This weblog was created to act as a platform for the voice of secular pro-democracy activists in and outside Iran who are struggling against the religious dictatorship of the Islamic clerics in Iran. Follow me on https://gettr.com/user/potkazar or My Telegram Channel https://t.me/SledgeHammerNews
My favourite quote:
"Evil only prevails when the good stay silent"
Iranian film director, Jafar Panahi, before and after his prison:
Human Rights activist, Emadeldin Baghi:
Former deputy president Mohamamd Abtahi:
Journalist, Issa Saharkhiz, a mountain of a man who has been detained for 13 months after being interviewed by Channel 4. Today he refused to defend himself in court and instead called for the removal and trial of the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
'Acting Against National Security' is the most common charge against dissidents in Iran as it is in other dictatorships. Of course what is meant by 'National Security' charge against dissidents is not the security and the interests of the people but the security of the ruling clique who want to plunder the nation uninterrupted. Hojjatol-Islam, Ahmad Ghabel, is a dissident cleric who was arrested by the government agents in Iran, as he was on his way to take part in Ayatollah Montazeri's funeral. He has been temporarily released on bail after seven months and has immediately written an open letter to the Supreme Leader which boldly describes the extent of terror and tragedy in Iran's prisons:
'I confess to being guilty of having voted for Khameneii when he became the president and later in the process that helped him become the Supreme Leader. I confess to my role in what has shaped today's despotism and tyranny in the country. If I am guilty of acting against national security, then I confess my role in all this has been acting against national security. For it has come to this point that a religious scholar like me is taken to court with my hands and feet in chains, and a hoodlum thug is the official monody singer of the Supreme Leader's court.
I saw things in Vakil Abad prison with my own eyes that had I just heard about them, I would not have believed them. In the Vakil Abad prison there is a young man whose paralysed from neck down as a result of his tortures during interrogation. In another crime, the prison refused to even accept the body of a dead person who was killed during his interrogation.
While I was in prison, we learned about a young man who was due to be hanged within three days, only to be saved when the real culprit turned up at the last minute. When he was asked why did you confess to the murder when you were not the murderer, he said 'They took me to a place and did things with me that I was ready to embrace death and confess to tens of murders to save myself from what I was made to go through'
'Those who chanted Allah Akbar from their roof tops will be made answerable on the day of resurrection.' Hojjat-ol-Islam Ghara'ti, Head of Namaz and Zakat HQ in Mashad said on Thursday.
Words fail me to write more on this. In the early days after the 1979 Islamic revolution, they would smell your breadth in case you have drunk alcohol, now three decades on, in a state that calls itself Islamic Republic, it is a crime to chant Allah Akbar!
Prior to last year's fraudulent elections in Iran, the regime apologists would go out of their way to say the regime in Iran is a popular one and those who oppose the regime are just a few counter-revolutionary disgruntled exiled ex-pats. After the massive protests in the aftermath of last year's election fraud and thanks to the courage and initiative of Iran's citizen journalists, this was no longer a realistic tenable position by the apologists and the 'useful idiots'. The world saw clearly the extent of the opposition to the regime and the brutal crackdown that followed.
Hence the 'useful idiots' and apologists, aware of the desires of the self hating rich kids in the European Left to endear themselves to the working classes, even though the vast majority of them are not remotely working class themselves, came up with the notion that the protests in Iran are carried out by Iran's affluent North Tehran kids and not supported by the working classes. They argued that Ahamdinejad was supported by the poor and the working classes and enjoyed large support outside Tehran and in the provinces and the country side. An argument that appealed to some of the European Left who were shocked at how wrong they may have been in their assessment of a popular regime in Iran.
Of course we know how large the protests were and of course we know Tehran does not have that many affluent kids and in fact the affluent kids largely stayed away from the protests, but without an independent poll, how could one argue against this nonsense?
I tried to argue against this on Aljazeera once as best as I could:
but as always it is best to wait for the regime to shoot itself in the foot and provide the evidence, even though sadly for most of the Western media this was not sensational enough news to report. The Town and County local elections which were due to take place this year have been postponed to be held simultaneously with the next presidential (s)elections and today the Guardian Council approved this! So if Ahmadinejad enjoys so much support in the provinces and the rural areas, why were these elections postponed. Surely it would have been a good opportunity for the regime to show how popular it is and that it is able to hold these elections without much fuss.
To postpone these elections are totally unconstitutional. After all when you vote for your representatives, you trust them to represent you for a limited period that was agreed at the time. So lets wait and hear what spin the 'useful idiots' put on this now?
Who said Iran's economy is not booming?? According to the news website of the Islamic Republic Consultative Assembly (Majlis), only in the first three months of this year, Iran has exported 1,164 Kilograms of toilet paper. According to another Iranian news agency ISNA, the toilet paper was exported to Turkmenistan and worth $349.
None of the reports said how such successful marketing was achieved or whether the toilet papers were exported before use or after.
Last year, on Junne 22nd, Hojjatoleslam Ali Shahroukhi, Head of the Majlis Judicial and Legal Commission stated that stoning as a punishment had been abolished from Iran's penal code. The claim appeared on the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), here: http://www.irna.ir/En/View/FullStory/?NewsId=557912&idLanguage=3
But as you can see the above link was removed yesterday after the head of the Islamic Republic Judicial Commission on Human Rights, Mohamad Javad Larijani, stated that stoning still remained part of the country's constitution and penal code.
The IRNA link from last year is still cached in Google however and can still be viewed if the cached link is clicked. Below is the full text as it appeared until yesterday:
'Majlis abolish law on stoning
Tehran, June 22,IRNA – Head of Mahlis[sic] Judicial and Legal Commission Hojatoleslam Ali Shahroukhi said on Monday that the law on stoning punishment has been abolished.
The amendment to the law was made in line with the expediency of the Islamic system, he said.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA, he said since Islam has set very tough conditions for proving crimes subject to stoning sentence, the member of Majlis judicial and legal commission decided to omit it from the Islamic penal law.'
The Golden Rule: Never ever believe what the Islamic Republic officials say.
