Posted on 07/28/2005 7:48:03 PM PDT by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Iran's Students Find Inspiration in Ganji's Protest
BY ELI LAKE - Staff Reporter of the Sun
July 28, 2005
WASHINGTON - A spokesman for Iran's union of student organizations, Tahkim Vahdat, says a hunger strike by jailed dissident journalist, Akbar Ganji, has inspired the country's democracy movement.
Separately, the regime, which is preparing for its new hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to take office on August 6, said yesterday that Iran plans to restart some nuclear activities as soon as next month, according to the Associated Press. Iran also has developed solid-fuel technology that will improve the accuracy of its missiles, the AP reported.
Mr. Ganji today enters Day 47 of the hunger strike he launched on June 11 when he was rearrested for urging Iranians to boycott last month's presidential election, as did Tahkim Vahdat. Mr. Ganji has demanded his unconditional release from prison, where since January 2001 he has served a sentence for attending a reformist conference in Berlin and publishing articles pinning a string of murders on regime leaders.
His cause has attracted worldwide attention, including support from President Bush, E.U. leaders, politician and former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, and a former Czech dissident and president, Vaclav Havel.
On July 18, Mr. Ganji was rushed from Evin Prison to Milad Hospital, where his wife has said his treatment has been worse than it was at Evin. While reports from Iran suggested doctors hooked up Mr. Ganji to feeding tubes when he arrived, his supporters have since said that the political prisoner has refused them.
In an interview yesterday, a spokesman for Tahkim Vahdat, Akbar Atri, told The New York Sun that starting in September, university chapters of his organization will hold a series of seminars on the prospects of a referendum on Iran's constitution, which enshrines the near-absolute power of the unelected supreme leader.
The prediction from the student group's spokesman is significant in light of Mr. Ahmadinejad's election last month.
The incoming president is widely considered a representative of Iran's fundamentalist militia known as the Basij, thugs often deployed to violently disperse student demonstrations.
"We still held a demonstration in front of Tehran University for Ganji even without proper papers and the police attacked us," Mr. Atri said, noting that the universities were on a summer schedule. "As soon as the universities open you will see more and more intense activities in support of democracy and Akbar Ganji."
While Mr. Ganji starves himself, the mullahs in Iran have scrambled in the public-relations blitz over his detention. The prosecutor who ordered Mr. Ganji's arrest, Saed Mortazavi, has told reporters that the dissident is not on a hunger strike. A leading conservative daily newspaper has suggested that Mr. Ganji is a pawn of the Bush administration, who would like for him to die.
All the while the Islamic Republic has grown bolder in negotiations over its nuclear program, which it kept hidden until 2003 from the international community. Yesterday, the country's outgoing president, Mohammed Khatemi, said that his country would resume some of the enrichment activities he pledged to stop, according to wire reports. The Iranians yesterday also announced that they had developed a solid fuel missile that could be capable of reaching Egypt or Greece, according to the AP.
Mr. Atri yesterday said he urged Europe and America to address the plight of Mr. Ganji and other political prisoners during negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. "It used to be said that raising human rights concerns from the West only discredited the reformers," he said. "But this is no longer true. We need as much pressure on the government now as possible. We accept support from everyone."
Mr. Atri left Iran in November and came to America in March. He said yesterday that one of the reasons he came here was to help educate the American people on the Iranian opposition.
"Europe is interested in the preservation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. America is interested in the preservation of the Iranian people. So I came here," he said.
Like Mr. Ganji, Mr. Atri was one of the architects of the movement for a referendum on the Islamic Republic's constitution. In the interview yesterday he said that the call for a referendum would continue in the fall.
Mr. Atri yesterday said that Tahkim Vahdat has 700 offices throughout the country, supporting 10 elected leaders for each chapter. He said that the size of chapters vary usually between 500 and 1,000 members, each retains the capability to launch nationwide demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience.
