posted by Anonymous at 3:48 AM
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Saturday, January 31, 2004
Friday, January 30, 2004
Human rights watch
Iran
Briefing to the 60th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights
January 2004
Objective
The Commission on Human Rights should build upon the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution on the human rights situation in Iran by re-establishing a Special Procedure to monitor and report on Iran’s implementation of the resolution’s recommendations. The Commission should also call on the Iranian authorities to implement the recommendations made by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in its June report.
Background
Iran’s standing invitation to the Commission’s thematic mechanisms was a welcome development in 2002.
However, Iran’s human rights situation has steadily deteriorated since the 59th session of the Commission. In June and July armed plainclothes security forces attacked peaceful protesters. The Office of the Chief Prosecutor ordered the detention of scores of students, writers and journalists throughout the year. The use of torture in interrogations of political prisoners was highlighted by the death in custody of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in July. The visit of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression was undermined by the arrest and detention without charge of at least one activist who spoke with him in Tehran.
Iran held its first two dialogues on human rights with the European Union, but the sessions have failed to produce results.
Absence of Due Process. The Office of the Chief Prosecutor, led by Said Mortazavi, routinely ignored Iranian and international law by ordering the arrest of journalists, students and writers who criticized government policies. Few of those formally charged or tried had access to an attorney, and many trials occurred in camera. Human Rights Watch is especially alarmed by the routine use of prolonged solitary confinement in combination with videotaped confessions. Some political prisoners, including Taqi Rahmani, Hoda Saber and Reza Alijani, have been in detention without charge for at least six months, much of it incommunicado. Siamak Pourzand, a 74-year-old journalist and activist, has been held in detention for over nine months and his family members are greatly concerned for his health.
Freedom of Expression. Many journalists and writers remain behind bars solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression. These include Akbar Ganji, Hassan Youssefi-Eshkevari, Abbas Abdi, Iraj Jamshidi, Taqi Rahmani, Hoda Saber and Reza Alijani. Lawyers who defend writers, journalists, and activists who have spoken out against the government are also at risk of arrest and detention. Plainclothes groups have also threatened those who advocate publicly for human rights. The government has not held these groups to account, and law enforcement forces often stand aside during confrontations. Nobel Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi was recently threatened by Ansar-e Hezbollah members while addressing students at al-Zahra University.
In 2003, following the attack on the reformist press launched three years earlier which resulted in the closure of all but two reformist papers, the authorities turned to the budding internet media. Chief Prosecutor Mortazavi ordered the arrest of several popular weblog writers, including Sina Motallebi, and the government attempted to block access to web publications. On January 7, 2003, it was reported that the judiciary ordered the blocking of reformist news website Emrooz to Iranian internet subscribers.
Torture and Ill-Treatment in Detention. The routine lack of respect for basic due process, as well as the frequent use of solitary confinement and prolonged interrogations heighten the risk of torture and ill-treatment in detention. Many freed political prisoners report regular beatings with cables on the back and soles of feet, assault with boots and fists on the head and torso, and forced immobilization in contorted positions. These methods are often used during and prior to interrogations and demands for videotaped or signed confessions.
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention expressed concern in its June 2003 report about lack of access to counsel, abuse of solitary confinement practices, and breaches of due process.
Discrimination Against Religious and Ethnic Minorities. The lack of public school education in the Kurdish language remains a perennial source of Kurdish frustration. Followers of the Baha'i faith also continue to face persecution, including being denied permission to worship or to carry out other communal affairs publicly. At least four Baha'is are serving prison terms for their religious beliefs.
Recommendations
The Commission on Human Rights should:
Re-establish a special mechanism to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Iran.
Call on the Iranian authorities to facilitate visits by the U.N. Special Rapporteurs on violence against women, torture, and freedom of religion; and make public and time-based commitments to full implementation of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other Special Rapporteurs’ recommendations.
Call on Iran to:
ratify the CEDAW and CAT treaties, and announce an official review of reservations entered upon ratification of other major human rights instruments;
release all political prisoners;
authorize an independent and impartial investigation into judicial abuses by the Office of the Chief Prosecutor;
abolish of the death penalty for juvenile offenders (persons convicted for offences committed under the age of 18) as a first step towards total abolition of the death penalty;
amend the press law to safeguard freedom of the press and permit publications closed by unlawful judicial procedures to reopen;
establish strict limits on the use of solitary confinement in prisons, as well as the use of videotaped interrogations;
establish and enforce strict limits on incommunicado detention, and ensure prompt access to lawyers and family members for detainees. Courts should not admit as evidence incriminatory statements obtained through use of coercion; and
initiate a program of action to identify and address discrimination against minority groups.
Iran
Briefing to the 60th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights
January 2004
Objective
The Commission on Human Rights should build upon the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution on the human rights situation in Iran by re-establishing a Special Procedure to monitor and report on Iran’s implementation of the resolution’s recommendations. The Commission should also call on the Iranian authorities to implement the recommendations made by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in its June report.
Background
Iran’s standing invitation to the Commission’s thematic mechanisms was a welcome development in 2002.
However, Iran’s human rights situation has steadily deteriorated since the 59th session of the Commission. In June and July armed plainclothes security forces attacked peaceful protesters. The Office of the Chief Prosecutor ordered the detention of scores of students, writers and journalists throughout the year. The use of torture in interrogations of political prisoners was highlighted by the death in custody of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in July. The visit of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression was undermined by the arrest and detention without charge of at least one activist who spoke with him in Tehran.
Iran held its first two dialogues on human rights with the European Union, but the sessions have failed to produce results.
Absence of Due Process. The Office of the Chief Prosecutor, led by Said Mortazavi, routinely ignored Iranian and international law by ordering the arrest of journalists, students and writers who criticized government policies. Few of those formally charged or tried had access to an attorney, and many trials occurred in camera. Human Rights Watch is especially alarmed by the routine use of prolonged solitary confinement in combination with videotaped confessions. Some political prisoners, including Taqi Rahmani, Hoda Saber and Reza Alijani, have been in detention without charge for at least six months, much of it incommunicado. Siamak Pourzand, a 74-year-old journalist and activist, has been held in detention for over nine months and his family members are greatly concerned for his health.
Freedom of Expression. Many journalists and writers remain behind bars solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression. These include Akbar Ganji, Hassan Youssefi-Eshkevari, Abbas Abdi, Iraj Jamshidi, Taqi Rahmani, Hoda Saber and Reza Alijani. Lawyers who defend writers, journalists, and activists who have spoken out against the government are also at risk of arrest and detention. Plainclothes groups have also threatened those who advocate publicly for human rights. The government has not held these groups to account, and law enforcement forces often stand aside during confrontations. Nobel Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi was recently threatened by Ansar-e Hezbollah members while addressing students at al-Zahra University.
In 2003, following the attack on the reformist press launched three years earlier which resulted in the closure of all but two reformist papers, the authorities turned to the budding internet media. Chief Prosecutor Mortazavi ordered the arrest of several popular weblog writers, including Sina Motallebi, and the government attempted to block access to web publications. On January 7, 2003, it was reported that the judiciary ordered the blocking of reformist news website Emrooz to Iranian internet subscribers.
Torture and Ill-Treatment in Detention. The routine lack of respect for basic due process, as well as the frequent use of solitary confinement and prolonged interrogations heighten the risk of torture and ill-treatment in detention. Many freed political prisoners report regular beatings with cables on the back and soles of feet, assault with boots and fists on the head and torso, and forced immobilization in contorted positions. These methods are often used during and prior to interrogations and demands for videotaped or signed confessions.
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention expressed concern in its June 2003 report about lack of access to counsel, abuse of solitary confinement practices, and breaches of due process.
Discrimination Against Religious and Ethnic Minorities. The lack of public school education in the Kurdish language remains a perennial source of Kurdish frustration. Followers of the Baha'i faith also continue to face persecution, including being denied permission to worship or to carry out other communal affairs publicly. At least four Baha'is are serving prison terms for their religious beliefs.
