UANI Calls on Huawei Technologies to End Work in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 1, 2011 Contact: Nathan Carleton, press@uani.com Phone: (212) 554-3296 UANI Calls on Huawei Technologies to End Work in Iran Iranian Regime Uses Huawei Technology to Track and Monitor Protesters and Activists New York, NY - On Tuesday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on Huawei Technologies, a Chinese telecommunications company, to immediately end its business in Iran. Through its extensive business in Iran, Huawei has been providing the Iranian regime with cellular and electronic technology that it has used to conduct surveillance on its citizens, and track down human rights activists and dissidents. Huawei has 1,000 employees in Iran and offices in six Iranian cities. It also partners with Iranian firms which work directly with Iran's military and intelligence services, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps elite special-forces unit. In a letter to Huawei executives, UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, wrote: ... [M]any telecommunications firms have left Iran not only because of Iran's dangerous and irresponsible behavior with respect to its nuclear weapons program and sponsorship of terrorism, but because of the ample and documented evidence of Iranian officials using the technology provided by the companies to conduct surveillance and track down human rights activists and dissidents. The statement by William Plummer, Huawei's Vice President of External Affairs, that Huawei's operations in Iran are "the same as what we're doing in any market," is an obtuse and indifferent remark that misses the point entirely. Responsible governments do not use Huawei's technologies to illegally trample on the human rights of its own citizens. **** While responsible telecommunications companies are leaving Iran, Huawei is more than willing to turn a blind eye with respect to how its equipment and services are being misused by the Iranian regime. Under these circumstances, Huawei must understand why groups such as United Against Nuclear Iran will join others in shining a light on Huawei's callous and highly irresponsible business practices by educating U.S. policy-makers and the American public alike. In the event that Huawei intends to end its business activities in Iran, as it has done with many others, UANI will be happy to help publicize and welcome such an announcement. If not, UANI will push Huawei to be held accountable under U.S. sanctions law. Huawei's work in Iran was reported this week in the Bloomberg News article "Iranian Police Seizing Dissidents Get Aid Of Western Companies," which detailed the surveillance activities the Iranian regime is conducting against its own citizens through telecommunications technologies. UANI requests a reply from Huawei by November 15, 2011. Click here to read UANI's letter to Huawei's executives. Click here to send a message to Huawei. ### United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran should concern every American and be unacceptable to the community of nations. Since 1979 the Iranian regime, most recently under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's leadership, has demonstrated increasingly threatening behavior and rhetoric toward the US and the West. Iran continues to defy the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations in their attempts to monitor its nuclear activities. A number of Arab states have warned that Iran's development of nuclear weapons poses a threat to Middle East stability and could provoke a regional nuclear arms race. In short, the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran is a danger to world peace. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons. UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons. The Objectives of United Against a Nuclear Iran Inform the public about the nature of the Iranian regime, including its desire and intent to possess nuclear weapons, as well as Iran's role as a state sponsor of global terrorism, and a major violator of human rights at home and abroad; Heighten awareness nationally and internationally about the danger that a nuclear armed Iran poses to the region and the world; Mobilize public support, utilize media outreach, and persuade our elected leaders to voice a robust and united American opposition to a nuclear Iran; Lay the groundwork for effective US policies in coordination with European and other allies; Persuade the regime in Tehran to desist from its quest for nuclear weapons, while striving not to punish the Iranian people, and; Promote efforts that focus on vigorous national and international, social, economic, political and diplomatic measures. UANI is led by an advisory board of outstanding national figures representing all sectors of our country.

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