Introducing the Referendum
Movement
The Alternative of
a Peaceful Democratisation of Iran
The Iranian nuclear crisis, the military armament of Iran by the intermediate-range missiles Shahab 3 as well as the development and the planned production of the long-range (ballistic) missiles Shahab 4 and Shahab 5, the tapering of the military disputes between the different religious, political and ethnic groups in Iraq, the electoral victory of Hamas in Palestine – among others also thanks to Iran’s financial support, Iran’s financial and military support of the Hisbollah in Lebanon and, last but not least, the anti-Semitic statements of the Iranian president, Ahmadinedshad, and his Holocaust-abnegation by the planned international Holocaust-conference and the international caricature competition on the Holocaust, confront the civilized world with the demand for alternatives to this unreckonable regime. By Ahmadinedshad’s election all hopes of the western countries for a gentle and stepwise reform, and for the opening and liberalization of the Iranian politics have been destroyed. Considering the opposing development of the Iranian society towards a civil society the negative political development becomes even more surprising. According to all internationally recognized observers of the region no other comparable society in the Middle East is as ripe for democratisation and for the establishment of a civil society as the Iranian.
The following article attempts to give the interested reader a short overview over a movement, the Referendum Movement, that has evolved from the defeat of the reform movement under Khatami eight years ago and which has so far received the biggest support within the Iranian society beyond the Islamic government.
The defeat of the reforms inside the current system
The Iranian opposition is fighting, at odds with each other and dashed to shivers, for over 25 years within and outside Iran for freedom, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The last ray of hope for the Islamic system’s reform ability faded away as a result of the inaction of the former president Khatami which lead to disappointment in the society.
After this disillusion the majority of the people and the political groups came to the conclusion that only the separation of church and state and the secularisation of the political institutions of the country could be the only alternative to the current State of clerics. Under these circumstances eight human rights activists and representatives of the movement of students announced an appeal in November 2004 in which they stood up for a referendum that can lead to a peaceful transition to a democratic constitutional State in Iran (see the text of the appeal in this issue).
Announcement of the appeal and massive support by
the Iranians
In their appeal the authors of the “Appeal to a National Referendum”,
who were in jail at the time of its announcement and among whom some are still
imprisoned, describe at first the disastrous political and economic situation of
the society and point to the dangers to the national unity of the country caused
by the regime. Furthermore, they demand for a free referendum under the
surveillance of the international organisations and the United Nations. In such
a referendum the representatives of the people shall be elected who would have
to congress in a “Council of Constitution” with the mandate to formulate a new
constitution on the basis of the Human Rights Charta of the United Nations. The
authors of the “Appeal to a National Referendum” regard this alternative as the
only peaceful and non-violent solution for the democratisation of the Iranian
society.
After that, some Iranians who live in exile created a website (now under
www.60000000.info; the 60 millions stand for the Iranian people opposing a
ruling minority of clerics) and they began to collect signatures for the appeal.
Within a few days the appeal was signed by 35.000 people including famous
Iranian artists, intellectuals, journalists and opposition-politicians until the
regime massively restricted all possibilities of signing by all means,
particularly by prohibiting the website in Iran and similar sanctions.
From the announcement of the appeal to the
international conference in Brussels
Notwithstanding the massive attempts of the Islamic regime to prevent
the movement the supporters of the appeal continued their work. Above all, the
Iranians in exile founded “Supporting Committees for the Referendum Movement” in
most of the western European and north American States. Eventually, from
December 2nd to December 4th 2005 a “World Conference of the Supporting
Committees for the Referendum Movement” took place in Brussels (the Brussels
Conference). At this conference different resolutions have been adopted and
different organs have been elected which will be briefly introduced in the
following section (see also further documents of the referendum movement in this
issue).
Result of the Brussels Conference
- Various documents and resolutions as well as a final resolution have concretised the contents of the original “Appeal to a National Referendum”
- Aims, framework programs and plans of action have been adopted for the democratisation movement in Iran and for the introduction of their aims to the international organisations, the governments and parliaments who have committed themselves to the advancement of democracy, human rights and to the rule of law.
- Organs and organisation units of the referendum movement have been elected including a central committee consisting of 15 persons and fulfilling an observation task over the activities of the other organs of the organisation.
Importance of the support of the referendum movement
by democratic governments
By showing their moral and political solidarity with the referendum movement
the western countries would not only assist the Iranian democrats by their
efforts on a peaceful and non-violent regime change right up to a democratic and
secular political system on the basis of the United Nations’ Human Rights
Charta. But they would also considerably contribute to more security and peace
in the world, especially in that region. For a democratic an peaceful Iran which
would be integrated in the international family of constitutional states by the
assistance of the civilized world will not seek for the possession of nuclear
and other weapons of mass destruction. Therefore a democratic Iran would render
all applications of force and military operations against Iran superfluous.
Moreover, the democratic recovery of the inner security and the territorial
integrity of Iraq as well as the democratisation of the Iraqi society will be
achieved considerably faster. More importantly, the international terrorism
would be weakened by a regime change in Iran for Iran as the terrorists’
“central bank” would disappear completely. And not least, Iran can crucially
contribute to the settlement of the disputes between Israel and Palestine. The
world would be vitally more secure without the Islamic Republic of Iran
respectively with a democratic and peaceful Iran.
The 25-year-old history of the theocracy in Iran clearly shows that under the
pressure of a united world community the regime would very well be prepared to
make even large political concessions. It is long about time to confront this
regime with a united voice in order to force it to democratic changes. A western
assistance of the Iranian democrats in their claims for the realisation of a
referendum could even contribute to the democratic development beyond war and
the application of forces.
The Iran Referendum Movement