Iranian Alert -- August 6, 2003 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST

The Iranian Student Movement Up To The Minute Reports ^ | 8.6.2003 | DoctorZin

[DoctorZIn]

...Finally! Someone writes about the BIG PICTURE.
Why isn't the rest of the media jumping on this story? ...

I agree. We need to encourage others to write about this story. Insightmagazine is not liked by many, but the sources for the story can be followed up on and new stories need to follow.

[DoctorZIn]

I thought that was the picture of an Iranian pro-democracy writer but I couldn't get the name straight.

[AdmSmith]

The picture was taken from http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/stand_up.htm

Do you have the link to the BBC site?

[F14 Pilot]

Yes, I have the link as it is shown below:

That University Professor criticized the rule of Islamic Clerics in society.
Aghajari said Muslims should not follow clerics "like monkeys"...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3053075.stm

Hashem Aghajari is a history professor at one of Tehran's universities and a disabled veteran of the 1980-88 war with Iraq.

He is an active member of the reformist Organisation of the Mujahideen of the Islamic Revolution (Mujahideen-e Enqelab-e Eslami).

He was sentenced to death for apostasy in November 2002.

He had enraged conservatives in June that year, when he questioned the rule of clerics and the principle of emulating religious leaders.

He said Muslims should not follow Islamic clerics "like monkeys". Many accused him of being Iran's Salman Rushdie.

The sentence sparked off a month of student protests.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei then ordered a judicial review of the case.

Second trial

Though Iran's Supreme Court quashed the death sentence in February 2003, the case was promptly sent back for retrial by the very court that ordered the execution.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhussein Elham said the court of the first instance must "correct procedural failings and issue a new judgement" - which, he said, "could be the same as the first".

In May 2003 Mr Aghajari refused to attend the first day of his retrial, in the north-western city of Hamedan.

His lawyer told the BBC that, in view of strong local feeling against his client, he had asked for the case to be transferred to Tehran.

In June 2003, against a backcloth of pro-reform demonstrations in Tehran, Mr Aghajari was reported to be among 250 intellectuals who issued a strongly-worded declaration accusing the ruling clerics of setting themselves in the place of God.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3053075.stm

[AdmSmith]

You are right, the sullivan picture was of Aghajari not Knomeini. Thanks for the correction.

[F14 Pilot]

You are most welcome!

[DoctorZIn]

The picture is of Aghajari. He is a brave man.

[DoctorZIn]

...somebody told Robert Novak...

Until the Novak piece, the reports have been rather consistently identified as 20 miles southwest of Havana.

[DoctorZIn]

This thread is now closed.

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[F14 Pilot]

Nine Iran Students Released After Khamenei's Order
Wed Aug 6, 9:07 PM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Tehran's public prosecutor on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of nine students jailed during pro-democracy protests in June and July, the official IRNA news agency said.

More at:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030807/wl_nm/iran_students_dc_1

[nuconvert]

I'm not impressed with the "somebody told Novak" story.
Another one of these unknown sources?

Honestly, I think WE (on the Thread) knew more of what was happening on this story, and sooner, than Novak did.
The Iranian embassy story was the first I'd heard that one.
I believe Bejucal has been the most consistent location given in stories.

[rockfish59]

Actually, I haven't been following this story.
But after reading post # 35, it's just about a carbon copy of the events in the book I'm reading on the Hungarians.

My advice? Do like they did and arm yourselves with Molotovs, grenades and any other weapons you can muster.

It's the only thing the brutes understand.