This was last year at the same moment in Iran... Mr. Amir Javadifar, 24, was a song writer and a technology management student at the Azad University of Qazvin. He liked acting and was an acting student at the Karnameh Institute. According to a person close to him, he was “full of lust for life.” He was distanced from politics and had no political affiliation. He participated and voted in the 2009 election at the urging of people close to him. On July 9, 2009, Mr. Amir Javadifar was arrested by plain-clothes agents of the Basij Base in Tehran during a demonstration protesting the result of the presidential election and honoring the tenth anniversary of a Tehran University dormitory incident. He was transferred to Police Station 148 on Enqelab Avenue. According to Mr. Javadifar’s father’s attorney, Mr. Amir Javadifar was in critical condition after being beaten before his arrest. Police agents took him to the Firuzgar hospital the same night at 9:00 p.m. They contacted his father and informed him of his whereabouts. At the hospital they took an MRI of Mr. Javadifar’s head which showed no internal bleeding in his brain. X-rays showed injuries to his elbow, jaw, and nose. He was released from the hospital at midnight and, with the insistance of his family and cooperation of Police Station 148, he was transferred to the Laleh private hospital in Shahrak-e-Gharb in Tehran. He was accepted and hospitalized on July 10 at 2:00 a.m. He was visited by various specialist physicians at 9:00 a. m. and no particular problem was diagnosed based on the X-rays. Specialists released him from the hospital with only pain killers and eye drops that same day at 1:00 p. m. (Sarmayeh Newspaper)
Today is a special day in the Iranian calendar that marks the anniversary of two occasions, the uprising by Iran's finest officers in the Shahrokhi airbase soon after the 1979 revolution and the student uprising in 1999 that spread to 19 cities and went on for six days.
Air force officers in Shahrokhi airbase, saw the tragedy that was looming ahead for their homeland. Despite the odds being against them, they decided it was time for action and sacrifice. They were betrayed by Iran's pro-Soviet Union Communists, the Tudeh party, who were trying to endear themselves to the new regime, but the heroism of the Shahrokhi officers during their televised show trial made them into legends of Iranian history and symbols of Iran's struggle for liberty.
The student uprising in 1999, although brutally crushed, was the beginning of Iran's secular movement. The cry of a new generation who showed the world, that despite all the attempts to brainwash the population, the overwhelmingly young Iranians wanted change and follow a different direction to the previous generation who were duped into pushing Iran back to the dark ages. A decade since the struggle for democracy and secularism continues and more and more of the establishment are breaking away.
All that is required now, is for the international public opinion to accept that the present rulers in Iran are not representing the citizens of Iran and to rally around the Iranian people's desire for change.
Ezzatollah Ebrahimnejad, student martyr of 9th July, 1999
Pro-Ahmadinejad papers and websites in Iran were full of it today, praising the 'scientific and learned' community in Mali for the extra ordinary warm welcome they gave to Ahmadinejad.
Below, the banner welcoming Ahmadienjad is in Arabic, which suggests how much the 'scientific and learned' community of Mali know about Iran!
Two camels were slaughtered in honour of Ahmadienjad after this dance by the learned community of Mali.
'Motreb' is one of those Arabic words imported into the Persian language which have deviated from their original Arabic meaning. In Arabic, it should mean someone who brings joy, a singer, a performer but in Iran it has a derogatory meaning. It is referred to a performer without any scruples, without any principles, someone who will perform anything for anyone as long as there is a payment. A cheap trash artist of the worst kind.
On Friday, IRI's state TV went out of its way to show a gathering of Iran's 'motrebs' with the Supreme dictator himself. One 'motreb' went even further than the rest of her cohorts in trying to flatter the Supreme dictator, responsible for the deaths of so many innocent protesters in the last year, by claiming that even though she was suffering from a 39 degree temperature, she would not have missed this chance of face to face meeting with her 'beloved Supreme Leader'. She also added how impressed she was with the Supreme Leader's supremacy of insight and knowledge into Iranian cinema and television entertainment. The real name of this 'motreb' is Sakineh Kaboodar Ahangi but her stage name has been Parvaneh Massoumi. Below is a picture of Parvaneh Massoumi before the 1979 revolution (on the right) and how she conveniently changed her looks after the revolution!
When IRI's Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, expressed his joy by saying 'Iran's enemies' deserved to go out of the world cup, referring to USA, England and France who had been eliminated in the earlier rounds of the tournament, he did so because those who think they represent God on earth, must also claim divine intervention is on their side.
So what has happened after Mottaki's press interview on Tuesday? Brazil, one of the favourites to win the world cup, has been knocked out by Holland. Brazil voted against the sanctions.
Argentina was another favourite to win the world cup. The Argentinian manager, Diego Maradona had expressed support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his administration, one year after the fraudulent elections and all the atrocities committed against the Iranian people, former cocaine addict, Maradona, presented Ahmadinejad with an autographed shirt. Yet Argentina was humiliated 4-0 by Germany which also voted for UN resolution 1929.
Now all is left is Holland, Germany, Spain and Uruguay. Who will Mottaki back now to prove the almighty supports the self claimed representatives of God on earth? :)
Hamed Rouhinejad is an Iranian student of philosophy who has been imprisoned since April last year. Hamed who also suffers from the terrible debilitating MS disease, was first sentenced to execution, but his sentence was later commuted to 10 years.
According to Human Rights groups in Iran, Hamed's conditions are fast deteriorating. He is detained in ward 7 of Evin prison. So far, he has been denied all medical treatment outside the prison and has not been allowed even one day temporary leave from prison. The coroner's office previously confirmed Hamed Rouhinejad's weakening condition and the fact that he will not be able to withstand such harsh prison conditions.
In a further despicable act, the prison officials have prevented Hamed's family from delivering his medicine. Latest news on Hamed Rouhinejad is that he has now lost the use of one of his arms and is even having problems with his hearing and his vision. Hamed is due to be transferred to Zanjan prison, North West of Iran, to serve the rest of his sentence, which will be even further away from his family.There just seems to be no limit to the brutality and inhumanity of Ahmadinejad's administration.
