Daioleslam’s Speech at Libel Lawfare Conference
May 22nd, 2009Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honor for me to be with you today. I am grateful to the Legal Project at the Middle East Forum and to the other sponsors for this opportunity.
For the past several years, I have been investigating the Iranian Regime’s lobby in the US. My reports have been largely published by major Farsi websites and some US journals. I have appeared in many radio and TV broadcasts aired to Iran, including Voice of America. Because of writing on this issue, smear attacks and legal scare tactics have been directed against me. This has restricted my freedom of speech, has affected my safety, the safety of my family here in the US and also my family in Iran.
Allow me to tell you, why and how I became interested in studying the Iranian regime’s web of influence in the U.S. For almost a decade, we watched then Congressman Bob Ney fighting passionately to ease sanctions and policy against Tehran. In 2005, when Jack Abramof and Bob Ney’s corruption scandal became public, I and many other Iranians had a very simple question: Why would a person that so readily makes his services available to the highest bidder, so passionately care for the Iranian rulers?
During these times, Bob Ney had a young Iranian foreign policy advisor in his office. So, why would a lawmaker with no official role in the foreign policy have a foreign policy advisor on Iran?
This advisor was Mr. Trita Parsi, a young Iranian from Sweden who according to his own declaration, led a “lobbying organization” aimed at “influencing elected representatives” in the US whose primary focus was to remove the sanctions against Iran.
Mr. Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council (known as NIAC), which is the most active Iranian organization inside the US Congress.
In April 2007, I published the result of my investigation in an article titled “Iran’s Oil Mafia, penetrating the US political system” detailing how Mr. Parsi and his organization were supported, praised and trusted by the Iranian regime.
The first reaction to my article came from the governmental press in Tehran. Six newspapers and websites close to the regime defended NIAC and attacked my reputation and accused me of being an agent of the New Conservatives, AIPAC and Israel. The ultra radical Ghods newspaper wrote: The Neocons attack the Iranian lobby in the US.
Then, Mr. Parsi and his colleagues in NIAC publically accused me of being a terrorist and warmonger.
A few weeks later, the Voice of America’s Persian Service took interest, and sought to organize a face-to-face debate between Mr. Parsi and me. I accepted the invitation, he did not show up.
After the broadcast, NIAC’s lawyer sent a hostile and threatening letter to VOA demanding a halt to broadcasting programs about NIAC. The VOA gave in. This is an example of the chilling effect that these threats have on the media. Once this intimidation campaign paid off, NIAC boasted on its website that it had “Made Progress in Defamation Case with VOA.”
NIAC in presenting their own lawyer’s letter as if it were legal action had a similar impact on many other media that had published articles on NIAC written by myself and others. Fearing the risk of a law suit that would bankrupt them, these media chose to stay away from the subject of the Iranian lobby altogether. This was exactly what NIAC had intended.
For example, Thomas Lifson, the editor of the online magazine “American Thinker” declined to publish my article and wrote to me:
“I received news of the legal action against Voice of America just prior to publication of your article. Because our website has no financial resources (we are still in debt), I cannot afford to risk a legal action, which would simply destroy us. I wish that I had the resources to fight them. But I had to not publish your article. I am very sorry.”
During these times, my main encouragement was the support I received from the Iranian community that opposes the Iranian regime’s advocates and lobbyists. Consequently, more and more people have come forward to raise questions and voice their concerns. I was not the first to talk about this issue and there are actually thousands who continue to talk about it.
NIAC’s final response was to bring a lawsuit against me, which also intends to silence other like-minded critics.
I was not about to choose silence. I hired a lawyer and started to fight back. After a short time, my personal resources were gone and I realized that such an endeavor could not be sustained by me alone. I asked for help. The Legal Project at the Middle East Forum, and the firm of Sidley Austin, rose up to the challenge and graciously extended a supporting hand. With their assistance, I have been able to stand up to their bullying, continue to exercise my first amendment right, and fulfill my duty to expose the truth.
In closing, I thank the organizers of this briefing, and I express my deepest gratitude to the legal project at the Middle East Forum which has had the courage and the wisdom to recognize the threat of the Tehran’s influence on American national security.
Thank you
A bing THANKS to The Legal Project at the Middle East Forum, and the firm of Sidley Austin for their support of such noble cause. I wish Mr. Daioleslam success as I believe he speaks the truth and I’m 100% in support of and in agreement with him regarding the mullah’s lobby in US. Perhaps, it is time for all the true human right activitists to begin calling organizations such as NIAC, AIC and their operators: “The Lawfare-mongers”.
Morteza
Dear Mr. Dai,
Your priceless efforts in exposing the Islamic Republic’s lobbying groups and in particular Islamic Republic’s functionaries such as Trita Parsi and Hushang Amir Ahmadi is deeply appreciated by the Iranian community around the globe. Equally well, I’m sure that the American people also appreciate all your efforts, as what you have done so far has been an eye opener for the American politicians as well as us Iranians.
Justice will prevail!
Dariosh Afshar
With respect;
All I see from PAIC is trashing NIAC!
Just tell us what PAIC has accomplished! Tell us that you don’t support bombing Iran and Iranians and that you do what humanly possible to stop it. Go ahead and lobby against these nonsense brainwashing!
Arash
Mr. Arash,
Perhaps a vision exam may be in order. Unlike you, what I see from PAIC is exposing the trash that NIAC has been feeding American Congress and few anti-Iranian and some useful idiot traitors. What you don’t see from PAIC and its operators is to hide their names and email addresses whereas NIAC supporters often hide their names. What you don’t see from PAIC is to avoid participating in a debate, whereas Mr. Parsi failed to show up for the debate. Come to think of it, you also go only by first name only.
Don’t you think it is rather unfair to criticize a well-known organization such as PAIC with well-known operators while you’re hiding your full name and picture from readers whereas we have all seen and heard Mr. Daioleslam pictures, videos and audios? Let us hope that your readers won’t view you as one who sits in the dark and throws rocks at others without showing up his face.
Of course, it is your right to remain anonymous, but that is only as long as you’re writing agains another anonymous individual such as myself but not when you opt to trash others who are known to the public. Similary I can object to your writing without fully introducing myself since you’re also an unknown person.
I don’t know why your actions remind me of those Iranians who attended the dinner party of Ahmadinejad last time he came to U.S. Those Iranian guests of Ahmadinejad also opted to hide their names from public and were not brave enough to introduce themselves. Recently, Iranian traitors who also traveled from outside to Iran for a conference to legitimize the terrorist regime, also hid their names.
What you don’t see PAIC doing is not to ignore human rights violations in Iran, whereas NIAC and AIC do. What you don’t see PAIC doing is to call Hezbollah and Hamas as non-terrorist groups, whereas Hooshang Amirahmadi of AIC has. What you have not seen PAIC doing is to be supported by multi-national corporation and the principal powers of Imperialism, whereas AIC has been supported by oil companies of all kinds.
Not once have I seen PAIC advocating BOMBING Iran. But for the past 30 years, the terrorist mullahs have BOMBed all that is Iranian and you scare us of future BOMBing?! If there is any enemy of Iran the true Iranians should be fearing, is the anti-Iranian and occupying mullahs regime currently in Iran.
Will you introduce yourself and perhaps provide us a picture so we the readers will know who is speaking against a know writer and political analyst such as Mr. Daioleslam or do you prefer to remain anonymous?
With respect,
Morteza