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--></style><title>Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Memo on
Iran</title></head><body>
<div>I share Renate's concern for our colleagues in Iran.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I hope contact can be re-established and that we try to stay in
touch with them. I will forward this unfortunate news to other
networks that i know.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>regards</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Robert</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 5:36 PM +0100 11/21/04, Renata Bloem wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial"><b>CONGO</b></font>
MEMORANDUM</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite align="center"><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"
>FROM:
Renata Bloem, President</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"
>DATE:
18 November 2004</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"
>RE: <span
></span> Situation of Civil
Society in Iran</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">We have received a
number of concerned communications from WSIS colleagues that we have
worked with over the past two years on the increasingly alarming
situation in Iran for civil society. </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">Reportedly the
environment for civil society in Iran is becoming more and more tense
and tenuous due to hardliners with the current government. In
particular, groups and individuals that have used ICTs as part of
their activist and journalist activities have been detained and
harassed last month, according to the BBC</font><a
href="">[1]</a><font face="Arial">, Human Rights Watch</font><a
href="">[2]</a><font face="Arial"> and Amnesty
International</font><a href="">[3]</a><font
face="Arial">.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">The reports note that
Mr. Omid Memarian has recently been arrested at the offices of the
Iran Civil Society Training and Research Centre, an accredited and
active NGO in the WSIS process, in particular for his NGO activities.
Our other colleagues associated with the ICSTRC report that they too
have been subject to investigation by government authorities, and they
fear that they will not be able to participate in future meetings of
the WSIS.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">We attach great
importance to the participation of all civil society, including
Iranian civil society, in the WSIS, and urge governments to respect
their right to participate in this multi-stakeholder
process.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="-1">[1] ³Iran cracks down
on blog protests,² BBC, 13 November 2004,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3740336.stm</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="-1">[1] ³Iran: Web Writers
Purge Underway - Arrests Designed to Silence NGO Activist,² Human
Rights Watch alert, 4 November 2004,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/11/08/iran9631.htm</font></blockquote
>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="-1">[1] ³Iran: Civil
society activists and human rights defenders under attack² Amnesty
International alert. 11 October 2004,
http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGMDE130452004</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial"
size="-1"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1">Renate
Bloem<br>
President of the Conference of NGOs (CONGO)<br>
11, Avenue de la Paix<br>
CH-1202 Geneva<br>
Tel: +41 22 301 1000<br>
Fax: +41 22 301 2000<br>
E-mil:</font> <a href="mailto:rbloem@ngocongo.org"><font face="Arial"
size="-1">rbloem@ngocongo.org</font></a><font face="Arial"
size="-1"><br>
Website:</font> <a href="http://www.ngocongo.org"><font face="Arial"
size="-1">www.ngocongo.org</font></a></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1">The
Conference of NGOs (CONGO) is an international, membership association
that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates
and decisions. Founded in 1948, CONGO's major objective is to ensure
the presence of NGOs in exchanges among the world's governments and
United Nations agencies on issues of global concern. For more
information see our website at</font> <a
href="http://www.ngocongo.org"><font face="Arial"
size="-1">www.ngocongo.org</font></a></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> <br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"
color="#FF0000"><b>Reminder</b></font><font size="+1"
color="#000080"><b>: CONGO Postal Address Has Changed</b></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font color="#000080">We will soon be
unable to receive mail at our old address at the Palais des Nations in
Geneva. So please make sure to update your records with CONGO's
new Geneva office postal address:<b> CP 50, 1211 Genéve 20,
Switzerland.</b> Our physical office address is 11, Avenue De La
Paix, 1st Floor, 1202 Genéve, Switzerland.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>
<hr size="1" width="33%"></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><a href=""><font
size="-1">[1]</font></a><font size="-1"> ³Iran cracks down on blog
protests,² BBC, 13 November 2004,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3740336.stm</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><a href="#_ftnref2"><font
size="-1">[2]</font></a><font size="-1"> ³Iran: Web Writers Purge
Underway - Arrests Designed to Silence NGO Activist,² Human Rights
Watch alert, 4 November 2004,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/11/08/iran9631.htm</font></blockquote
>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><a href="#_ftnref3"><font
size="-1">[3]</font></a><font size="-1"> ³Iran: Civil society
activists and human rights defenders under attack² Amnesty
International alert. 11 October 2004,
http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGMDE130452004</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div>###<br>
Robert Guerra <rguerra@privaterra.org><br>
Privaterra - <http://www.privaterra.org></div>
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