UANI Calls on Huawei Technologies to End Work in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 1, 2011

Contact: Nathan Carleton, [email protected]

Phone: (212) 554-3296

     

UANI Calls on Huawei Technologies to End Work in Iran

Iranian Regime Uses Huawei Technology to Track and Monitor Protesters and Activists

 

New York, NY - On Tuesday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on Huawei Technologies, a Chinese telecommunications company, to immediately end its business in Iran. Through its extensive business in Iran, Huawei has been providing the Iranian regime with cellular and electronic technology that it has used to conduct surveillance on its citizens, and track down human rights activists and dissidents.

 

Huawei has 1,000 employees in Iran and offices in six Iranian cities. It also partners with Iranian firms which work directly with Iran's military and intelligence services, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps elite special-forces unit.

 

In a letter to Huawei executives, UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, wrote:

 

... [M]any telecommunications firms have left Iran not only because of Iran's dangerous and irresponsible behavior with respect to its nuclear weapons program and sponsorship of terrorism, but because of the ample and documented evidence of Iranian officials using the technology provided by the companies to conduct surveillance and track down human rights activists and dissidents. The statement by William Plummer, Huawei's Vice President of External Affairs, that Huawei's operations in Iran are "the same as what we're doing in any market," is an obtuse and indifferent remark that misses the point entirely. Responsible governments do not use Huawei's technologies to illegally trample on the human rights of its own citizens.

 

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While responsible telecommunications companies are leaving Iran, Huawei is more than willing to turn a blind eye with respect to how its equipment and services are being misused by the Iranian regime. Under these circumstances, Huawei must understand why groups such as United Against Nuclear Iran will join others in shining a light on Huawei's callous and highly irresponsible business practices by educating U.S. policy-makers and the American public alike.

 

In the event that Huawei intends to end its business activities in Iran, as it has done with many others, UANI will be happy to help publicize and welcome such an announcement. If not, UANI will push Huawei to be held accountable under U.S. sanctions law.

 

Huawei's work in Iran was reported this week in the Bloomberg News article "Iranian Police Seizing Dissidents Get Aid Of Western Companies," which detailed the surveillance activities the Iranian regime is conducting against its own citizens through telecommunications technologies.

 

UANI requests a reply from Huawei by November 15, 2011.

 

Click here to read UANI's letter to Huawei's executives.

Click here to send a message to Huawei.

 

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