Recommendations
The Commission on Human Rights should:
Re-establish a special mechanism to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Iran.
Call on the Iranian authorities to facilitate visits by the U.N. Special Rapporteurs on violence against women, torture, and freedom of religion; and make public and time-based commitments to full implementation of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other Special Rapporteurs’ recommendations.
Call on Iran to:
ratify the CEDAW and CAT treaties, and announce an official review of reservations entered upon ratification of other major human rights instruments;
release all political prisoners;
authorize an independent and impartial investigation into judicial abuses by the Office of the Chief Prosecutor;
abolish of the death penalty for juvenile offenders (persons convicted for offences committed under the age of 18) as a first step towards total abolition of the death penalty;
amend the press law to safeguard freedom of the press and permit publications closed by unlawful judicial procedures to reopen;
establish strict limits on the use of solitary confinement in prisons, as well as the use of videotaped interrogations;
establish and enforce strict limits on incommunicado detention, and ensure prompt access to lawyers and family members for detainees. Courts should not admit as evidence incriminatory statements obtained through use of coercion; and
initiate a program of action to identify and address discrimination against minority groups.
posted by Anonymous at 10:17 AM
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www.peyvand.com
Iran: Human Rights activist deplores GC failure to ratify ban on torture
Secretary of the Islamic Human Rights Commission Mohammad Hassan Ziaeifar said on Tuesday that the Guardian Council's failure to ratify the Majlis legislation concerning ban on torture has had negative consequences for Iran in the international organizations, IRNA reported from Tehran.
He said that the sixth parliament had passed a legislation to ban torture and had voted for Iran's accession to the Convention on Banning Torture, but, the Guardian Council did not ratify the legislation and Majlis forwarded the legislation to the Expediency Council.
"The Articles 38 and 39 of the Constitution has banned torture under whatever pretext, but, it's not clear why the Guardian Council doesn't ratify the legislation to that effect," Ziaeifar said.
He said that death of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi and the claims of former prisoners indicated that the constitutional ban on torture is not being respected and the Guardian Council has obstructed the Majlis resolve to put an end to torture in the detention centers.
President Mohammad Khatami won a landslide victory in 1997 presidential election against the conservative rival for promising to enforce the constitutional rights of the people -- freedom of expression in the context of the Constitution -- constitutional ban on torture and respect for dignity of the people.
The president enjoyed the same public support in 2001 presidential election for the national resolve to help bring about reform in Iranian governing system in line with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic.
The reform movement also gained momentum in the year 2000, when the reformist candidates unseated the conservatives from the parliament promising to uphold the constitutional rights of the people.
The Guardian Council's rejection of the Majlis legislation blocked the reform movement depriving the people to attain their constitutional rights enshrined in the constitution.
In the meantime, the Constitution has envisaged amendment to the national treaty when implementing the constitutional provisions faces difficulty for whatever reason.
Since the public and the Guardian Council have currently developed a misunderstanding to the extent that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has intervened twice on a single case of election campaign, the necessity is rising for the senior statesmen to contemplate on amendment to the Constitution, because the young generation could not stand the same scenario after four years once agai
Iran: Human Rights activist deplores GC failure to ratify ban on torture
Secretary of the Islamic Human Rights Commission Mohammad Hassan Ziaeifar said on Tuesday that the Guardian Council's failure to ratify the Majlis legislation concerning ban on torture has had negative consequences for Iran in the international organizations, IRNA reported from Tehran.
He said that the sixth parliament had passed a legislation to ban torture and had voted for Iran's accession to the Convention on Banning Torture, but, the Guardian Council did not ratify the legislation and Majlis forwarded the legislation to the Expediency Council.
"The Articles 38 and 39 of the Constitution has banned torture under whatever pretext, but, it's not clear why the Guardian Council doesn't ratify the legislation to that effect," Ziaeifar said.
He said that death of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi and the claims of former prisoners indicated that the constitutional ban on torture is not being respected and the Guardian Council has obstructed the Majlis resolve to put an end to torture in the detention centers.
President Mohammad Khatami won a landslide victory in 1997 presidential election against the conservative rival for promising to enforce the constitutional rights of the people -- freedom of expression in the context of the Constitution -- constitutional ban on torture and respect for dignity of the people.
The president enjoyed the same public support in 2001 presidential election for the national resolve to help bring about reform in Iranian governing system in line with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic.
The reform movement also gained momentum in the year 2000, when the reformist candidates unseated the conservatives from the parliament promising to uphold the constitutional rights of the people.
The Guardian Council's rejection of the Majlis legislation blocked the reform movement depriving the people to attain their constitutional rights enshrined in the constitution.
In the meantime, the Constitution has envisaged amendment to the national treaty when implementing the constitutional provisions faces difficulty for whatever reason.
Since the public and the Guardian Council have currently developed a misunderstanding to the extent that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has intervened twice on a single case of election campaign, the necessity is rising for the senior statesmen to contemplate on amendment to the Constitution, because the young generation could not stand the same scenario after four years once agai
posted by Anonymous at 10:16 AM
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Stop child executions! Ending the death penalty for child offenders
Amnesty International
Execution of child offenders: summary of cases
Press release, 21/01/2004 IRAN
Mehrdad Yousefi -- executed in 2001
Amnesty International has recorded seven executions of child offenders in Iran since 1990. Most of these reports have been based on reports in the Iranian news media.
Most recently, the official news agency IRNA reported from the city of Ilam on 29 May 2001 that Mehrdad Yousefi, aged 18, had been hanged for a crime committed two years earlier.
A bill to raise the minimum age to 18 has been approved by the judiciary and was reportedly due to be introduced in parliament in late 2003.
Amnesty International
Execution of child offenders: summary of cases
Press release, 21/01/2004 IRAN
Mehrdad Yousefi -- executed in 2001
Amnesty International has recorded seven executions of child offenders in Iran since 1990. Most of these reports have been based on reports in the Iranian news media.
Most recently, the official news agency IRNA reported from the city of Ilam on 29 May 2001 that Mehrdad Yousefi, aged 18, had been hanged for a crime committed two years earlier.
A bill to raise the minimum age to 18 has been approved by the judiciary and was reportedly due to be introduced in parliament in late 2003.
posted by Anonymous at 10:11 AM
0 comments
Thursday, January 22, 2004
www.rsf.org
Reporters Without Borders voices concern to Canada and EU about stalled justice in Zahra Kazemi case
Reporters Without Borders expressed its concern to Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham and his 15 EU counterparts on 20 January over the stalled Zahra Kazemi case in which, it said, Iranian authorities appeared to be in no hurry to see justice done.
"Since the trial of the alleged killer was adjourned, there do not appear to have been any further developments in the case. The lawyers for the victim's family have not been allowed to look at the legal file so that they can properly prepare their case," said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders. "The authorities have not fixed any date for the adjourned hearing and we do not even know if the lawyers will have an opportunity to examine the complete file," he added.
The international press freedom organisation called on the foreign ministers to do all within their power to see that this case was thoroughly investigated and justice was done and to obtain the repatriation of Kazemi's body to Canada.
The journalist's body was buried in Shiraz in the south of the country on 22 July 2003, contrary to the wishes of her son, Stéphan Hashemi, a French-Canadian living permanently in Canada. As you know Zahra Kazemi's mother who lives in Iran, had asked for the body to be repatriated to Canada and had signed a request to that effect at the Canadian embassy in Teheran. The Canadian authorities moreover supported the request.
Despite this there was a hurried burial in Iran and since then, calls for the body to be exhumed and repatriated to Canada have fallen on deaf ears. The journalist's mother has said publicly that she had been put under pressure to allow the burial in Iran.
Reporters Without Borders appreciates Canada's initiative that led to a resolution in the UN General Assembly on 12 December 2003 condemning human rights violations that continue in Iran. In accordance with the European Parliament's invitation to the Council on 15 January 2004, our organisation strongly supports and encourages the European Union to present a similar draft resolution at the next session of the Human Rights Commission in particular to vigorously condemn unfair detention, which is still current practice in this country
The Iranian-Canadian journalist, who was living in Canada, was arrested on 23 June 2003 while photographing families of prisoners in front of Evin jail in the north of Teheran. She was beaten during her detention and died of her injuries on 10 July. After first trying to hide the cause of the journalist's death, the Iranian authorities recognised on 16 July 2003 that she had been "beaten".