Imagine if you and your family were inside your home and this mob turned up outside your house, painted graffiti all over your front door and started kicking down your front door as you see in the video. You cannot even call the police, for this mob is above the law and above the police. This mob is the Supreme Leader's hired thugs. They have one mission only, to silence any dissent and to terrorise the population.
The front door they have sprayed with graffiti and are trying to kick down, is not any front door either. It belongs to Grand Ayatollah Saneii, a renowned Shiite theologian and Islamic philosopher.
I remember turning up outside Press TV's Westgate House in Hanger lane shortly after the post-election protests had begun. Mohammad Roshan Muhammed Salih and a former Iranian wrestler came out to greet me in Press TV's car park. It was just after Roshan Muhammed Salih had written his piece for Guardian's Comment is Free in which he had commented on the Islamic Republic, calling it 'a fundamentally decent government run by a fundamentally decent man'!
When Roshan Muhammad Salih and I argued about the brutal crackdown on protesters, he kept justifying the beating and killing of the innocent protesters by saying 'It was to protect public property'!
Well here you are Press TV's News Editor, Roshan Muhammed Salih, watch the above footage. Is this not an attack on public property? Why is this mob not being chased away and arrested by the Law Enforcement Forces? Will you dare to show this on Press TV, so your viewers will see the hired mob of the 'fundamentally decent man' in action?
Savages and scums! In un-Islamic England, if a pregnant woman is standing up in the train, there is immediately several male passengers who would rightly be willing to give up their seats for her. However, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a pregnant woman is kidnapped by plain clothes agents at a busy metro station, handcuffed and blindfolded, taken to an unknown secret place and tortured! Words cannot describe the brutality of these Neanderthals running Iran at the moment.
Zoya Osanloo is the daughter-in-law of Mansour Osanloo, Iran's Bus Drivers Union Leader. She is not a political activist and is not in any way connected with Mansour Osanloo's union activities. She is simply married to Osanloo's son and works as an engineer. Last Wednesday, on her way to work, she was accosted by three plain clothes Iranian intelligence agents at a Metro station. She was blindfolded and handcuffed and taken to a secret detention centre. Mansour Osanloo, who is serving a five year sentence because of his union activities is due to be released at the end of this year. Zoya was punched in the face and her head was smashed into a wall several times during her interrogation ordeal. They kept telling Zoya that she should persuade Mansour Osanloo to leave the country once he is released. According to Osanloo's wife, Parvaneh, who talked about her daughter-in-law's ordeal with Fereshteh Ghazi from Roozonline, Zoya suffered broken teeth and nose bleed and is still in a shock. Most tragically however, Zoya lost her two month old baby.
This is a great footage from the city of Rasht, North of Iran. It was taken on Thursday 24th June. A morality police tries to penalise a young girl for her observance of the dress code and take her to the station, but the girl and her mother resist. As the crowds swell in numbers, they too join the resistance against the morality police. The result, the police has to flee the scene.
Iran's fee paying Azad universities have become a profitable entity and as with other profitable enterprises, the commanding officers of the Revolutionary Guards have had their eyes on seizing control of the Azad university assets even before last year's elections began. The Revolutionary Guards want the vast assets of the Azad university to be under Ahmadinejad government's control and ownership,and for Ahmadinjead to appoint the dean and the trustees of the Azad university, but even the present hardline controlled parliament voted against this, and that was enough to enrage the puppet masters to bring out their usual hired thugs in force outside the Majlis. The thugs carried placards which condemned the Majlis and its selected filtered members for having dared to put that matter to vote, saying 'We will bombard the Majlis'!!
Bombarding the parliament of course evokes bitter historical memories of how the despot Qajar King, Mohammad Ali Shah ordered the Russian leader of the Persian Cossack Brigade, Colonel Vladimir Liakhov to bomb the Majlis and execute several leaders of the constitutional revolution back in 1908.
Is it not strange that the permit request for a peaceful silent demonstration to mark the anniversary of the election fraud last week was denied by the Interior Minster (headed by Revolutionary Guard, General Mustafa Najjar) and yet a permit was happily approved for these thugs who threatened to bomb the parliament and physically attack the Majlis members?
I just hope if they do decide to bomb the parliament, someone will tell these illiterate thugs which building is the parliament and they don't destroy the wrong building through their sheer illiterate ignorance.
This day last year, was a day that will never be forgotten by me and many other people across the world. I was monitoring what was happening in Iran and Neda's clip came up. As I was watching the clip, I remember shouting out loud 'no, no, please don't let her die'. I was hoping that the people who were attending her and the person who was putting pressure on her wound, to stop the bleeding, would manage to save her. Once I saw the blood gushing out from Neda's mouth all over her face, my loud screams of 'No, no,no' scared others in the house. Her final stare haunted me, as if asking me to do something.
I went downstairs and watched the BBC news, unbelievably the BBC said 'There have been SOME reports of shootings in Tehran'. What?? 'Some reports of shootings' in Tehran? People are being killed and they are simply guessing that there may have been 'some shooting'? Straight away I was on the phone to BBC having a go at them, 'how many Iranians must be killed before you say something?' then I rang as many people as I could and asked them to complain to the BBC too. By the evening that day, some news agencies had reported Neda's murder and I was at Aljazeera English studios, fuming and thinking that once again the murder of innocent sons and daughters of Iran will go unnoticed by the international community. I was wrong however, Neda's murder could not be suppressed by the mass media. This time there was no excuse for them. Neda's murder had damaged the Islamic Republic in the eyes of the world beyond all repair. Not even their most prolific apologists or their sophisticated lobby groups or their propaganda TV stations could salvage the regime from this. The recording of the last moments of Neda's life, turned her into a symbol of freedom. Neda was born again forever.
Polona Florijančič is a female Slovenian student studying Human Rights Law at Brunel university in London. Polona is petite and so delicate that I always have to remind myself not to embrace her too hard. Don't let her size fool you though, for she has a heart of a lion when it comes to standing up to tyrants. Polona has been an active and passionate supporter of the Green Movement in Iran right from the beginning. She is a familiar face to Iranians in London and can be seen at most major events in support of the Green Movement.
