Persian Dissident-Human Rights Defender

Tough Days ahead

2005-08-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

While IRI has rejected the nuclear proposal, the human rights situation is getting worse.
Ganji is in avery abd shape after all these days on hunger strike as is Manouchehr Mohammadi. Ganji's lawyer is in jail, and Miss Soltani has said she nor anybody else is allowed to visit him.
The british ambassador in tehran, the french, and the italian have requested the unconditional release of the political prisoners.
Sir Dalton has maid a request to visit him in the hospital as had a European commissionair from the green party who has contacted the IRI embassy requesting a visa to visit Ganji in hospital. NO WORD ABOUT this from IRI.

Meanwhile in kurdish regions of IRAN a TOTAL GENERAL protest has been called for tomorrow sunday FOR ALL SHOPS, SCHOOLS, to remain closed in protest

Iranian Kurds are proud persians who have had to deal with the illigitimate regime. They have been protesting the brutal killings in the past few weeks while IRI is sending even more troops to quell the situation. Dr. Roya Toloui, a leading Kurdish human rights activist, was arrested Monday in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran's Kurdistan province, during a protest over the Ghaderi killing right after giving an interview to a german/persian radio station.

I had such hopes when president Bush said: as you stand for your freedom, america stands with you.
tgoo bad he had to go on vacation while persian people are getting their blood spilt standing for their freedom. Many iranians are losing hope for his support. Many of them in the US voted for him and now are wondering....
and Mr. Annan? ohhhhhh-boy! where to start.

Free Political Prisoners NOW

2005-08-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Manouchehr Mohammadi's mother after spending the night in hospital for hear problems has started a silent protest in front of Evin prison.
Pictures
the sign says" please hear the painful cries of political prisoners

Meanwhile kurdish unrest continues and the revolutionary guards are firing on protesters from helicopters.

Ganji's wife refuses to go to the hospital b/c it is not normal to meet sick people in hospitals under STATE SUPERVISION

Pictures of Reporters Without Borders protesting in front of IRANAIR in PAris for Ganji's release

Trouble

2005-07-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

Manouchehr Mohammadi is in coma. Ganji's wife thinks he is dying...

Pictures of gatherings at the Millad hospital to visit Ganji. They were denied and a reporter, Masud Bastani, was arrested on monday night. Furthermore an arrest warrant has been issued for one of the lawyers representing Zahra Kazemis's mother and Ganji.

Pictures from gathering in front of millad university:

Food for thought:

2005-07-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Gandhi ---------- Ganji

Speak your mind.

"We must be the change we wish to see"
Gandhi

NEW TALIBAN

2005-07-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

IRI's most recent actions:

Denying the most basic rights,
killing of under age youth,
torture, physical as well as psychological,
political prisoners on hunger strike,
beating, killing, torture of a kurdish youth, then beating people who protest their action.
Beating of peaceful protesters in support of political prisoners, arresting, and killing of a protesters while being tortured.
........so much more, daily, and even worse, hourly....bad news.

Is this the new Taliban?
Can the sons and daughters of Cyrus stand this?

Hunger Strikes

2005-07-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

While Ganji is battling for his life, Manouchehr Mohammadi, has been on hunger strike for 11 days and lost consciousness and has had internal bleeding.

In Mahabad, iranian kurdistan, after the brutal killing and torture of a dissident, the city has been fighting the brutality of the regime. For 9 days they have been demonstarting, many have been injured including women and so far at least one other young man has been killed. I received a report that attested to this fact and he was killed because he had a picture of the dissident tied to his chest.
WHY IS THE WORLD SILENT about the plight of people with this kind of torture?

Two Underage kids were hung in public in Mashad today for having sexual relationships and drinking alcohol. Iranian regime failed to mention their age (BOTH UNDER 18) to their propaganda machine, state controlled media.

WHERE IS THE UN? Koffi? KOOOOOFFFIII? hello koffiiiii?

Ganji Situation

2005-07-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

Although Ganji has been transferred the GRAND TORTURER Judge Mortazavi has said Ganji will be back in prison. Furthermore this TORTURER says he is fine, pictures are fabricated and his well being is great!!!!
THIS IS THE GUY who KILLED Zahra Kazemi.

