Posted on 07/09/2005 10:23:39 AM PDT by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Islamic Republic News Agency:
EU Calls on Iran to Release Ganji
The European Union has made "urgent representations about Akbar Ganji, a political prisoner detained in Iran", according to a statement issued Friday night by the EU's British Presidency.
He is believed to be seriously ill and reportedly in need of urgent medical attention, it said. READ MOREDoctorZin:
We have been getting phone calls saying that Ganji is now in a coma.
A new website in support of Ganji is now in operation. It has some interesting ideas. Check it out.
Update: International demonstrations around the world have been taking place in memory of the anniversary of the bloody crackdown of pro-democracy forces in Iran, July 9th.
Reports of demonstrations inside of Iran are scheduled for tomorrow. I will publish the reports as the come in.
- FrontPageMag reported that more and more young Iranians are resorting to violence against the regime and its representatives.
- Alan Peters, The Free Republic published: Operation "Sandblast" advocating the U.S. support a radical rethinking of U.S. policy. The following is an example of one such approach.
- Amir Taheri, Arab News reported the people of Iran are witnessing an impressive build-up of power around the newly elected president.
- Amir Taheri, The Times UK said, It may take some time before the full identity of the attackers is established. But the ideology that motivates them, the networks that sustain them and the groups that finance them are all too well known.
- Radio Free Europe reported that a U.S. court has sentenced an Iranian national to nearly five years in prison for trying to export parts for F-4 and F-14 jet fighters.
- The NY Sun reported that Jack Straw said the attacks in London bore all the hallmarks of Al Qaeda.
- Voice of America News reported that Iran's streets are full of children working illegally.
- Reporters Without Borders issued another statement saying Iran's judiciary continues to stall in Kazemi case, two years after her death.
- Victor Davis Hanson, National Review suggested that the British may react very differently than the Spanish did after Madrid — by doing nothing.
- Gooya News published a petition in support of Dr. Hossein Ghazian who was tried and charged with the alleged crime of cooperating with a belligerent state (the U.S.) through conducting opinion polls for Gallup Organization and Zogby Polling Institute.
- BBC News reported Tehran is considering building 20 new nuclear power stations.
- And finally, Iran Focus reports that a senior Iran cleric blames West for London bombings.
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Sad...comma=coma of course. I wonder if Jimmah Catah...validated these elections.
Headline - In a comma? That is tragico-humorous.
He can't possibly be in a coma, because Mortezavi said he's fine and eating jam. [</extreme sarcasm/> tag not necessary.]
Judiciary Continues To Stall in Kazemi Case
July 09, 2005
Reporters Without Borders
RSF
"For two years now, Zahra Kazemi's family has been waiting for her body to be exhumed and repatriated to Canada, and press freedom activists throughout the world have waiting for justice to be done, but the Iranian authorities have decided otherwise," the organisation said.
"The international community must support Canada's initiatives and force Iran to give a full account of the circumstances of Kazemi's death," Reporters Without Borders added.
The Canadian government has become very involved. After a sham trial cleared the leading suspect in July 2004, Canada announced in May this year that it would restricts its diplomatic relations with Iran until the Kazemi case is cleared up.
"Instead of justice, the Iranian authorities organise so-called explanation sessions," the Kazemi family's lawyer, Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, told Reporters Without Borders. "We, the lawyers and the family, want a real court to try and convict those responsible for this murder. The hearing scheduled for 27 July will be another explanation session, like the one on 16 May. I think those who are guilty are playing for time."
The Canadian government has proposed that three forensic experts, a Canadian, an Iranian and a third person appointed jointly by the two governments, should conduct an autopsy on Kazemi's body. The Iranian authorities have still not agreed.
There are many other unanswered questions. The identity of some of those who interrogated Kazemi while she was in custody has still not been revealed. The records of the interrogations sessions have been tampered with and the statements of some witnesses have been ignored.
Aged 54, Kazemi was arrested on 23 June 2003 as she was photographing the relatives of detainees outside Evin prison in northern Tehran. Beaten while in custody, she died of her injuries on 10 July 2003.
