Gissou Nia's Remarks at Iran180's Human Rights Day 2011 Breakfast Panel in New York City

On Friday, December 9, 2011, Gissou Nia, IHRDC’s Executive Director, spoke about Iran’s deteriorating human rights situation to a crowd of activists, journalists, and concerned citizens at Iran180’s Human Rights Day breakfast panel in New York City. Ms. Nia emphasized the importance of supporting Iranians in their human rights struggle—not only for the sake of the people of Iran but for the interests of broader human rights trends in a region that underwent enormous transformative change in 2011. She also raised the strong caution that given the many geo-political issues surrounding Iran in recent times, care should be taken to not use human rights concerns as a tool for other agendas.