Behrouz Javid Tehrani has been in solitary confinement for two months now. He was arrested at home 80 days ago. He already spen 4 years in prison in Karaj. He was arrested again in front of the UN in tehran in support of families of prisoners and was held for 6 month.
HE IS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.

PLEASE VISIT THIS SITE
http://www.democracyforiran.de/Iran_Eng_HQ.html

Ganji's Second Letter from prison

2005-07-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Second Letter to the Free People of the World, 1.
[Disclaimer: there are many quotations of other thinkers in the following letter. Unfortunately references are missing from the Farsi text of the letter published on the internet. We have translated the quotes back into English from Farsi, so they might not match word for word with their original. We will try to amend this in future revisions.]

This candle is dying out, but its voice will not

Today, Sunday July 10, 2005 exactly 30 days have passed since I started my hunger strike. In two phases of hunger strike (11 days in late May, and 30 days since June 11) my weight has reduced from 77kg to 55kg, which is a loss of 22kg in 41 days of hunger strike. Many inside and outside the country ask why I have staged a hunger strike and why I am trying to reach legitimate ends through self-destruction. Is it not true that practical rationality demands that the ends and the means to those ends be in proportion with each other? Is it not true that theoretic rationality demands that for all claims (opinions and beliefs) suitable reasons should be offered? Is my action consistent with practical and theoretic rationality? Am I not considered a madman by intellectuals and liberals and human rights defenders? Here I shall try, despite the extreme physical weakness that has completely worn me out, to share my views clearly with everyone.

1. The Crime of Dissent: A person who defends human rights and democracy via expression and fights authoritarian systems through peaceful means is called a dissident. Freedom of expression is a common goal of all dissidents. In ideological systems, dissidents challenge the ideology of the system by offering rival models [of thought]. Their only weapon is moral courage in exposing the violations of human rights and the tyranny of the rulers. Wherever human rights are violated and dictatorship and tyranny prevail and an ideology backs these two up, courageous dissidents will appear and despite the hardships oppose this process boldly. If this definition is correct, then given the history of my activities and what I have said and written, I am considered a dissident who is in jail for his dissent. The following two points confirm this claim:

1-1. Demanding democracy: In the words of Claude Lefort, the legitimacy of the power is based on the people but the image of the rule of people is intimately related to the image of an empty space that the executives of the public power cannot occupy. Democracy connects these two conflicting principles: first, that power derives from the people, and second, that power is not owned by anyone. However, democracy continues to live with this conflict; once this conflict is resolved or if it has already been resolved, then democracy will collapse or it has already collapsed.

In Lefort's terms, power is like an empty space and those who hold it are ordinary people who have occupied it temporarily. We are not dealing any more with a know-all, do-all guardian. In this system, there is no law that is unchangeable, whose statements cannot be criticized or protested and whose bases cannot be questioned. In a democracy the governors are directly chosen by the people to serve and be accountable for a limited and definite time span. Conditional limited power will end by the judgment of people.

I have stressed many times before that the ruling sultanist system of Iran is an undemocratic system. Unelected life-time leader is at odds with democracy. His power does not derive from the people, but rather he is claimed to have been appointed by God to rule over the people. He is not a regular person like all other human beings; his gap with ordinary people is the gap between the shepherd and the herd. This is the content of the incorrect theory of the Guardianship of the Jurisprudent [Velayat-i Faqih]. The ruling jurisprudent [faqih] is the custodian of the people and holds absolute guardianship over them. Whereas, a kind of anti-paternalistic argument is behind both democracy and human rights. That is, there exists no superior person who is qualified to decide for individual or social good (good or prosperous life), unless we have especially and within completely defined limitations given him such a power for a definite time. A virtue is only good if it is chosen freely, and for the choice to be free, there should exist a variety of options so that one could exercise his free will. The first political figure in democratic systems, is a regular human being capable of making mistakes, with definite powers under the control of the people and one who is elected by the people for a limited time. However, the theory of Absolute Guardianship of the Jurisprudent and what has been enacted in this regard in the constitution of the Islamic Republic, is essentially at odds with this approach. He [the jurisprudent] is not accountable to anyone, while all the power of the country is in his coil. We are facing two separate issues here. The issue of concept and that of the instances. Not only the theory (concept) of the Guardianship of the Jurisprudent is in conflict with democracy, but it also leads to an undemocratic system once it is realized in the outside world. The original theory is incorrect and undemocratic, and as a result its instance, in complete disagreement with democracy, has swayed all of the political arena in his hold and has formed a singular rulership under his orders.