Following a struggle between reformists and conservatives who mutually accused each other over the death of the journalist, an Iranian intelligence services agent, Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, was named as the suspected killer and arrested. His trial was adjourned on 4 November 2003. Lawyer Shirin Ebadi, who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize has said that she will defend the interests of Kazemi's family.
Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of independent journalist
Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of independent journalist Ensafali Hedayat, employed by a number of reformist dailies, who was arrested at his home by order of the Tabriz revolutionary court in north-western Iran on 16 January.
"We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Ensafali Hedayat, arrested without reason. We note that, with ten other journalists imprisoned, Iran is the Middle East's largest jail for journalists. We call on the Iranian authorities to free all of them, " said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders.
Hedayat had just returned from Germany where he attended the first conference of the union of Iranian Republicans in Berlin from 8-10 January. He had been accredited and covered the meeting as a journalist. The authorities, who searched his home, seized personal documents included data CDs and the hard disk of his computer.
Hedayat was previously arrested on 16 June 2003, at the University of Tabriz, where he was covering student demonstrations. Accused of inciting the students to revolt, he spent more than 20 days in solitary confinement. After his release on 14 July, he wrote a letter to President Khatami in which he spoke out against his prison conditions and against torture practised by the security forces.
Reporters Without Borders voices concern to Canada and EU about stalled justice in Zahra Kazemi case
Reporters Without Borders expressed its concern to Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham and his 15 EU counterparts on 20 January over the stalled Zahra Kazemi case in which, it said, Iranian authorities appeared to be in no hurry to see justice done.
"Since the trial of the alleged killer was adjourned, there do not appear to have been any further developments in the case. The lawyers for the victim's family have not been allowed to look at the legal file so that they can properly prepare their case," said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders. "The authorities have not fixed any date for the adjourned hearing and we do not even know if the lawyers will have an opportunity to examine the complete file," he added.
The international press freedom organisation called on the foreign ministers to do all within their power to see that this case was thoroughly investigated and justice was done and to obtain the repatriation of Kazemi's body to Canada.
The journalist's body was buried in Shiraz in the south of the country on 22 July 2003, contrary to the wishes of her son, Stéphan Hashemi, a French-Canadian living permanently in Canada. As you know Zahra Kazemi's mother who lives in Iran, had asked for the body to be repatriated to Canada and had signed a request to that effect at the Canadian embassy in Teheran. The Canadian authorities moreover supported the request.
Despite this there was a hurried burial in Iran and since then, calls for the body to be exhumed and repatriated to Canada have fallen on deaf ears. The journalist's mother has said publicly that she had been put under pressure to allow the burial in Iran.
Reporters Without Borders appreciates Canada's initiative that led to a resolution in the UN General Assembly on 12 December 2003 condemning human rights violations that continue in Iran. In accordance with the European Parliament's invitation to the Council on 15 January 2004, our organisation strongly supports and encourages the European Union to present a similar draft resolution at the next session of the Human Rights Commission in particular to vigorously condemn unfair detention, which is still current practice in this country
The Iranian-Canadian journalist, who was living in Canada, was arrested on 23 June 2003 while photographing families of prisoners in front of Evin jail in the north of Teheran. She was beaten during her detention and died of her injuries on 10 July. After first trying to hide the cause of the journalist's death, the Iranian authorities recognised on 16 July 2003 that she had been "beaten".
Following a struggle between reformists and conservatives who mutually accused each other over the death of the journalist, an Iranian intelligence services agent, Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, was named as the suspected killer and arrested. His trial was adjourned on 4 November 2003. Lawyer Shirin Ebadi, who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize has said that she will defend the interests of Kazemi's family.
Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of independent journalist
Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of independent journalist Ensafali Hedayat, employed by a number of reformist dailies, who was arrested at his home by order of the Tabriz revolutionary court in north-western Iran on 16 January.
"We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Ensafali Hedayat, arrested without reason. We note that, with ten other journalists imprisoned, Iran is the Middle East's largest jail for journalists. We call on the Iranian authorities to free all of them, " said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders.
Hedayat had just returned from Germany where he attended the first conference of the union of Iranian Republicans in Berlin from 8-10 January. He had been accredited and covered the meeting as a journalist. The authorities, who searched his home, seized personal documents included data CDs and the hard disk of his computer.
Hedayat was previously arrested on 16 June 2003, at the University of Tabriz, where he was covering student demonstrations. Accused of inciting the students to revolt, he spent more than 20 days in solitary confinement. After his release on 14 July, he wrote a letter to President Khatami in which he spoke out against his prison conditions and against torture practised by the security forces.
posted by Anonymous at 11:17 AM
0 comments
Saturday, January 17, 2004
www.nytimes.com/
French-Iranian Dialogue on Elections and Human Rights
By ELAINE SCIOLINO
Published: January 15, 2004
PARIS, Jan. 15 — With Iran embroiled in an internal political struggle, Hassan Rowhani, the head of Iran's National Security Council, and Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin of France clashed today over Iran's upcoming parliamentary elections and human rights.
Mr. Rowhani criticized France's decision to ban the Islamic veil from public schools.
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In blunt language unusual in diplomacy, Mr. de Villepin demanded that Iran's elections later this month be free and fair and that people who had been arrested for their political beliefs be released.
"We are following with close attention and interest the parliamentary elections coming in Iran," Mr. de Villepin told a news conference after the two men met at the Foreign Ministry.
He called the elections "an important marker of democracy" and urged the Iranian authorities to give their people freedom of choice, adding, "We hope that a page will be definitively turned with the upcoming legislative elections."
Mr. de Villepin also broached the sensitive issue of the continuing arrests of student demonstrators and other political activists, telling reporters, "I expressed our vigilance on the human rights situation in Iran, especially concerning prisoners of conscience, and I asked for a gesture of clemency."
With parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 28, Iran is mired in one of the most serious political battles in the 25-year history of its Islamic Republic.
In broadest terms, the confrontation reflects a brutal ideological and power struggle between conservatives who preach adherence to a vision of an Islamic state in which order and security are the priority, and reformers who are determined to inject more freedom and openness into all aspects of political, social and economic life.
Coincidentally, the battle comes at a time of stock-taking in Iran, as the country is poised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its revolution next month. Twenty-five years ago today, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi fled to Egypt with hundreds of pieces of luggage and a box filled with Iranian soil on what was officially announced as a "vacation." He never returned, and died 18 months later.
Mr. Rowhani, who is on a three-day visit to France, strongly defended Iran's electoral process, saying, "In the course of the last 25 years, Iran has accumulated enough experience concerning the democratic process."
Without singling out France, he rejected what he called "the interference of any country in the internal affairs of our county."
Instead, he focused on criticism coming from Washington. "The United States never speaks uniquely out of its concern for the future of the Iranian people," Mr. Rowhani said. "It pursues its own interest and tries to show hostility towards the Iranian people."
He also questioned the legitimacy of George W. Bush as president, saying, "The last American presidential elections, which took place in truly catastrophic and dramatic conditions, do not allow the United States to talk about elections in other countries."
On Monday, the State Department spokesman J. Adam Ereli called on Iran's government to disavow efforts by hard-liners to shape the outcome of the election.
As head of Iran's National Security Council, which is responsible for Iran's security, intelligence, military and strategic policies, Mr. Rowhani, a cleric, has emerged as one of the most influential political figures in Iran. He reports directly to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader and the most powerful political figure in the country.
Mr. Rowhani negotiated an accord last October with Mr. de Villepin and his British and German counterparts that commits Iran to agree to more intrusive international inspections of its nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency and a suspension of its activities to enrich uranium.
