An Iranian Giant

This is one of the most breath-taking shots I have ever seen in a film, and I am sorry that this picture does not relay well the feeling one gets when seen on a screen.

Of course, you know that Bahram Beyzaie is my favourite (as can be seen from the link on the right), but I was glad to read that although he is (and has been for many years) censored in Iran, this remarkable Iranian artist, combining being a director, a playwright, a poet and so much more, has finally received the acknowledgment that his work deserves.

Neutrality or compromises?

Well I've either been too busy celebrating "shabe yalda" or following the adoption of the resolution on the human rights situation in the IRI, but I just noticed this tonight ... to find out that another blogger had posted about it earlier here and here.

However, I also noticed that a Swiss graphic designer spoke at the opening of the exhibition. Hmmm... Switzerland... just a week after her election, it's new President met with one of Iran's Deputy FM... and also, this year, it decided not to co-sponsor the above-mentioned resolution, although it had done so in the past... the rumour is that it hoped to be able to play a role in the negotiations on the nuclear issue. What did the Calmy-Rey quote in the IRNA release say? "Switzerland attaches special significance to bolstering relations with Tehran"? Maybe it also hopes that if the Security Council resolution passes, Iran will replace the dollar by the Swiss franc rather than the euro!

Look at me, I am the most outrageous!

Holocaust denial is a horrendous thing, there is absolutely no doubt about it. I visited Auschwitz some years ago and will never forget the weight that could still be felt, even just in the air.

But I am afraid I think that too much importance has been given to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its Institute for Political and International Studies and their conference full of void. I just checked today: front pages of the Guardian, Le Monde and the Frankfurter Allgemeine; most popular emailed article of the NY Times and no less than two pieces on BBC Middle East !

(sigh)

No wonder Mr. Mottaki looked so pleased with himself yesterday. What an incredible platform they are getting, and how smart a PR move...


Iran

The un-published photos

We all know this photo:



However, few, if none, of us knew the author. It now seems to be Mr. Jahangir Ramzi.

But as much as it might be important for some to know who to give credit to, what I found to be the real highlight of the article was to be able to see 26 other photos that Mr. Ramzi had taken at the same moment, like this one:



or that one:


All of them are here.

Iran Human Rights photos Kurdistan