Simon Wiesenthal Center Welcomes California Insurance Commissioner Poizner's Probe of Insurance Companies’ Investments in Iran

June 29, 2009

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER WELCOMES CALIFORNIA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER POIZNER'S PROBE OF INSURANCE COMPANIES’ INVESTMENTS IN IRAN

The Simon Wiesenthal Center welcomed today’s announcement by California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner that he will launch an effort to probe insurance company investments for ties to Iran and immediately direct California-based insurance companies to divest any direct holdings in the Iranian government.

“The California Commissioner's directive comes at a critical juncture. The world has stood by silently as the Mullahs brutally suppressed the Iranian people's peaceful protests against the rigged presidential elections and as Tehran continues its pursuit of nuclearization which will threaten the entire Middle East and beyond,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center. “The only way to peacefully express our solidarity with the longings of freedom in Iran is by curbing the financial clout of the regime. The Wiesenthal Center also hopes that the state of California will review all of its relationships with companies who are currently aiding the Iranian regime,” Cooper concluded.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036.