Statement By Reporters Without Boarders

December 14, 2009

Iranian authorities have meticulously carried out total control of news and information in the last week, gearing up for National Students' Day on 7 December, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Recently, two prominent journalists were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Others are being summoned for interrogation or simply arrested.
Internet access has been slowed down or blocked making it impossible to surf the Internet or send emails, SMS messaging has been jammed and accreditation of foreign journalists was suspended for 72 hours, reports RSF. In addition, opposition websites have been unavailable for several days.
"This is the first time that censorship measures affecting all forms of media have been adopted so early, several days ahead of... demonstrations, with the aim of preventing the opposition's attempts to rally its supporters by such means as social networks and mobile phones," said RSF.
Thousands of students gathered at universities across Iran on 7 December, and clashes broke out between protestors and tens of thousands of Basij militiamen, according to news reports. The Basij responded with massive amounts of tear gas, electrical truncheons and stun guns to control the crowds.
Students' Day in Iran commemorates the killing of three students by the Shah of Iran at Tehran University on 7 December 1953 in the aftermath of a coup orchestrated by the U.S. and the U.K., which took down the democratically elected prime minister.
Iranian authorities continue to ruthlessly eliminate all critical voices. Farhad Sharfai, a blogger who defends women's rights, was arrested on 2 December in Khoramabad. Tahereh Riahai of the daily "Jahan Eghtesad" ("Economic World") was arrested on 1 December in Tehran.
Critical journalists Hengameh Shahidi and Saeed Laylaz were sentenced to lengthy prison terms on 30 November, reports CPJ. Shahidi was sentenced to six years and three months; and Laylaz was given nine years.
Worldwide acts of protest are planned for 12 December to express solidarity for the Iranian people's struggle for human rights and to focus the world's attention on the grave situation in Iran, according to ArtsUnited4Iran, a campaign sponsored by Human Rights Watch, ARTICLE 19, RSF and other rights groups.
A global network of activists have organised arts and culture events to take place on 12 December, reports ArtsUnited4Iran. Lectures, concerts, gallery showings, readings, round tables and film screenings, are being planned in locations worldwide.

The terrorist regime in Iran will be overthrown

Interview with Maryam Rajavi
Norwegian daily Verdens Gang,

January 4, 2010
Maryam Rajavi calls for a more firm international response to the Iranian regime; Norway must take the lead, she adds.
Maryam Rajavi is the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an exiled Iranian opposition organization. In a telephone interview with Verdens Gang, Rajavi voices optimism that the uprising will continue. The uprising will become more organized and will include students, workers and women, and the regime will be overthrown in the next year, she adds.
It will not be possible for the regime to reverse the situation. This regime has used every tool in its arsenal. They may resort to a massacre. But this will only make the situation more radical. Rajavi says that the circumstances are incredibly precarious.
She calls for help
She believes that the international community must confront the regime with firmness and impose more serious sanctions against it. The regime must be warned about the consequences of its behavior. That is how we can prevent a bloodbath in Iran. Rajavi says that Western governments can play an effective role.
In her view, any measure can lighten the load of pressure on the Iranian people and adds that people need help.
Rajavi says: I hope Norway can take on a leadership role. It is not enough for Western governments to merely declare their support. The Iranian people need this regime to be placed under serious sanctions.
Against the death penalty
Rajavi notes that the Iranian people do not approve of a religious dictatorship and seek a free election under UN auspices.
She wants an Iran that is free of nuclear weapons and rejects the death penalty.
The NCRI is an umbrella organization that includes the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Until last year, the group was listed as a terrorist organization in Europe and is still maintained on a similar listing in the US.
Rajavi has told Reuters: It is very unfortunate that Western countries use the terrorist label against the Iranian Resistance at a time when it is clear that the listing takes place at the behest of the Iranian regime.
 

