Monday, February 19, 2007

Ahmad Batebi in Hospital

Ahmad Batebi, the Iranian student who was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment during Khatami's presidency, for having raised a bloody T-shirt of a student colleague at a peaceful student protest, was taken to hospital on Friday after going into a coma.

After Khatami was given an honorary doctorate at St. Andrew's university, the Islamic regime felt more emboldened to further ill treat Batebi. He was denied prison visits and leave, and was under constant threat to be transferred to section 8 of the Evin prison alongside dangerous criminals and drug addicts. On Friday, the prison authorities attempted to remove his personal belongings from him. This was like a last straw for Batebi's already frail nerves. He reacted angrily and then suffered convulsions and was unconscious for several hours. Prison authorities transferred him to the prison hospital at first. On Sunday Batebi suffered more convulsions and was taken to Tajrish Martyrs hospital along with six armed guards, while his feet were chained together.

I am still convinced that had the NUS in St. Andrews university insisted on Batebi's release as a pre-condition for Khatami's poxy honorary doctorate, Batebi would now be free and healthy.
I consider the lack of solidarity action by the St.Andrews university NUS, and in particular the cowardliness of the president of the Student Association, Tom D'Ardenne, partly responsible for the present demise of Ahmad Batebi. I hope the St. Andrews student association bear the guilt of what has happened, but then again cowards do not usually have a conscience.

More pictures of Tom D'Ardenne:
Picture 1
Picture 2

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh this is so sad.

Anonymous said...

I would like to do inflict all the pain that Ahmad Batebi has suffered on Tom D'Ardenne and the stupid academics at st. Andrews.

Aryamehr said...

Very sad. Do people like Tom D'Ardenne not have a concious!? and how did this drunk get to be President of the Students Association!?

I hope Batebi recovers and that the Iranian people RECOVER from being in a coma for the past 28 years!!!

Anonymous said...

I hope Iranian people put Tom D'Ardenne in hospital.

Bardia said...

All of persons who make these terrible actions must be responsable in near future.
We all Iranian, don't forget the bloods.

Anonymous said...

بابا اینهمه شما خارج کشوریها ادعاتون میشه برین یقه این مرتیکه مست الدنگ رو بگیرید دخلشرو دربیارید دیگه. کشتن بچه های ما رو یکی یکی. هی از پشت تلویزیون به ما میگید قیام کنیم

Anonymous said...

Batebi's lawyer claims another stress factor on Batebi was that he had recently been prevented from continuing his studies from prison:
http://web.peykeiran.com/new/iran/iran_news_body.aspx?ID=37400

So while Khatami gets honorary doctorate from British universities, imprisoned students in Iran lose their chance of further education.
St. Andrews should establish a Batebi fund for Iranian students who have been banned from further education for political activities, to redeem themselves.

Anonymous said...

هر دورة تاريخی موضوع خود را دارد و بازيگران و نقش آفرينان و نيز نماد های خود را. شامورتی بازی دوم خردادی در کنار دلقکانی مانند سيد محمد خاتمی، نسل سوختة ديگری در کنار ديگر نسلهای سوختة انقلاب پليد اسلامی از خود به جای گذاشت که نماد برجستة آن احمد باطبی است. نسلی که بی گناه سوزانده شد. همانگونه که آن نسل با آرزوها و اميدهای پاک خود رها شده است و بی هيچ تقصيری در تنهايی خود می پوسد، سمبل آن نسل نيز بی هيچ تقصيری دارد در اسيد گزندة جمهوری عدل اسلامی حل می شود. گناه احمد باطبی بالا بردن پيراهن خونين يک همکلاس دانشگاهی نبود. گناه احمد باطبی و همنسلان او اين است که آنان وجود دارند. همين و بس. نمايش دوم خرداد قرار نبود برای مردم ايران به روی صحنه برود. آن برای سرگرم کردن اروپاييان بود. از همان لحظه که نسل احمد باطبی نخواست سناريوی دوم خرداد را بپذيرد و خواستار نقشی در آن شد, حکم محکوميتش نوشته شد. جمهوری اسلامی می خواهد آن نسل را خفه کند و مظهر های آنرا از بين ببرد. منوچهر محمدی را که به قتل رساند و بسياری ديگر را به سياهچال انداخته است.ـ
و مرا اندوهی بی کران در بر گرفته است، هنگاميکه می بينم نسل خواهران و برادران جوان من دارد ذره ذره آب می شود. سرنوشت اندوه بار احمد باطبی خواب را از چشم تر من ربوده است.ـ

Winston said...

people like Tom D'Ardenne are insane creatures without any brain cells. And he is not alone. I know many like him and it makes me sick. Poor Ahmad Batebi who has to endure all these hardship for holding a bloody t-shirt of his classmate. i feel bad for him

Anonymous said...

