Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy Abroad

Human Rights in Iran

ATLANTA, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On 21 January, 2008, Professor
Raymond Tanter, President, Iran Policy Committee, spoke at the invitation of
the Iranian-American Community of Georgia in Atlanta.

Prof. Tanter explained Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s position on human rights
abroad, which is based upon one fundamental principle: "Injustice anywhere is
a threat to justice everywhere."

According to Prof. Tanter, "It was Dr. King's commitment to fighting injustice
that led him to champion the cause of the African National Congress in South
Africa. To this end, Dr. King issued a joint statement with ANC
President-General Albert Lutuli in 1962 and spoke out in 1964 about the
jailing of Nelson Mandela at the notorious Robben Island prison."

Prof. Tanter went on to describe how impressively Dr. King's legacy continued
after his death: "The ideals of Martin Luther King Jr. were a critical source
of inspiration to democratic movements behind the Iron Curtain. Both
Solidarity in Poland and Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia adopted Dr. King's
'Letter from Birmingham City Jail.'"

Prof. Tanter then moved on to discuss contemporary human rights atrocities,
particularly those committed by the Iranian regime. According to Prof. Tanter,
"The way a government treats its women is the best barometer of a country's
human rights condition. In Iran, married women have very few legal rights. A
woman must have written permission from her husband to travel. It is also
nearly impossible for a woman to obtain a divorce, allowing men to abuse their
wives and take multiple wives without fear of punishment.

Regarding policy options, Prof. Tanter concluded, "The most powerful tool the
United States can use to put Tehran's rulers on alert that gross violations of
human rights must end is to empower the Iranian people for democratic change.
To this end, the United States should remove the terrorist designations of the
main, democratic Iranian opposition groups. The evidence behind such
designations is specious, and the hampering of the democratic opposition
jeopardizes U.S. national security interests.

The main opposition groups, the Mujahedeen-e Khalq and the National Council of
Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in stark contrast to the regime, are democratic,
inclusive of women, and have as one of their highest missions the protection
of human rights in Iran. In fact, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi has
looked to Dr. King's Birmingham Letter as a source of inspiration as the
Iranian people are terrorized by those ruling Tehran."

SOURCE Iran Policy Committee

Prof. Raymond Tanter of the Iran Policy Committee, +1-202-249-1142,
+1-202-320-8434 (cell), rtanter@iranpolicy.org