Iran State TV Suggests Neda's Iconic Death Was 'Faked'

January 7, 2010

By Golnaz Esfandiari

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Iranian state television has made a documentary about the death of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman who was shot dead during the June postelection protests in Tehran, suggesting she was an agent of the United States and Britain who staged her own death.
Neda's last moments were filmed on a cell phone and watched by millions of people around the world, becoming a symbol of democratic resistance to the regime.
The state-television documentary suggests the video of Neda's dying moments merely depicted her pouring blood on her own face from a special bottle she was carrying. Later, the documentary alleges that 27-year-old Neda was shot dead in the car that was taking her to a hospital.
The conspiracy theory alleged in the documentary is in line with comments by Iranian officials, who have repeatedly described Neda's death as "suspicious" and a "premeditated scenario" to defame Iran.
The state reaction was prompted by the immense impact of a grainy amateur video shot as Neda participated in a June 20 protest in Tehran.
Neda and tens of thousands of fellow opposition supporters had gathered in downtown Tehran in defiance of an official ban on the mass protests that followed the country's June 12 presidential election, which was handed to incumbent Mahmud Ahmadinejad by a landslide.
At least 10 people were reported killed and more than 100 were wounded that day after security forces cracked down on the protesters, but it was the unforgettable image of Neda's death that struck a chord both at home and abroad.
The video, which was posted on youTube, was watched by millions of people around the world. Within hours, Neda became an icon of a protest movement that has plunged the Islamic republic into its worse-ever crisis.
The name "Neda" has become universally recognized, as have the pictures of her that are now displayed proudly during rallies of the opposition Green Movement, whose members have vowed to keep her memory alive.
Neda's death has also proven to be a very sensitive issue for the Islamic establishment.
The state television documentary was featured in a January 5 report broadcast by PressTV, Iran television's international English-language news network.
Neda is portrayed in the documentary as a foreign agent who became the victim of a plot orchestrated by foreigners and opposition supporters.
Doctor Accused Of Conspiracy
The documentary alleges that Arash Hejazi, the writer and physician who treated Neda as she lay bleeding on a Tehran street, as well as her music teacher who was with her at the protest, were members of a team that carried out the plot.
"While Neda is [pretending] she is injured and is lying on the back seat of the car on their lap, they bring out a handgun from their pockets," the documentary's narrator says.
"A handgun that they obtained from their Western and Iranian friends to water the tree of reforms and kill people and create divisions within society. Neda, for a moment, realizes their wicked plan and struggles to escape, but they quickly shoot her from behind."
The narrator adds that this is how "deceived and deceitful" Neda was killed.
Hejazi, who has been accused by Iranian hardliners of being Neda's murderer, has denied being in the car that took her body to a Tehran hospital.
In a telephone interview with RFE/RL from Britain, where he lives, Hejazi describes the documentary as a shameful and worthless attempt to cover up the truth and place the blame for Neda's death on others.
"A young innocent woman was shot dead while protesting. Since her killing, until today, the Iranian government has been doing all it can to distance itself from it and throw the responsibility on others, instead of acting responsibly and dealing with those who are guilty," Hejazi says.
Basiji Link
Hejazi has said he believes that Neda was shot in the chest by a member of the Basiji militia who was among the crowd of protesters.
Hejazi has claimed that the Basiji member was detained by the crowd, who took away his ID card. The identification card of the alleged shooter, with his name and picture, was posted on opposition websites.
Although Hejazi has publically identified the man as the one who was caught by the crowd and disarmed, Iranian judiciary officials have reportedly failed to launch legal action against him.
Since Neda's death some six months ago, authorities have come up with different theories about the circumstances of her death.
On January 6, Iran's ambassador to Bahrain, Hossein Amir Abdullahyan, told "The Nation" that groups from Britain and the United States infiltrated the opposition movement and carried out assassinations among its ranks.
Abdullahyan went on to allege that the groups were behind the killing of Neda -- and he didn't stop there. He also said they were responsible for the death of Ali Musavi -- the 35-year-old nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi who was killed during rallies on December 27 in which eight protesters died.
Hejazi says Tehran's stories about the circumstances of Neda's death keep changing.
"Their first reaction was that she was alive. Then they said the footage was fake. One day they said a BBC reporter killed her. Then they said it was the CIA. Then they said the [Mujahedin] Khalq Organization [MKO] was behind it. The latest is this documentary," Hejazi says.
Iranian state media have said the documentary presents "another side" of Neda's death, and challenges claims made by "Western media."
It says its findings are based on "forensic evidence and statements by security officials" that shows that Neda was not killed, as "shown by Western media."
Hejazi says Neda's death has become a thorn in the side of Iranian authorities due to the international attention it received, helping to mobilize global public opinion against the crackdown in Iran.
Neda's fiance, Caspian Makan, who was detained for a while before leaving Iran, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda this week that her image carved into her tombstone had been vandalized.
Makan accused those who arrest, torture, and kill innocent protesters of damaging her grave, concluding: "What the regime of the Islamic republic did to Neda's tombstone is like shooting her again."