1-2. Struggle for human rights: Human rights form a set of necessary minimum criteria for an individual to be able to lead a life in dignity and honor. David Beetham also considers human rights as the minimum necessary conditions for the individual's healthy and humane life. In the opinion of John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin, justice as fairness, is based on the assumption that all men and women are entitled to the natural right to equality in attention and respect, not a right that they have attained due to birth or trait or merit or moral distinction, but the right they hold merely as human beings capable of planning and demanding justice. In Dworkin's opinion, rights are not a divine gift but derive from the primary right to equality. [John] Finnis, too, shares Durkin's opinion and believes the main root of rights is the equality of human beings. In his words, the modern usage of rights correctly emphasizes [the concept of] equality, the truth that every human being is a fertile land for developing human characters and the importance of this development should be considered equally for all. In other words, the discourse of rights keeps the justice in the foreground of our considerations.

The connection between democracy and human rights is one of the problems of contemporary philosophy. Michael Freeman says: "the theory of democracy asks: who should rule?, and answers: people; the theory of human rights asks: how should the rulers behave?, and replies: they must respect the human right of all individuals. Democracy is a collective concept and democratic governments may violate human rights of the individual. On the other hand, the concept of human rights is created to limit the power of governments and to the extent that it puts the governments under public control it has a democratic character. However, human rights limit the legitimate power of all governments including democratic governments."

David Beetham considers public supervision of collective decision-making the core of democracy. In his opinion, the principle of equality of all citizens, gives them the right to express their views on public issues through associations of the civil society and participation in the government. If the right of all citizens to express their opinion on public issues and to supervise the government is the essence of democracy, "to implement this right we need, on the one hand, political institutions such as elections, parties and legislative assemblies and, on the other hand, guarantees for the group of human rights that are called civil and political rights and which are listed in conventions such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights."

In Beetham's opinion, the common human nature provides a single philosophical justification for democracy and human rights. Man's ability to make informed and logical choices or to act out of thought and purpose about the issues that affect his life, is a philosophical assumption about the nature of man. Democracy is founded upon admitting "the assumption that man is able to solve the problems that influence his communal or governmental life, such as the right to vote or run for public office." Human beings are capable of making decisions in public and private arenas and manage their lives. Ronald Dworkin believes individual rights are like trumps in the hands of individuals that the state cannot overrule even with the excuse of public interest. In his view, the moment these rights are recognized, they cannot be pushed aside. He says if a person has the right to publish his views, government officials cannot violate this right, even though they believe, correctly, that it would be in the interest of the society in general if they did so.

The author of these lines has exposed the cases of human rights violations in Iran several times. Here I point out a few examples of widespread human rights violation in Iran:

In the past few years, about 100 journals were banned all at once and journalists were sent to prison, following the explicit and public speech of Mr. Khamenei claiming that the press is the enemy's base. The judiciary officials have announced formally in interviews that they have persecuted the press following the words of the Leader. This is the meaning of freedom of expression in the sultanist regime. After years of hard work and keeping journalists in solitary confinments they were unable to discover even a single enemy base. But the judiciary system never asked Mr. Khamenei to submit his evidence to the court or documents showing that the press are enemy's base, and now that it has become clear that that claim was false, the Leader is not prosecuted for trampling on the right of the press and journalists.

That is, the Leader is not equal to other people. He can accuse citizens with no evidence whatsoever without being prosecuted.

When Mr. Khamenei took hold of the Leadership of the system, he talked about "cultural invasion of the enemy" and the necessity to resist it. This was followed by [TV] programs such as "Hoviat"(1) and intellectual dissidents were butchered as agents of enemy's cultural invasion in the most brutal way by the top-officials of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Assassinating the opposition outside the country by "Foreign Servicemen"(2) was another part of the healing through murder' project. The terms, Eminence and Gray Eminence were forged to refer to the principle commander of this project. The killing of Zahra Kazemi was shaped on the same background. Zahra Kazemi is the only murder victim of the world without a murderer.

