The International Success of July 25th’s “Global Day of Action”
How it Began United4Iran saw the need for and organized the first globally coordinated event for Iran’s human rights on July 25, calling it the “Global Day of Action” (GDA), which emerged as the single foremost international response to the violent crackdown following the June 12 Iranian election. The government’s brutal response and subsequent crackdowns have left, as of September 2009, at least 70 dead, with hundreds more detained or unaccounted for. A Global Effort The event was coordinated by United4Iran (U4I) in three weeks with the aid of both traditional and web promotional strategies. In only 25 days, U4I was able to engage over 50,000 participants, across 110 cities and six continents. In addition to the overwhelming international outpouring, U4I received messages and support from hundreds of prominent activists, academics, and artists, including from Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, and Shirin Ebadi, as well as from several prominent Iranian-American public figures, such as Maz Jobrani and Reza Aslan. The premise for the GDA spread to more than 110 cities worldwide, garnered media attention, and received coverage from CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, and dozens of other media outlets. The GDA effort was furthered by the stream of Twitter and Facebook feeds belonging to the newly mobilized internet activists. Highlights Musicians, artists, academics, and prominent figures graced the stages of dozens of stages across the globe. Among the day’s highlights was the premiere of U2’s new video, to coincide with the Global Day of Action, before 80,000 people in Dublin’s Croke Park. Other notable GDA participants included:
- Jody Williams, Nobel Laureate
- Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch, Deputy Director of Middle East and North Africa Division
- Dariush, Prominent Iranian Singer and Social Activist
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate
- Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Laureate
The day’s biggest achievement was the Associated Press’ reports indicating that people in Iran knew about and were encouraged by the Global Day of Action. AP reported that Iranians were chanting from their rooftops, “Our brave brothers and sisters, thank you for your support!” GDA Sponsors United4Iran had the following sponsors for the Global Day of Action:
- 42 Arab Human Rights Organizations
- Amnesty International
- FIDH
- Frontline
- Human Rights Watch
- International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
- Iranian League for Defense of Human Rights (LDDHI)
- Nobel Women’s Initiative
- PeaceJam
- Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
- Reporters without Borders
- Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate
The Message The July 25 Global Day of Action was founded upon the below listed principles:
- The international community must uphold the Iranian people’s human rights as a matter of international concern
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon must immediately appoint a delegation to travel to Iran to investigate the fate of prisoners and disappeared persons
- The immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists, students, and civil society activists
- An end to state-sponsored violence, and accountability for crimes committed; and
- Freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of press as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution and Iran’s obligations under international covenants that it has signed
The event became a venue for the citizens of the world to come together and stand…
- For civil and human rights for the people of Iran
- For stopping the abuse of power—the imprisonment, torture, and killing
- With our Iranian brothers and sisters, so they know “We have heard your voices, and you are not alone.”
Participating Cities Over 110 cities, across six continents, took part in the Global Day of Action on July 25th. They included: Altamonte Springs | Amsterdam | Ann Arbor | Atlanta | Austin | Bagnacavallo | Barcelona | Beirut | Belfast | Berlin | Bishkek | Bogota | Boston | Boulder | Brighton | Brisbane | Bristol | Brussels | Budapest | Cairo | Calgary | Canberra | Caracas | Castelldefels | Charlotte | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cologne | Columbus | Copenhagen | Dallas | Detroit | Dortmund | Dubai | Dublin | Dusseldorf | Edinburgh | Frankfurt | Geneva | Glasgow | Gothenburg | Halifax | Hamburg | Helena | Honolulu | Houston | Innsbruck | Irvine | Istanbul | Kansas City | Krakow | Kuala Lumpur | Lahore | Las Vegas | Lausanne | Lincoln | Lisbon | London | Los Angeles | Luxembourg | Madison | Madrid | Malmo | Manchester | Manila | Melbourne | Miami | Milan | Minneapolis | Montreal | Munich | New Delhi | New York | Orlando | Oslo | Ouagadougou | Palencia | Palma de Mallorca | Paris | Phoenix | Portland, ME | Portland, OR | Prague | Raleigh | Revine Lago | Rome | Salt Lake City | San Diego | San Francisco | Sao Paulo | Seattle | Seoul | St. Kitts | St. Louis | Stockholm | Stuttgart | Sydney | Syracuse | Tempe | Tokyo | Toronto | Tucson | Urbana-Champaign | Valencia | Vancouver | Victoria | Vienna | Villeneuve-les-Avignon | Washington DC