Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran - History

History

CASMII was founded on December 1, 2005 in London by Professor Abbas Edalat, and describes itself as independent of all political groups and governments, in particular the Iranian government, and adheres to no particular religion or ideology. Core values include respect for human rights and a democratic state, in particular freedom of expression, freedom of press, an independent judiciary, equal rights for women, ethnic and religious minorities in Iran."

On November 6, 2006, the United Kingdom branch of CASMII joined with Action Iran and Iran Solidarity, forming a new organisation in the UK called Campaign Iran, which remains part of CASMI international.

CASMII has been criticised by Hands Off the People of Iran as being supportive of the Iranian reform movement and opposed to the interests of "workers, progressives and democrats".

Members of the CASMII Board include academics such as Professor Udo Steinbach, who was the head of the Near East Department of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs from 1971 to 1974 and director of the Deutschen Orient-Instituts (which merged into the German Institute of Global and Area Studies) from 1976 to 2006. The human rights and social justice advocacy group Global Exchange recommends CASMII members Foaad Khosmood and Alex Patico as public speakers on anti-war topics related to Iran.

In the US, CASMII is governed by a board of directors. CASMII has an international board of editors as well as an advisory board. Among the members of its advisory board are Dr. Behrad Nakhai, a prominent Iranian nuclear engineer who worked as a research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and is currently conducting Nuclear Safety Analysis, and Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, a political scientist and author of Iranian origin.