The brutal attack to the dorms of Tehran University and widespread arrests of beaten and oppressed students is another instance of human rights violation in Iran. Nowadays the students are not even permitted to hold a simple commemoration in one of the universities for the occasion. Sweeping political oppression is implemented in order to create a single-voiced society. In such a society only one voice must be heard: the voice of the Leader. There must be only one speaker and the rest should be listeners.

My pen is unable to describe the horrors that occurred in the pollsters' case. In my short leave [May 30 to June 11, 2005] I had a meeting with bloggers. They said that they were all taken to a bathroom, naked, and were filmed. Saeed Mortazavi had told them: "One day while you are walking in the street a car may hit you and you'll die. There are many accidents everyday; it would be just one of them."

(1) "Identity," a series of TV programs made to "expose" the foreign dependence of intellectuals and writers, at the direction of Saeed Emami, Deputy Minister of Intelligence. Emami was arrested in the arrests made after the project of murdering writers and intellectuals in the Ministry of Intelligence was exposed and mysteriously "committed suicide" while in custody. GO BACK.
(2) Perhaps a pun intended in the original Farsi: "farangi karan" is used to refer to "Greco-Roman wrestlers," a national sport in Iran. GO BACK.

Ganji NEEDS HELP

2005-07-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Pictures from demonstrations for Ganji:

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=3&no=237387&rel_no=1

2 Years Gone, but not forgotten by people

GANJI PICTURES --- SAVE THIS MAN

2005-07-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Look at what Ganji Looks like now!!
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE GANJI
Ganji Before:

Ganji NOW:

Yetserday's protests:
Arrests, beatings......

Smuggled Letter from GANJI

2005-07-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

The London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published a letter by Iranian political prisoner Akbar Ganji, which was smuggled out of his solitary confinement cell.

Ganji, an Iranian journalist who has published articles and a book that hint at senior Iranian officials' involvement in the 1998 assassinations of Iranian intellectual dissidents, has been in prison since 2001. From his prison cell, Ganji called for boycotting the recent Iranian presidential elections on the grounds that they perpetuate the totalitarian nature of the Islamic Republic, particularly of Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei.

Last month, following reports that his health was deteriorating and that he was on a hunger strike, he was granted furlough from prison to receive medical treatment. However, while staying with friends, he was abruptly taken back to prison by order of Tehran's General Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi.

The following are excerpts from the letter: [1]

The Islamic Prosecutor Wants to Punish Me Until I Recant, Like Other Prisoners in Islamic Jails
"Lying has become a virtue among the totalitarian regimes, while for ordinary people it is a sin. The liars falsely claim that there are no political prisoners [in Iran] and that there is no solitary confinement. [2] Moreover, they insist that there are no hunger strikes in Iran's prisons, and that our prisons have turned into hotels. They think they can alter reality by changing words and their meaning. That is why they call the solitary confinement cells 'the special ward,' claiming that the problem has been completely resolved. They are known as 'liars' and as 'Islamic clerics'... and they deny imprisoning people for their opinions [and claim] that the detainees are suffering because of their own character flaw.

"The entire world knows of hundreds who have been incarcerated in Iran's prisons in recent years merely because they had different thoughts. Nevertheless, the liars deny that there are prisoners of conscience in the Islamic Republic. Tehran's Islamic Prosecutor [Saeed Mortazavi] fabricated a few stories about the circumstances of my arrest. Once he made up [the story] that I was in solitary because I began a hunger strike, and the next day he denied I was on a hunger strike, and falsely claimed that I was in solitary to teach me a lesson. Recently he has been telling various stories that I am in solitary because I suffer from mental problems, and require medical supervision.

"What does this medical supervision consist of? The person is imprisoned in a dark unventilated dungeon, and is denied visits even if he is in need of medical supervision. In addition, he is prevented from reading newspapers or using the phone, and is denied the 20-minute period in the sun and fresh air given to every [other] convict.

"The Islamic prosecutor said he wanted to punish me until I have 'sobered up and understood the error of my ways and recanted, just like others in the Islamic prisons.'"

