The U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights (USFLHR) is a nonprofit organization formed by U.S. citizens of Iranian descent that promotes human rights for Iranian women, minorities, dissidents, victims of abuse, and refugees. ¹ USFLHR supports political refugees by assisting in resettlement, housing, medical care, and legal support. ²

The U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights is the sister charitable organization of the U.S. Foundation for Liberty. ³

Activities

The U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights supports democracy and human rights in Iran and is focused on raising awareness of the plight of Iranian refugees and the ongoing people’s protests for freedom and democracy that as of 2022 were still occurring in Iran. To this end, USFLHR organizes and sponsors seminars, conferences, and symposiums to provide a platform for Iranian dissidents. ⁴

The U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights supports the satellite TV channel Iranian National Television (INTV) (Simay-e Azadi), which operates in opposition to Iran’s state-controlled media. USFLHR states that INTV provides accurate and impartial information about the Iranian regime’s misdeeds along with the support shown for a democratic Iran in other parts of the world. USFLHR claims that the Iranian regime intentionally jams INTV’s signals, and asks for support of INTV to further educate the Iranian people about the regime’s threats and to keep information flowing freely in and out of Iran. ⁵

The U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights provides assistance to refugees through its resettlement programs, focused on three major areas: addressing basic and urgent needs, building support systems, and helping refugees become self-sufficient. To this end, USFLHR makes efforts to work with humanitarian organizations and host governments, supports cultural gatherings and events, and offers support to organizations that can help expand social networks and re-establish professional credentials. ⁶

Funding

The U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While the Foundation does not disclose other donors, tax filings confirm donations from the BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund ($50,000 in 2018), ⁷ Donors Trust ($50,000 in 2017), ⁸ and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation ($50,000 in 2015). ⁹

Board of Directors

Homeira Hesami is the chair of the Iranian-American Community of North Texas, a member of the Organization of Iranian American Communities, ¹⁰ and is a former member of the Iranian-American Women’s Delegation. ¹¹

Other members of the board include Saeid Sajadi and Fatollah Dastmalchi. ¹²

Board of Advisors

Ivan Sascha Sheehan is an assistant professor of public and international affairs at the University of Baltimore and works as visiting faculty at George Mason University’s graduate program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. ¹³

David B. Lowry is the president of the International Center for Corporate Accountability and the former director of the Center of Peace and Reconciliation at the Desmond Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary. ¹⁴

Ed Rendell is a retired Democratic politician and former governor of Pennsylvania, former mayor and district attorney of Philadelphia, and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. Rendell is a co-founder and co-chair of Building America’s Future and a former distinguished senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. ¹⁵

James T. Conway is a retired Marine Corps general, a former senior operations officer for the U.S. military, and a former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ¹⁶

Henry H. Shelton is a retired Army general, a former commander in chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command, and a former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ¹⁷

David D. Phillips is a retired brigadier general and formerly worked as the chief of Military Police, director of security for the Army staff at the Pentagon, and deputy commanding officer of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. ¹⁸

Leo F. McCloskey is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and former executive officer in the Rhode Island Army National Guard. ¹⁹

Wes Martin is a retired Colonel who served as a senior Antiterrorism/Force Protection Officer, Army Operations Center Crisis Action Team Chief, and Department of Army Information Operations Chief. ²⁰ Martin is a committee member of both the International Committee in Search of Justice and Never Alone Advocacy. ²¹

Michael B. Mukasey is a former U.S. Attorney General. ²²

Tom Ridge is a former Republican politician who served as governor of Pennsylvania and first assistant to the President for Homeland Security and the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the George W. Bush administration. Ridge sits on the boards of the Institute for Defense Analyses and the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, and is the chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Security Task Force. ²³

Patrick Kennedy is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island and the founder of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus and the 21st Century Healthcare Caucus. ²⁴

Advisory Council

Members of the Advisory Council include Firouz Daneshgari, Kazem Kazerounian, Ali Parsa, and Sima Yazdani. ²⁵

1. “About.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/about/.
2. U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part I, Line 1.
3. “About.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/about/.
4.  About.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/about/.
5. “Satellite TV and Radio.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/program/satellite-tv-and-radio/.
6. “Refugee Resettlement.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/program/refugee-resettlement/.
7. BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I, Part II.
8. Donors Trust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule I, Part II.
9. Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2015, Part XV, Line 3.
10. “The fight in Ukraine is inspiring U.S. leaders to support human freedom in Iran.” Organization of Iranian American Communities, April 29, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://oiac.org/the-fight-in-ukraine-is-inspiring-u-s-leaders-to-support-human-freedom-in-iran/
11. “Homeira Hesami.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/homeira-hesami/.
12. “Board of Directors.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/members/board-directors/
13. “Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Ph.D.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/ivan-sascha-sheehan-ph-d/.
14. “Rev. Dr. David Lowry.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/rev-dr-david-lowry/.
15. “Governor Edward G. Rendell.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/governor-edward-g-rendell/.
16. “General James T Conway.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/general-james-t-conway/.
17. “General Henry Hugh Shelton, USA (Ret.)” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/general-henry-hugh-shelton-usa-ret/.
18. “Brigadier General David D. Phillips (Ret.)” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/brigadier-general-david-d-phillips-ret/.
19. “LTC Leo F. McCloskey (Ret.)” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/ltc-leo-f-mccloskey-ret/.
20. “Wesley (Wes) Martin, Colonel, U.S. Army, (Ret.)” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/wesley-wes-martin-colonel-u-s-army-ret/.
21. “Home.” Colonel Wes Martin. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.colonelwesmartin.com/.
22. “Judge Michael B. Mukasey.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/judge-michael-b-mukasey/.
23. “The Honorable Thomas J. Ridge.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/the-honorable-thomas-j-ridge/
24. “Congressman Patrick Kennedy.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/member/congressman-patrick-kennedy/.
25. “Advisory Council.” U.S. Foundation for Liberty and Human Rights, 2016. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.usflhr.org/members/advisory-council/.