The need for Iran to fully comply with its promises was the main subject of discussion in Mr. Rowhani's meeting with President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday and figured prominently in the meeting with Mr. de Villepin today.
French-Iranian Dialogue on Elections and Human Rights
By ELAINE SCIOLINO
Published: January 15, 2004
PARIS, Jan. 15 — With Iran embroiled in an internal political struggle, Hassan Rowhani, the head of Iran's National Security Council, and Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin of France clashed today over Iran's upcoming parliamentary elections and human rights.
Mr. Rowhani criticized France's decision to ban the Islamic veil from public schools.
Advertisement
In blunt language unusual in diplomacy, Mr. de Villepin demanded that Iran's elections later this month be free and fair and that people who had been arrested for their political beliefs be released.
"We are following with close attention and interest the parliamentary elections coming in Iran," Mr. de Villepin told a news conference after the two men met at the Foreign Ministry.
He called the elections "an important marker of democracy" and urged the Iranian authorities to give their people freedom of choice, adding, "We hope that a page will be definitively turned with the upcoming legislative elections."
Mr. de Villepin also broached the sensitive issue of the continuing arrests of student demonstrators and other political activists, telling reporters, "I expressed our vigilance on the human rights situation in Iran, especially concerning prisoners of conscience, and I asked for a gesture of clemency."
With parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 28, Iran is mired in one of the most serious political battles in the 25-year history of its Islamic Republic.
In broadest terms, the confrontation reflects a brutal ideological and power struggle between conservatives who preach adherence to a vision of an Islamic state in which order and security are the priority, and reformers who are determined to inject more freedom and openness into all aspects of political, social and economic life.
Coincidentally, the battle comes at a time of stock-taking in Iran, as the country is poised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its revolution next month. Twenty-five years ago today, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi fled to Egypt with hundreds of pieces of luggage and a box filled with Iranian soil on what was officially announced as a "vacation." He never returned, and died 18 months later.
Mr. Rowhani, who is on a three-day visit to France, strongly defended Iran's electoral process, saying, "In the course of the last 25 years, Iran has accumulated enough experience concerning the democratic process."
Without singling out France, he rejected what he called "the interference of any country in the internal affairs of our county."
Instead, he focused on criticism coming from Washington. "The United States never speaks uniquely out of its concern for the future of the Iranian people," Mr. Rowhani said. "It pursues its own interest and tries to show hostility towards the Iranian people."
He also questioned the legitimacy of George W. Bush as president, saying, "The last American presidential elections, which took place in truly catastrophic and dramatic conditions, do not allow the United States to talk about elections in other countries."
On Monday, the State Department spokesman J. Adam Ereli called on Iran's government to disavow efforts by hard-liners to shape the outcome of the election.
As head of Iran's National Security Council, which is responsible for Iran's security, intelligence, military and strategic policies, Mr. Rowhani, a cleric, has emerged as one of the most influential political figures in Iran. He reports directly to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader and the most powerful political figure in the country.
Mr. Rowhani negotiated an accord last October with Mr. de Villepin and his British and German counterparts that commits Iran to agree to more intrusive international inspections of its nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency and a suspension of its activities to enrich uranium.
The need for Iran to fully comply with its promises was the main subject of discussion in Mr. Rowhani's meeting with President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday and figured prominently in the meeting with Mr. de Villepin today.
posted by Anonymous at 12:46 AM
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Resolution against the Iranian regime by the U.N. general Assembly
Suggestions for permanent monitoring and observation by the U.N.
Following the continuous efforts by Human rights organizations as well as political and social activists (both in Iran and internationally), the general Assembly of the United Nations, on December 22nd 2003, approved a resolution denouncing the Human rights situation in Iran. This was the 19th time in 20 years that such denunciation was expressed by the U.N. The draft resolution was adopted earlier, on November 21st 2003, by the Third Committee (Social and Humanitarian), where it had been submitted by Canada.
This draft proposal will “have the General Assembly express its grave concern about continuing human rights violations in that country. Also, the Assembly would call on that Government to abide by its obligations under the International Covenants on Human Rights to expedite judicial reform, guarantee the dignity of the individual, ensure the full application of due process of law, by an independent and impartial judiciary, and eliminate discrimination against religious minorities”
The resolution goes on to condemn long illegal detaining of political activists, journalists and students, and the use of tough punishments such as: dismemberment of hands and legs, whipping and public executions. Moreover, the rights of the religious minorities such as Jews, Christians, Sunni Muslims and especially the Ba'hai are not respected.
In addition to the condemnations, the resolution asks Iran to improve its human right situation and cooperate with U.N. inspectors.
Given the lack of result of all previous UN inspections in Iran, mostly due to divertive tactics, and various stratagems of the Iranian Regime aimed at crippling the work of the UN inspectors, we, Iranian Human Rights Groups in E.U and north America, ask the families of political prisoners, of murdered intellectuals and activists, of imprisoned students and journalists, of political execution victims, … to contact the relevant branches of the UN, either in person or by writing. We ask you to demand that from this date on, all UN Human Rights inspectors in Iran have full freedom of circulation anywhere in the country, and, more importantly, that the inspections be unannounced to Iranian authorities.
It is evident to us that the continuous surveillance and unrestricted UN inspections will play a key role in the improvement of the Human Rights situation in Iran.
Human rights defense association of Iran, Montréal, Canada (www.addhi.com) - Human Rights defense comity of Iran, Sweden (www.defakomite.com ) – The action committee for the release of Prisoners of conscience in Iran, Paris, France (irancalppo.free.fr ) – Center for tought, dialogue and Human Rights in Iran, Toronto, Canada (ctdhumanright@yahoo.com) - Vereinigung zur Verteidigung der Menschenrechte im Iran,Bremen, Deutschland (www.bashariyat.de) - Stichting voor de Verdediging van Democratie in Iran, Nederland ) kdaddih@hotmail.com) – Iranian – Canadian community Association of western Canada, Vancouver (yebarak@yahoo.ca) - Committee to Defend Human Rights in Iran, California, U.S.A. - ( defendhriran_ca@yahoo.com) - noran (supporting committee for human rights in iran ), Norway – (noranali2003@yahoo.no ) – Activist of Human Rigts (www.irantestimony.com), Committee for defense of Liberty and Democracy in Iran – Austria (demokrasi9@yahoo.com) , Union for Human Rights defense in Iran – Washangton, U.S.A
Suggestions for permanent monitoring and observation by the U.N.
Following the continuous efforts by Human rights organizations as well as political and social activists (both in Iran and internationally), the general Assembly of the United Nations, on December 22nd 2003, approved a resolution denouncing the Human rights situation in Iran. This was the 19th time in 20 years that such denunciation was expressed by the U.N. The draft resolution was adopted earlier, on November 21st 2003, by the Third Committee (Social and Humanitarian), where it had been submitted by Canada.
This draft proposal will “have the General Assembly express its grave concern about continuing human rights violations in that country. Also, the Assembly would call on that Government to abide by its obligations under the International Covenants on Human Rights to expedite judicial reform, guarantee the dignity of the individual, ensure the full application of due process of law, by an independent and impartial judiciary, and eliminate discrimination against religious minorities”
The resolution goes on to condemn long illegal detaining of political activists, journalists and students, and the use of tough punishments such as: dismemberment of hands and legs, whipping and public executions. Moreover, the rights of the religious minorities such as Jews, Christians, Sunni Muslims and especially the Ba'hai are not respected.
In addition to the condemnations, the resolution asks Iran to improve its human right situation and cooperate with U.N. inspectors.
Given the lack of result of all previous UN inspections in Iran, mostly due to divertive tactics, and various stratagems of the Iranian Regime aimed at crippling the work of the UN inspectors, we, Iranian Human Rights Groups in E.U and north America, ask the families of political prisoners, of murdered intellectuals and activists, of imprisoned students and journalists, of political execution victims, … to contact the relevant branches of the UN, either in person or by writing. We ask you to demand that from this date on, all UN Human Rights inspectors in Iran have full freedom of circulation anywhere in the country, and, more importantly, that the inspections be unannounced to Iranian authorities.