"Denying [Opinions] and Signing Recantations are Tactics Invented by Stalin, and the Islamic Republic [in Iran] has now Adopted Them."

"But if sobering up means denying my deeply-rooted beliefs, [they] have discovered with certainty that Ganji will never sober up. Denying [opinions] and signing recantations are tactics invented by Stalin, and the Islamic Republic [in Iran] has now adopted them.

"If necessary, I will continue a hunger strike until death. My fallen face today exposes the true character of the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has become a symbol of the just [struggle] against tyranny. My shattered face and frail body demonstrate the inherent contradictions of a regime in which the concepts of justice and tyranny have been transposed. Whoever sees me today asks me in astonishment: Is that you? Are you Ganji?

"I want the world to know: I am not sick, and I have not been on a hunger strike. My weight loss, from 77 to 58 kilos, is the result of the torture to which I have been subjected this past month. Why are the authorities refusing to allow the press to photograph me and to publish [the photos]?"

"If I Die, the 'Supreme Leader' [Ali Khamenei] Will Be Responsible for My Death"

"As I have repeatedly said: If I die, the 'Supreme Leader' [Ali Khamenei] will be responsible for my death. [This is] because Islamic Prosecutor [Saeed Mortazavi] is accountable directly to him. I opposed the absolute rule bestowed upon the 'Supreme Leader' because it runs counter to democratic values. I know that the 'Supreme Leader' will never accept even the slightest criticism. See how today, in the midst of the presidential elections, we witnessed how [presidential candidates] Rafsanjani, Karroubi, and Mo'in were punished.

"Islamic Prosecutor [Mortazavi] Speaks Openly of My Death in Prison"

"Islamic Prosecutor [Mortazavi] speaks openly of my death in prison. He told my wife: 'What if Ganji dies [in prison]? Dozens die in our jails every day; perhaps Ganji will be one of them.'

"What the Islamic prosecutor doesn't know is that Ganji may die, but the love of freedom, and the thirst for political justice will never die. Ganji may die, but humanism and the love of one's fellow man, and the hope and expectations for a better future, will never die.

"I will spend my time in solitary, but my heart will continue to beat for freedom. And some of the time I will hear prisoners cry for the windows of their solitary cells to be opened, to let the sun in."

FREE GANJI, Zarafshan and all others

2005-06-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

from our friend at: http://moriab.blogspot.com/

A plan to murder Ganji in "Evin" prison ! Ganji's wife : Please help us,tomorrow will be late.
Iran-emrooz :
Wed. June 22 / 2005

Wife of "Akbar Ganji" , imprisoned investigative journalist reports:

A plan to murder Ganji in "Evin" prison !

Masumeh Shafiei ( Ganji's Wife ) : Ganji explained to me that ; Mortazavi's ( Tehran public prosecutor - an accused of killing Zahra Kazemi) plan is to kill me by an imprisoned drug dealer and then they will say that; there was a fight between this two and one was killed ..

In a meeting that I togethr with Mr. Molaei ( Ganjis lawyer) had with Mr. Mortazavi , while I was worried about the safety of Ganji , Mr. Mortazavi said: In a daily bases many prisoners are dying in different prisons of the country , Ganji too; may become one of them.

Me and my children and Ganji's old mother are very much worried that a tragedy might strike at any time . Please help us,tomorrow will be late.

http://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/news/more/2299/

FREE GANJI, Zarafshan and all others

2005-06-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

Too many political prisoners in jail.
Ganji is in direct threat of death under the thumb of tehran prosecuter Mortazavi.

FREEDOM FOR ALL.

THESE ELECTIONS are just SELECTIONS. BOYCOTT the SHAM ELECTION.

PLEASE READ:
http://roozonline.com/11english/008066.shtml

PROTEST

2005-06-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

I will be joining the hunger strike as well.

HELP IS NEEDED

2005-06-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Rooz: Wife of human rights lawyer Nasser Zarafshan arrested in front of Evin Prison while protesting his imprisonment

Statement of Political Prisoners in IRAN

2005-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

6/8/2005 http://etesabghaza.blogfa.com/

We, the political prisoners, are going to start a strike on June 10th.