After trying to cover up what happened, the Iranian authorities issued a report on 20 July 2003 recognising that Kazemi's death was the result of violence. But the report failed to explain how the blow that caused her death was inflicted. Only an autopsy could now clear this up.
Against the wishes of her son, Stephan Hachemi, who has French and Canadian nationality and lives in Canada, Kazemi's body was hastily buried on 22 July 2003 in Shiraz, in southern Iran. Her mother publicly acknowledged that pressure was put on her to authorize the burial. Since then, Canada's requests for the body to be exhumed and repatriated to Canada have been ignored.
Following an Iranian parliamentary enquiry and strong pressure from Canada and elsewhere in the international community, the judicial authorities named an intelligence official who had been one of Kazemi's interrogators. He was charged with her death but was then acquitted in a sham trial on 24 July 2004.
When the case came before the Tehran appeal court on 16 May of this year, the court rushed through the first hearing in one hour. The Kazemi family lawyers said they were not allowed to speak and the defendant was not present. Journalists were expelled from the courtroom. The next hearing in the appeal is set for 27 July.
http://iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2005&m=07&d=09&a=4
Washington Must Plan Today For Democratic Iran of Tomorrow
July 08, 2005
Michael Rubin
Two weeks ago, obscure hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swept to victory in Iran's run-off presidential election. In his first news conference as president-elect, he vowed to continue Iran's nuclear program. "Today," Ahmadinejad proclaimed, "we can say that nuclear technology is our right."
A nuclear Islamic Republic would undermine any prospect for Iranian reform, Middle East peace or a cessation of the regime's sponsorship of terrorism. Yet even as Ahmadinejad's victory has undercut hope that European Union diplomacy can resolve disputes over enrichment in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, the Bush administration still lacks a consistent policy on Iran.
Washington's chief concern is not that Iran would use nuclear weapons — although Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president who lost the run-off election to Ahmadinejad but who remains the second most powerful man in Tehran, threatened to do just that on December 14, 2001. Rather, the administration's worry is that with a nuclear deterrent, Iranian hardliners might feel themselves immune from the consequences of their actions.
Washington's skepticism about Tehran's intentions is deep-rooted. In December 2002, American intelligence confirmed the existence of clandestine nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran. The Iranian government initially said that it had no outside assistance with its centrifuge program, but after tests by the International Atomic Energy Association, or IAEA, found traces of weapons-grade uranium on Iranian centrifuges, Iranian officials changed their story and said that the contamination came from imported equipment not previously declared.
Likewise, the Iranian government revealed to the IAEA on May 26 that contrary to Tehran's previous insistence that it had ceased plutonium work in 1993, such work had continued for another five years. And on June 15, Rafsanjani told the BBC, "It's possible that at times, Iran has not reported its activities."
Suspicions over the Iranian government's intentions have also grown because of its refusal to ratify the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty's Additional Protocol, drafted in response to the IAEA's failure to detect Saddam Hussein's pre-1991 nuclear weapons and approved in May 1997. More than 60 countries have ratified the new agreement, which subjects signatories to augmented reporting requirements and also grants the IAEA increased powers of inspection. In exchange, countries have enhanced access to technology.
Tehran, though, found a loophole: By signing but not ratifying the additional protocol, it gained the agreement's benefits, but remained outside the new inspection regime.
Statements by Iranian diplomats that the Islamic Republic's program is peaceful have been undercut by officials close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On May 29, hardline cleric Gholam Reza Hasani declared, "An atom bomb... must be produced as well. That is because the Koran has told Muslims to 'get strong and amass all the forces at your disposal to be strong.'" While Hasani is unpopular with most Iranians, he remains a confidant of the supreme leader and a window into his thinking.
The Iranian public, for its part, has had mixed reactions to the government's nuclear program. While pursuit of nuclear power is popular domestically, support among Iranians erodes sharply when they are asked not about Iran's right to nuclear technology, but about nuclear weapons. Shortly before the Iranian election, the Tarrance Group conducted a professional telephone survey of more than 750 Iranians. A plurality of respondents said that an Iranian nuclear weapons arsenal would add to their anxiety and discomfort.