It is evident to us that the continuous surveillance and unrestricted UN inspections will play a key role in the improvement of the Human Rights situation in Iran.
Human rights defense association of Iran, Montréal, Canada (www.addhi.com) - Human Rights defense comity of Iran, Sweden (www.defakomite.com ) – The action committee for the release of Prisoners of conscience in Iran, Paris, France (irancalppo.free.fr ) – Center for tought, dialogue and Human Rights in Iran, Toronto, Canada (ctdhumanright@yahoo.com) - Vereinigung zur Verteidigung der Menschenrechte im Iran,Bremen, Deutschland (www.bashariyat.de) - Stichting voor de Verdediging van Democratie in Iran, Nederland ) kdaddih@hotmail.com) – Iranian – Canadian community Association of western Canada, Vancouver (yebarak@yahoo.ca) - Committee to Defend Human Rights in Iran, California, U.S.A. - ( defendhriran_ca@yahoo.com) - noran (supporting committee for human rights in iran ), Norway – (noranali2003@yahoo.no ) – Activist of Human Rigts (www.irantestimony.com), Committee for defense of Liberty and Democracy in Iran – Austria (demokrasi9@yahoo.com) , Union for Human Rights defense in Iran – Washangton, U.S.A
posted by Anonymous at 12:35 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 09, 2004
WWW.RSF.ORG
Iran - 2003 Annual report
ran remained the biggest prison for journalists in the Middle East, with 10 journalists in jail at the end of 2002. Once again the year was marked by very many suspensions of newspapers, legal summonses, arrests and prison sentences for journalists. The regime's reformist wing protested against these attacks on the media but were unable to restrain a legal system under the control of hardliners.
REPORT
Iran - 2003 Annual report
ran remained the biggest prison for journalists in the Middle East, with 10 journalists in jail at the end of 2002. Once again the year was marked by very many suspensions of newspapers, legal summonses, arrests and prison sentences for journalists. The regime's reformist wing protested against these attacks on the media but were unable to restrain a legal system under the control of hardliners.
REPORT
posted by Anonymous at 12:35 PM
0 comments
www.rsf.org
Eleven jailed Iranian journalists start the New Year in harsh prison conditions
Reporters Without Borders has expressed its indignation at the prison conditions of 11 Iranian journalists, most of them ill and in a very physically and psychologically weakened state.The international press freedom organisation renews its objections to their often-arbitrary detention and calls for their release.
"It is completely unacceptable for journalists like Siamak Pourzand, who is sick and 74-years old, to still be held in solitary confinement," said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders."The same goes for Ali-Reza Jabari, 60, who is suffering from heart problems and has even received 253 lashes. The journalists' families are not even allowed to bring warm clothing to the sick prisoners.". Ménard added that Reporters Without Borders remained very concerned by the cases of Taghi Rahmani, Reza Alijani and Hoda Saber, whose legal position was unclear at the least and for whom the legal period of being held in custody had long ago passed.
Information about the 11 jailed journalists :
Siamak Pourzand, freelance journalist for several independent newspapers, sentenced to eight years in prison, has been jailed since November 2000. This 74-year-old has been put under heavy psychological pressure and has been tortured during interrogation. In an open letter his wife said, "He is held in solitary confinement in the basement of Evin Jail. According to a diagnosis given on 30 July 2003 at the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Teheran he is suffering from an arthritic neck and worrying disc problems that will require an operation. He is unable to walk and to attend to his daily needs".
Ali-Reza Jabari, journalist with the monthly Adineh, jailed since 17 March 2003, was sentenced to three years in prison and 253 lashes. At over 60 years old, Ali-Reza Jabari has heart problems. Held in a cell with common-law prisoners, he has been treated even worse since a letter detailing his prison conditions was published on an Internet site. The prison authorities refuse to allow his wife to bring him warm clothing.
Hassan Youssefi Eshkevari, journalist for Iran-e-Farda, sentenced to seven years in prison, has been jailed since 5 August 2000. Diabetic and insulin-dependent and suffering from bleeding from his eyes, he was given a temporary release to seek medical treatment but his doctors say he urgently needs intensive care outside of prison.
Akbar Ganji, journalist with the daily Sobh-e-Emouz, sentenced to six years in prison, has been jailed since 2 April 2000. Suffering from an acute throat disorder, he was allowed a 10-day pass for treatment but doctors believe he needs an urgent operation.
Iraj Jamshidi, editor in chief of the financial daily Asia, held in detention since 6 July 2003, has still not been tried. On the eve of a visit from the UN special rapporteur, Ambeyi Ligabo, he was transferred from his isolation cell to a dormitory. Since then he has been returned to the basement of Evin Jail. He has been allowed only one visit, coinciding with Ligabo's trip.
Ali-Reza Ahmadi, also of Asia, jailed since 29 July 2003, and still remanded in custody.
Hossein Ghazian, journalist with the daily Norouz, sentenced to four and a half years in prison and jailed since 31 October 2002.
Abbas Abdi, of the daily Salam, sentenced to four and a half years in prison and held since 4 November 2002.
Taghi Rahmani, of Omid-e-Zangan, imprisoned since 14 June 2003, for no official reason, has been held in solitary confinement for nearly two months and has not been allowed to receive any visitors since 6 December. He was reportedly sentenced on appeal, in another case, to 13 years in jail.
Reza Alijani, editor in chief of Iran-e-Farda and laureate of the Reporters Without Borders-Fondation de France press freedom prize, imprisoned since 14 June 2003, for no official reason, held in solitary confinement for nearly two months and not allowed any visitors since 6 December. He was reportedly sentenced on appeal in another case to six years in prison.
Hoda Saber, managing editor of Iran-e-Farda, also held since 14 June 2003. He was reportedly sentence on appeal in another case to ten years in prison.
The Association for the Defence of Prisoners' Rights, set up at the end of December by the journalist Emadoldin Baghi (given a one-year suspended jail sentence on 4 December) and human rights activist, on 6 December 2003 released a statement in Teheran condemning the situation of Iran's jailed journalists.
A petition signed by more than 1,000 university students and professors was published and addressed to the 'Iranian people' on 5 January 2004, calling for the release of Taghi Rahmani, Reza Alijani and Hoda Saber whom it said had been "illegally and unfairly arrested".
Eleven jailed Iranian journalists start the New Year in harsh prison conditions
Reporters Without Borders has expressed its indignation at the prison conditions of 11 Iranian journalists, most of them ill and in a very physically and psychologically weakened state.The international press freedom organisation renews its objections to their often-arbitrary detention and calls for their release.
"It is completely unacceptable for journalists like Siamak Pourzand, who is sick and 74-years old, to still be held in solitary confinement," said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders."The same goes for Ali-Reza Jabari, 60, who is suffering from heart problems and has even received 253 lashes. The journalists' families are not even allowed to bring warm clothing to the sick prisoners.". Ménard added that Reporters Without Borders remained very concerned by the cases of Taghi Rahmani, Reza Alijani and Hoda Saber, whose legal position was unclear at the least and for whom the legal period of being held in custody had long ago passed.
Information about the 11 jailed journalists :
Siamak Pourzand, freelance journalist for several independent newspapers, sentenced to eight years in prison, has been jailed since November 2000. This 74-year-old has been put under heavy psychological pressure and has been tortured during interrogation. In an open letter his wife said, "He is held in solitary confinement in the basement of Evin Jail. According to a diagnosis given on 30 July 2003 at the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Teheran he is suffering from an arthritic neck and worrying disc problems that will require an operation. He is unable to walk and to attend to his daily needs".
Ali-Reza Jabari, journalist with the monthly Adineh, jailed since 17 March 2003, was sentenced to three years in prison and 253 lashes. At over 60 years old, Ali-Reza Jabari has heart problems. Held in a cell with common-law prisoners, he has been treated even worse since a letter detailing his prison conditions was published on an Internet site. The prison authorities refuse to allow his wife to bring him warm clothing.
