Akbar Atri
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Akbar Atri, a visionary within the Iranian student movement, has been a longtime leading proponent of global democracy and human rights standards within Iran. He is a founding member of Iranian Students for Democracy and Human Rights and former member of central committee, Takhim Vahdat, Iran's largest student democratic organization. Following his association with US congress and Neocons, Tahkim Vahdat canceled his membership. . He has been imprisoned, fined physically abused at the hands the Iranian regime for his political activities.
Attempting to form a new constitution within the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he co-authored a petition which calls for a national referendum on a new constitution. The referendum would provide Iranians the ability to request a new constitution based upon democratic values.
Since publication of this petition, more than thirty-five thousand political activists and other organizations have signed and joined the cause. Following release of the petition, he was able to escape from Iran to the United States, where he currently travels across the country, speaking in support of freedom and a non-violent democratic revolution in Iran.
He received his Bachelor degree in Political Science in 1999. In his role as a student activist, he has vigorously campaigned for a secular and democratic rule in Iran. While studying in Tehran, Mr. Atri held the prestigious post as one of ten members on the Central Council of Daftar Tahkim-e Vahdat, the country’s largest reform-minded organization. Additionally, he has organized several seminars, research groups and open discussions on the future of Khatami's reform movement.
He introduced the first research report in support of a New Constitution after President Khatami's failure reform election laws and to guarantee freedom of press.
He has been profiled by numerous media outlets including the BBC and the New York Sun. He has also published works in The American Spectator.He is an Iranian political activist member of The Committee on the Present Danger.[1]He has been widely accused of acting against Iran's interests and indirectly supporting US invasion of Iran.[2]
On March 2,2006 He and Ali Afshari were invited to give a talk on human right and democrasy in Iran at a pannel discussion organized by Rick Santorum and Senator Joe Lieberman in 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 updated information on human rights abuses in Iran and detail the progress of Iran ’s pro-democracy movement as well as the hurdles confronting it
