{"id":190,"date":"2009-06-23T17:31:47","date_gmt":"2009-06-23T17:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/06\/time-to-turn-up-the-heat-on-ir.html"},"modified":"2009-06-23T17:31:47","modified_gmt":"2009-06-23T17:31:47","slug":"time-to-turn-up-the-heat-on-ir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/06\/time-to-turn-up-the-heat-on-ir.html","title":{"rendered":"Time to Turn Up the Heat on Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is a compelling scene – thousands in the streets of Iran – calling for freedom – fighting for free and fair elections.  <\/span>And, Barry, what is most troubling – but not necessarily surprising – is the Iranian regime’s reaction – the use of deadly violence to quell the protests and a flagrant disregard for international law and basic human rights.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

President Obama<\/a> condemned the violence in a news conference today and used his strongest language yet, saying the world is “appalled and outraged” by Iran’s actions. <\/font><\/p>\n

And, the House and Senate <\/a>passed separate resolutions in support of the Iranian protesters.<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

Since the election last week, nearly 20 Iranians have been killed – including the murder of a young Iranian girl whose killing was captured on video <\/a>and posted online.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Iranian regime is on a very disturbing path.  <\/span>It’s time for the global community – including the United Nations – to turn up the heat on Iran. <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Iran has clearly violated the internationally recognized standards for human rights set forth by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Iran unequivocally and voluntarily ratified.  <\/span>Iran has also violated numerous provisions of its own constitution that protect human rights and prohibit arbitrary arrests.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice<\/a>, has sent a letter <\/font>to the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland urging the body “to take all actions within your authority to pressure Iran to comply with international human rights law.”<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Iran is guilty of numerous violations of international law – including Article 19 of the UDHR: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In addition, Iran’s attempt to hide its abuse of human rights from the international community by blocking journalistic activity and prohibiting foreign press from observing and reporting on events within the country violates international law. Article 17 of the ICCPR and Article 12 of the UDHR outlaw arbitrary interference with correspondence of individuals.  <\/span>With no regard for these provisions, Iran has blocked satellite transmissions, internet access, telephone communications, and other forms of communicating and reporting.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, the flow of information out of Iran is difficult now. But, the truth will continue to get out – thanks, in part, to the web-based social media<\/a>.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It’s time for Iran to be held accountable.  <\/span>The world is watching.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font> <\/p>\n

To subscribe to “Lynn v. Sekulow” click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a>.<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is a compelling scene – thousands in the streets of Iran – calling for freedom – fighting for free and fair elections.  And, Barry, what is most troubling – but not necessarily surprising – is the Iranian regime’s reaction – the use of deadly violence to quell the protests and a flagrant disregard for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[184,32,123,185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-rights","category-international-law","category-president-barack-obama","category-united-nations"],"yoast_head":"\nTime to Turn Up the Heat on Iran - Lynn v. 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Jay Sekulow has also served as a faculty member for the Office of Legal Education at the United States Department of Justice.  As a member of the faculty he instructed Assistant United States Attorneys and investigators in the First Amendment issues associated with prosecution of obscenity. An accomplished and respected judicial advocate, Sekulow has presented oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in numerous cases in defense of constitutional freedoms. Several landmark cases argued by Sekulow before the U.S. Supreme Court have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation.  In the Mergens case, Sekulow cleared the way for public school students to form Bible clubs and religious organizations on their school campuses.  In the Lamb's Chapel case, Sekulow defended the free speech rights of religious groups, ensuring that they be treated equally with respect to the use of public facilities.  And, most recently, in McConnell v. FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/jsekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}