Iran accuses five of warring against God
January 8,  2010
The New York Times
By Nazila Fathi
At least five protesters arrested in Iran last week during antigovernment demonstrations will be tried on charges of warring against God, which carries an automatic death sentence if they are found guilty, Iran’s judiciary said Thursday.
The severity of the charge, coming so soon after the defendants were arrested, suggests that the Islamic theocracy is stepping up its efforts to intimidate protesters to end the demonstrations that began over the disputed election results in June and have erupted periodically ever since despite a brutal crackdown.
In a statement carried by IRNA, Iran’s official news agency, the judiciary said the five would soon be tried by the Revolutionary Court on charges of Moharebeh, meaning waging war against God. The statement did not disclose their names, when they would be tried or details of accusations against them.
Tehran’s prosecutor general, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said Sunday that the judiciary would deal with detainees arrested during the most recent protests “very severely,” the news agency ISNA reported.
Authorities have invoked the Moharebeh charge against other detainees but some courts have dismissed it, said Nasrin Sotoodeh, a lawyer in Tehran who has represented several detainees.
“What is very surprising is how the court has come up with the indictment in 10 days since the arrest of the detainees,” she said in a telephone interview.
“How was the indictment put together so quickly? When did the defendants hire or meet with their lawyer? When did the lawyer read the case?” she asked. “No sane mind can believe that all this was possible in 10 days.”
In another sign of an intensified crackdown on dissidents, a Kurdish activist, Fasih Yasamani, 28, was executed early Wednesday by hanging at the Khoy prison in western Iran, on charges of membership in a Kurdish separatist group, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. If true, he was the second Kurdish activist executed in Iran in recent months. At least 17 other activists are on death row.
Authorities have also added new charges against seven Bahai leaders detained since 2008, under which they could face execution, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported Thursday. Twelve other Bahais were detained during the mass arrests that began after the antigovernment demonstration on Dec. 27, the statement said.
Authorities have confirmed the deaths of eight protesters in Tehran during the demonstration.
A representative of the supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, characterized protesters during a speech at a pro-government rally last week as “followers of the path of Satan.”

Canada slams brutal Iran prosecutor and renews demand for Kazemi's body
By Mike Blanchfield

The Canadian Press

January 11, 2010
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon denounced a former Tehran prosecutor Monday and renewed Canada's six-year-old demand to have the body of slain Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi repatriated from Iran.
Cannon's comments came in response to a recent Iranian parliamentary investigation that found ex-prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi responsible for the deaths of at least three protesters imprisoned after last summer's disputed Iranian elections.
Mortazavi has been named in a $17-million lawsuit by Kazemi's family for his role in her imprisonment, sexual assault and beating death in 2003. The Canadian government supports the suit.
"Mr. Mortazavi has displayed his disregard for the respect of human rights on several occasions, including during the detention and murder of Canadian photo-journalist Zahra Kazemi," Cannon said in a written comment Monday to The Canadian Press.
"Canada also continues to call upon Iran to conduct a credible investigation into the murder of Zahra Kazemi. The search for justice remains firmly on the agenda in Canada's relations with Iran."
Canada and Iran have downgraded their diplomatic relations, with neither country allowing a full-fledged ambassador to serve in each other's capital, in part due to the Kazemi case.
Kazemi, 54, was born in Iran and later became a Canadian citizen, settling in Montreal. In June 2003, she was arrested and imprisoned in Tehran for taking photographs of a demonstration and died 17 days later after being repeatedly beaten and sexually assaulted.
The Iranian government promptly buried her before an autopsy could be performed, pre-empting any attempt by her Canadian family to have her body returned.
In Iran, Mortazavi has earned the nickname, "butcher of the press" for his leading role in the detention and abuse of journalists, bloggers and other dissenters.
Human rights groups have for years singled out Mortazavi. The pressure grew after his roundup of hundreds of dissenters and journalists following the disputed June 12 presidential election, which spawned the largest protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Mazair Bahari, a Canadian journalist and filmmaker who reports for the U.S. magazine, Newsweek, was arrested in the June crackdown but was released unharmed in October.
Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, said no one should be surprised that Mortazavi has been linked to more deaths of jailed dissenters.
"There consistently, in the past, has never been anything done to ensure that he is accountable and brought to justice for the many violations he has been accused of, and thus he has long enjoyed a sense of impunity and un-touchability in Iran," Neve said.
Neve said Kazemi's family is seeking justice not only for her death, but to prevent Mortazavi from hurting others in the future.
"There is something that is particularly touching and heart wrenching for the Kazemi family in this because they have been so diligent in their pursuit of justice for Zahra Kazemi and certainly have repeatedly pointed the finger at Mr. Mortazavi and the importance of him being held accountable."
Canada's diplomatic contact with Iran is limited to four subjects: human rights, Iran's nuclear program, its regional role and the Kazemi case.
Cannon said Monday that he does not want to comment specifically on the Iranian parliamentary probe into last summer's protests and arrests.
"Canada has consistently called upon Iran to respect all of its human rights obligations," Cannon added. "We have clearly noted our concerns regarding the heavy-handed crackdown by Iranian security forces on legitimate protesters and called for a free and transparent investigation into allegations of abuse following unrest."

