Civil Society Forum banned in Kish, Iran

[Andrew Anderson <andrewanderson@frontlinedefenders.org>]

Dear Friends

Please find below a report and recommendations on the regional Civil 
Society Forum on the Information Society for the Middle East and West 
Asia which was unexpectedly banned at the last moment by government 
authorities.  Those who attended would be very greatful if you could 
disseminate this as widely as possible and take the actions requested. 

Apologies for the delay/cross-posting but our first email attempt bounced.

with best wishes

Andrew Anderson





*Kish Statement - August 25, 2005*


/IRAN: Regional Civil Society Forum on the Information Society for the 
Middle East and West Asia unexpectedly banned by government authorities./


Iranian authorities this week banned a regional civil society forum in 
Iran, grouping 40 Iranian and international delegates to talk about the 
Internet and information society a few hours before the start of the event.


The second Regional Civil Society Forum on the Information Society for 
the Middle East and West Asia was to take place in the free trade zone 
of Kish Island, Iran on August 23-25. The Forum was organized by 
Volunteer Actors, an Iranian NGO which also serves as the civil society 
focal point for the WSIS for the Middle East and West Asia. The United 
Nations, the World Bank, UNESCO and the WSIS secretariat collaborated in 
the planning of the event. The Forum was designed to form 
recommendations from the region on the Internet and information policy 
to take to the UN-sponsored WSIS-2 summit scheduled for Tunisia in 
November, which all national governments and major international 
organizations will attend. Civil Society organizations have been an 
integral part of the WSIS process since its inception and have actively 
been engaged in drafting declarations.


We, the international organizations present, strongly regret the 
decision of the Iranian authorities to ban the civil society forum, 
which was to discuss the issues of access to information, freedom of 
expression on the Internet, and to build the capacities of civil society 
organizations and women’s NGOs through a series of ICT related training 
programs.


An Iranian governmental delegation attended the WSIS-1 summit in 2003 
and Iran is an active participant and signatory to the WSIS Declaration 
and Plan of Action. It committed itself to the spirit and ambitions of 
the Summit and information society, which include the wide participation 
of government, private and NGO sector actors.


A similar conference to prepare for WSIS-1 was also held at Kish in 
August 2003 with the full acceptance of the authorities.


Canceling the event is in violation of the established goals and 
principles of the WSIS. In Iran, as elsewhere, ICTs play an important 
part in the development of Iran’s economy and society, and its role in 
the region.


We sincerely hope that this decision was due to local administrative 
error, and not a considered policy at a strategic level by the Iranian 
authorities.

For further information please contact Mary Lawlor (English language), 
director, Front Line, +353 (0)1 212 3750, 
_marylawlor@frontlinedefenders.org 
<mailto:marylawlor@frontlinedefenders.org>_, or Gamal Eid (Arabic 
language) +20 2 5249544, _info@hrinfo.net <mailto:info@hrinfo.net>_

Statement issued by:

   *

     Afghan Computer Science Association (Afghanistan)

   *

     Agency for Public Transformations (Ukraine)

   *

     Association for Progressive Communication (South Africa)

   *

     Front Line (Ireland)

   *

     Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries
     (Hivos) (Netherlands)

   *

     Internews Europe (France)

   *

     Internews Pakistan (Pakistan)

   *

     The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Egypt)

   *

     Women's Information Center (Georgia)

   *

     Women'sNet (South Africa)


*Call to action:*

The Iranian authorities:

   *

     We would request that Iranian authorities clarify the reasons why
     this meeting was cancelled in violation of the spirit of both WSIS
     and Article 19.

   *

     We would also like to request the cooperation of the government in
     guaranteeing the ability to hold future meetings of civil society
     organizations.

   *

     The Iranian government should live up to its international
     commitments and international human rights instruments.

   *

     The Iranian government should recognize the important role of NGOs
     and CSOs in advancing social and economic development.


To international development partners and UN bodies:

   *

     We would request you to use all networks and channels available to
     you to protest against the decision by the Iranian authorities.

