The people of Iran inherit an ancient, proud and advanced culture. Noted Greek historian Herodotus, reporting across the ages, wrote in the
fifth century BCE that:
"Cyrus was merciful and always worked for their well-being." Herodotus was describing Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire,
who recognized the existence of human rights and used the concept to become a wise and successful ruler.
Today, despite that heritage, those inside Iran bear the weight of an enormously repressive regime. Those in power have attacked their peaceful
protests with batons, tear gas and guns. Government has trampled constitutional rights with illegal arrests, imprisonment, torture and
public show trials featuring forced confessions. Censorship is the order of the day. Newspapers, radio, television, phone and internet services are all monitored by government.
And those who dare to speak out anyway risk life itself -- their own lives and those of their families. Tragically, many have died.
Obviously, citizens of the free world can speak out. Thus, the Iran Information Project joins the many who support the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom and democracy.
A primary goal is to provide information on how to set up secure, anonymous, internet connections. We hope that by using such open access, those inside Iran
can freely seek the help they need from legal and human rights support centers. We provide links to and contact information for several important ones. We also hope
that our friends in Iran can benefit from the availability of uncensored news and other communications.
For those outside Iran, we have compiled a list of petitions from various organizations so that people around the world may view and sign them from one central location. Signing petitions
on behalf of Iranians is one way that we outsiders can act now to seek their freedom.
(If you are inside Iran or outside Iran but have family there, read our
Important Security Warning
before signing anyone's petition.)
Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, imprisoned at home in Burma for over a decade, has said:
"Please use your liberty to promote ours."
Truly, these are words to live by.
