Thursday, March 04, 2010

Twenty Year Old Student, Mohammad Valian, Sentenced to Death

The Iranian student body, 'Office to Foster Unity' has protested strongly against the death sentence passed against one of its members, the 20 year old Mohammad Amin Valian from Damghan University.

Valian was also one of the volunteers in Moussavi's election campaign.

'Not only the sentence passed against our member for merely defending himself during the Ashura protests is outrageous, but the fact that it has taken place so soon after the latest footage of the vicious attack on Tehran university has shocked and astounded the Iranian university community and Iran's civil society' The OCU statement reads.

Valian's death sentence is therefore confirmed news;  the basis on which the death sentence is passed however is not verified and in the absence of independent reporters in Iran, rumours are spreading that Judge Salavati who is said to have passed the sentence is alleged to have done so based on a Fatwa by Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi.



Now Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi is one hell of a backward and reactionary Ayatollah. To make it clearer for those who have not heard of him, lets say he makes Ahmadnejad look like a progressive liberal. The statement issued by Makarem Shirazi condemning the Ashura protesters reads as follows:
"On the day of the Ashura while our people from young and old, man and woman were deeply immersed in their love for Hussein, and were lamenting in every alley way and street and were observing the Ashura rituals, a few who had their own agenda came onto the streets and broke the sanctities of this holy day by chanting political slogans against the establishment and set out to destroy and burn public and private property".

The statement smacks of hypocrisy from beginning to the end. Ashura is a symbolic day of uprising against tyranny and how is it that during the Ashura demonstrations against the Shah, political slogans were chanted and the sanctities of this holy day were not broken then?!

It is reported that a film footage of Valian throwing a stone during the Ashura protests was shown during his 'trial'. But  we have been brought up watching images of Palestinian youth throwing stones being glorified on Iranian state TV. Imagine if a Palestinian boy was sentenced to death by an Israeli court for having thrown a stone at security forces. The world would not hear the end of it and rightly so if it were to ever happen.

Even the Baseej member at Valian's Damghan university who shopped him to the authorities, hearing the execution sentence is now regretting his treachery and is collecting a petition to have the sentence revoked.

Makarem Shirazi's website however has denied that there had been a fatwa issued by the Ayatollah based on which an execution sentence could be passed, which is encouraging news. I wanted to find out if having denied the fatwa, will the Ayatollah also condemn the sentence and do anything to stop it? While looking for his contact details in Iran, I found out that this very backward reactionary Ayatollah, who has called on numerous times to crackdown hard and harsh on protesters in Iran, in fact has a whole office and establishment here in Wembley, London! Thank you so much UK Home Office again for allowing extremists and reactionaries spread their networks here in UK.

I rang Makrem's office in London to ask my questions, but I was told such questions will only be answered by email and not on the phone. I am waiting for my reply.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Since when has engaging in moharebeh - torching buildings and attacking police been an act of "defending oneself".

If Valian is guilty, the rule of law must be upheld. It doesn't matter if he is 20 years old or 12 years old.

However, I still hope he can be pardoned as an act of Islamic mercy.

Arash said...

First Maida Vale, now in Harrow...they should deport every single Islamic Republic operative for terrorism and crimes against humanity.

Arash

Winston said...

Barbarians slaughtering the Iranian people

Waybec said...

Well this is an absolute travesty and obscenity! How did humnan kind ever get into this mess of religion being equated to a position of power!!! If someone want's to beleve in God, then fine. But believing in a religion is just believing IN another man TELLING you What God is!
And that usually translates into punishment, guilt, blackmail, retributation and tyranny, is SOOOOOOO obviously the dark emotional failings of a man, rather than any true humble and enlightened divinity..!
Mohammad Valian is nothing more than a victim of scared ego's and pride twisted within a evil regime! Every decent voice should be raised to save him! This 'Crime against God' must surely rank of one of the most heinous crimes ever constructed by man. So here's a saying especially devisd for Khamanei: 'To behave like a God on Earth, just secures your place as a foot solder in hell!' And that's where this bloody cheating, murderous hypocritcal tyrant will soon be going! In the meantime, I just add my voice to the petition of saving Mohammad Valian! I just wonder if ol''Lord Whore-Whore' Galloway would also sign it????

Sohrab said...

"If Valian is guilty, the rule of law must be upheld. It doesn't matter if he is 20 years old or 12 years old."

Reza,

You are a monster. Iran is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which proscribes the execution of children under 18. You and your disgusting regime, on the other hand, salivate about the idea.

Unknown said...

If he is guilty of sedition, then he must be punished.

But, as with the hijdahe tir rioters, he may be pardoned.

However, I won't lose sleep if the authorities carry out an execution.

Sohrab said...

"However, I won't lose sleep if the authorities carry out an execution."

I imagine you don't lose sleep over much, you complacent fuck. I note also that you couldn't come up with a retort to my original point -- which means you conceded it.

Sohrab said...

"If he is guilty of sedition, then he must be punished.

But, as with the hijdahe tir rioters, he may be pardoned."

Reza, there's not an iota of respect for the rule of law in your views. Just as your favorite regime tramples over the rule of law.

No Iranian should be executed for "sedition" without access to an independent judiciary and due process, without access to effective counsel (who could meet with him for more than 15 minutes right before his hearing date), and based on a "fatwa" from some semi-literate, provincial Ayatollah.

Fuck you and your ilk and your "Islamic mercy" -- it doesn't amount to rule of law or due process and it's not what this brave young man stood up for.

Sohrab said...

A Higher Law will vindicate all of the green martyrs, I am sure of it.

Anonymous said...

Reza,
The comments you make are truly sick and come from someone who has never obviously attened school or even one who can read, maybe someone has helped you right because Im sure that if you as I think you are a follower of Islam should clearly know that no one has the right, even if following a strict sharia law to take anothers life, that is left to god and he is the only one who can punish.
It is such a shame that we have people like you and also you are lucky that you are able to make such comments, you should remember that once when you were younger you obviously had a heart and so you also had feelings.
If this child is executed then you should definately loose sleep over it becasue whoes to say tomorrow or in the next 20 years that same wont happen to you, then what will you do????

Anonymous said...

I guess you wont loose sleep will you reza???
You wont becasue you are quite happy sitting back on your benefits and enjoying yourself. Get up off your lazy backside and go and get a job, then maybe your wife/girlfriend/mother will stay at home instead of sleeping with your neighbour....