Polona was on a study trip to China with her university last week and last Saturday coincided with the anniversary of the election frauds in Iran, she decided to hold a protest outside the Iranian embassy in Beijing with her Swedish friend and fellow student, Kahina Bakhti. Ahmadinejad was also in China at the time, so holding the protest was even more significant.
Together they simply held a placard that said in English 'Free Iran, Say NO to Theocracy'. To the intolerant embassy goons even this was too much. They could not believe at first that even in Beijing people were protesting against them. After their initial shock was over, several Iranian looking agents appeared from nowhere as well as from inside the embassy to stop Polona and Kahina. The embassy goons demanded the Chinese police to arrest the protesters. One of them kept telling the Chinese police 'They are not even Iranians, They are not even Iranians' as if non-Iranians don't have the right to protest against human rights abuses in Iran. He kept staring at Polona with a cold blooded killer look to intimidate her.
Polona and Kahina resisted as long as they could until two Chinese police cars took them away. As little Polona sat in the police car she shouted at the embassy goon with the killer look stare, 'You can torture your own people but you can't touch me'.
It must have been at this point when I got this text message:
'I've been taken to the police station. I can't tell my mom. I've informed my teacher but he hasn't replied. If you don't hear from me in a couple of hours please inform my embassy in UK that we are in a police station near the Iranian embassy'
As it was Saturday, the Slovenian embassy was closed. I didn't know what to do other than let everyone know including her friends on Facebook. I replied to her with this text:
'To those who are holding Polona. Diplomatic representatives as well as the press have been informed. If she is in any way harmed you will be responsible and face severe consequences'
I thought her captors would read that but only Polona read it after she was released when her phone was returned to her :)
Polona and Kahina were each interrogated by two Chinese interrogators who spoke English but knew nothing about Iran.
- Why are you doing this?
- What is Theocracy?
- What is an Ayatollah?
At times the interrogators would warm up to them when they listened to what had happened in Iran in the last year. 'You are right, Theocracy is no good'.
The interrogations and the excessive amount of paper work for their release took all night. 'You have made my life like hell tonight with all this paperwork' one of them told Polona, but by the morning, not having had any food all night, the Chinese police were nice enough to buy them KFC. Kahina cheekily whispered to Polona, 'Do you think we could have an ice cream too?':)
Polona and Kahina returned to London, Heathrow on Thursday to a hero's welcome by the supporters of the Green Movement. 'They are not Iranians' but we are now one big global family who will push for democracy and human rights in Iran wherever we are, and we will look after everyone of this extended family, whether they are Iranians or not!
Polona and Kahina's Return to London:
'They are not even Iranians, They are not even Iranians'
I was at the screening of the documentary, For Neda, made by Anthony Thomas for HBO. The documentary was powerful and tear jerking as expected but I don't want to write about the documentary here. You can google and read commentaries and even watch the documentary yourself. What amazed me however was a question that was asked during the Q&A from Anthony Thomas and the brave Saeed Kamali Dehghan, who obtained much of the film footage from Iran.
Once again the 1953 coup was brought up! How many times have I said you can not have a meeting in this country about Iran without someone wanting to bring up the 1953 coup? Well last night was no exception again.
An apologetic woman sitting in the front, mentioned the 1953 coup and Britain's role in the overthrow of Mossadegh almost as a justification of why the regime was accusing the BBC of being involved in Neda's murder :)
As usual these know it alls forget one crucial fact. The clergy led by Ayatollah Kashani were the ones who let the thugs and hoodlums, who were in their pockets, lose on the streets to help the coup succeed. Followers of Ayatollah Kashani then hijacked power after the 1979 revolution. In other words those in power now and those who are pulling the strings of the thugs and hoodlums committing crimes on the streets today are the very ones who corroborated in the 1953 coup. The vast majority of the people in Iran, including the real victims of the 1953 coup, have got over it, so its time the apologetic British know it alls get over it too and stop making silly justifications for the wrongs of the rulers in Iran today.
Mohammad-Reza Jalayipour is from a revolutionary family. His father was one of the first recruits in the revolutionary guards after it was formed in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Shah and became the governor of Naghadeh in Iranian Kurdistan. Two of his uncles were martyred in defending Iran against Saddam Hussein's forces, Another one of his uncles was assassinated by the 'counter-revolutionary' groups in the eighties. Mohammad Reza Jalayipour has a degree from Tehran university and a Masters degree from London School of Economics.
During the last presidential elections, Jalayipour was an effective organiser of Moussavi's election campaign. That was enough to vilify him in the eyes of Ahmadinejad's administration despite his revolutionary background. Jalayipour was arrested after the elections in the airport as he tried to board the plane to London, where he planned to continue with his PHD at Oxford university and join his wife. He was released on bail after appearing on the show trials but was arrested again at his father's house yesterday.
'I told them why do you enter my house like this and search everything in this way? Are we thieves and murderers?' His father asked the five heavily built intelligence ministry agents who rummaged through all his belongings including his wife's clothing and underwear.
'They filmed everything in the house except the pictures of my martyred brothers. I asked them why do you not film them? So your puppet masters know what kind of a family you are doing this to. As the five heavily built men left the house, they told me 'Just remember, Ahmadinejad will be the president for a third term' '
Of course according to the Islamic Republic constitution, a president can only run for two consecutive terms only but then again it is not the first time that even the Islamic Republic constitution itself has been violated.
This is my first guest post ever since I started my blog. It is written by Andreas Moser, the German citizen who had to endure a week in Evin prison.
Why I will join the protests on June 12th
Saturday June 12th will mark the first anniversary of the rigged Iranian elections. The blatant electoral fraud sparked protests throughout Iran which the Iranian regime only managed to crush by remorseless force. The brutality of the crackdown opened the world's eyes not only about the nature of the Iranian government, but also about the dissent and the courage of a large part of the Iranian people. Since then, protests have flared up, been struck down, and flared up again.