Our reasons and demands:

1. In protest of the exhibited, conditioned and undemocratic presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

2. In protest of humanrights violations by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

3. Freedom of expression and publication of one's opinion.

4. An unrestricted and unconditioned release of all the political and idiological prisoners.

We invite every freedom-lover, specially the students, to protest against this exhibited elections and show support for the political prisoners hungerstrike, by holding the Persian 3 coloured flag and flowers with the colours of the flag (green, white and red).

And once again we invite every persian to participate in this urban protest by boycotting the elections, by their civil disobedients, by working less and by participating in peaceful protest meetings.

We suggest to make June 17th (=election day) the "National hunger strike" day.

We request all members of independent press and media to support this movement from June 10th until July 9th.

Undersigned,

the political prisoners:

· Ahmad Batebi

· Hojjat Bakhtiari

· Mostafa Joukar

· Behrouz Javid Tehrani

· Dr. Farzad Hamidi

· Amir Heshmat Saran

· Heshmatollah Tabarzadi

· Omid Abbasgholinezhad

· Amir Abbas Fakhravar

· Saied Kamali

· Fattah Madani

· Akbar Mohammadi

· Manouchehr Mohammadi

· Shahram Hasanjani

Also a group of political prisoners who are in Rajaee Shahr of Karaj prison, who have already started their hunger strike since May 30th:

· Bina Darabzand

· Arzhang Davoodi

· Amir Saran

· Mehrdad Lohrasbi

· Valiollah Feyzmahdavi

· Khaled Hardani

FREE Mojtaba Saminejad NOW

2005-06-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

Sign this petition
http://www.iabolish.com/campaigns/campaign.php?id=Motjaba

FREE Mojtaba Saminejad NOW

2005-06-07T07:44:00.001-07:00

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23764

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2005/June/middleeast_June180.xml§ion=middleeast&col=

FREE Mojtaba Saminejad NOW

2005-06-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23764

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2005/June/middleeast_June180.xml§ion=middleeast&col=

PASS THIS NEWS

2005-06-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

There are currently 14 political prisoners are CURRENTLY on HUNGER strikes. And in the comming days, at the notorious Evin prison, the rest of political prisoners will be going on hunger strike on Friday before the elction day.

This news is being left out in the media around the world, while they are being gretaly supported by iranians inside.

It's About Time:

2005-06-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Helsinki Commission To Probe Trans-Atlantic Response To Iran Crisis
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 9
192 Dirksen Senate Office Building

http://press.arrivenet.com/pol/article.php/648015.html

2005-06-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

"THERE IS NO PEACE INTIL THERE IS JUSTICE"

Bloggers Help Needed.

2005-06-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today the MEK in London showed public hangings in Iran to raise the issue of human rights. http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4632052
First of all I have to say I have no affiliation with the MEK and do not support this cult. The true crimes of the Iranian regime have been well documented and it is people's ignorance not to know them. If everybody was aware of the atrocities this regime comits, the future of the people of iran will be brighter. I am sure of that. Iran, Persia, was the cradle of civilization where the great Cyrus proclaimed the first declarations of human rights. Iranians are still true to this but THE REGIME is not.

Warning: this site contains graphic pictures of the regime's atrocities
http://www.holycrime.com/

If bloggers passed this site around for the public to see what this dispicable regime does to it's own people, maybe we can raise the level of awareness.

I have been a firm believer of the fact that it is the HUMAN-RIGHTS issue that will bring down this regime and hand it back to the civilized,cultured, educated, freedom loving, and secular as well as plural PEOPLE OF PERSIA.

GANJI is on leave. What about the rest of dissidents and journalists in prison. AND WHAT ABOUT ZAHRA KAZEMI?
ZAHRA KAZEMI WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

New Pictures of Student protests today

2005-05-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

Students protesting the NOT FREE elections at the Tehran University:

see pics at:
http://www.iranpressnews.com/source/005245.htm

Ganji is very very sick. Bloggers mobilize.

