To the governments and political parties of Israel, the U.S., and Canada:

SAVE LIVES BY ENDING SANCTIONS ON IRAN & DO NOT BOMB IT

It is a very serious concern that the governments of Israel, the U.S., and Canada, support sanctions on Iran that are lethal and harming innocent Iranians. It is also a grave concern that some governments threaten to attack Iran. It is criminal that Iranian scientists have been assassinated, and that there have been other bombings in Iran over the years. Whether or not Iran is making a nuclear weapon, sanctioning and/or threatening to attack Iran is: immoral, and will very likely increase tensions between Iran and countries that support sanctions and/or attacking. Countries should value life and humanity by not sanctioning Iran, and not threatening to attack Iran. Between 1991 and 2003, sanctions on Iraq killed over a million people, over half of them children. This was a high percentage of Iraq’s population when one considers that according to World Bank population data, the population in Iraq was 19 million in 1991, and 26 million in 2003. Killing one innocent person by sanctions or other methods is a crime.

Some innocent Iranians are not receiving their medicines for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, kidney failure, thalessemia, hemophilia, and heart and breathing problems, because of the sanctions. The sanctions also: are ruining Iran's economy, have greatly increased prices in Iran including food, ban some food from other nations to Iran, and create obstacles for Iranians to obtain visas to travel to other countries because of how the sanctions impact the banking system. Like everyone, Iranians deserve to have good opportunities in life. The sanctions are also contrary to and a violation of international law. Specifically it is in violation of the UN International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, ss. 1-3. (http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html#Article%201.1, a) Part1, Article 1, ¶ 1 & 3: "right to self determination" b) Part1, Article 1, ¶ 2: "right to own, trade...freely and not to be deprived of their means of subsistance...")

If Iran is bombed, possibly thousands or millions of innocent people will be killed or injured, and there will be more tension and increased risk of retaliation.

We want the governments of Israel, the U.S., and Canada, to stop supporting sanctions on Iran. No government should threaten to militarily attack Iran. Also, governments should condemn the past and present crimes of assassinating Iranian scientists and setting off bombs in Iran.

Sources:

World Bank Data http://www.google.ca/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=sp_pop_totl&idim=country:IRQ&dl=en&hl=en&q=iraq+population (updated Oct. 31st 2012, accessed Nov. 1st, 2012)

UN International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, ss. 1-3. (http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html#Article%201.1, a) Part1, Article 1, ¶ 1 & 3: "right to self determination" b) Part1, Article 1, ¶ 2: "right to own, trade...freely and not to be deprived of their means of subsistance...")

Info from Act Now To Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Fact Sheet titled Who is the real threat to peace? . Accessed Feb. 28 2012 from http://www.answercoalition.org & then "click here to download the fact sheet"

Info from Stop the War Coalition Leaflet titled 10 Reasons: why we should say no to an attack on Iran . Accessed Feb. 28 2012 from http://stopwar.org.uk/index/php/resources/leaflets & click on 10 Reasons: Why we should say no to an attack on Iran

Are the Sanctions "Worth It?" Killing Iran's Children, by Dave Lindorff, Aug. 13th, 2012 http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32167.htm

Ordinary Citizens: The Silent Victims Of Anti-Iranian Sanctions, by Kourosh Ziabari, Aug. 3, 2012 http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32077.htm

Sanctions on Iran: ‘ordinary people are the target’: Iranian civilians bear the brunt of western-imposed sanctions in terms of medicine and food shortages, and money problems By Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Aug. 10 2012, Accessed from The Guardian, Can be accessed by typing in the www.google.ca search bar, Sanctions on Iran: ‘ordinary people are the target’ (Accessed Oct. 26 2012)

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