   *

     We also would like to request you to continue your support to
     Iranian CSOs, the strengthening of the Iranian civil society, the
     WSIS process and international human rights.


WSIS authorities:

   *

     We would request you to lodge a protest with the Iranian
     authorities on the grounds that their restriction of this
     conference has contravened their own obligations under the WSIS
     framework, to which they are signatories.

   *

     We also would like to request you to facilitate and monitor the
     participation of Iranian civil society and private sector in all
     aspects of the WSIS process.

National governments, regional and diplomatic communities

   *

     We would request you to lodge a protest with the Iranian
     authorities on the grounds that their restriction of this
     conference has contravened their own obligations under the WSIS
     framework and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which
     they are signatories.

   *

     We also would like to request you to facilitate and monitor the
     participation of Iranian civil society and private sector in all
     aspects of the WSIS process.

*Annex: The events as they unfolded…*


/A month before the meeting:/

1 Organizers traveled to Kish and met with the Executive Director of the 
Kish Free Trade Zone, Mr. Ghasemi and Kish University to coordinate the 
logistics for the implementation of this meeting in Kish. The meetings 
were followed by official letters to both the University and the Kish 
Free Trade Zone and asking for their cooperation and coordination in 
convening the meeting. There were no problems or objections to convening 
this meeting expressed by the government.


/The day before the meeting:/

1 Officials from the Office of Amaken (Public Spaces) of the Police 
Force requested the organizers to submit to them a list of participants, 
both national and international.

2 Through telephone conversations the Office of Amaken (Public Spaces) 
of the Police Force informed the organizers that a license was necessary 
to convene the event.

3 The Office of Foreign Citizens contacted the organizers asking for an 
explanation for the participation of international organizations, 
especially those from outside the region. The organizers explained that 
the international participants are either qualified trainers or working 
in the region.

4 The organizers attempted to get a permit from the Kish authorities, 
who informed them that these types of meetings do not require a license. 
But at the same time, the organizers were perplexed because the Amaken 
office was requiring a license.

5 Finally, the Dept. of Social Affairs in Kish agreed to consider the 
organizers request for a license and then would respond promptly. The 
Dept. of Social Affairs convened a Provincial Security Council meeting.


/Day 1 of the meeting (as scheduled):/

6 The authorities informed the organizers that the meeting was cancelled 
because - given the transitional state of the government - the meeting 
has political consequences for the Kish Free Trade Zone

7 Kish University officials contacted the organizers that they had also 
been contacted by the Kish authorities and told that the meeting was 
officially cancelled.

8 The organizers contacted the National High Council on ICT, the Iranian 
representative to the United Nations, and the Secretariat of the High 
Council on National Security to lobby for their support and to alter the 
decision. The organizers also contacted the Secretariat for Free Trade 
Zones with responsibility for Kish and other free trade zones in Iran.

9 These efforts and contacts resulted in a change in the position of 
local authorities which was that the conference could continue but only 
with certain conditions. The stipulations were that:

1. The conference could not make any comment on Iran.

2. The organizers should guarantee in writing that they would take 
responsibility for everything discussed at the meeting, including their 
opinions.


Discussion of conditions continued through the day and night of the 
first day of the scheduled conference.


/Day 2 of the scheduled conference:/

1 The organizers asked for specifics on the terms to see if there steps 
that could be taken to accommodate the conference. At that point the 
conference was officially cancelled.

2 The officials announced to the hotel that participants should not 
gather in groups.

3 A morning meeting intended to inform participants of the conference of 
the situation was also interrupted as an unsanctioned meeting.

4 The police arrived to inform hotel officials that conference 
participants are not allowed to gather.


--
Andrew Anderson
Deputy Director
Front Line
The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
16 Idrone Lane, off Bath Place, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland

Tel. 00353-1-212-37-50
Fax. 00353-1-212-10-01
mob. 00353-87-205-6867
www.frontlinedefenders.org