Hassan Youssefi Eshkevari, journalist for Iran-e-Farda, sentenced to seven years in prison, has been jailed since 5 August 2000. Diabetic and insulin-dependent and suffering from bleeding from his eyes, he was given a temporary release to seek medical treatment but his doctors say he urgently needs intensive care outside of prison.
Akbar Ganji, journalist with the daily Sobh-e-Emouz, sentenced to six years in prison, has been jailed since 2 April 2000. Suffering from an acute throat disorder, he was allowed a 10-day pass for treatment but doctors believe he needs an urgent operation.
Iraj Jamshidi, editor in chief of the financial daily Asia, held in detention since 6 July 2003, has still not been tried. On the eve of a visit from the UN special rapporteur, Ambeyi Ligabo, he was transferred from his isolation cell to a dormitory. Since then he has been returned to the basement of Evin Jail. He has been allowed only one visit, coinciding with Ligabo's trip.
Ali-Reza Ahmadi, also of Asia, jailed since 29 July 2003, and still remanded in custody.
Hossein Ghazian, journalist with the daily Norouz, sentenced to four and a half years in prison and jailed since 31 October 2002.
Abbas Abdi, of the daily Salam, sentenced to four and a half years in prison and held since 4 November 2002.
Taghi Rahmani, of Omid-e-Zangan, imprisoned since 14 June 2003, for no official reason, has been held in solitary confinement for nearly two months and has not been allowed to receive any visitors since 6 December. He was reportedly sentenced on appeal, in another case, to 13 years in jail.
Reza Alijani, editor in chief of Iran-e-Farda and laureate of the Reporters Without Borders-Fondation de France press freedom prize, imprisoned since 14 June 2003, for no official reason, held in solitary confinement for nearly two months and not allowed any visitors since 6 December. He was reportedly sentenced on appeal in another case to six years in prison.
Hoda Saber, managing editor of Iran-e-Farda, also held since 14 June 2003. He was reportedly sentence on appeal in another case to ten years in prison.
The Association for the Defence of Prisoners' Rights, set up at the end of December by the journalist Emadoldin Baghi (given a one-year suspended jail sentence on 4 December) and human rights activist, on 6 December 2003 released a statement in Teheran condemning the situation of Iran's jailed journalists.
A petition signed by more than 1,000 university students and professors was published and addressed to the 'Iranian people' on 5 January 2004, calling for the release of Taghi Rahmani, Reza Alijani and Hoda Saber whom it said had been "illegally and unfairly arrested".
posted by Anonymous at 12:33 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Reporters Without Bordres
2003, a black year
42 journalists killed and a steep increase in other press freedom violations
...
In Iran, the Iranian-Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi was murdered in July. She was arrested while working on a report on students detained in the sinister Evin prison in Teheran after major demonstrations in June. Kazemi died while in detention. After initially trying to cover up the case, the authorities are now trying to obstruct the trial.
...
In Iran, where the court system is in the hands of the conservatives, journalists are jailed without restraint, particularly those working in the very active reformist press. At least 50 were arrested, more than the previous year. Most of them were tried in secret and some spent several months in solitary confinement. In Syria, in a move demonstrating the problem of achieving reform, the correspondent for the pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper was detained for several months for writing about preparations for the war in Iraq. This "preventive » detention was seen as a warning to all Syrian journalists, who are closely watched by the government.
....
Censorship is severe in Iran. The reformist press is rapped when it raises subjects such as the Kazemi case or the signing of the nuclear protocol. Thirteen newspapers were suspended for periods of up to five years by the judge Saïd Mortazavi in Teheran, major censor of the Iranian press.
...
Whole Report
posted by Anonymous at 2:54 AM
0 comments
www.gooya.com
Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran
"Ervand Abrahamian's cogent and engrossing history of imprisonment and resistance, drawing on a wealth of prisoner literature and testimony, chronicles the continuities and ruptures of modern Iran from the vantage points of its shackled dissidents. Readers will encounter some extraordinarily heroic men and women in this account of how Iran came to practice the techniques of ideological discipline and punishment characteristic of Inquisition Spain and Stalin's Soviet Union. Abrahamian shows... read more --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
The role of torture in recent Iranian politics is the subject of Ervand Abrahamian's important and disturbing book. Although Iran officially banned torture in the early twentieth century, Abrahamian provides documentation of its use under the Shahs and of the widespread utilization of torture and public confession under the Islamic Republican governments. His study is based on an extensive body of material, including Amnesty International reports, prison literature, and victims' accounts that together give the book a chilling immediacy.
According to human rights organizations, Iran has been at the forefront of countries using systematic physical torture in recent years, especially for political prisoners. Is the govern- ment's goal to ensure social discipline? To obtain information? Neither seem likely, because torture is kept secret and victims are brutalized until something other than information is obtained: a public confession and ideological recantation. For the victim, whose honor, reputation, and self-respect are destroyed, the act is a form of suicide.
In Iran a subject's "voluntary confession" reaches a huge audience via television. The accessibility of television and use of videotape have made such confessions a primary propaganda tool, says Abrahamian, and because torture is hidden from the public, the victim's confession appears to be self-motivated, increasing its value to the authorities.
Abrahamian compares Iran's public recantations to campaigns in Maoist China, Stalinist Russia, and the religious inquisitions of early modern Europe, citing the eerie resemblance in format, language, and imagery. Designed to win the hearts and minds of the masses, such public confessions--now enhanced by technology--continue as a means to legitimize those in power and to demonize "the enemy."
"Ervand Abrahamian's cogent and engrossing history of imprisonment and resistance, drawing on a wealth of prisoner literature and testimony, chronicles the continuities and ruptures of modern Iran from the vantage points of its shackled dissidents. Readers will encounter some extraordinarily heroic men and women in this account of how Iran came to practice the techniques of ideological discipline and punishment characteristic of Inquisition Spain and Stalin's Soviet Union. Abrahamian shows how the government's mass media production of forced recantations backfired by prompting Iranians to confront the mass- scale torture used to extract them and to ask what kind of state would inflict these horrors on its citizens." --Joe Stork, Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch, Middle East and North Africa Division
Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran
"Ervand Abrahamian's cogent and engrossing history of imprisonment and resistance, drawing on a wealth of prisoner literature and testimony, chronicles the continuities and ruptures of modern Iran from the vantage points of its shackled dissidents. Readers will encounter some extraordinarily heroic men and women in this account of how Iran came to practice the techniques of ideological discipline and punishment characteristic of Inquisition Spain and Stalin's Soviet Union. Abrahamian shows... read more --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
The role of torture in recent Iranian politics is the subject of Ervand Abrahamian's important and disturbing book. Although Iran officially banned torture in the early twentieth century, Abrahamian provides documentation of its use under the Shahs and of the widespread utilization of torture and public confession under the Islamic Republican governments. His study is based on an extensive body of material, including Amnesty International reports, prison literature, and victims' accounts that together give the book a chilling immediacy.
According to human rights organizations, Iran has been at the forefront of countries using systematic physical torture in recent years, especially for political prisoners. Is the govern- ment's goal to ensure social discipline? To obtain information? Neither seem likely, because torture is kept secret and victims are brutalized until something other than information is obtained: a public confession and ideological recantation. For the victim, whose honor, reputation, and self-respect are destroyed, the act is a form of suicide.
In Iran a subject's "voluntary confession" reaches a huge audience via television. The accessibility of television and use of videotape have made such confessions a primary propaganda tool, says Abrahamian, and because torture is hidden from the public, the victim's confession appears to be self-motivated, increasing its value to the authorities.
Abrahamian compares Iran's public recantations to campaigns in Maoist China, Stalinist Russia, and the religious inquisitions of early modern Europe, citing the eerie resemblance in format, language, and imagery. Designed to win the hearts and minds of the masses, such public confessions--now enhanced by technology--continue as a means to legitimize those in power and to demonize "the enemy."
