With the aggression in Ukraine of Iran’s Russian benefactor plain for all to see, it’s surely time to talk about the future for Iran’s morally bankrupt clerical regime, and what might come next should Iran’s population be allowed the liberty to decide their own future free from the repression exercised by the “guardians” of the Iranian revolution of 1979.

One such possibility is heralded through the National Iranian Congress’s (NIC) draft proposed constitution for a free and democratic future for Iran. The NIC is one of several Iranian opposition groups, and has always taken a pragmatic approach to exploring the prospects of political change in Iran and to paving the way for the establishment of a secular, pluralistic, democratic government in Iran.

By kind invitation of Bob Blackman MP, The Henry Jackson Society is pleased to welcome you to a fascinating in-person discussion on Iran’s future with the dissident and the senate chairman of NIC, Mr Amir Abbas Fakhravar, who will be speaking about the need to announce the Iran Constitutional Revolution Council (ICRC) and introducing a possible draft constitution for Iran’s. He is joined by London-based political analyst and commentator for the Middle East Catherine Perez-Shakdam, who famously interviewed now-President of Iran Ibrahim Raisi and an Iranian legal scholar based in the U.S. Dr Sanaz Alasti.

Amir Abbas Fakhravar, (Siavash) is an Iranian jailed dissident, award winning writer, and the recipient of the prestigious Annie Taylor Award. He is the founder of National Iranian Congress and President of the Iranian Freedom Institute in Washington, D.C. Currently, he is an adjunct faculty at the Texas State University who teaches Comparative Constitutional Law, Political Crimes and International Crimes. Fakhravar spent over five years in jail and suffered brutal torture in jail in Iran. His treatments in the Islamic Republic jails have been described as first known example of “white torture” in Iran by Amnesty International. According to Amnesty International, the cells had no windows, and everything was entirely coloured creamy white. The meal was white rice on a white paper plate. If he wanted to use the toilet, he had to put a white slip of paper under the door of the cell to alert guards who reportedly had footwear designed to muffle any sound. Amir Fakhravar has testified before the Senate Homeland Security committee and the House Foreign Affairs on U.S-Iran relation, Foreign Policy, U.S. government broadcasting and Iran’s Nuclear issues. Fakhravar among his CIS team briefed parliament members at the European Parliament and Parliament of Finland, the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament of Israel, Parliament of Germany, and Parliament of Canada. He has been a foreign affairs and Iran expert at FOX News, Alhurra, CNN, CBN, VOA, Radio Farda and CBS.

Catherine Perez-Shakdam is a French political analyst and commentator for the Middle East. A former consultant for the United Nations Security Council on Yemen’s War Economy; her research was instrumental in better understanding Yemen’s political landscape and actors’ financial interests.

Her writing and commentaries on the Middle East have graced the cover of countless publications, including the Huffington Post, BBC Arabic, BBC Persia, Voices of America, and the Times of Israel.

She is currently a columnist for the Times of Israel.

In 2017 Catherine was the only Western media personality to have been granted an interview with now-President Ibrahim Raisi.

Her ability to move close to Iran’s Leadership and have access to key information as to the regime’s propagandist structure bought her the ire of Tehran and allegations that she had operated in Iran at the behest of Israel.

Once a close friend to Nader Talebzadeh, Catherine had a front row seat to the inner-workings of the Islamic Republic.

Dr Sanaz Alasti is an Iranian-American Law professor at the Texas State University. She served as Scholar in Residence at the United States Library of Congress.

While working at the Law Library of Congress, Dr Alasti conducted legal research and analysed Iranian legal issues, and worked on topics such as presidential elections in Iran, property rights, water laws, and so on.

Dr Alasti received her LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) and my LL.M (Master of Laws) in criminal law and criminology from Tehran University, and her S.J.D. (Scientiae Juridicae Doctor) from Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California.

Bob Blackman is the Conservative MP for Harrow East and presently serves as Joint Secretary of the prestigious 1922 Committee within Parliament. Bob was London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow in 2004. Bob was also a member of Brent Council for nearly 24 years. During that time, he led the Conservative Group for 20 years and the Council for 6 years as well as being Deputy Leader of the Council for 4 years in a coalition. Since being elected as a Member of Parliament in 2010, Bob has regularly represented the Iranian people in support of the pursuit for democracy, both in Parliament and in the national press.

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EVENT SUMMARY

The Henry Jackson Society was delighted to host this event, which sought to highlight the proposed constitution created by Mr Fakhravar and the National Iranian Congress (NIC).

Ever since 2019 Iranian protest the totalitarian Islamic Republic has been haemorrhaging support and has resorted to ever more brutal repression to retain its grip, including the use of foreign militias. More importantly as Russian support for the regime weakens its increasingly likely that the Iranian people will successfully overthrow the Ayatollah.

It was discussed that those that run the regime in Iran are foreigners working against the interest of the Iranian people, and that regime supporters are weakening as the regime is starved of cash. The speakers argued that any western intervention would be met with mass support from the Iranian people. It was also discussed how the NIC constitution would act as way to unite both the monarchist and republican wings of the Iranian opposition.

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