2005-05-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

http://omidmemarian.blogspot.com/

this is a plea from a victim of the Islamic Republic's deception

2005-05-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2005/May/Elections/index.html

Message for Bloggers

2005-05-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story1386.shtml

persiandissident-HumanRightsdefender

2005-05-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

persiandissident-HumanRightsdefender

Saeed Mortazavi, Prime Suspect in the Zahra Kazemi Case
Maryam Kashani

Another court session has been held to review the Canadian – Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi’s death. This is while lawyers representing Zahra Kazemi’s mother do not consider the court fit to handle the case; a court without reporters; a court whose presiding judge Saeed Mortazavi is the prime suspect in the case.

Dr. Karim Lahiji, who represents Zahra Kazemi’s son Stephan Hachemi, notes that reducing the crime from quasi - intentional to non - intentional manslaughter and handling it at a court supervised by the prime suspect (Saeed Mortazavi), contradicts all laws, including those of the Islamic Republic.

He adds that the nature of a crime determines which court handles the case. Non - intentional manslaughter means there was no intention of killing, but the situation and conditions led to the murder. But Zahra Kazemi’s case does not fall into this category, as proven by investigations conducted by representatives of both the legislative and executive branches of the Islamic Republic. Zahra Kazemi was arrested and detained illegally. During detention, she was beaten and not taken to the hospital in time. The beatings led to her death. This cannot be classified as non - intentional manslaughter. This is an act of murder, and the punishment for this crime is different, so is the court that qualifies to handle it. For this reason, lawyers representing Zahra Kazemi’s mother have objected to the court’s qualification from day one”.

Lahiji further remarks, “It’s not just the question of maltreatment and torture. There are numerous charges involved. Zahra Kazemi was illegally remanded in custody upon orders of Judge Saeed Mortazavi. She was maltreated and tortured. The illegal detention continued. Mortazavi, along with his colleagues, including his deputy Arjomandi, interrogated Kazemi in Evin Prison. Mohammad Bakhshi, director of Evin Prison Security, who works directly under Mortazavi, deals the first blows to Kazemi. These were actually the devastating blows that led to the ensuing bleeding. As eyewitnesses reported, instead of taking her to the hospital, they put her in a car and took her to solitary confinement in Evin Prison, even though she could hardly walk. From 10 pm until 2 am, Mortazavi and Arjomandi interrogated her, while she obviously couldn’t even answer (due to her physical conditions)”.

Judicial Mix-Up

Lahiji speaks of a judicial mix - up in which the prosecutor becomes the complainant, as evidently manifest in the case of Zahra Kazemi. “That day, the Mortazavi – Bakhshi team were on alert because of the anniversary of July 9th (huge student protests four years before). As soon as Mortazavi hears about the arrest of a foreign correspondent in front of Evin Prison, he thinks of espionage, especially as Kazemi had traveled to Iraq before arriving in Iran. Mortazavi even tries to sue Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance’s Director General for Foreign Press Khoshvaqt for giving work permit to a spy. He, however, fails in this attempt as Khoshvaqt is close to the Iranian Leader. He, therefore, subjects Kazemi to all the pressure. At this point, Mortazavi no longer acts like a prosecutor who orders investigation into a crime. He rather turns into someone who is preparing a criminal file against Kazemi and in turn feels free to treat her in whatever way he wants. Even when Ministry of Information officials reject the espionage charge leveled against Kazemi, Mortazavi does not let go. He keeps on pressuring the half-dead Kazemi who was loudly complaining of a headache and refrains from sending her to the hospital”.

All these, step by step drew Kazemi closer to death. As such, “before anything else, the type of death should be determined, so that, on its basis, a qualified court could see to the case. But, unfortunately, this (rightful demand) has been overlooked”.

The world needs to know

2005-05-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

BREAKING NEWS: Iranian Christian Urges Prayers Ahead Of Execution Trial
Wednesday, 18 May 2005 (2 hours ago)

By BosNewsLife News Center

TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Former Muslim Hamid Pourmand, who faces execution by hanging for converting to Christianity, uttered the words "please pray for me," as security forces escorted him from a Tehran prison to a feared Sharia (Islamic) court, BosNewsLife monitored Wednesday May 18.