The International Success of “Global Day of Action” on July 25 How it Began United4Iran saw the need for and organized the first globally coordinated event for Iran’s human rights on July 25, calling it the “Global Day of Action”. GDA emerged as the single foremost international response to the violent crackdown following the June 12 Iranian election. The government’s brutal response and subsequent crackdowns have left, as of September 2009, at least 70 dead, with hundreds more detained or unaccounted for. A Global Effort The event was coordinated by United4Iran (U4I) in three weeks with the aid of both traditional and web promotional strategies. In only 25 days, U4I was able to engage over 50,000 participants, across 110 cities and six continents. In addition to the overwhelming international outpouring, U4I received messages and support from hundreds of prominent activists, academics, and artists, including from Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, and Shirin Ebadi, as well as from several prominent Iranian-American public figures, such as Maz Jobrani and Reza Aslan. The premise for the GDA spread to more than 110 cities worldwide, garnered media attention, and received coverage from CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, and dozens of other media outlets. The GDA effort was furthered by the stream of Twitter and Facebook feeds belonging to the newly mobilized internet activists. Highlights Musicians, artists, academics, and prominent figures graced the stages of dozens of stages across the globe. Among the day’s highlights was the premiere of U2’s new video, to coincide with the Global Day of Action, before 80,000 people in Dublin’s Croke Park. Other notable GDA participants included:
- Jody Williams, Nobel Laureate
- Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch, Deputy Director of Middle East and North Africa Division
- Dariush, Prominent Iranian Singer and Social Activist
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate
- Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Laureate
The day’s biggest achievement was the Associated Press’ reports indicating that people in Iran knew about and were encouraged by the Global Day of Action. AP reported that Iranians were chanting from their rooftops, “Our brave brothers and sisters, thank you for your support!” GDA Sponsors United4Iran had the following sponsors for the Global Day of Action:
- 42 Arab Human Rights Organizations
- Amnesty International
- FIDH
- Frontline
- Human Rights Watch
- International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
- Iranian League for Defense of Human Rights (LDDHI)
- Nobel Women’s Initiative
- PeaceJam
- Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
- Reporters without Borders
- Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate
The Message The July 25 Global Day of Action was founded upon the below listed principles: 1. The international community must uphold the Iranian people’s human rights as a matter of international concern 2. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon must immediately appoint a delegation to travel to Iran to investigate the fate of prisoners and disappeared persons 3. The immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists, students, and civil society activists 4. An end to state-sponsored violence, and accountability for crimes committed; and 5. Freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of press as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution and Iran’s obligations under international covenants that it has signed The event became a venue for the citizens of the world to come together and stand 1. For civil and human rights for the people of Iran 2. For stopping the abuse of power—the imprisonment, torture, and killing 3. With our Iranian brothers and sisters, so they know “We have heard your voices, and you are not alone.” Participating Cities Over 110 cities, across six continents, took part in the Global Day of Action on July 25th. They included: Altamonte Springs | Amsterdam | Ann Arbor | Atlanta | Austin | Bagnacavallo | Barcelona | Beirut | Belfast | Berlin | Bishkek | Bogota | Boston | Boulder | Brighton | Brisbane | Bristol | Brussels | Budapest | Cairo | Calgary | Canberra | Caracas | Castelldefels | Charlotte | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cologne | Columbus | Copenhagen | Dallas | Detroit | Dortmund | Dubai | Dublin | Dusseldorf | Edinburgh | Frankfurt | Geneva | Glasgow | Gothenburg | Halifax | Hamburg | Helena | Honolulu | Houston | Innsbruck | Irvine | Istanbul | Kansas City | Krakow | Kuala Lumpur | Lahore | Las Vegas | Lausanne | Lincoln | Lisbon | London | Los Angeles | Luxembourg | Madison | Madrid | Malmo | Manchester | Manila | Melbourne | Miami | Milan | Minneapolis | Montreal | Munich | New Delhi | New York | Orlando | Oslo | Ouagadougou | Palencia | Palma de Mallorca | Paris | Phoenix | Portland, ME | Portland, OR | Prague | Raleigh | Revine Lago | Rome | Salt Lake City | San Diego | San Francisco | Sao Paulo | Seattle | Seoul | St. Kitts | St. Louis | Stockholm | Stuttgart | Sydney | Syracuse | Tempe | Tokyo | Toronto | Tucson | Urbana-Champaign | Valencia | Vancouver | Victoria | Vienna | Villeneuve-les-Avignon | Washington