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Democratic Movements in Iran: Pitfalls and Potential


 

Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the Nonviolent Radical Party
Sala delle Colonne, Chamber of Deputies, Rome
 
 
08h30                                  Registration
 
09h00                                   Welcoming Remarks
 
Moderator: Sen. Marco Perduca,  Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Nonviolent Radical Party
Hon. Matteo Mecacci MP, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Rapporteur of the Committee on Human Rights of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Ms. Maggie Murphy, Program Coordinator, UNPO
Mr. Nasser Boladai, Baloch Spokesperson, Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran
Dr. Reza Baraheni, Novelist, poet, critic and political activist
 
 
10h00                        PANEL 1.     Disappointment and Disillusionment - Why the Democratic Impasse?
 
Moderator: Hon. Matteo Mecacci,Member of the Committee on the Environment of the Chamber of Deputies, Treasurer of Hands Off Cain
Prof. Alireza Asgharzadeh, Asst. Professor, York University, Toronto
Mr. Yousef Azizi Benitorof, Ahwazi Arab writer and journalist, Co-founder of the Iranian Writers Union, member of English PEN & First Secretary of the Center for Combating Racism and anti-Arabism in Iran
Mr Farokh Negahdar, Co-founder and elected member of the leadership of The Union for Iranian Republican, member of the presidium of the Central Council of the Organisation of Iranian People’s Fadaian, OIPFM
Mr. Abdollah Mohtadi, Secretary General of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan 
Mr. Shahriar Ahy, Co-founder of Solidarity Iran
 
 
11h45                       COFFEE BREAK
 
 
12h00                        PANEL 2. The Transition to Democracy – Visions for Real Change
 
Moderator: Sen. Luigi Compagna, Member of the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE
Mr. Mehrdad Davishpour, Secular Republican Alliance
Mr. Bezad Karimi, Analyst, Political Activist
 
Mr. Hassan Sharafi, Representative of the Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran, Vice President Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran
Mr. Raof Kaabi, Kurdish political activist, Member of the Central Committee of Union of People's Fedaian of Iran
 
 
13h30                                  LUNCH BREAK
 
 
14h30                                   Welcoming Remarks
Sen. Emma Bonino, Vice President of the Senate
Sen. Pietro Marcenaro, Chairman of the Special Committee on Human Rights
 
PANEL 3. Security Inside and Out
 
Moderator: Mr. Harry van Bommel MP, Dutch Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party
Ms. Fiamma Nirenstein, Vice President, Committee of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Ahmad Batebi, Exiled student activist
Mr. David Keyes, Director Cyberdissidents.org
Mr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh, Senior researcher and director at the Centre for Arab & Iranian Studies, political correspondent
 
 
16h15                                   BREAK
 
 
16h30                       PANEL 4. Where next? Strategies for Change and the Role of the International Community
 
Moderator: Ms. Roya Kashefi, Head of Human Rights Committee - Association des Chercheurs Iraniens
Mr. Mark Lattimer, Executive Director, Minority Rights Group International
Mr. Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, Secretary General, No Peace Without Justice
Ms. Fakhteh Zamani, Chief Executive Director, Association for the Defence of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran
Mr. Hossein Ladjevardi, President, Association of Iranian Researchers
Mr. Ahmedi Idris, Researcher, Department of Political Science, Stockholm University
 
18h00                       Concluding remarks
 
Marco Pannella,  President of the Senate of the Nonviolent Radical Party, former Member of the European Parliament