For the past 52 weeks, Iranians and non-Iranians have gathered outside Iran's embassies and consulates and other institutions of the Islamic Republic all over the world to protest against this government. They will do so again this Saturday.
I have been asked by many friends: "What is the point of these protests? What will it achieve?" and I am prone to joining in the disappointment. For on the face of it, we - if I may use this inclusive term for all those who care about freedom, democracy and human rights in Iran - have not achieved anything. Iran is still governed by an autocratic regime which ignores the wishes of its people, oppresses all dissent, stifles free thought and speech, performs executions and demeans the female half of the population. For those who care more about international security or stability than about the domestic situation (although these two issues might be far more correlated than many outside Iran want to believe), the picture is none less grim: Iran continues to sow mischief in the region and has not been brought to a halt in its apparent striving for nuclear weapons.
The disappointment about the obvious lack of any progress is understandable. I share this disappointment. And the time might indeed have come to step up the actions, both for the international community in their handling of Iran, but also for activists and protesters.
So why will I still join the protests on June 12th despite my disappointment? In the end, for one reason:
In June 2009, I was in Iran myself. I had flown there to witness and join the protests in the streets of Tehran. On June 25th of last year, I was arrested by the Iranian Intelligence Service and taken to Evin prison for what should become the toughest week of my life. On the late evening of June 25th, after having been stripped of my clothes and possessions, being blindfolded and not being told where I am and why I am being kept, being shouted at in a language that I did not understand, I was waiting under guard in the yard of Evin prison for transport to a cell. At that moment, it turned 10 o'clock at night and like every evening, the city of Tehran burst into a loud and vibrant chorus of shouts of "god is great", a slogan which had become the symbol of the resistance. Even being surrounded by guards and still aching from a previous beating by the police, full of fear and uncertainty, I could not suppress a smile as I heard these chants from the rooftops and windows of the surrounding neighbourhoods. I felt that I was not alone. I felt that people like me were not forgotten outside of these darn walls.
Since then, I know about the value of moral support. It's the very least that each and every one of us can do.
A two-month investigation by Guardian Films and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals how hundreds of members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard are defecting - in protest at what they see as a 'betrayal' by the Iranian government:
These are austere times and we can not afford to have organisations and agencies that are just a total waste of public money. One such wasteful agency is OFCOM. Time and time again OFCOM has rejected valid complaints against Press TV for political reasons and for fear of sparking a diplomatic confrontation.
Former Press TV employees have told me how in the beginning they were careful and vigilant to abide by OFCOM rules but as OFCOM proved to be useless, Press TV directors got less and less worried to the point until which they explicitly stated 'Not to worry about OFCOM'.
The complaint is clear, Press TV knew Maziar Bahari was making confessions under duress and yet they still went ahead broadcasting it as a normal interview, clearly acting as a propaganda tool for a repressive regime and colluding in the torture and detention of a journalist. OFCOM however still hasn't made up its mind, so lets stop wasting money, save schools, NHS and the other vital services and cut down on this waste of space which can't stand up to Press TV.
I wonder if this Irish Garda helping Mottaki's thugs beat up an Iranian protester is going to become a new paddy joke depicting the sheer stupidity of this idiot in uniform. I always thought the police should stand up to the criminals and protect the innocent but this paddy here not only does not stand up to Mottaki's thugs using excessive force on the Iranian protesters, he actually joins in with the criminals as the protesters are taken out and punched and kicked down the stairs.
When people ask 'do sanctions work?' I always reply, it is as if asking 'do drugs work?' If you have a headache and you take a Viagara tablet, the chances are that it will not help your headache, but at the same time you cannot conclude drugs don't work, you have simply not taken the correct medication for your ailment.
Some of the sanctions against the Islamic Republic have been nothing but a farce. Ban on export of free software like Facebook and Gmail for example. Who was it supposed to target and how could it have been implemented? Are software like Gmail and Facebook exported or simply used on-line?
Then there is the question of how easy is it to get round the sanctions. Again using the example above, all one had to say was they were not a resident of Iran. Bit like the landing forms when you travel to America, one of the questions asked is 'Will you be taking part in any terrorist activities?' I can not imagine who would say 'Yes' to this silly question.
Imagine if Israel treated Palestinians or the flotilla passengers like the way these Afghan refugees are seen to be treated in this footage below.
These poor Afghan refugees are asked to slap themselves on the head and then slap their compatriots in front of them and then repeat loudly 'I will not come to Iran again'! while those ordering the humiliation can be heard creasing up with laughter in the background.
Hassan Khomeini is the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini. He is an accomplished wrestler and a martial arts enthusiast. I am told by people who have met him that this guy can really handle himself. On Friday which was the anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini's death, Hassan's speech was constantly interrupted by the pro-Ahmadinejad mob and he was accused of supporting the leaders of the 'sedition', as the regime likes to refer to the Green Movement. Rumours spread that Hassan Khomeini had then got into a fight with the Interior Minister, Mostafa Najjar, yet another revolutionary guard minister in Ahmadinejad's cabinet and that Hassan slapped Najjar a couple of times.
This morning Javanonline, a site affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, confirmed the rumour. Only it seems it was a bit more than a couple of slaps. Javanonline says, Najjar, had to be hospitalised in Chamran hospital as a result of Hassan's blows.
Pro-Ahmadinejad sites true to their Stalinist ways have now abandoned referring to Hassan as Hassan Khomeini and are now calling him Hassan Mostafavi to remove his family connections to Ayatollah Khomeini.
As usual, the Supreme Leader in Iran is quick to exploit what happened on the IHH organised flotilla to Gazza for his own power hungry agenda and is already calling for another such event, but as I have always said, if you kill, imprison and rape your own citizens you will not liberate anyone else either. Fortunately not all the Palestinians are fooled by the Supreme Leader's crocodile tears either. Below is a statement I received from Palestinian Human Rights campaigner, Ahlam Akram, regarding the recent executions in Iran:
'As a peace and human rights campaigner of Palestinian origin .. I do not believe that the existing regime in Iran is a representative of the Iranian aspiration to play a positive role for global peace and harmony . The inflammatory language the regime uses, does not reflect the kindness and the wonderful ability of Iranians to express their views and reach others in peaceful ways to resolve any conflict.
