SURVEYING EU MEMBERS ON THEIR IRAN CIVIL SOCIETY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 000788 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2017 TAGS: KDEM KPAO PGOV PREL EUN IR UK SUBJECT: SURVEYING EU MEMBERS ON THEIR IRAN CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRACY PROGRAMMING: UK PROGRAMS REF: STATE 2659 Classified By: Political Counsellor Richard Mills for Reasons 1.4 (B) a nd (D). ¶1. (C) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Iran Team Human Rights Leader, Stephen Hickey, described to Poloff several overlapping project areas, centering on media outreach, judicial reform and human rights, in which UK Government is supporting democratic reform in Iran. Hickey provided this information in response to the USG request for information reftel. ¶2. (C) UK Media Outreach: -- The UK BBC Farsi TV satellite channel will launch in January 2008, and will form part of a tri-media (radio, online and TV) UK Farsi service. The channel will offer a mix of news reporting and current affairs programs on international and regional issues, alongside factual, cultural and educational documentaries. The BBC estimates the service will attract between five and a half million and 11 million viewers in Iran. Total cost: 15 million pounds (approximately USD 30 million) per year in addition to 9 million pounds (USD 18 million) in start-up costs. -- Media Forum for Iran: "Jadid" ("Free") Media project (370,000 pounds or USD 740,000) to create a multi-media internet-based forum for debate among members of Iranian civil society; specific activities include commissioning and translating into Farsi articles and podcasts from prominent Iranian and European journalists, academics and civil society activists. -- "The Public Sphere for Open Debate on Human Rights in Iran" is a 245,000 pound (USD 490,000) project to create a safe and secure online, public platform for local debate and discussion of civil and human rights and the rule of law. ¶3. (C) Human Rights: -- Promoting Childrens' Rights in Iran, is a UNICEF project that includes nationwide police training on standards of treatment for juvenile offenders; as well as advocacy and research on child rights. -- Empowering Human Rights Defenders/Index on Censorship: a project to bring together Iranian human rights advocates with European NGOs for English language training in Tehran and Shiraz tailored to the needs of human rights lawyers, advocates and other civil society activists. ¶4. (C) Judicial Reform -- Institutional capacity-building: In cooperation with the UNODC, strengthening the capacity of the judiciary and legislature to tackle organized crime. Training courses, legal exchanges and workshops with the Iranian Judiciary and European experts on international standards of law enforcement. -- Empowering female advocates in family courts: The training of law student and NGO volunteers to assist women bringing family court cases. ¶5. (C) Projects in the pipeline for the next three months: training of female lawyers, police and the judiciary on international human rights standards; a visit to Iran by a delegation from the Muslim Council of Britain; visits to the UK by the Iran Workers' House; survey on media censorship by the Index on Censorship; a London roundtable with European NGOs on human rights in Iran; continued capacity building efforts in support of Iranian NGOs and civil society by European NGOs. EU activities may include a step up in support for Iranian civil society in 2007, including development of a scholarship program for Iranian students. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Tuttle