AJC Welcomes UNESCO Director-General's Decision to Withdraw from World Philosophy Day in Iran

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Nov 09, 2010, 01:34 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Jewish Committee welcomed UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokovina's announcement that the international cultural body will "disassociate" itself from the World Philosophy Day events scheduled to take place in Iran from November 21-23.

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"Director-General Bokovina has taken the morally correct step and we applaud her decision," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Given the Iranian government's appalling record on human rights, academic exchange, and freedom of expression, UNESCO's imprimatur on an event like World Philosophy Day would have been used by the regime as a badge of honor."

AJC was among a number of human rights organizations and leading academic representatives who urged UNESCO to withdraw its support. In a letter sent to Bokovina on November 3, Harris and AJC President Robert Elman wrote: "The Iranian government has ensured that any opposing views will be stifled, having barred the participation of moderate and learned philosophers. In a tragic and ironic twist, just last week, Iran implemented a new round of restrictions on the study of 12 key human social sciences, among them, philosophy and human rights."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee