Thursday, September 04, 2008

Arash is Released

At last, common sense has prevailed and Arash was released, without bail, from the detention centre this evening, pending his appeal hearing for asylum. I am optimistic that his new lawyer will do a better job than his previous one and present all the evidence the way it should be.

I want all those who helped, to rejoice at the news of Arash's release from the detention centre but at the same time lets not get complacent until all is resolved.


Arash asked me to thank all those who helped publicise his plight and hopes to thank you all in person soon. He also asked me to write on his behalf that 'Our friendships should be stronger than our political inclinations'.

Children of Cyrus! United we will be strong! Apathy, envy and infighting will destroy us and bring us humiliation. We did not have to become refugees and be locked up in detention centres before and we will not have to in the near future either. These dark times will come to pass and the era of the turban heads will be but a temporary glitch in the history of our country.

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is excellent news and I am so happy for Arash. This just shows what a public campaign can achieve.

Of course we should now lay off the Home Office about the case because they did the decent thing.

But I don't think we should lay off the US State Department and their disgusting embassy in London because did the opposite to the decent thing.

Here are their details again:-

Madame Secretary Rice

secretary@state.gov

More general contact details for the State Department from their web site on this page:-

http://tinyurl.com/5tex68

Contact details for US embassy in London

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/ukaddres.html

If I get any further contacts I will let you know.

Anonymous said...

What a Great Day! What a great picture!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Potkin for bringing Arash's situation to light. Arash's release is such great news. Thanks to all those who worked tirelessly to build awareness of this case.

Anonymous said...

Idiot
Persians wore turbans before Arabs. By insulting people who wear turbans you are insulting a lot of people who live in central asia and elsewhere. Read your history before making stupid uneducated comments.

Shireen

Winston said...

Good news. Do you know what may caused his sudden release?

Winston said...

This is what I got from UK MEP:
---

Dear Winston,

Thank you for writing to Robert Evans MEP. Mr Evans has read your email and sympathises greatly with your concerns. He has also asked that I reply to you on his behalf.

Unfortunately as a Member of the European Parliament, Mr Evans is not best placed to lobby the UK government on behalf of you and Mr Nejad. The best course of action would be to write to Mr Liam Byrne MP Minister of State for Borders and Immigration at the Home Office in the UK, the Government department that deals with deportations, or ask Mr Nejad to write to his Member of Parliament, representing his local constituency.

The address for the Home Office is:

Mr Liam Byrne MP
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

Mr Nejad can find his local MP by typing his postcode into the website below:

http://www.parliament.uk/people/index.cfm

Thank you once again for writing to Robert Evans MEP. I wish you the very best of luck.

Yours sincerely

Anonymous said...

Doroooooooooooooooood bar YOU! :)
Fantastic encouraging news for all of us.

Anonymous said...

Shireen: Arash may have political opinions that you don't share and that you oppose. But this is a free speech issue and he should be able to live without fear and intimidation in his own country while expressing himself how he wishes. If his views put his life in danger, then the international community has a responsibility to give him asylum under the Geneva Conventions and as he has claimed asylum in the UK, the British government has an obligation to grant him asylum. All those who support freedom and democracy in Iran should stand by him, regardless of their ideology. There is far too much factionalism getting in the way of mutual solidarity in the face of tyranny.

Dan

Mehrtash said...

Well done, and thank you Mr Azarmehr for keeping us informed of the progress and good news regarding Arash's release from detention.

This bids as a promising start to securing Arash's freedom from deportation to the hell that the TURBAN HEADS have created in our beloved Iran.

Let our united voice be heard declaring that for as long as the Islamic government of Iran maintains its existence in office, which has a stranglehold over our people, we will stand defiant; we will campaign against them in every manner, at every opportunity; for we will never tire, nor will we ever stop. And one thing is certain, regardless of time's process - WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS.

Anonymous said...

legends! Great news. Well done to you all. You are all f....'in amazing!

Azarmehr said...

Shireen(?)/Dan,

The bits in bold are from me and not ARash. I referred to the present day rulers of Iran as turban heads, which seems to have offended Shireen(?) - and I couldn't really care less :)

Anonymous said...

I assumed that when you referred to "turban heads", you meant the mullahs and not just anyone who wears a turban. But there are some clerics who are opposed to the regime and Iran should not be ashamed of the positive contributions Iranians made to Islam.

Dan

Azarmehr said...

:)) Look everyone with two brain cells knows who I was referring to. Its like having a go at the brown shirts and then someone saying oh but my uncle also wears a brown shirt! or having a go at the swastika signs and someone saying oh but the Hindus also have one. The context is clear for all to see as to who I was referring to. No I was not referring to the people of Central Asia or the clergy who oppose the current regime. What "Shireen" is winging about has other causes!

Azarmehr said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

im so happy that Arash is free, but it is not all about that, the fact you show us how great we can do if we get together and the fact that if we back each other up we can achive whatever we aim is great.
YOu are doing great, WELL DONE

Anonymous said...

I am trying to debate with some head cases at Harry's Place who don't think Britain should accept Iranian asylum seekers: http://www.hurryupharry.org/2008/09/05/no-emapathy-at-the-embassy/

The Arash case should spur people into action to support all genuine Iranian asylum cases, without regard for their political affiliation. Arash may have succeeded, but there are many less known Iranians who don't have the supporters he has and who are facing deportation - I've known plenty. The asylum system in the UK is corrupt, unpleasant and deeply unjust.

Dan

Chewchy said...

Fantastic news! The news made my day - thanks :)

Anonymous said...

potkinjan ba sepase mojadda az hameye zahmatat va khasteh nabashid

Anonymous said...

Zendebad Arash & Azarmehr! Zendebad IRAN-e-MA! & Shireen e Talkh - the days of your amameh wearing friends are numbered. Sooner you all get out the bettre for IRAN & all Iranians!

Winston said...

Again what I got from another MEP:
---

Dear Winston,

Thank you for your email. I apologise for the delay in replying.

I am sorry to read about the terrible experience of Mohajerani Nejad.

Unfortunately, as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) I have very little influence in this matter. Therefore, please can I suggest that you contact Mr Nejad's local MP. If you send me Mr Nejad's address in London, I would be happy to send you his MP's contact details.

Regards,

Syed

SYED KAMALL
Conservative MEP for London
www.syedkamall.com

Anonymous said...

So the words in bold were you, huh? Figures.

So what if I'm not a child of Cyrus, where would I belong when this supposed unification of Cyrus's offspring takes place? I guess I could serve them chai, of course, ba ejazat.

Let me make a few adjustments to your statement and maybe you you will get it:

"Children of [Muhammad]! United we will be strong! Apathy, envy and infighting will destroy us and bring us humiliation. We did not have to become refugees and be locked up in detention centers before and we will not have to in the near future either. These dark times will come to pass and the era of the [monarhcs/infidels] will be but a temporary glitch in the history of our country."

Do you understand that people who think like you have ruled Iran for TOO long and have TOO little to show for it? We don't need another chauvinist opposition movement exploiting people's nationalist sentiments and there glorious sense of Persian history. Enough.

Proceed with wisdom, and please, don't be propelled by resent.

Furthermore after you quote Arash saying, "our friendships should be stronger than our political inclinations," and then yourself say, "Apathy, envy and infighting will destroy us and bring us humiliation," you go on to respond to Shireen's disappointment with your choice of words (a poor choice of words, indeed) by patronizing and further alienating her by saying, "I couldn't really care less."

Iranians would be remiss to support anybody who thinks like you, and thus, anybody or group you support.

be salamt,
barmakid

Anonymous said...

I know Arash ,he is a hard working activist against the Islamic Republic , He loves Iran actually he is a real patriotic, anyway my situation is same as Arash , I left Iran and came here(UK) in 2006 and my case has refused because of some misunderstanding and changing lawyers (4 times within one year), so I am an asylum seeker who hasn't right to anything even go to English classes (ESOL), I lost my education in Iran and here I tried hard to continue but each time refused me because of my statement. I fed up with every thing around , each time I have call from Iran I disappoint more and more, "where the hell are we? " always I ask myself

Azarmehr said...

Barmakid,

I thought Shireen was YOU :)))))

Anonymous said...

What does that mean? Are you saying that you "thought" Shireen was me and now my post somehow confirmed (in your feeble little mind) that I was indeed posting as Shireen?

What kind of time do you think I have on my hands? I have always posted as Barmakid and only at times have I posted as anonymous - and that was always accidental. What is your obsession with thinking that I post with different names anyways? Jeez.

Azarmehr said...

Oh you have plenty of time on your hands 'son of Mohammad', not for doing anything useful but just for leaving silly comments for reasons of envy only. I wonder what you did for Arash?

Anonymous said...

quand même..!

Anonymous said...

Just to show how screwed up the Home Office is, ask yourself why is it that a proponent of Khomeini and Hezbollah and Ahmadinejad like Hoder(Hossein Derakhshan) can remain freely in UK and study at SOAS but some one like Arash and many others face deportation?

On what basis is Hoder given residence in UK?? Is he an asylum seeker, refugee, or just someone with a rich daddy who can support him to live in London while he supports the mullahs in Tehran?

Shame on Home OFfice. The British people must wake up and demand an overhaul of the Home Office

Anonymous said...

You must think a lot of yourself if you're accusing people of envying you. It's kind of hilarious, but at the same time disappointing coming from someone with your age and experience.

I don't envy someone who naively supports the Shah.

I don't envy someone who is rash and impetuous in their judgment and analysis.

I don't envy someone who is factional and condescending towards others who don't share the same beliefs.

I don't envy someone with a hypocritical bent.

I don't envy someone who shares the same views as Winston.

I don't envy monarchists.

I don't envy ignorance accompanied by a a false sense of glorious accomplishment.

I don't envy someone who thinks a book by a CNN analyst was actually informative.

I don't envy someone who blindly supports Israel.

I don't envy a man who is simply the product of his experiences.

Thus, I DON'T envy you.

Get over yourself.

be salamat,
barmakid

Mehrtash said...

Oh, son of Mohammad, (Barmakid)
Believe me when I dare say no true Iranian/Persian envies you.

Of course, you do not wish to be envied, for that would be against the tenets of your backwards faith; just as equality, human rights and respect for other beleif systems is against the tenets of your faith.

Interesting how you only ever have silly criticisms to offer on this blog; true to your betrayal, you fail to see the good in anything.

Is opposition to the barabric and inhumane government of Iran solely within a monarchist, leftist or MEK/NCR group only? Put it this way, I would much rather be a monarchist than to endorse your backward views.

Azarmehr said...

Barmakid,

I am a monarchist? Hmm, interesting. Because I don't like people who had nothing to do with Mossadegh, jump on the Mossadegh bandwagon, I am a monarchist, or because I don't like people who over exaggerate the wrongs of the Shah and say this regime is better than the Shah, I am a monarchist! even though I was and always be a Dr. Bakhtiar supporter and I support Fakhravar now and he has always declared he is a republican.

By the way Arash is a Mossadeghist, what did you for him??

Oh I was also very close to Aziz:
http://azarmehr.blogspot.com/2008/02/azizollah-esnaashari-died-this-morning.html

a long time Mossadeghist and Jebhe Melli veteran. But of course I am a monarchist!

Not that I care how you categorise me. I think all this monarchist/republican categorisation amongst Iranians is totally irrelevant and a pre-occupation of older Iranian generation obsessed with outdated irrelevant arguments.

For example here in UK, you have many people in the Labour Party who are monarchists and many who are against monarchy but they are all in the Labour Party and similarly in the Conservative Party. The issue of monarchist/republican does not stop people working together, it is not their priority in distincting themseleves politically. But for the older generation Iranians and obviously for you, it is a stumbling block that you just can't get over it.

Many nasty regimes are Republics, does it mean if you are Republican you support them? Many humane and democratic regimes are monarchies, like Britain, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Norway etc. Does that mean if you are a Republican you are against those regimes?!

Grow up and move on from all this silly divisions, you have nothing to do with Mossadegh barmakid. You are nothing but a cyber activist who is too scared to reveal his/her identity even in the freedom provided for you in the West.

For your peace of mind I will categorise myself:

Pro-democracy secular nationalist!

Anonymous said...

This is the second time I'm responding to your post since my first one didn't get published (for some reason).

So I've noticed that my posts over the months have influenced you:)

I know you're not a monarchist, I just wanted you to get an idea of how annoying it is to constantly be called something you're not (like an IRI supporter; see mehrtash's post).

In fact, I think you made your argument well. But are you going to hold it against me that I wasn't even alive during Mossadegh's era? Or for that matter, during the revolution? I can only study these time periods and listen to those that have experienced them. And honestly, it's quite shallow for you to insinuate that I am less Iranian than you because I live in the States. Especially given your post about what Arash said and the fact that you haven't been to Iran in decades.

For your info, my parents live in Iran, and I have lived their for a while, but for you to hold the decisions of my parents against me is very shallow (like to have their kids educated in the U.S. and not by some clerics).

And let me make clear, I am not an activist, I did nothing for Arash. I post on 3-5 blogs (yours, the Financial Times international affairs blog, and some science and American political blogs) I do this as a retreat from my studies and to constantly work on my English.

But nonetheless, I applaud your activism (apparently you do it well).

be salamat,
barmakid

p.s. there is no sense in revealing my identity

Winston said...

FYI: This is what I got again:

----

Dear Winston,

Thank you for your email regarding Mr Arash Mohajerani Nejad.

I have now written to the United Kingdom Border Agency on Mr Mohajerani Nejad's behalf, asking for an explanation of the grounds of his detention and raising my concerns over any possible removal to Iran.


Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert MEP

Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London

Winston said...

godspeed Azarmehr

Winston said...

Did you see Melanie Phillips picking up this story on her blog?

Azarmehr said...

Of course it was a big factor in Arash's release.

Shame our own media refused to write about it! One Iranian 'journalist' I spoke to was scared to write about it because she thought she wouldn't be able to travle to US any more :)))


I should write about all this some time.

Harry Barnes said...

Following my representations on behalf of Arash to my own MP, she contacted the Home Office for me. It was after he had been released from detention that she finally received a reply from the Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency dated 17 September which gave the standard response about their inability to disclose information about the case as they "had to protect the privacy of the individual" concerned! The only extra information it supplied was new to me, in that it claimed that Arash's MP was Andrew Dismore who had expressed an interest in the case. A reply had been sent to him. Dismore always impressed me as being a diligent MP. If it is correct that he is indeed Arash's MP, then this information may be of use to those pressing his interests. It will, I assume, already be known by those representing Arash.

Anonymous said...

hi potkin..
thanks so much ..
it was great,what you did.
wish all the best for you.
you are a good friend in life and polotics for me. arash mohajerinejad