NORTHAMPTON – Activist Paki Wieland, of Northampton, will soon see how sanctions on Iran are affecting people on the ground.
On Saturday, she and 30 other Americans will travel to Iran for a ten-day trip led by CODEPINK, a woman-led, anti-military and anti-war organization that fights for peace and human rights. The group, which includes lawyers, journalists, artists and activists, will be going to Tehran and other places to meet with religious organizations, schools and everyday citizens to hear how the sanctions and U.S. foreign policy impact their lives, Wieland said.
Last year president Donald Trump exited the Iran nuclear deal – an agreement former president Barack Obama signed in 2015 – and reinstituted sanctions on the country.
“One of the things we’ll be doing is looking at the effects of sanctions and coming back here and lobbying to have those sanctions lifted and re-engage in the nuclear conversation,” she said.
The 2015 nuclear agreement had given the Iran breaks in sanctions if the country slowed its nuclear program, but Trump pulled out of the deal last year.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury website says the sanctions target industries such as energy, shipping and finance, and describes them as “the toughest U.S. sanctions ever imposed on Iran.” Iran’s president called the sanctions an “economic war” on the country.
Wieland, who co-founded the western Massachusetts chapter of CODEPINK, said she thinks that the sanctions are hurting the people of Iran. She applied to go on the CODEPINK trip and was accepted.
“I think its a wonderful opportunity for any of us who believe in peace and work for peace to actually visit this country,” Wieland said.
Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of CODEPINK, said in a release, “We also want to show the people of Iran that there are Americans who oppose our government bellicose policies and want to live in peace with our Iranian neighbors.”
Wieland has gone on similar peace-building trips in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern Ireland. She also does anti-military work targeting Capitol Hill. Recently, she reached out to Democrats who supported military exercises in South Korea urging them to change their position. In Feb. 2017, Wieland was arrested at a Senate Judiciary Committee for yelling “Shame! Shame! Shame!” after the committee pushed Jeff Sessions’ attorney general nomination through to the full Senate.
In going to Iran, Wieland is excited to talk with people on the ground.
“I’m looking forward to [seeing] first hand what people’s life experiences are and to celebrate the resilience of the Iranian people,” Wieland said. “And to encourage them to keep courage and know they are not alone – they’re are other people working for justice for them too.”
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com
Paki Wieland is the co-founder of the western Massachusetts chapter of CODEPINK. In the original article her title was incorrect.