PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                                                     November 16, 2009

Iranian Progressive Youth request your attendance at “Focus Iran II”
on Saturday December 5, 2009 at 13:00

International Solidarity with the Iranian Student Movement
On the occasion of Iran’s National Student’s Day

On December 7, National Student’s Day is being held in Iran. A large number of Iranian students commemorate this day annually. We, the “Iranian progressive youth” (IPY) in collaboration with the Delft Student Union (VSSD), are planning to organize a conference to support this occasion on December 5, 2009. In order to create a comprehensive and impartial picture of the student movement in Iran, we have invited a number of prominent student activists from different political backgrounds to speak. In addition, we have also invited a number of progressive artists to represent the Iran Student Movement from a cultural perspective.

Lecturers:
Iranian Prominent Student Activists:
1. Ahmad Batebi, Spokesperson of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI). He gained international fame as “an icon for Iran’s student movement” for his appearance on the July 17, 1999 cover of The Economist magazine, holding up a shirt splattered with the blood of a fellow protester. The death sentence he received was further reduced to 10 years prison.
2. Bahareh Hedayat, Spokesperson of the Student Union, Office to Foster Unity and member of the One Million Signatures Campaign for women’s equality in Iran
2. Parisa Nasrabadi, socialist student activist, editorial chief of Gavan, University & People, Be Pish! student magazine.
3. Saeed Ghasseminejad, Spokesperson of Iranian Liberal Students and Graduates. He was sentenced to 2 years suspended Imprisonment.
4. Anahita Hosseini, former member of Students for Freedom and Equality in Iran. She was arrested and has been freed on bail.

International Lecturers:
- Bert van den Kendelaere, Representative of European Students’ Union
- Zita Schellekens, Presidium Member and Coordinator for Social Movements of International Union of Socialist Youth
- Sandra Reynaers, Representative of International Federation of Liberal Youth
- Bronne Pot, Vice President of Youth of the European People’s Party
- Eline Van Nistelrooij, Spokesperson of Young European Greens
- Aloys Rigaut, President of European Liberal Youth
- Tine Radinja, President of European Youth Forum
- Lukas Kaindlstorfer, Board member of European School Student Unions

Progressive Artists:
- Iraj Janati Ataei, playwright, poet and lyricist
- Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, dancer, actor, unique Foreign Pensionnaire of the prestigious French Comédie Française
- Pejman Akbarzadeh, pianist, researcher and journalist
- Shahin Najafi, singer, songwriter and musician
- Anonymous Sinners, rap music band
- Persian traditional music, Pasha Karami, Pejman Zahedian, Ramin Azimian

We seek to inform both political youth organizations and student union(s) in the Netherlands and Europe about the latest developments regarding the student movement in Iran. We also seek to introduce the student movement in Iran as one of the most important social movements in Iran and a significant contribution to the democratization process in Iran.
Iranian Progressive Youth
E-mail: iranpy@gmail.com

http://www.iranpy.net