The Desire for Freedom
By Asefeh Emami, Resident of Camp Ashraf

The Women's International Perspective

January 12, 2010

I am Hanif and just became 29,
No no! Don’t look down here, you won't find me!
I am the one who’s looking at you from the blue sky
I am a shining star in the darkest night
And I am longing for the sun rise
My heart is still burning from hotness of the bullet,
The bullet which dressed me in red of my blood.
I wonder, desiring for freedom is a crime today
So I’m the biggest criminal!
The darkness saw the desire flame in my eyes
Now I am the star, watching you from the above

The situation in Iran is of concern to everyone. We are witnessing everyday the savagery that ended with at least 20 killed by shooting and the running over of the people by police vehicles. This was due to the nation-wide uprising that started following Iran's sham election and came to a turning point in the day of Ashura against the dictators ruling in Iran and will never end until freedom and peace reach Iran.
Me and my brother, Hanif. I and my brother Hanif, who was 29 years old when he was killed only because he was seeking freedom in Iran, had a great life in Sweden and we didn’t have a clue that one day I would say farewell to him forever. I used to study in the field of society research and Hanif used to study medical care. We had the best life and all the joy and happiness, but we decided to make a change for the future of Iran and bring back the freedom that was stolen by the Iranian regime. For this reason I am now living in my second home in Camp Ashraf located north of Baghdad.
Today I am witnessing in Iran the same oppression that occurred in the past in Ashraf, which means shooting straight at my fellow residents, running over them with military vehicles, beating them with batons and exploding tear gases. I was injured in the face during the attack on July 28 by the Iraqi forces and my brother Hanif got shot in his heart. What was his crime? Did they kill him just because he did not want to leave his home? Or, because he was seeking freedom for Iran?
Today we see the main reason that the Iranian regime has an open hand in killing, executing, and oppressing us. It is because of the western countries' appeasing policy towards the Iranian regime and their silence about the future threats to Ashraf residents as opponents to the regime in Iran. The mullah's excuse to oppress us is that the PMOI members have been designated as terrorists in the US FTO list. This designation is only to appease the mullahs in Iran. We should not forget that the PMOI was removed from the black list in Europe and England after seven European court rulings. This clearly shows that the designation of the PMOI by the US State Department, which has yet to be removed is an injustice and is the outcome of collusion with the Iranian mullahs.
The time has come to make a change in Iran. The only way to end the dictatorship in Iran is to support the Iranian people's uprising. The US should stop its appeasing policy towards the mullahs. The name of the main opposition in Iran which is the Mojahedin must be removed from the US list so there would be no more excuses for the Iranian regime to oppress and kill its opposition inside and outside of Iran. My younger brother Hanif was killed because of the terrorist label against the PMOI by the US that has justified his killing without any punishment.
 

