Name: End the Safe Haven for Islamic Republic of Iran-Linked Privilege at Union College
Start: 2026-05-13T14:00:00-07:00
End: 2026-05-13T17:00:00-07:00
Location: Union College

We, @AAIRIA_Org, wrote to @UnionCollege back in February, regarding the employment of Leila Khatami and formally requested a transparent review. Our letter was ignored.
We are now organizing a protest to demand accountability and transparency.

📍 Union College – Payne Gate (Union St & Library Ln)
🗓 Wednesday May 13, 2026
⏰ 2:00 – 4:00 PM

This is not about hate or guilt by association. It is about enforcing existing laws and standards.
Under the Global Magnitsky Act, individuals linked to human rights abuses and corruption can face sanctions and visa restrictions. The Mahsa Act further mandates scrutiny and accountability for Iranian officials and networks connected to repression.

We are calling for a transparent, evidence-based review and an end to the normalization of regime-linked privilege in U.S. institutions.
Join us.

#StopIRILobby

Behnam Shirmohammadi

Behnam Shirmohammadi is a Human Rights Activist, Member of the Center for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran, Member of Amnesty International / Official Spokesperson for the Campaign “Support Political Prisoners and Abolish the Death Penalty @NoToExecution”
Email: behnamshirmohamadi477@gmail.com

Banafsheh Zand

Banafsheh Zand is a journalist and researcher. She has consulted for various international media outlets and NGOs, as well as members of the European Parliament, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Senate. Her father, Siamak Pourzand, one of Iran’s most prominent journalists and intellectuals was abducted by the Islamic regime’s authorities, imprisoned, and tortured.

Frieda Fuchs

Dr. Frieda Fuchs

I joined AAIRIA in order to raise awareness among fellow academics and scholars about the Islamic Regime of Iran’s role as a human rights violator, Holocaust denier, and promoter of state terrorism at home and abroad. In addition, I am concerned about Iran’s use of “soft power” diplomacy via academic apologists such as Mohammad Jafar Mahallati (Oberlin College) and Hamid Noury (Princeton University). I am currently preparing a book manuscript on the historical development of labor standards in Britain and France, with a focus on child and female labor. I can be reached at frieda.fuchs16@oberlin.edu

Kazem Mousavi

Dr. Kazem Mousavi

Dr. Kazem Mousavi is a human rights, environmental and anti-nuclear activist in exile in Germany. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences from the Technical University of Berlin and has published numerous articles in the German press and on blogs.

Kaveh Shahrooz

Kaveh Shahrooz is a lawyer and human rights activist and a Senior Fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. He is also a former Senior Policy Advisor on human rights to Global Affairs Canada. A graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Toronto, he has written widely on human rights issues and international affairs. He led a recent successful effort to convince Canada’s parliament to recognize the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran as constituting crimes against humanity under international law. He resides in Toronto.

Hamid Charkhkar

Dr. Hamid Charkhkar

Hamid Charkhkar has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University. He is a faculty at Case Western Reserve University. Hamid left Iran in 2009 and has lived in the US since. He is a human rights activist and focuses on exposing Iranian Regime lobby in the US.

Fatemeh Pishdadian

Dr. Fatemeh Pishdadian

Fatemeh Pishdadian holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Northwestern University. She is currently an audio research engineer at Apple. Both of Fatemeh’s parents were executed in 1981 by the Islamic Regime of Iran for their political activities. Fatemeh is a human rights activist fighting for justice and accountability.

Lawdan Bazargan

Lawdan Bazargan is a former political prisoner, family member of the victims of the 1988 Massacre of the Political Prisoners, and human rights activist. A graduate of the California State University Fullerton, she has written extensively on the 1988 Massacre of the Political Prisoners in Iran, Movements, the Mothers and Family Members who lost their children, and Grief.

May 2026

End the Safe Haven for Islamic Republic of Iran-Linked Privilege at Union College