News & Publications

Sina Toossi, Senior Research Analyst at the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement following Iran’s release of formerly-imprisoned Navy veteran Michael White

Detained Scientist Returned to Iran. Officials Deny Intervention in U.S. Protests. Officials Give Death Toll in November Protests. New Parliamentary Speaker Rejects U.S. Negotiations. Army Commander Indirectly Criticizes IRGC. COVID Cases Rising Again.

NIAC Action joined over 400 civil rights, immigrant, and civil society groups today, including the National Action Network, NAACP, ACLU, and Black Lives Matter, calling on the U.S. Congress to enact reforms in response to national protests against police brutality and systemic racism. The killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and centuries of violence and oppression necessitate a robust response from our nation’s representatives in order to help create a system where Black lives are valued. 

Today, the world is watching us in horror, as demonstrations have been met with disturbing violence, repression, and even attacks on journalists. Scenes of tanks in Washington D.C. and calls by U.S. officials to have the military turned on its own citizens is unacceptable. The outcry that sparked these protests came after a distressing video surfaced showing the murder of George Floyd, in yet another killing of black Americans at the hands of police. But much like the case of Iran, the protests that have moved across the entire nation reveal profound cleavages in American society and a history of racial injustice that spans centuries.