ouch!... ouch, ouch, ouch!

The resolution on the human rights situation in Iran was adopted on Tuesday by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, with quite a large margin: 70 in favour to 48 against.

Of course, it was rejected by the government as "based on biased and distorted information", and it's result only due to pressure by the US and Canada on other governments.

Aside from the fact that I do believe that UN resolutions have an effect -- if not they would not go out of their way to get rid of them -- this year, our government had to face more than one defeat: firstly, the resolution Iran put forward on the human rights violations in Canada faced a humiliating rejection, with 107 votes against and only 6 in favour, but even more painfully, Iran tried to pull-out a procedural motion, called "no-action" before the actual vote and did not succeed, whereas the day before, Uzbekistan (probably still considered by some as our former colony) managed to have a similar motion pass and thus avoided a condemnation.

Iran Human Rights UN Canada

Hermes and the children

As you might have noticed from the links on the right, I like Hermes. They are doing a great job at promoting artists with new approaches to classical music, Iranian or Western, or a combination thereof, which often results in great stuff.

But now, they are engaged in an even more commendable enterprise: a charity concert to eliminate Child Labor in Iran.

So if you are in Tehran at the end of the month, please go in my stead... and let me know how it was, if you get a chance.

Iran Music Children's Rights

Truth, with a zest of Tango

It's about time our leaders realize that their deeds might not go unaccounted for. Although one would have thought that most of them being clerics and the rest of them claiming to be devout, they would have some fear of the wrath of God, this has not been very obvious.

However, Argentina has now made a bold move. A few years ago, the Argentinians started looking at their dark past, but they took this search for the right to truth (go to p.446) a formidable step further when they recently issued orders to arrest Iranian officials -- although the country risks economic retaliation, just like a few years back.

And the Iranian government chooses to call this a Zionist conspiracy, I merely hope it is a sustained endeavor.


Iran Argentina Human Rights Right to Truth

Who's your friend?

Belarus' president Lukashenko has been visiting Iran and Mr. Ahmadinejad tells us that Minsk and Tehran see it eye to eye on a large number of things.

Well surely, on human rights, they do. We know all about Iran, but let's look at Belarus, which has the privilege of having a UN Special Rapporteur just to its own and also some interesting reports from human rights organizations ...

Birds of a feather...


Iran Human Rights Belarus Ahmadinejad