آقایون خانوم های خارج کشوری,،کمنت های قشنگ خیلی خوبه اما شماره تلفن ای پرزیدنت مست این دانشگاه رو که دارید، ایمیلش رو هم که دارید، خوب برید تحت فشارش بذارید بگید چه غلطی کرده و حالا باید چه غلطی بکنه

Rancher said...

What you have to consider is the mindset of D'Ardenne and other liberals that cozy up to America’s enemies. Their hatred of Bush supersedes everything including the best interests of the world and their own countries. For instance when Australian PM John Howard said the terrorist would be rooting for Democrats like Obama, Obama said he was flattered one of Bush’s allies "started attacking me the day after I announced". Australia is America’s ally but seems to be Obama’s enemy. Good thing Saddam is gone but I suppose St. Andrews can give him an Honorary posthumously.

On another note Azarmehr I wonder what you make of this.

Anonymous said...

هر دورة تاريخی موضوع خود را دارد و بازيگران و نقش آفرينان و نيز نماد های خود را. شامورتی بازی دوم خردادی در کنار دلقکانی مانند سيد محمد خاتمی، نسل سوختة ديگری در کنار ديگر نسلهای سوختة انقلاب پليد اسلامی از خود به جای گذاشت که نماد برجستة آن احمد باطبی است. نسلی که بی گناه سوزانده شد. همانگونه که آن نسل با آرزوها و اميدهای پاک خود رها شده است و بی هيچ تقصيری در تنهايی خود می پوسد، سمبل آن نسل نيز بی هيچ تقصيری دارد در اسيد گزندة جمهوری عدل اسلامی حل می شود. گناه احمد باطبی بالا بردن پيراهن خونين يک همکلاس دانشگاهی نبود. گناه احمد باطبی و همنسلان او اين است که آنان وجود دارند. همين و بس. نمايش دوم خرداد قرار نبود برای مردم ايران به روی صحنه برود. آن برای سرگرم کردن اروپاييان بود. از همان لحظه که نسل احمد باطبی نخواست سناريوی دوم خرداد را بپذيرد و خواستار نقشی در آن شد, حکم محکوميتش نوشته شد. جمهوری اسلامی می خواهد آن نسل را خفه کند و مظهر های آنرا از بين ببرد. محمدی را که به قتل رساند و بسياری ديگر را به سياهچال انداخته است.ـ
و مرا اندوهی بی کران در بر گرفته است، هنگاميکه می بينم نسل خواهران و برادران جوان من دارد ذره ذره آب می شود. سرنوشت اندوه بار احمد باطبی خواب را از چشم تر من ربوده است.ـ

Azarmehr said...

Rancher,

Thanks for sending me that link. I never take much notice of these kind of deal makings. States will make deals based on their national interests and rightly so. The Iranian people must not solely rely on help from any foreign states. My ideal is for the Iranian people to become an important parameter in the equation that others then take notice of and also to solicit the help of the international public opinion. All the freedom loving people who do not wish to live in a repressive global Islamic Khalifate should share our interest to bring about a secular democracy in Iran.

Anonymous said...

Do you believe in separattion of power? Khatami did his best to secure a fair trial for all these students and 99% of them were freed as a result.

But now you even expect Khatami, who had already finished his term when he recieved the doctorate from St.Andrews, to secure Batebi's release.

With your argument, Jimmy Carter should release Guantanamo Bay prisioners, or he should face punishment.

Anonymous said...

sorry off topic but very important:


Iran Will Regret Its Nuke Program; Here's How

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=021907A

I agree with Pasha nd Rancher.

Azarmehr said...

Gilda,

Khatami is part of the Islamic Republic establishment whether you like it or not. If he was not he could not have filtered through the GC to be a candidate. His purpose was to apply the brakes and slowdown the demographic change and technological revolution at the time which was threatening IRI. Now he is the window dresser for IRI outside Iran. He goes round the world painting a rosey picture of IRI with the abilities he has.
Had the St. Andrews Association - not Khatami!!! - put the release of Batebi as a pre-condition to Khatami receiving a doctorate, the Islamic establishment would have seen that it can no longer use Khatami to fool the world. In fact Batebi was released for a few days as the protests against Khatami were gathering up, but once St. Andrews welched, they became emboldened and made Batebi suffer even more.

Khatami has never mentioned Batebi and the likes of him, but he keeps going on about Guantanamo prisoners wherever he goes.
Read my post on Khatami myth busters and get rid of this false impression you have that he is not part of the establishment.

Anonymous said...

Gilda,
Jimmy Carter is not responsible for Guantanamo Bay, but Khatamai was the president of the Islamic Republic when Ahmad Batebi was arrested. I think there is a casual connexion!

Anonymous said...

Hey Gilda -
Jimmy Carter should face punishment for abandoning the Shah and ushering in Khomeini, among other things.
Azarmehr is right!

Anonymous said...

Gilda

you are not obviously very familiar with IRI's judicial system which does not believe in the separation of powers. For instance, the functions of prosecutor and judge is assumed by the same person (visit www.abfiran.org for more information).

Oh by the way, it is Mr Khatami's security force who repressed the 1999 students protest which led to Batebi's arrest.

Plateau said...

What I find incredulous is that Khatami, when he was in the U.S. last year, said, in one question and answer session, something like: During his presidency not a single student demonstrator was seriously harmed or detained! I can remember him making that point rather emphatically (forefinger pointing and all). What an utter and total liar - at best he distorts the truth like the rest of the IR goons (reformist and conservative).

Tom D'Ardenne doesn't care about Batebi, do we know what he really cares about?

Anonymous said...

Batebi's wife has been kidnapped and arrested.BTW, Batebi is on a dry starvation strike after his second seizure and he has told his father not to mourn his death but to celebrate his life in case he dies in prison.

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/23/iran15396.htm

Anonymous said...

The Iranian revolution was really masterminded to a greater extent by external forces (US, UK , France), who deliberatly engaged in a mud slinging campaign against the Shah in the late 1970's. They supported Khomeini against him, because they couldnt stand seeing Iran making significant strides forward, eventually being a modernised and westernised strong power and regional player, classic issue of betrayal in international politics. And the proof is in the pudding. To this date, the West supports the mullahs. The EU is Iran's largest trade partner and economically Iran is doing much worse than 28 years ago...How convenient for the West.

Anonymous said...

have you read what freaking regime agent hoder has said about Batebi?

Anonymous said...

While I sympathise with the plight of poor Batebi, I would enlighten you to the following;

This has nothing to do with the NUS, St Andrews University students are not members of the NUS, and the Students Association is not affiliated with the NUS. Also note that the awarding of honourary doctorates has nothing to do with the Students Association or Tom d'Ardenne, and the University of St Andrews has an excellent reputation for paying not the slightest attention to its student body, the Students Association or their president. They listen not to reasoned argument, or logic. I can assure you that.

Oh, and how did "this drunk" get to be President of the Students Association? He was happened to be democratically elected.

Azarmehr said...

No one said it has anything to do with NUS. The NUS did their best and issued a statement against Khatami's visit. The burden of Batebi's present plight falls fairly and squarely on the shoulders of St. Andrews association.
They went out of their way and issued a statement rebuffing the NUS stand and supported the doctorate award for Khatami. Tom d'Ardenne then went further out of his way and appeared on radio interviews etc. opposing the NUS stand to make Batebi's release a pre-condition and defended Khatami's award.
All this made the regime in Iran emboldened and while they were nervous of the international reaction and had released Batebi on emporary leave, once they saw the St. Andrews students dont give a shit about an imprisoned student in Iran, they re-arrested Batebi and hence his present plight.

I am sure d'Ardenne was democratically elected, but so what? sometimes democratically elected people also make misjudgements!

The point is even now after all this d'Ardenne is not willing to rectify his tragic mistake and make a stand for Batebi.

Anonymous said...

the students association does not have the power to oppose the award of an honorary doctorate, besides, do you really think anybody with influence in Iranian government is going to listen to a sabbatical's protests? in the great scheme of things Tom is not a major political player, he's just a student!

Azarmehr said...

Even if the student body does not have the power to oppose the doctorate, any protest by the student body whould have shown the Islamic Republic that killing Batebi will not go unnoticed by the international community and it will have a price tag for the religious dictatorship in Iran.

Tom D'Ardenne not only did not display any solidarity with an imprisoned student colleague, he actually went out of his way to justify the award in radio interviews and opposed the NUS statement in the stinking announcement that it is still displayed in support of the award on the Student Association website.

Tom D'Ardenne and the St. Andrews Association had a choice, either to support an imprisoned student or a cunning cleric who had been selected by the unelected Guardian Council in a backward theocracy. Tom D'Ardenne and the disgraceful Student Association went for the latter. Now they should feel some responsibility Mr. Anonymous!

Anonymous said...

Your post is way wide of the mark. The University of St Andrews and the St Andrews Student Association are two different entities. The Students Association have no control over the University, just as the Government of one country has control over another. Yes, they can apply pressure, but they cannot stop one country's governemtn from doing something they dislike.

And as for the comments about inflicting harm on Tom D'Ardenne, these people are surely just as bad as those in the Iranian regime about whom they are complaining.

Hypocrisy fills the comments in this blog and it's actually quite funny that those commenting don't see to have acknowledged the hypocritical stance some seem to be taking.