Costa Gavras to EuroFora on EU Zakharov Prize to persecuted Iranian dissidents Panahi+Sotoudeh

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- A vigilent and continuing Fight for Freedom can be the only hope for elementary Liberty and Human Rights' respect, whenever they might have to face (open or disguissed) oppressive Opponents of these Values, that Modern Europe wants to place at its core, 65 years after 2ndWW), World Famous Franco-Greek Cinema Director, Head of "Cinematheque Française" in Paris, Costa Gavras, the Film-maker of unforgetable "Z", "Missing", and other Historic AV plays on crucial Historic situations in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere in the World, stressed in reply to an "EuroFora"' s question after EU Parliament's 2012 official ceremony in honour of 2 persecuted Iranian political Dissidents, whose main activities practically tried to use Art and Law in order to help bring some Democratic Changes in their Country, a strategic land of Historic Civilisation with early links to Europe, marked by controversial moves of Hope and Hardships during several Decades (See Infra) :

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When EU Parliament's President, Martin Schulz,  (a former independent Book-seller from recently ReUnified Germany, who started his MEP career as Rapporteur of the Civil Rights Committee, when "EuroFora"s co-Founder initially met him as early as since back on 1994, together with his Friend, former EU affairs Minister Yannos Kranidiotes from Cyprus, tragically Killed, together with his only Son, at an ill-elucidated, strange AirPlane Deadly incident on the Bulgaro-Romanian borders near Turkey, shortly before a crucial EU Ministerial "Gymnich" conference due to set up the main Political Agenda for the Helsinki 1999 EU Summit),

introduced, earlier Today at the Plenary, the representatives of the 2O12 Zakharov Freedom of Thought Prize Winners, Iranian Cinema Director Jafar Panahi, and Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, hindered to travel to Strasbourg,

he inevitably reminded EU Commission President, Jose Barroso's statement, earlier this week, during Nobel Peace Prize's award to the EU at Oslo (Norway), - just after EU President Herman Van Rompuy had declared his Hope that, in Future, EU Citizens would proudly declare : - "Ich bin ein Europeu !", -

 that : -  "EU is not only about Peace, but also about Values, such as Democracy and Human Rights !", (i.e., in substance, the only Guarantee that Peace could be   Sustainable)...

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 - On this occasion, "EuroFora" reminded to Costa Gavras the pro-Liberty ambiance which existed, also among various Iranian Dissidents refugeed in France, initially, at the time of the popular mass demonstrations agains the former authoritarian regime of the Shah, when Khomeiny was still at the outskirts of Paris ; - How did it became possible, for all those young People who were then even risking their Lives for Freedom, to have, afterwards, made a so brutal U-turn that now most of them seem to accept so heavy violations of the Freedom of speech, belief and thought inside Iran, as to harass and persecute Political dissidents even with Prison ?"

- "A Liberation isn't often a Permanent reality !.. However, there are still today (Iranian) People who strive for Democracy, Human Rights and Freedom. But there are also others, who are Against.  And that's the Problem !", resumed in substance Costas Gavras in his brief but interesting Reply to "EuroFora"s question.

=> "In fact, real Freedom is a Persistent Fight. So, People have to Continue Fighting for Liberty even Today", urged the experienced Film-maker of "Z", "Missing", and other landmarks in the Modern History of heroic Individuals and People's hard struggles against Oppressive Regimes and/or hidden Oppressive Networks, as f.ex. in a remote Past in Greece, and later more openly during the former Militarist Dictatures in Latin America, Nazism, Stalinism ("The Confession"), etc.

- "Me too, I was, then, among those who had demonstrated against the Shah, for the free return of all dissidents in Iran, including for Ayatolah Khomeini to come back from the exile, etc. But, afterwards, it seems that the Americans were mainly anxious that the Russians (of the former USSR) might extend their influence Southwards, so they supported at first the Shah, and afterwards the Islamists, until it was proven wrong for all, later-on, added another young Iranian Woman Dissident, recently refugeed at Northern Italy, close to the unforgetable former "Green" MEP Alexander Langer Foundation, near Bolzano (comp. "EuroFora"s various NewsReports from the nearby Brixen-Bressanone, at that Mountainous South-Tyrol area, as early as since 2008).