- Turkish Weekly reported that President Mohammad Khatami will submit a report to Judiciary Chief next week on violation of regulations in the presidential elections.
- Iran Focus, an MEK website, reported that Iran is secretly acquiring a rare form of ultra-strong steel to use as casing for nuclear bombs.
- Khaleej Times Online reported that Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, announced on Thursday that Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji might be released.
- BBC News reported that Iranian police have arrested at least 12 people in connection with fresh protests in Khuzestan province.
- Iran Focus, an MEK website, reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Republic’s top statesmen met behind closed doors to discuss the country’s uranium enrichment program and it was decided to wait until August 1 when their joint decision will be made public.
- USA TODAY reported that the European Union will offer Iran next week a guaranteed supply of nuclear fuel for civilian nuclear power plants.
- Khaleej Times Online reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad wants to meet a delegation from the Iranian Jews living in Los Angeles and The Iranian president is keen on attending the meetings of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- Amir Taheri, The Times UK said beards and scarves aren't Muslim. They're simply advertising for al-Qaeda.
- Yahoo News reported that Iran's outgoing reformist President Mohammad Khatami criticised the "obstinacy" of dissident jailed journalist Akbar Ganji.
- Haaretz Daily reported that Iran confirmed for the first time that it has fully developed solid fuel technology in producing missiles.
- Islamic Republic News Agency reported that a government spokesman expressed hope the case of the jailed journalist Akbar Ganji would be settled soon.
- And finally, Mahabad.org provided photos of the regime bringing in truckloads of trucks with heavy guns. The unrest in Mahabad (located in the Kurdish region of Iran) is spreading throughout the region.
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I believe Bobby Sands only made it to 66 days (March 1st to May 5th.) Checking the Wikipedia and the BBC, it looks like the IRA strikers lasted a reputed average of 70 days on hunger strike.
Thanks
I wish they would hurry up and have their next revolution b4 the mullahs start handing nukes out to Hezbolla and Osama.
"Mr. Ganji today enters Day 47 of the hunger strike he launched on June 11 when he was rearrested for urging Iranians to boycott last month's presidential election"
How can he not eat for 47 days (and counting) and yet still be alive? It don't make sense.
In another age, another time, this leftist would have been dead for trying to stop the democratic process, ie boycott of elections.
"I wish they would hurry up and have their next revolution b4 the mullahs start handing nukes out to Hezbolla and Osama."
If Bush wants a revolution, they will have one. It's up to him. The problem Bush has is that the rats will dog his every step.
That sounds a lot like it's "Bush's fault", is that what you mean to say?
How can Bush cause an Iranian revolution, I would think that if the U.S. got too pushy nationalism might kick in and the whole damn country might just hate us all over again?
Help me understand, thanks in advance.
Ganji's supporters in front his hospice
Poll on Ganji:
http://www.iranian.com/Poll/
If Bush wants a revolution, he could smuggle weapons there, coordinate bombings, etc. If he doesn't, he won't. That simple. Maybe the public will of Iran is not the way it's being shown here. Regardless, it's up to Bush to make the call. He has the intel. And, he also has the rats breathing down his neck, ready to fault him at the drop of a hat, or the drop of a pin. But on the other side of the coin, without Bush's help, or the help of another outside country [such as the new Iraq government], I doubt you will see a successful revolution in Iran.
"How can Bush cause an Iranian revolution, I would think that if the U.S. got too pushy nationalism might kick in and the whole damn country might just hate us all over again?"
If they hate their regime, the way it's being reported here, they would appreciate our help. If they don't, then they would not. I'm inclined to believe that Dr. Zin is very much on top of this. But that's just me.
thanks for the ping
Me too.
I'm praying for the Iranian people, they deserve better.
And while you're at it, please pray for America's soul. Those nit pickers who gripe about air conditioning at Gitmo are causing a lot of unnecessary death and suffering. It wouldn't do Bush any good to push forward if they could neuter him for it.
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