Pass this on Please. FORWARD WE GO

2005-05-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

This breaks my heart.
Pass this link to nay and everybody you know please:
http://www.iranettehad.org/swf/Iran_Eng_HQ.htm

An appropriate first post:-Help other bloggers:

2005-05-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Imprisoned blogger goes on hunger-strike
Reporters Without Borders today called on bloggers throughout the world to post messages in support of Iranian blogger Mojtaba Saminejad, who has been in prison since 12 February and who began a hunger-strike on 14 May. "The life of this young blogger is in danger as he is being held in a prison where several detainees have died or have been injured in violence between inmates," the press freedom organization said. "You must talk about him on the Web and in the media in order to put pressure on the Iranian authorities," the organization said, adding, "all bloggers must feel concerned about his fate and that of his two colleagues who are also imprisoned." According to his family, Mojtaba initially tried to file a complaint about mistreatment but his interrogators replied they were going to put him in a detention centre where he would "regret having complained." He is currently held in Gohar Dashat prison (in a Tehran suburb), which has a reputation for mistreatment of detainees. He shares his cell with non-political prisoners. Mojtaba's father, Sfar Saminejad, told the student news agency ISNA, "I wrote several letters to the authorities to complain about the unacceptable conditions in which my son is being detained, but no one replied." Mojtaba's hands and feet were in chains when he appeared in court on 11 May. A few days ago, Iranian bloggers launched a petition calling on the head of the judicial system, Ayatollah Sharoudi, to grant Mojtaba a pardon and unconditional release (http://alpr.30morgh.org/guest/archives/002216.php). An earlier petition was initiated shortly after his arrest (http://www.petitiononline.com/mojsn/petition.html). Two other bloggers and cyber-journalists have been detained since February. They are Mohamad Reza Nasab Abdolahi and Mojtaba Lotfi. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12.02.05 Appeal court confirms prison for cyber-dissident while blogger is reimprisoned Condemning the imprisonment of two Iranian Internet users in the past 10 days, Reporters Without Borders said Iran was undergoing the Middle East's biggest-ever crackdown on online free expression. Cyber-dissident Mojtaba Lotfi was imprisoned on 5 February after an appeal court confirmed a sentence of three years and 10 months in prison for posting "lies" on the Internet. Blogger Motjaba Saminejad, who was freed on bail of 500 million rials (43,000 euros) at the end of January, was reimprisoned on 12 February when a judge doubled the bail, making it impossible for him to raise the money. "How can Iranian officials parade at a UN summit on the Internet at the same time as they are jailing bloggers ?" Reporters Without Borders asked, referring to Iran's participation in a preparatory meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in two days' time. "We will go to this meeting to ask them to free the cyber-dissident and two bloggers who are in prison in Iran," the press freedom organization said. "We will also remind them that they will have to respect the undertaking given during the first WSIS stage, namely respect for article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." The sentence of three years and 10 months that was upheld on appeal was originally imposed on Lotfi, a theology student from the holy city of Qom, by a lower court on 14 August. But he was allowed to remain free at the time after paying bail of 650 million rial (55,000 euros). Lotfi used to be a journalist with the pro-reform daily Khordad, which the authorities closed in 2000. He was arrested for the first time in May 2004 and imprisoned in Qom after posting an article entitled "Respect for human rights in cases involving the clergy" on www.naqshineh.com, a news site about Qom. Naqshineh is also being prosecuted, above all because of its articles on the last legislative elections, and it has been blocked since March 2004 on the orders of the Qom authorities. Saminejad was told his bail had been raised to 1 billion rials when he was summoned by the Tehran prosecutor's office for a hearing on 12 February. He was first arrested in November 2004 for reporting the arrests of three fellow bloggers in his former blog (http://man-namanam.blogspot.com). While detained, his blog address was transferred to the blog of a group of hackers linked to the Iranian radical Islamist movement Hezbollah (http://irongroup.blogspot.com/). After his release, he relaunched his blog using a new address (http://8mdr8.blogspot.com), which may have the reason for his re-arrest. The other blogger currently in prison is journalist Arash Sigarchi, who was arrested on 17 January in the northern city of Rashat for keeping a banned blog called Panhjareh Eltehab (The Window of Anxiety), in which he reported the recent arrests of cyber-journalists and bloggers. The second stage of the WSIS is being organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under UN aegis in Tunis in November (see the official site : www.wsis.org). A preparatory meeting (prep com) is taking place in Geneva from 17 to 25 February.