Obama's Iran policy doesn't have to fail
By Lord Peter Archer and R. Bruce McColm
The Washington Times

January 12, 2010

On Dec. 27, during one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest occasions, Ashura, millions of Iranians poured out onto the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities, defying warnings and a brutal crackdown by the security forces, to call for the overthrow of the now increasingly vulnerable theocracy. Who could have thought that a theocratic regime like Tehran would murder its opponents in bright daylight on such a day? Welcome to the Iran of today.
The remarkable developments on Ashura showed that the harsh measures taken by the authorities during the previous protests have done little to intimidate the millions whose cry is freedom and who appear to be led by Iranian women. Their message to the outside world has been loud and clear: 'We will not give in to the regime that easily, and neither should you.'
The question now is what Europe and the United States are going to do?
Let's face it: the choice of the international community on both sides of the Atlantic on Iran is clear: To stand with the oppressors or the oppressed.
That being said, there should be no doubt that Europe and United States are entitled to march to the tune of their own interests. Last year at this time, the international community was eagerly hoping for a new U.S. president. His message was engagement.
President Obama genuinely hoped that a strong diplomatic overture to the Iranian leadership could, in the end, convince them to give up their nuclear weapons program. America's European allies clung on to that hope for a long time. But, not only has Iran refused to desist, it has now taken steps to expand its program tenfold.
Why? The answer lies not so much in our intentions but in the Iranian leadership's strategic calculations inspired by profound domestic threats. Recently, in an unprecedented act, young Iranians burned photos of the Iranian regime's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and walked on his life-sized portraits in Tehran. "Death to Khamenei" (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) is now the leading slogan in Iranian streets, as the activists are protesting against the entire system, not only the fraudulent election. Such actions brought the spontaneous street protesters more in line with the main Iranian opposition group, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI), which had long questioned the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic.
That is why as Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei desperately needs nuclear weapons to guarantee the regime's permanence in the face of mounting protests.
To achieve that goal, the ayatollah uses negotiations to buy more time for his nuclear program. Clearly, further concessions to Tehran would not only be construed as weakness by Iran's rulers but would also empower them. It would enable them to fund their terrorist activities, speed up their nuclear program, and consolidate power by cracking down on dissent. This is extremely perilous for the interests of America and its allies on the other side of the Atlantic.
Nevertheless the United States cannot engage in a military conflict with Iran, the risks of which would far outweigh its benefits. Instead, America and Europe should reach out to millions of Iranians who seek democratic change, a nuclear-free Iran, and a peaceful nation. This is where our interests converge with the Iranian people's democratic aspirations.
As a practical step on this track, the United States should lift the terrorist designation of Iran's principle opposition group. The Mujahedin-e Khalq was listed by the State Department as a "terrorist" entity in 1997 as a goodwill gesture to the Iranian government. Britain and Europe followed America's lead in listing the PMOI but were forced to reverse their decisions on the orders of their highest courts. These courts reviewed all the evidence pertaining to the PMOI and concluded that there is not a shred of evidence linking the organization to terrorism.
The terrorist designation of the group, however, was incredibly controversial to the extent that in the final days of the Bush administration, even the State Department's top counterterrorism official, Dell Dailey, strongly advised the department to undo the blunder. He was overruled by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, however, due to political considerations.
There is also a humanitarian issue involved here. Both Iran and Iraq have used the PMOI's terrorist designation to crack down on its members and sympathizers. At least 11 were killed last summer when Iraqi security forces launched an attack on Camp Ashraf, PMOI's headquarters in Iraq. And in early January, the Iranian judiciary announced that it has charged five protesters whom it described as members of "the counterrevolutionary terrorist group," the PMOI, with Moharebeh (waging war on God), for taking part in antigovernment demonstrations on Ashura. Moharebeh, carries the automatic death penalty.
On Dec. 27, faced with chants of "death to the dictator," Iranian security forces and government officials retorted by shouting "death to the hypocrites," a prerogative term the regime uses to undermine the PMOI in Iran. If President Obama were to decide to issue an executive order to remove the unwarranted terrorist label from the PMOI, he would certainly grab Tehran's attention while demonstrating to the Iranian people that America would no longer block Iranian opposition groups from working to bring democracy to Iran. But, time is running out and Washington's options are severely limited.
Seeing a democratic Iran could and should be our New Year resolution.
Lord Peter Archer is former solicitor general of the United Kingdom. R. Bruce McColm is the president of the Institute for Democratic Strategies (IDS) and former executive director of Freedom House.