to massacre nearly 3,500 Iranian dissident refugees at Camp Ashraf in Iraq. Ahmadinejad, isolated and despised by the majority of Iranians at home, is pushing Iran and the region toward war and crisis by fomenting terrorism in Iraq and developing nuclear weapons.

WHO: The rally is organized by the Ad-hoc Committee Against Ahmadinejad and a nationwide network of Iranian-Americans. It will feature a number of human rights and political figures. US Congressional support for the cause will also be presented.

BACKGROUND ON AHMADINEJAD: In the early 1980s, Ahmadinejad served as an interrogator and executioner in the notorious Evin Prison, where he earned the nickname "The Terminator" for killing off political prisoners. He was a senior commander of the terrorist outfit, the Qods Force, in the late 1980s, when he masterminded the assassination of Iranian dissidents abroad. In 2005, the legal findings of the U.S. Department of State determined Ahmadinejad was in fact a terrorist.

Under Ahmadinejad, the ayatollahs' regime has moved with greater speed along the path of Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism, human rights abuse, and nuclear weapons.

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Bar Ahmadinejad

The Washington Times
by John Barrasso
Sunday, 14 September 2008

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should deny the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, entry to the United States. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I am asking Miss Rice to ban Mr. Ahmadinejad, a major sponsor of fundamentalist Islam and an enemy of the United States, from entering our country.

The United Nations General Assembly will open its 63rd session in New York this month. The president of Iran is scheduled to take his seat at the U.N. table and address the chamber.

For Mr. Ahmadinejad to enter the United States, the administration is required to waive section 212(a)3(b) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. The act stipulates that individuals with terrorist ties not be granted visas to enter the United States. The Iranian president fits squarely into this category. Mr. Ahmadinejad's visit to the U.S. will be permitted under an agreement that allows world leaders access to the United Nations Headquarters.

The facts are undeniable. Mr. Ahmadinejad is a stated enemy of the United States and other democratic nations that value liberty and freedom. Iran's leaders continue to pursue development and acquisition of nuclear weapon capabilities. They continue to support terrorist organizations around the world and facilitate the training of insurgents in Iraq. Iran has called for destruction of the democratic state of Israel. These actions illustrate Iran's overly hostile intentions. As a result of these and other outrages, the United States has not had diplomatic relations with Iran for nearly 30 years.

There is a precedent. The Reagan administration denied Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat a visa to participate at the U.N. General Assembly in 1988 based on his connections to terrorism. The State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism 2007 designates Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. This designation is due largely to the Iranian military's support of terrorist organizations. Mr. Ahmadinejad's refusal to prohibit Iran's military from supporting terrorists makes him a willing accomplice.

Iran claims its nuclear programs are intended for civilian use. Iran's unwillingness to comply with international safeguards and inspections results in a loss of credibility in regard to nuclear technology. Mr. Ahmadinejad's bellicose threats toward the United States and Israel graphically demonstrate that Iran's nuclear program is not intended for civilian use.

The United Nations has imposed limited and largely meaningless sanctions against this totalitarian regime. The world body has attempted to rein in Iran for its support of terrorism. Yet it intends to provide the Iranian leader with a pulpit to espouse his brand of Islamic fundamentalism.

Mr. Ahmadinejad knows he needn't compromise his views in order to address the United Nations. The extremist leader will continue to thumb his nose at the global community and shrug off concerns regarding his nuclear intentions. He knows he can threaten the security of the United States and still receive his U.N. invitation to New York - an invitation that will allow him to spread his message of hate on the world stage.

It is unfortunate that the United Nations allows Iran to participate in the General Assembly while Iran's leaders are openly working in support of global terrorism. The U.N. can be a place for negotiation and an avenue for giving all nations a voice. However, it should not serve to legitimize state supporters of terrorism and their violent methods.

The men and women of the U.S. military are fighting against the extremist terrorist organizations that President Ahmadinejad protects and supports. The United States should not grant Iran's president a visa to enter our country. I call on Secretary Rice to stand firm and deny the hatemongering Iranian president the international legitimacy he so craves.

John Barrasso is a Republican member of the United States Senate from Wyoming and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

JOIN RALLY AGAINST AHMADINEJAD IN NY on SEP 25, 2007