Worst are the executions the regime is committing against his own citizens without proper trials for demanding their rights of freedom of expression.
Such a regime that is not using the right path to protect his peoples interest and rights in the global village, will not be able to help Palestinians or get international support to their rightful non violence struggle to end the occupation and put an end to the conflict ..
Ahlam AKram
'
Meanwhile the flotilla news overshadowed Iranian FM Mottaki's trip to the Europen parliament. Most Iranian opposition outside Iran seemed to have forgotten about Mottaki's trip and were concentrating on the Gazza related news!
If you don't stand up to bullies and tyrants they don't just become audacious, they become arrogant, confident and more brutal as well. Ezzatollah Zarghami is one of Ahmadinejad's cronies heading the Iranian state broadcasting (IRIB). Speaking to a selected audience on Thursday, Zarghami didn't beat about the bush and without any worries, proudly admitted 'Yes, we jam satellite TV signals'.
Jamming satellite signals is against international broadcasting conventions and has a detrimental effect on the environment and the health of the citizens. Islamic Republic of Iran has been a persistent offender in jamming satellite signals for the last decade and if there was a shadow of doubt in anyone's mind that the Iranian regime is a persistent offender, surely the public admission made by the head of the IRIB on Thursday should convert any doubting Thomas to a Thomas the Believer. Yet the Iranian regime has jammed signals with total impunity. Not only broadcasters, governments, broadcasting watchdogs and trade unions alike have refused to stand up to the Iranian regime about the illegal jamming, the number of Islamic Republic propaganda channels broadcasting from commercial satellites have in fact proliferated.
When Ribal Al-Assad, the director of the Syrian opposition ODFS, was asked in the Carlton Club about the future of the Green Movement in Iran, he replied 'I have always supported the Green Movement in Iran, how can anyone not support such courageous people but one despairs at the lack of resolve by the West to stand up to the regime in Iran. One clear example being the jamming of BBC Persian and VOA Persian and how the Iranian regime has got away without any repercussions.'
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), head-quartered in Geneva, is the UN agency for information and communication technology affairs and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing broadcasting services. The ITU, however, seems just as incompetent as the Western governments on enforcement capabilities against Member States who contravene the international order. Seven months after the French National Frequencies Agency (ANF) appealed to the ITU to stop the Islamic Republic from blocking satellite signal broadcasts into Iran, there is still no action, except that now the head of IRIB even proudly and publicly admits they are jamming the signals.
Majid Tavakoli's ill mother in Shiraz, who has not been able to see her son, since Majid was imprisoned in December, has also gone on hunger strike today. 'What has my son done to deserve this? How can I eat when my loved one isn't eating?'
Two other prominent Iranian student movement leaders, Koohyar Goodarzi and Hossein Ronaghi Molki (aka Babak Khorramdin) are also on hunger strike. Koohyar's condition today meant he had to be taken to the prison clinic.
If only the world media reacted, if only the universities outside Iran showed a strong reaction, it could save Majid, Hossein and Koohyar.
The footage below is the voice of Majid Tavakoli's mother. She asks all of us wherever we are, do whatever we can to save her son, Majid.
Majid, a prominent leader of Iran's embattled student movement, was arrested in December, after making a speech on the anniversary of Iran's Student Day. The regime has demonstrated a pathological hatred towards Majid for his uncompromising stand and courage in resisting his captors who are demanding he publicly begs for forgiveness from the Supreme Leader.
There is now serious concern for Majid's health. Majid has developed respiratory problems since his incarceration. Majid also began a hunger strike four days ago after he was returned to solitary confinement again. What happened to the international student solidarity??
The release of the Iranian film maker, Jafar Panahi, on a bail of $200,000 today shows international pressure and campaigning to release prisoners of conscience does work. Panahi enjoyed the solid support of his world famous film celebrity colleagues, who included the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg etc.
At the Cannes film festival, a tearful Juliette Binoche, carried a large sign with Jafar Panahi's name on it and said 'I hope he will be here next year'. Time and time again it has been proven that persistent pressure and high profile campaigning does work.
I wish Western academics and universities would also learn from their film industry colleagues. One would have thought with all the Iranian students currently imprisoned, tortured and killed, the UK students and academics would also campaign for their colleagues. Yet sadly the evidence suggests otherwise, even at universities like SOAS, UCL and Durham where graduates of these universities are currently serving long term prison sentences, not only there isn't much appetite for campaigning, representatives of Ahmadinejad's junta administration continue to hold regular 'cultural' events and dinner parties. One wonders at the moral decline of UK academics, which sadly includes many Iranian lecturers, where a free lunch seems to be more preferable for them than standing up for basic human values.
Video of Bahareh Hedayat, Iranian student appealing for solidarity from Western universities before she received a 9 and 1/2 year sentence:
Picture of SOAS lecturer Anna Contadini, rushing to receive her award from Ahmadinejad :
Today is the anniversary of the liberation of Khorramshahr and Ahmadinejad who never spent a single day in the front during the war with Saddam, was desperately trying to exploit the occasion for one of his cheap publicity stunts. It could have been another publicity stunt, the rent a crowd were there, the state TV cameras were playing their usual tricks, only one thing did not go ahead as planned. Unemployed workers had rushed to the area and kept chanting 'Unemployment, Unemployment' and it was all heard on the State TV:
Is it any wonder a murderous government welcomes an assassin murderer and treats him like a hero? Of course not, so no need to say any more on that. Is it any wonder though that a Western democracy frees a killer and deals with a terrorist state?