Last month President Bush reiterated that "the Iranian people deserve a genuinely democratic system in which elections are honest and in which their leaders answer to them instead of the other way around." His administration, however, shows little inclination to work toward such goals.
State Department Policy Planning Director Stephen Krasner, for example, tapped an ExxonMobil Middle East advisor to advise him on Iran. She has since circulated papers friendly to the oil giant's policy of rapprochement and renewed trade with the Islamic Republic.
While the Bush administration has committed itself to support E.U. diplomacy with Iran, few officials believe the effort will succeed. Privately, many European diplomats say they believe it inevitable that Iran will get nuclear weapons — a tacit admission that their diplomacy is insincere. Some French and German officials have argued that Washington poses a greater threat than Tehran. By not demanding a timeline for diplomacy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has allowed Europe to filibuster as Tehran runs down the clock.
Meanwhile, as the Iranian nuclear threat grows daily, it becomes ever more clear that certain policies will simply not work — expecting United Nations sanctions against Iran when oil hovers at $60 per barrel is pure fantasy.
As for Europe's prescription of economic engagement, it will neither help reform nor take the edge off the Islamic Republic's excesses because of the structure of the Iranian economy. Perhaps a third of Iran's gross domestic product — and the bulk of its industry — are in the hands of bonyads, or "revolutionary foundations," whose heads are appointed by Khamenei. Enhancing business with Iran would inject capital directly into hardline coffers, bolstering their relative power. The beauty of Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech was that without violence, it shook investor confidence in the Islamic Republic, and hit the pocketbooks of the regime's elite.
Track II non-governmental efforts will also flounder because of the tendency of both American academics and European diplomats to serve as echo chambers for Iranian rhetoric and because Iranian authorities refuse visas to voices less dismissive of American security concerns. Likewise, enhancing academic and cultural exchange will fall short: At the height of President Mohammad Khatami's "dialogue of civilizations," the State Department issued 22,000 visas to Iranians; the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued only 800 visas to American passport holders.
No American official has called for invasion nor, despite accusations to the contrary, has there been any proposal to employ the Mujahidin al-Khalq — an organization guilty of terrorism against Iranians, Iraqis and Americans — in pursuit of regime change. The White House nevertheless has a number of policies that could empower Iranians to the point where they win the same rights for themselves that Georgians, Ukrainians, Lebanese and even Bhutanese have in the past year.
A democratic Iran might not abandon its nuclear program, but neither would it sponsor anti-American terrorism, undercut the Middle East peace process or deny Israel's right to exist. Democratization, therefore, can take the edge off the Iranian threat.
A good start would be Iran's labor unions, which Tehran seeks to license and control. Iranian workers complain of rampant regime corruption. Hundreds of textile plants have gone bankrupt in recent years, according to the Islamic Republic's own press. In one instance, a bonyad sold a plant; the new owner then laid off the workers and sold the land for his personal profit. Protests at one Isfahan textile mill led to the deployment of security forces. Iranian pilgrims in Iraq spoke of deteriorating conditions and increasing tensions in Iran's oil fields. Pollution has cut the lucrative Iranian caviar harvest.
There is no reason why — as Poland prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the Solidarity Movement — Europeans and Americans should support labor at home, in Latin America and in Southeast Asia, but deny aid to Iranian workers.
Washington should also take steps to bolster Iranian civil society. The January 30 elections in Iraq established voter participation as a measure of Middle Eastern government legitimacy, yet most Western journalists have accepted for last month's election voter participation figures issued by Iran's Interior Ministry.
Iranians visiting Iraq, however, contradict their government's statistics. While the Iranian government bragged about a 50% turnout in 2004 parliamentary elections, pilgrims suggested that in most provinces, the figure was less than 15%. The State Department should consider funding organizations capable of conducting independent surveys to reduce reliance on Tehran's often imaginary numbers.
