ISA Slams ‘Immoral’ US Sanctions against Iran amid COVID-19 Pandemic
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The International Sociological Association (ISA) condemned the US sanctions against Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic as “Immoral”, calling for their immediate removal.
“We are concerned about the crippling effects of these sanctions on the ... citizens of Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. We deem these sanctions immoral and unconscionable,” the ISA said in a statement on Sunday, according to its official website.
It added, “The measures have already negatively impacted the social and economic infrastructures in these countries. Yet, at this critical juncture, and with the pandemic sweeping the globe, we are particularly concerned that the sanctions will further curb these countries’ ability to respond to and contain its adverse effects. We, thus, stand in solidarity with the citizens of these countries, condemn the restrictions set in place by sanctions, and urge the United States government to lift the sanctions”.
The statement came in response to a letter by Seyed Hossein Serajzadeh, president of the Iranian Sociological Association, parts of which are as follows:
“I am writing to you on behalf of the board and members of the Iranian Sociological Association to share our concern at the continued sanctions imposed by the US against Iran and their escalation and to call upon you to join our voice and take a stand for easing the sanctions at this very critical moment in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
With the pandemic sweeping through Iranian society and the escalation of sanctions, the economy has entered a deep recession, jeopardizing the livelihoods of 80 million Iranians. Sanctions have affected everybody, but have hit low-income people harder as the threat of losing their livelihoods has forced them to work under unsafe conditions in the midst of a fully-fledged public health crisis.
Today, more than ever, we need human solidarity and concerted action. The more the world becomes interconnected, the more our problems turn to be interrelated, and the more we need to move toward global collaboration to address them.
The Iranian Sociological Association as a beneficiary of the common heritage of social sciences and their underlying concern for peace, justice, and human welfare, looks forward to the support of international colleagues in its call to mitigate the current situation and to help sustain the role of the Iranian sociological community at the face of adversity.”