"Ervand Abrahamian's cogent and engrossing history of imprisonment and resistance, drawing on a wealth of prisoner literature and testimony, chronicles the continuities and ruptures of modern Iran from the vantage points of its shackled dissidents. Readers will encounter some extraordinarily heroic men and women in this account of how Iran came to practice the techniques of ideological discipline and punishment characteristic of Inquisition Spain and Stalin's Soviet Union. Abrahamian shows how the government's mass media production of forced recantations backfired by prompting Iranians to confront the mass- scale torture used to extract them and to ask what kind of state would inflict these horrors on its citizens." --Joe Stork, Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch, Middle East and North Africa Division
posted by Anonymous at 2:25 AM
0 comments
www.spacewar.com
US wants Egypt to press Iran on weapons, terrorism and human rights
WASHINGTON (AFP) Jan 06, 2004
The United States said Tuesday it looked to Egypt to press concerns about Iran's nuclear program, alleged support for terrorism and poor human rights record amid signs Cairo and Tehran may be close to resuming diplomatic relations.
The State Department declined to comment specifically about the possibility of a formal resumption in Egyptian-Iranian ties but said Washington believed that all governments should use their contacts with Tehran to raise such matters.
"We do speak regularly to a variety of friends in the region, including the Egyptians, about the ongoing concerns we have with regard to Iran," spokesman Richard Boucher said.
He listed those concerns as Iran's "weapons of mass destruction programs, opposition to the Middle East peace process or Iran's especially poor human rights record."
"As far as how the Egyptians proceed, I think they certainly understand our position on this," Boucher said.
"It is important ... for us and all of us who are concerned about Iran's behavior in the region, particularly with regard to weapons of mass destruction and support for violent groups, to make that message clear to Iran," he added.
The comments came in response to questions about reports that a top Iranian official said Egypt and Iran would resume diplomatic relations within days.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said later that Cairo had made no such decision but said that relations with Iran were "on the right track."
US wants Egypt to press Iran on weapons, terrorism and human rights
WASHINGTON (AFP) Jan 06, 2004
The United States said Tuesday it looked to Egypt to press concerns about Iran's nuclear program, alleged support for terrorism and poor human rights record amid signs Cairo and Tehran may be close to resuming diplomatic relations.
The State Department declined to comment specifically about the possibility of a formal resumption in Egyptian-Iranian ties but said Washington believed that all governments should use their contacts with Tehran to raise such matters.
"We do speak regularly to a variety of friends in the region, including the Egyptians, about the ongoing concerns we have with regard to Iran," spokesman Richard Boucher said.
He listed those concerns as Iran's "weapons of mass destruction programs, opposition to the Middle East peace process or Iran's especially poor human rights record."
"As far as how the Egyptians proceed, I think they certainly understand our position on this," Boucher said.
"It is important ... for us and all of us who are concerned about Iran's behavior in the region, particularly with regard to weapons of mass destruction and support for violent groups, to make that message clear to Iran," he added.
The comments came in response to questions about reports that a top Iranian official said Egypt and Iran would resume diplomatic relations within days.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said later that Cairo had made no such decision but said that relations with Iran were "on the right track."
posted by Anonymous at 2:22 AM
0 comments
/www.hindustantimes.com
Iran arrests 'several spies' working for the CIA, says report
Agence France-Presse
Tehran, January 6
A number of Iranians accused of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and sending information over the Internet have been arrested, a top justice official was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
"Several spies who were in contact with the CIA and who were giving precious information... have been detained," military justice chief Hojatoleslam Mohammad Niazi told the Jomhuri Islami newspaper.
The paper did not say who the detainees were, but the military's justice department normally only deals with members of the Iranian armed forces.
"The enemy wants to infiltrate the heart of the armed force and weaken the convictions of the commanders," Niazi was quoted as saying during a meeting of clerics in the army.
He also called on clerics to "develop friendly relations with soldiers and their commanders" to foil enemy plots.
Iran arrests 'several spies' working for the CIA, says report
Agence France-Presse
Tehran, January 6
A number of Iranians accused of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and sending information over the Internet have been arrested, a top justice official was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
"Several spies who were in contact with the CIA and who were giving precious information... have been detained," military justice chief Hojatoleslam Mohammad Niazi told the Jomhuri Islami newspaper.
The paper did not say who the detainees were, but the military's justice department normally only deals with members of the Iranian armed forces.
"The enemy wants to infiltrate the heart of the armed force and weaken the convictions of the commanders," Niazi was quoted as saying during a meeting of clerics in the army.
He also called on clerics to "develop friendly relations with soldiers and their commanders" to foil enemy plots.
posted by Anonymous at 2:19 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 05, 2004
www.gooya.com
A letter with 1000 signatures to Iranian people about 3 prisoners
In the name of God , the existence giver,
Don’t let the malignance of those who commanded the imprisonment of the men of freedom be forgotten .
The great people of Iran , the conscious conscience of humanity:
The liberal movement of the nation of Iran , passing the many ups and downs , and keeping in mind the many toils and troubles , captivations , and torments , during this century , this time ,again after six months ,witnesses the imprisonment of three of the comrades of the fronts of freedom and enlightenment , Hoda Saber , Taghi Rahmani , and Reza Alijani , convicted of the recent protests of Khordad.
Those who discern that a nation’s growth depends on the development of honest and benevolent force , and object to any sort of monopoly over the public environment of society by a certain tribune , and those who prefer speech to unilateral and one_sided logic to which we are witnesses now , practiced by the power_thirsty regime .
Now,all those who were arrested by the conviction of these protests , are released in different ways, except those three , who are paying the expense of their free hartedness and their persistence ; in the age that people of Iran , tired of formal policies and superficial reforms , think of their futures.
Unfortunately, by the excess of the widespread injustice on the sons of this nation , the mind and the sense of the public against prison and imprisonment of the enlightened and the intellectuals , is made blunt and dull , and some , delighted by the negligence created , attend to spread disappointment and misery , which is the permanent tradition of the authority and the conceited power.
We , a sum of university students and the youths of this country , in this way ,remind that the three men, who have no guilt but thinking and daring to state their thoughts, after the arrest and imprisonment of Esfand, 1379, have been held in arrest since Khordad of this year(1382), without any lawful justification or excuse. The three men of wisdom and liberty who have stated their disapproval of the present conditions and of the injustice, their abhorrence of poverty, corruption, and under-development of the dear Iran, and have been in fancy of freedom and development; have been suffering months of imprisonment. This is while their families and their lawyers are not much informed about their condition, and the responsible authorities are silent about the illegal arrest of the three men.
Now, just because you are a human and you respect the value of humanity, wherever you live and whatever belief you hold, we request you not to forget this flagrant injustice.
We also request from all the activists and organizations of human rights to react with all power against the unjust violation of the rights of the men mentioned earlier and also of the other political prisoners, and to help us protest against the continuance of the imprisonment of our three imprisoned brothers, according to the unequivocal commands and principles of the universal announcement of human rights. And do not let the malignance of those who have commanded the imprisonment of the men of liberty be forgotten.
Signatures
A letter with 1000 signatures to Iranian people about 3 prisoners
In the name of God , the existence giver,
Don’t let the malignance of those who commanded the imprisonment of the men of freedom be forgotten .
The great people of Iran , the conscious conscience of humanity:
The liberal movement of the nation of Iran , passing the many ups and downs , and keeping in mind the many toils and troubles , captivations , and torments , during this century , this time ,again after six months ,witnesses the imprisonment of three of the comrades of the fronts of freedom and enlightenment , Hoda Saber , Taghi Rahmani , and Reza Alijani , convicted of the recent protests of Khordad.
Those who discern that a nation’s growth depends on the development of honest and benevolent force , and object to any sort of monopoly over the public environment of society by a certain tribune , and those who prefer speech to unilateral and one_sided logic to which we are witnesses now , practiced by the power_thirsty regime .
Now,all those who were arrested by the conviction of these protests , are released in different ways, except those three , who are paying the expense of their free hartedness and their persistence ; in the age that people of Iran , tired of formal policies and superficial reforms , think of their futures.
