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The Iranian Havel, Akbar Ganji
New York Sun ^ | July 6, 2005

Posted on 07/06/2005 3:59:43 PM PDT by F14 Pilot

When the leaders of the world's industrialized nations meet today in Scotland, they would do well to take time out from their policy debates to focus on the fate of Akbar Ganji, who is becoming known as the Iranian Vaclav Havel. He is the journalist and dissident entering his 27th day of a hunger strike inside Evin Prison. Over the July 4th weekend, the chief of Iran's society of journalists told IRNA that Ganji was in critical condition. If Bush meant anything when he proclaimed in his second inaugural, "As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you," it is hard to think of a more valiant effort of any individual to make such a stand.

Mr. Ganji is ostensibly in jail for telling the truth.

He was originally jailed in the 90s for publishing a book that exposed the role of the Mullahs in a string of murders of intellectuals. While in prison, he has written two manifestos on how ordinary Iranians can oust their rulers and build a true republic through civil disobedience directed against the Mullahs that have infantilized a great and proud nation by professing to rule over the souls of its people.

So when Mr. Ganji publishes a letter addressed to "free peoples everywhere," savvy persons take note. Mr. Ganji has earned the honor of being listened to. He writes that he lost more than 40 pounds and that his jailors keep him largely in solitary confinement and deny him time to walk outdoors. "Today my broken face is the true face of the system in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mr. Ganji writes. "I am now the symbol of justice. The justice that, if viewed correctly, puts on display the full extent of the oppression of the rulers of the Islamic Republic."

(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: akbar; bush; dissident; election; freedom; g8; ganji; hardliners; havel; iran; iranian; islam; jail; khamenei; kill; mullahs; paper; prison; radical; rafsanjani; release; terrorism; us; writer

1 posted on 07/06/2005 3:59:47 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
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To: DoctorZIn; McGavin999; freedom44; nuconvert; sionnsar; AdmSmith; parisa; onyx; Pro-Bush; Valin; ...

Iran's most prominent jailed dissident, journalist Akbar Ganji, seen here in May 2005, is still on a hunger strike and his health is deteriorating rapidly, his wife was quoted as saying(AFP/File/Atta Kenare)

2 posted on 07/09/2005 4:30:51 PM PDT by F14 Pilot (Democracy is a process not a product)
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To: F14 Pilot

FREE GANJI NOW

3 posted on 07/09/2005 5:45:40 PM PDT by Khashayar (Oh You Little...!)
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To: Khashayar

I fear for this mans life. What is frustrating to me is that no one is doing anything inside of Iran to save him.


4 posted on 07/09/2005 5:48:22 PM PDT by McGavin999
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To: McGavin999

There will be a protest by students and ordinary people on Tuesday to press the Islamic regime to release Akbar Ganji


5 posted on 07/09/2005 6:17:27 PM PDT by Khashayar (Oh You Little...!)
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