Rana (not her real name) is a young Iranian student activist. She supports democratic reform in Iran and wants to protest the Iranian government's violent crackdown on those demonstrating against the recent elections. She is afraid to speak out because of possible retaliation against her family and friends. But Rana does not live in Tehran, she lives in Minneapolis -- far away from the family and friends she wants to protect. As we prepare to celebrate the July 4th holiday and the fundamental freedoms we enjoy here, the events in Iran remind us that we cannot guarantee the basic freedoms to everyone in the United States as long as those freedoms are under attack in other parts of the world. The freedoms protected in our Constitution are echoed in international treaties. As a party to these treaties, Iran has committed to the world that it will protect these rights -- including freedom of speech, freedom of expression, due process, freedom from violence, arbitrary arrest and execution. Yet we have watched the systematic and violent repression of the rights of demonstrators. We have heard the continuing threats from the leaders of the country against those who may be planning future protests. Even those who voice their opinions through the Internet face threats of persecution. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that he was monitoring protesters' communications on Twitter. The impact of these attacks is swift and dramatic in Tehran, as well as in Iranian communities around the world. While these pressures are not new, globalization and the advent of social networking has changed the face of advocacy; now, asserting these pressures has become easier, faster and more effective. The violation of these fundamental rights is not an internal Iranian issue. Human-rights violations are a global concern. We must speak out loudly when those in our community are being silenced. Remember the Rev. Martin Luther King's famous statement: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." As we dress in red, white and blue for July 4th, let us add green to show our support for Rana and our sisters and brothers in Iran -- and for freedom everywhere. ROBIN PHILLIPS, MINNEAPOLIS;
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