Unfortunately, by the excess of the widespread injustice on the sons of this nation , the mind and the sense of the public against prison and imprisonment of the enlightened and the intellectuals , is made blunt and dull , and some , delighted by the negligence created , attend to spread disappointment and misery , which is the permanent tradition of the authority and the conceited power.
We , a sum of university students and the youths of this country , in this way ,remind that the three men, who have no guilt but thinking and daring to state their thoughts, after the arrest and imprisonment of Esfand, 1379, have been held in arrest since Khordad of this year(1382), without any lawful justification or excuse. The three men of wisdom and liberty who have stated their disapproval of the present conditions and of the injustice, their abhorrence of poverty, corruption, and under-development of the dear Iran, and have been in fancy of freedom and development; have been suffering months of imprisonment. This is while their families and their lawyers are not much informed about their condition, and the responsible authorities are silent about the illegal arrest of the three men.
Now, just because you are a human and you respect the value of humanity, wherever you live and whatever belief you hold, we request you not to forget this flagrant injustice.
We also request from all the activists and organizations of human rights to react with all power against the unjust violation of the rights of the men mentioned earlier and also of the other political prisoners, and to help us protest against the continuance of the imprisonment of our three imprisoned brothers, according to the unequivocal commands and principles of the universal announcement of human rights. And do not let the malignance of those who have commanded the imprisonment of the men of liberty be forgotten.
Signatures
posted by Anonymous at 3:03 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 02, 2004
Domestic Account: Account No. 8080, Account Name: Ms. Shirin Ebadi, Bank of Saderat, Asad Abadi Square Branch (Br. No. 1238).
UNICEF
UNICEF
posted by Anonymous at 6:41 AM
0 comments
PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE 13/041/2003
15 December 2003
UA 364/03 - Fear of imminent execution
IRAN - Kobra Rahmanpour (f), aged about 22
Amnesty International fears that Kobra Rahmanpour is at risk of imminent execution. She was sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of her mother-in-law in 2000, and her husband, the victim's son, has demanded that the death sentence be carried out. According to a report in the Iranian daily newspaper, Yas-e No, the execution may take place within the next month.
On or around 10 November, Kobra Rahmanpour's husband reportedly presented documents establishing him as the legitimate representative of his mother's heirs. He is therefore entitled to request that the death sentence be carried out, as 'retribution in-kind' (qisas-e nafs). According to Iran's Penal Code, the decision to inflict retribution (qisas-e nafs) rests with the heirs of the victims. After being confirmed by the Supreme Court, death sentences imposed for murder can only be commuted if the victim's heirs forgo their right to retribution and ask instead for the payment of blood money (diyeh), or if the Head of the Judiciary invokes his power to revoke a finalized verdict if it is flawed, and refer the case to another court. It is reported that Kobra Rahmanpour's lawyer will ask for clemency from the victim's family.
Kobra Rahmanpour was reportedly arrested on 5 November 2000 after killing her mother-in-law. She allegedly acted in self-defence after her mother-in-law tried to attack her with a kitchen knife. At an unknown date, she was tried by Branch 1608 of Tehran's Criminal Court, where she was sentenced to death. Her lawyer has reportedly complained that the court did not consider, nor conduct any investigation into, her claim that the murder was in self-defence. Her lawyer is believed to have alleged that wounds on Kobra Rahmanpour's right hand had been sustained due to pulling the knife from the hands of her mother-in-law. In January 2003 her death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. Kobra Rahmanpour has been held in prison, possibly in Tehran, since her arrest three years ago.
It is alleged that Kobra Rahmanpour was forced into marriage against her will by her parents, and had been the victim of domestic violence since her marriage.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has recorded 106 executions so far this year in Iran, although the true figure may be much higher.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a state party. Article 6 of the ICCPR states: In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, English, French or your own language:
- stating that Amnesty International recognizes the rights and responsibilities of governments to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but strongly opposes the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment;
- urging that the death sentence imposed on Kobra Rahmanpour be commuted immediately;
- asking to be given details of the trial proceedings, and enquiring whether Kobra Rahmanpour has been allowed to appeal against her conviction and sentence as guaranteed by Article 14 (5) of the ICCPR;
- expressing concern at the lengthy imprisonment without bail of Kobra Rahmanpour
- calling for the allegation of self-defence to be properly investigated and considered in any appeal or re-examination of the case;
- urging the authorities to ensure that the victim's family is made aware of its right, under Islamic law, to pardon the condemned;
- reminding the authorities that the death penalty is in violation of the ICCPR, to which Iran is a state party.
APPEALS TO:
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Telegram: Head of Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 879 6671 (please keep trying; please mark "care of Director of International Affairs, Judiciary")
Salutation: Your Excellency
and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 27 January 2004.
AI Index: MDE 13/041/2003
15 December 2003
UA 364/03 - Fear of imminent execution
IRAN - Kobra Rahmanpour (f), aged about 22
Amnesty International fears that Kobra Rahmanpour is at risk of imminent execution. She was sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of her mother-in-law in 2000, and her husband, the victim's son, has demanded that the death sentence be carried out. According to a report in the Iranian daily newspaper, Yas-e No, the execution may take place within the next month.
On or around 10 November, Kobra Rahmanpour's husband reportedly presented documents establishing him as the legitimate representative of his mother's heirs. He is therefore entitled to request that the death sentence be carried out, as 'retribution in-kind' (qisas-e nafs). According to Iran's Penal Code, the decision to inflict retribution (qisas-e nafs) rests with the heirs of the victims. After being confirmed by the Supreme Court, death sentences imposed for murder can only be commuted if the victim's heirs forgo their right to retribution and ask instead for the payment of blood money (diyeh), or if the Head of the Judiciary invokes his power to revoke a finalized verdict if it is flawed, and refer the case to another court. It is reported that Kobra Rahmanpour's lawyer will ask for clemency from the victim's family.
Kobra Rahmanpour was reportedly arrested on 5 November 2000 after killing her mother-in-law. She allegedly acted in self-defence after her mother-in-law tried to attack her with a kitchen knife. At an unknown date, she was tried by Branch 1608 of Tehran's Criminal Court, where she was sentenced to death. Her lawyer has reportedly complained that the court did not consider, nor conduct any investigation into, her claim that the murder was in self-defence. Her lawyer is believed to have alleged that wounds on Kobra Rahmanpour's right hand had been sustained due to pulling the knife from the hands of her mother-in-law. In January 2003 her death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. Kobra Rahmanpour has been held in prison, possibly in Tehran, since her arrest three years ago.
It is alleged that Kobra Rahmanpour was forced into marriage against her will by her parents, and had been the victim of domestic violence since her marriage.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has recorded 106 executions so far this year in Iran, although the true figure may be much higher.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a state party. Article 6 of the ICCPR states: In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, English, French or your own language:
- stating that Amnesty International recognizes the rights and responsibilities of governments to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but strongly opposes the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment;
- urging that the death sentence imposed on Kobra Rahmanpour be commuted immediately;
- asking to be given details of the trial proceedings, and enquiring whether Kobra Rahmanpour has been allowed to appeal against her conviction and sentence as guaranteed by Article 14 (5) of the ICCPR;
- expressing concern at the lengthy imprisonment without bail of Kobra Rahmanpour
- calling for the allegation of self-defence to be properly investigated and considered in any appeal or re-examination of the case;
- urging the authorities to ensure that the victim's family is made aware of its right, under Islamic law, to pardon the condemned;
- reminding the authorities that the death penalty is in violation of the ICCPR, to which Iran is a state party.
APPEALS TO:
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Telegram: Head of Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 879 6671 (please keep trying; please mark "care of Director of International Affairs, Judiciary")
Salutation: Your Excellency
and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 27 January 2004.
posted by Anonymous at 6:41 AM
0 comments
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Help Earthquake Survivors in Iran
$750 can provide a temporary school for children disrupted by the earthquake
$110 can provide a tent for a family of five
$60 can provide drinking water to 30 people
$45 can provide space heaters to three families
$25 can provide blankets to a family of five
UNICEF
Red Cross
posted by Anonymous at 3:40 AM
0 comments
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