Dr. Bakhtiar's killer, Ali Vakili Raad, was today freed and returned to Iran. Most Western media simply refer to Shapour Bakhtiar as the Shah's last Prime Minister, but Bakhtiar was a lot more than that. This mountain of a man fought in the Spanish Civil War as an International Brigadist against General Franco's Fascism. Later, he volunteered and fought in the Orleans battalion and in the French Resistance against Hitler. He spent a total of six years in Shah's prisons and was the only significant opposition figure to the Shah, who had the foresight to warn Iranians in 1979 that mixing religion and state will have tragic consequences. This mountain of man fought against despotism and tyranny all his life to the very end, and this is how a Western democracy betrayed him, time and time again.
Bakhtiar survived an earlier assassination which resulted in the death of two French citizens and the permanent paralysis of a French policeman. His assassin then, Enis Naqash, was also returned to Iran after some lucrative contract. Bakhtiar's murder and that of his secretary Soroush Katibeh was with the lucid collusion of the Mitterand government at the time with the Islamic Republic. France's betrayal and collusion with the terrorists is therefore not a one off event.
'Never underestimate the capacity of the French for moral relativism and plain double dealing, not to mention their ability to organise a swift coverup and to boldly tell blatant lies. That is the way of government in France and has long been so.'
The video below is a part of Ahmadinejad's promotional video during last year's presidential (s)election. The young girl in the video is the Iranian born French tennis player, Arghavan Rezai or Aravan Rezai as she calls herself. I have no idea who the other older chubbier woman is, it may be her mother, but since Arghavan Rezai has been overcome with so much emotion after meeting Mahmood Ahmadinejad and can't speak herself, the other woman starts speaking on Rezai's behalf until Ar(gh)avan composes herself:
Woman - She has been waiting for this moment to meet and speak to Mr. Dr. Ahmadinejad that is why she is so emotional
Reporter - What gift did you give to Mr. Ahmadinejad?
Aravan Rezai - Two tennis rackets
Reporter - Mr. Ahmadinejad is not a tennis player, is he?
Aravan Rezai - May be he will become one
Reporter - Do you love Mr. Ahamdinejad?
Aravan Rezai - Yes very much so
Reporter - Why?
Aravan Rezai - Because he has shown all the world the strength and power of Iran and I am really proud of him
So you would think this is a no brainer, Aravan Rezai is a traitor and a sycophant, full stop. Imagine my surprise however when I saw so many Iranians on Facebook, expats who call themselves supporters of the Green Movement outside Iran congratulating themselves on the recent success of this tennis player champion! First I thought may be they have never seen this footage but then further to my surprise they were still defending her. Below were some of their justifications:
- This was before the protests!
So, one year has passed, so many atrocities against the people of Iran have happened, protesters have been beaten, raped and killed, has she ever publicly regretted her appearance in this promotional video? No, in fact her and her father Arsalan Rezai have appeared numerous times on Iranian state TV. Her father is said to have won a large business contract as a reward for his daughter's appearance on Ahmadinejad's promotional video.
- Its not her fault, its her father's fault!
We can find some root cause for any traitor's actions, does it make a difference? We can say the same thing about a Baseeji saying its their family upbringing etc. at least Aravan Rezai lives in France and has more access to free information to make a judgement than a Baseeji in Iran. She certainly does not need the money either.
- She is only 22!
So? Is there a minimum age limit for being a traitor? If so what is it? Do you have to be 25+ before you can be labelled as a traitor? Again many of the Baseejis are 22 or even younger.
- She should be judged for her tennis ability and not her politics!
I am sorry, if she has taken such a politically blatant partisan side by her own accord, then she should face the music for her politics too.
- She may regret her support soon
If it happens, all well and good, until it happens, Aravan Rezai is a traitor.
Finally the last justification of these confused weak minded expats who get too excited and drop all their principles when they get celebrity struck:
- Her coach seemed to be wearing a green wrist band in the last match
Well she may have even been wearing a pair of knickers with shades of green, if she wants to be forgiven she should do a lot more. She can be just as vocal as she was in the above video.
If we do not learn to ostracise traitors and sycophants, then I am afraid we will live in tyranny for a long time. This all reminds me of a Persian poem about a proud eagle who is shot down by an arrow, when the eagle looks at the arrow, he notices the eagle feathers used in the arrow and laments 'What happens to us is no one's fault but our own'
Looks like the Western media also missed out on the comedy of what happened at today's press conference that was broadcast on IRI state media. Ahmadinejad starts his speech by reciting verses from the Koran in Arabic, the poor Iranian translator has no idea however what the Arabic verses are about and is unable to translate. The Brazilian president Lula thinks there is some technical difficulty and he is not hearing the translation. Ahmadinejad keeps asking 'No Translation?' until he twigs on at what is happening and says 'ok, don't worry about that bit' and the translation into Portuguese finally begins when Ahmadinejad starts speaking in Persian.
More than 95% of shops and businesses in the Iranian Kurdistan were reported closed on Thursday, which was in reaction to the shock news of the five executions last Sunday. Sadly the strike didn't get much publicity in the Western media. This New York Times article was the only one I could find which covered the strile. Pictures and footage of closed shops may not be categorised as sexy news for these news editors but I think they are missing out on the significance of what happened on Thursday.
Iranian Kurdistan has been reluctant to join the Green Movement until now, perhaps because of their mistrust of the fact that Moussavi was the Prime Minister in the eighties when the Iranian Kurds suffered much violence, but last Sunday's executions and the swift condemnation of the unjust executions by both Moussavi and Karroubi has broadened the Green Movement.
The writing on the walls of Nazee Abad in South Tehran : 'Kurdistan, Tehran is with you'. As I have said many times before, don't underestimate Ahamdinejad's administration in its capability to shoot itself in the foot.
The execution of the five in Evin prison on Sunday will not cower people into fear in the run up for the anniversary of last year's fraudulent elections, it has instead broadened the Green Movement. Lets build on that.
It wasn't enough for them to unjustly hang the Kurdish teacher, Farzad Kamangar in Evin prison on Sunday, now the regime not only refuses to give his body and belongings back, they have issued arrest warrants for the entire family members who have been 'making too much noise' outside the Evin prison.