 - But we don't understand why some, even inside EU Parliament, obviousy insisted to impose to the image of Nasrin (Sotoudeh) that Islamic Scarf, while, on the contrary, she doesn't look at all like this when she's Free to dress and behave as she wants, the 2 Iranian Dissident young women who have found Refuge in various European Countries, (such as Itally, Germany, etc), told "EuroFora", showing, at the same time, several Photo pictures both of Nasrin Sotoudeh and of various other, allegedly persecuted, Iranian Women dissidents, both with their Head proudly lifted towards an open Sky, and, afterwards, curbed and closed under a socio-politically imposed Islamic Scarf  :

- "If anyone, perhaps, had intended to "show our (Iranian Women) Identity, as some call it, then, it's better to take that Scarf out, precisely because it's not at all our natural, nor freely chosen Identity !", they both agreed, speaking to "EuroFora", while smiling and proudly lifting their Head, up towards the sky,

just before rushing enthousiasticaly to salute 2003 NOBEL Peace Prize Winner, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Founder of Iran's "League for the Defense of Human Rights", and of the "Iranian Association of Jurists", who was invited by EU Parliament in Strasbourg to speak on behalf of 2012 "Zakharov" Freedom of Thought Prize co-Winner, Nasrin Sotoudeh, at her  demand. (Despite her, apparently, fairly good English, Ebadi, who generally used ostensibly "Farsi" during Strasbourg's Press Conference, etc., kindly accepted for "EuroFora" an INTW "with (her) English Translator", but the fast-track successive EU Parliament's Plenary Debates, Votes, Press Conferences, preparations for tomorrow's Brussels EU Summit, etc., obviously didn't leave enough room this time)...

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+ Art and, particularly,  "Cinema, can help Reveal certain important issues. However, Cinema is not there in order to Make things, but in order to help Understand certain matters". Nevertheless, EU's clear stance, Artists, Lawyers, and many other People, acting all together, might succeed to convince the Iranian regime to "Change attititude" vis a vis various dissidents who think otherwise, the World famous, Franco-Greek Cinema Director pointed out earlier, speking to Journalists in Strasbourg, including "EuroFora".

Topically, EU Parliament's 2012 Laureats of the prestigious "Zakharov" Prize for Freedom of Thought, Jafar Panahi (reportedly threatened by Jail and hindered to practice his Art, not even to speak to the Media), and Nasrin Sotoudeh, (already thrown to Prison, after vainly trying to defend Dissidents as a Lawyer), have been active in Cinema and in Law, respectively, i.e. either Revealing or Defending some Truths, with the People who make them live in real Society.

+ In a last-minute Phone communication, earlier this Morning, Panahi asked Gavras to add at the conclusion of his Speech that he readd during the official EU Parliament's Zakharov Prize Award, Today (Wednesday) Noon, that the persecuted Iranian Artist wants to "Dedicate that Prize to allo those Anonymous Freedom Fighters, around the World, who remain Unknown" to the large public".

- Smiling at the observation that, by an irony of the sort, today it's a European of Greek origin who tries to help his Iranian Friends, as Jafar Panahi, etc., to communicate with Europe and the rest of the World, while in the Past, on the contrary, his ancestors, Ancient Greeks had notoriously saved Europe and Democracy by succesfully defending Athens from massive attacks of a Persian (Ancien Iranian) King's much more numerous Army's military invasion/occupation, (including at the famous "Marathon's battle"), Gavras simply observed, laughing that, "ah, this was a long time ago...", before agreeing with "EuroFora", that, moreover, such Historic Facts topically remind that at least two and more "Great Civilisations" existed in that area, including at nowadays Iran, (Ancient Persia), whose over-Milllenary History obviously cannot be restricted only into the Narrow-minded limits where some have tried to close it (as well as various other Neighbouring Countries) lately...

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 (NDLR : "DraftNews", as already sent, earlier, to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, and full Final Version might be published asap).

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