America and Europe can also do much more to encourage that most cherished of Western values, freedom of speech. Iran hosts the world's third-largest blogging community. While authorities began cracking down on young web journalists in August 2004, Iranian youth are bold. They should have access to digital cameras and other equipment. Because the regime shuts down the cell phone network during demonstrations, student leaders should have satellite phones. Iranian satellite networks based in Los Angeles and elsewhere can also play an important role because of their immunity from regime intimidation.
As they near the 100th anniversary of their Constitutional Revolution, Iranians are increasingly bold in their demands for democracy. Washington should spare no effort to support them, cynical and counterproductive European resistance to democratization notwithstanding.
Should non-violent options fail, however, Bush may decide that pinpoint military strikes are the only mechanism by which to undercut the Islamic Republic's ambitions. And yet, his administration has yet to develop alternative strategies to fulfill his stated policy goals. As Iranian authorities pursue their race for nuclear weapons, American officials remain fumbling at the starting line, unsure of which direction to run.
In 2002, Rice delayed post-Saddam Iraq planning for fear of undercutting U.N. diplomacy. The Bush administration should not make the same mistake twice. E.U. efforts are nice, but the White House should not place all its eggs in a French basket.
Michael Rubin, a former staff adviser for Iran and Iraq in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and editor of the Middle East Quarterly.
http://iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2005&m=07&d=08&a=7
BUMP
Hey Khashayar, I'm REALLY GLAD TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE once again!
YOU WERE MISSED!
G8 statement on Iran
IRAN
- The leaders supported efforts by France, Germany and Britain to address through negotiations concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. The EU is seeking guarantees the programme is for exclusively peaceful purposes.
- Said important for Iran to combat terrorism, support Middle East peace and respect human rights/fundamental freedoms.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08102147.htm
Thanks!
We Iranian people condemn terrorist attacks in London and hope the attackers will be tried for their crimes against Humanity!
Ebadi says Zarafshan on medical leave from prison
July 10, 2005
Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi said here Saturday that her client Nasser Zarafshan is on leave from prison for treatment of kidney stones.
"Right now he is on convalescence after surgery. My client during this period, which will not be short, will be on leave from prison," Ebadi, who is one of the Zarafshan's attorneys, added.
Currently there is one week that my client has been out of prison, Ebadi added.
Zarafshan who was the attorney for the serial murder case was detained in August 2002 on charges of divulging state secrets and sentenced to five years in prison and 70 lashes.
Judiciary Spokesman Jamal Karimirad said here Saturday that the medial leave granted to Nasser Zarafshan could be extended depending on the opinion of doctors and submission of the related medical documents.
He told IRNA that Zarafshan is currently on furlough to receive treatment for kidney stones.
Zarafshan who was the attorney for the serial murder case was detained in August 2002 on charges of divulging state secrets and sentenced to five years in prison and 70 lashes.
On the latest conditions of the jailed dissident Akbar Ganji, he added that the news on deteriorating health of Ganji is not true.
"Orders have been issued by the deputy head of prison affairs for Tehran Public and Revolution Prosecutor Office for providing the necessary medical care to him."
Also deputy prosecutor General, Salar-kia has issued the necessary orders for Ganji's back treatment and for a scan outside prison if needed.
Salar-kia told reporters last week that a file containing over 2,000 pages on Ganji's medial treatment history including his respiratory condition is kept in Tehran Public Prosecutor Office.
He referred to Ganji's medical treatment on the latter's request saying "Ganji had refused to see the two doctors sent to examine him." Also, he said he has been in talks with Ganji's wife and attorney to facilitate dispatching Ganji to a hospital which has not occurred yet.
In June, Ganji was granted a weeklong leave for medical reasons subject to a probable extension depending on his medical report, judiciary officials said.
Ganji is reportedly suffering from asthma, with several internet news sites recently saying that he had gone on a hunger strike to protest alleged inattention of the jail wardens to his condition.
Ganji is serving a six-year jail term since January 2001 on a battery of charges, including for linking some of the country's top officials to a string of murders of Iranian intellectuals, which were blamed on rogue intelligence agents.
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0507100016013602.htm
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