DCThe International Success of “Global Day of Action” on July 25 How it Began United4Iran saw the need for and organized the first globally coordinated event for Iran’s human rights on July 25, calling it the “Global Day of Action”. GDA emerged as the single foremost international response to the violent crackdown following the June 12 Iranian election. The government’s brutal response and subsequent crackdowns have left, as of September 2009, at least 70 dead, with hundreds more detained or unaccounted for. A Global Effort The event was coordinated by United4Iran (U4I) in three weeks with the aid of both traditional and web promotional strategies. In only 25 days, U4I was able to engage over 50,000 participants, across 110 cities and six continents. In addition to the overwhelming international outpouring, U4I received messages and support from hundreds of prominent activists, academics, and artists, including from Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, and Shirin Ebadi, as well as from several prominent Iranian-American public figures, such as Maz Jobrani and Reza Aslan. The premise for the GDA spread to more than 110 cities worldwide, garnered media attention, and received coverage from CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, and dozens of other media outlets. The GDA effort was furthered by the stream of Twitter and Facebook feeds belonging to the newly mobilized internet activists. Highlights Musicians, artists, academics, and prominent figures graced the stages of dozens of stages across the globe. Among the day’s highlights was the premiere of U2’s new video, to coincide with the Global Day of Action, before 80,000 people in Dublin’s Croke Park. Other notable GDA participants included:
- Jody Williams, Nobel Laureate
- Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch, Deputy Director of Middle East and North Africa Division
- Dariush, Prominent Iranian Singer and Social Activist
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate
- Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Laureate
The day’s biggest achievement was the Associated Press’ reports indicating that people in Iran knew about and were encouraged by the Global Day of Action. AP reported that Iranians were chanting from their rooftops, “Our brave brothers and sisters, thank you for your support!” GDA Sponsors United4Iran had the following sponsors for the Global Day of Action:
- 42 Arab Human Rights Organizations
- Amnesty International
- FIDH
- Frontline
- Human Rights Watch
- International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
- Iranian League for Defense of Human Rights (LDDHI)
- Nobel Women’s Initiative
- PeaceJam
- Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
- Reporters without Borders
- Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate
The Message The July 25 Global Day of Action was founded upon the below listed principles: 1. The international community must uphold the Iranian people’s human rights as a matter of international concern 2. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon must immediately appoint a delegation to travel to Iran to investigate the fate of prisoners and disappeared persons 3. The immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists, students, and civil society activists 4. An end to state-sponsored violence, and accountability for crimes committed; and 5. Freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of press as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution and Iran’s obligations under international covenants that it has signed The event became a venue for the citizens of the world to come together and stand 1. For civil and human rights for the people of Iran 2. For stopping the abuse of power—the imprisonment, torture, and killing 3. With our Iranian brothers and sisters, so they know “We have heard your voices, and you are not alone.” Participating Cities Over 110 cities, across six continents, took part in the Global Day of Action on July 25th. They included: Altamonte Springs | Amsterdam | Ann Arbor | Atlanta | Austin | Bagnacavallo | Barcelona | Beirut | Belfast | Berlin | Bishkek | Bogota | Boston | Boulder | Brighton | Brisbane | Bristol | Brussels | Budapest | Cairo | Calgary | Canberra | Caracas | Castelldefels | Charlotte | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cologne | Columbus | Copenhagen | Dallas | Detroit | Dortmund | Dubai | Dublin | Dusseldorf | Edinburgh | Frankfurt | Geneva | Glasgow | Gothenburg | Halifax | Hamburg | Helena | Honolulu | Houston | Innsbruck | Irvine | Istanbul | Kansas City | Krakow | Kuala Lumpur | Lahore | Las Vegas | Lausanne | Lincoln | Lisbon | London | Los Angeles | Luxembourg | Madison | Madrid | Malmo | Manchester | Manila | Melbourne | Miami | Milan | Minneapolis | Montreal | Munich | New Delhi | New York | Orlando | Oslo | Ouagadougou | Palencia | Palma de Mallorca | Paris | Phoenix | Portland, ME | Portland, OR | Prague | Raleigh | Revine Lago | Rome | Salt Lake City | San Diego | San Francisco | Sao Paulo | Seattle | Seoul | St. Kitts | St. Louis | Stockholm | Stuttgart | Sydney | Syracuse | Tempe | Tokyo | Toronto | Tucson | Urbana-Champaign | Valencia | Vancouver | Victoria | Vienna | Villeneuve-les-Avignon | Washington DC