Saltaneh Rezayi, Farzad's mother pictured here, Mehrdad Kamangar (Farzad's brother), Sarvar Kamangar (Mehrdad's wife), Shirin Kamangar (Farzad's sister) and Farzad's 15 year old nephew, Javid, have all been threatened with arrest by the Evin prison authorities.
Prison authorities have also refused to return the bodies of the other four executed on Sunday, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alamhouli, Ali Heydarian and Mehdi Eslamian. The authorities have told the families that bodies will be secretly buried and they will be notified at a later date of the whereabouts of the burial places, in fear of the funerals turning into public protests.
Khalil Bahramian, the Iranian lawyer who represented Shirin and Farzad breaks down during this telephone interview with the Kurdish channel, Newruz, as he describes the injustice of these executions.
It was an uneasy day in Iran yesterday. Iranian Kurdish cities like Sanandaj and Kamyaran were said to be under virtual martial law and Ahmadinejad's unannounced visit to Beheshti University with ten bus loads of Baseejis, who were intended to be used as has his audience, sparked off the protests by Beheshti university students:
Meanwhile families of those executed on Sunday who had travelled to Tehran to collect the bodies of their loved ones were affronted by the Evin prison authorities who instead arrested some of the family members. Today it has been confirmed that the mother and sister of Shirin Alamhouli, who was executed on Sunday have now been arrested too.
More heavy sentences against other detainees have been announced, amongst them Hengameh Shahidi, the SOAS graduate, who has received six years imprisonment.
Mir Hussein Moussavi today condemned Sunday's executions by issuing the statement below:
'The sudden announcement of the execution of five of our citizens without any illuminating explanations given to the public about their charges and the judicial process is similar to the unjust processes we have seen in the last months and the bizarre sentences handed out to many of our loyal men and women citizens.
When the judiciary takes the side of those who are in power instead of the true victims, it is difficult to stop the cynical judgement made by the population towards these sentences. How is it that the judiciary ignores bringing to justice the perpetrators of crimes in Kahrizak, Tehran university dormitory, Sobhan residents and the crimes committed against peaceful protesters in June last year and on the Ashura? How is it that huge corruption cases are closed without ever being investigated and yet just as the anniversary of last year's events approach, five citizens are hanged without the proper judiciary process and with much doubt surrounding their charges? Is this the justice the Iranian people were after and promised?'
'A regime which links earthquakes to the way women dress has no credibility when it tries to label civil activists as bombers and terrorists' - KDP spokesperson today.
Iranians across the world have been united in condemning the callous executions of five Kurds in Iran this morning. There was a peaceful demonstration in front of the Islamic Republic embassy in London this afternoon. A group of Leftist Hekmatist supporters also attacked the IRI consulate in Kensington:
Five Iranians including a woman were executed this morning. Farzad Kamangar, the dissident Iranian Kurdish teacher, Shirin Alamhouli, Ali Heidarian, Farhad Vakili and Mehdi Eslamian were hanged in the early hours of this morning.
Their lawyers said they had not been informed at all about the sentences being carried out today.
I have been informed there will be a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy today at 5 pm, in protest to these executions.
Best result, from Thursday's UK elections for me so far, was Galloway coming third in the Poplar and Limehouse constituency. David Cohen has written a good piece on Galloway's demise: George Galloway 'loses respect of voters
Having lost his parliamentary seat as well as his 100K a year radio talk show, 'Mother of All Talk Shows', it now seems Ahmadinejad's administration is his last major source of income. Galloway's pay for just one of his Press TV episodes is more than an Iranian war veteran gets in a year.
It is not often that the leaders of the Islamic Republic praise Iran's pre-Islamic era. In fact Iran's pre-Islamic culture and festivities are very much frowned upon by the Islamic Republic leadership.
The regime in Iran does have a dual policy of what is said publicly, one is for the 'internal consumption' and one for the 'external consumption' as they put it. So when Ahamdinejad mentioned Cyrus the Great as the great king of Iran who abolished slavery 2500 years ago, in his UN speech, it may have stirred the hearts of some Iranian nationalists and those who pride themselves in Iran's pre-Islamic identity and history, but the more astute observers know that such gestures made by Ahamdinejad are just hollow window dressings to fool the gullible audiences.
In fact already, Fatemeh Rajabai (pictured above), wife of Ahmadinejad's governement spokesman, has criticised Ahmadinejad's statements in UN. This is a translation of Fatemeh Rajabai's criticism of Ahmadinejad's speech in UN for mentioning Cyrus the Great:
'The abolition of slavery in Iran's 2500 year history is ambiguous, and brings no glory for our Shiite history.'
'Sadly, Although Mr. Ahmadinejad, in his previous speeches always put his emphasis on the Hidden Imam, Mehdi, as the sole saviour of the world, and her holiness Fatemeh Zahra, this time, he did not speak like in previous occasions. Mr. Ahmadinejad always ended his speeches with prayers for the imminent resurgence of the hidden Imam Mahdi, and instead he ended his speech by talking about the love of human beings for one other and in my opinion this is not appropriate'
There you go, who says there is no freedom in Iran and you can not criticise?
Today is the Press Freedom Day and to highlight the vicious onslaught on Iran's press by Ahmadinejad's administration, protesters throw 300 newspapers rolled into footballs over the IRI embassy gates in Paris, in a symbolic action against the messianic regime's crackdown on press freedom. Protesters demanded the release of all imprisoned Iranian journalists. There are now more than sixty Iranian journalists languishing in the regime's prisons.
The event was organised by Reporters Without Borders - RSF. See Pictures:
I remember how an Islamic Republic apologist university lecturer, invited by Jeremey Corbyn MP to a parliamentary meeting was telling her audience how much freedom there is in Iran when Jafar Panahi is able to make films like Offside. Well Panahi is now also held in Evin prison. Originally he was charged with 'unpsecified crimes', then the charge was revised to making a film against the regime and more recently with making a 'naked' film!
Its good to see that finally some of the big names in Hollywood have rallied to Panahi's support, for Iran's freedom fighters need all the international support they can get.
as
