Ali Afshari

Ali Afshari (Persian: علی افشاری; born 1973) is an Iranian activist.

For ten years Afshari has campaigned for reform-minded leaders and change within the Islamic Republic, with posts including membership on the Central Council of Office for Strengthening Unity and membership on the Central Council of the Islamic Student Association at Amirkabir University of Technology, where he served as the secretary of the association for three years. He was a fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. [ [http://www.ned.org/forum/past.html#Afshari Fellowship Programs - Past Fellows ] ]

Biography

From 1995 to 1999 Afshari was a member of Central Council of the Islamic Student Association at Amirkabir University of Technology, serving as the Secretary of the Association. From 1999 to 2004 he was a member of Central Council of the Office to Foster Unity National Islamic Student Association (Daftar- Tahkim-e Vahdat). From 1996 to 1997 Afshari was coordinator of Khatami’s Student Political Campaign, included coordination of student activities and gatherings in support of Khatami’s presidential election nationally in 30 universities. From 2000 to 2003 he was imprisoned by the Islamic Republic of Iran for political crimes, including activities against national security. 400 of these days were spent in solitary confinement.

From 2000 to 2003, Afshari was imprisoned by the Islamic Republic on charges that he was threatening the national security of the country though his role in pro-democracy programs on college campuses. During those years, he was placed in solitary confinement for 400 days, including 328 days consecutively. Following days of abuse, Afshari was tortured into providing a false confession in which he admitted to the crimes with which he was charged. [NPR, Morning Edition, 7/19/2007] This confession was broadcast across Iran and garnered attention from the public.

Advocacy

After completing his Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) in 2004, Afshari has traveled to Ireland and the United States in an effort to bring the injustices of the Islamic Regime to light. Afshari has published his views in over forty essays and papers including Roozonline, Gooya news and has been profiled by the BBC, Agence France Presse and The Irish Times. On March 2,2006 he and Akbar Atri gave talks on human right and democracy in Iran at a panel discussion organized by Senator Rick Santorum and Senator Joe Lieberman at the U.S. Capitol. The event was sponsored by The Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Iranian Students for Democracy and Human Rights. Their talk provided information on human rights abuses in Iran and detailed the progress of Iran ’s pro-democracy movement as well as the hurdles confronting it.

References

See also

*Human rights in Islamic Republic of Iran

External links

* [http://www.ned.org/forum/current.html The National Endowment for Democracy]
* [http://www.radiofarda.com/iran_article/2006/3/8d799552-f2bc-42ec-8ecd-5d18b91e7d90.html Radio Farda report in Persian]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2006/03/060303_wmt-iran-congress-afshari-atri.shtml BBC Persian report]
* [http://www.peiknet.com/1384/01esfand/061284/pag/37haghighat.htm Peiknet in Persian and English]
* [http://www.mannevesht.blogfa.com Ali Afshari's weblog in persian]
* [http://raha.payaan.com Ali Afshari's article archive ]