The man

I have not been blogging in a long time because things are so much the same (but in a worse manner) in Iran that I feel the only thing I would be doing is reapeating myself over and over again.

But Mr. Qaddafi came out with such a surprising statement (I know, he is good at doing that but hey...) that I had to post it.

A women's rights defender

Don't you love it when Mr. Ahmadinejad implies that the US is not advanced enough to elect a woman as president?

A MehrNews wire was quoted in the New York Times but unfortunately, I was not able to find the original article.

We all know what the situation in Iran is. I have blogged about it a number of times and things aren't getting better.

But my question to our president is: can a woman be elected as President in Iran in the first place? And since he said that: "Presidency of a woman in a country that boasts its gunmanship is unlikely." Does it mean that Iran is also great at boasting its gunmanship? (and I have no wish to posts links about this...)

Well said

This is almost a "linkduni", as some other bloggers like to call it, since I have really nothing to add to what a Swiss himself has written about the visit of Micheline Calmy-Rey to Iran. It is just the pathetic continuation of what I blogged about here and then here.

Breathe in

Out of the Calif's chest

It seems that our Minister of Foreign Affairs has been learning melodrama: his speech, or rather the opening of his speech at the Human Rights Council last Tuesday was quite well orchestrated: he goes to the Podium, pauses, drinks a glass of water, clears his throat, straightens his goatee, pauses again, makes a reference to the heart-breaking individual case of a six-months old infant and then asks for a minute of silence.

And then he makes yet another bold move: requests that during this minute of silence Muslims in the room recite the "fatehe" and starts reciting it under his breath (and it can be slightly heard in the microphone).

(this year, the webcast is a little less practical, so to watch it, you need to go here, then choose the morning session and then go more than 3/4 into the webcast).

Perhaps he was competing with Mr. Ahmadinejad's halo a couple of years ago.

Aside from his blatant untruthfulness concerning Iran's human rights record in the rest of his speech there are a couple of points that can be raised and are a clear reflection of the behaviour of this government:

Firstly, he uses the Persian pronunciation of an Arab word, and therefore refers to "ghazzeh" (instead of Gaza), so that most people, I am sure, must have been wondering what he is talking about;

but more importantly announces that he sacrifices a minute of his speech and then speaks for 20 minutes instead of the allotted 10, thus, in fact, taking 10 minutes of the time of the following speakers.

In Persian one would say that he is making a donation out of the Caliph's chest.

Davos, bis and worse

OK, one more on Davos and then I stop, but there is no way I cannot reiterate how anything can be said and not be challenged, I really wonder what the point is.

Or is it perhaps the Open Forum? Because, I must admit that when Mr. Mottaki and Mr. Hashemi Shajareh had to face Mr. Khalilzad, things were quite different, although the latter go some heat for it afterwards, it seems.

But lo and behold, it was truly painful to hear yet another time Ayatollah Hadavi:

" I suggest it, if the is a group of expertise in human rights, they come and they evaluate the human rights situation in Iran and in the United States and give a neutral report about the situation and you can say the human rights situation in Iran is worse than the human rights in the United States, I would like you to do this, because some of the Americans have done it before and they say that the human rights situation in the United States is worse than the human rights situation in Iran. I am not saying so, a Jewish professor in the United States said it in 2004."

The name of that famous professor will remain forever unknown... and, of course, we will completely overlook all of the UN human rights reports made by experts...

Unanswered in Davos

Mr. Khatami was once more invited to Davos for the World Economic Forum. This time he spoke at the Open Forum.

He has certainly succeeded in establishing himself as one of the darlings of the West and a kind of moderate Muslim cleric that can be talked to.

However, the most painful of all is to hear him make statements such as (I changed a little the words of the translator to make it more accurate):

"But if the intervention of religion in political life would mean to limit life, or if religion would not appreciate the human values, or would like to take away from men freedom which is one of the greatest benedictions of God, that kind of religion and interference would be a loss and the society would never accept it."

or "In the Islamic revolution people demanded freedom, independence and progress based on religion. And this is why an Islamic Republic was established. An Islamic Republic means a democratic government, where women are free, there is freedom of thought, the elections would establish the power, etc. and because people are Muslim the religious values should be present, but these religious values should not contradict these basis."

or "I don't think that in Iran anyone is prosecuted because of his religious beliefs, and if he is, this is wrong."

and that no one can (or wishes to) ask him: Mr. Khatami, you were President of Iran for 8 years, how come these lofty statements were nowhere to be implemented then?

Best time to be forgotten

Although it might have looked as if I had taken long holidays, I am proving the assumption wrong by posting twice (for now) between Christmas and the Gregorian New Year!

However, I have come to realize that this is probably the best time of the year for human rights violators to perpetrate their worst crimes: not many will be there to raise their voices. The other day, I sent an email to the three persons in the Iran team of a big (if not the biggest) human rights organization. A few minutes later I received three similar responses: on holidays until 7 January 2008...

Well, at least Reporters sans frontieres is still alert, but is anyone else worried for Emad Baghi?

A little visit

OK, I know, I have not been blogging for nearly a month now -- call it blogger fatigue, depression about the state of the world, rivalry of Facebook, or a combination thereof. So much had been written about the National Intelligence Estimate and so little about the adoption of the UN General Assembly's resolution on the human rights situation that it seemed pointless to blog about either.

But tonight, I have seen one of the best films of the year. It's not about Iran, and not about human rights. It's about Egyptians and Israelis, peacefully. It's poetic, profound, with a great sense of humour. It's a must see.

No words

I just saw the photos of Zahra Baniyaghoub's funerals and the pain of her relatives is heart wrenching, and there is nothing more to say.

Half of the world

To all those who love Isfahan...

Fart and the temple

As can be seen, I have been reading Mr. Abtahi's blog fairly regularly and although his unfailing support of Mr. Khatami is a little unnerving to say the least, I recently had to admit that I enjoyed some of his posts.

Well, clearly now, they are after him, and I am not surprised because he has been quite critical of some of the political stances taken lately.

For those who cannot read Persian, Mr. Abtahi has been accused by an ultra-conservative site of having his blog designed and run by Baha'is. And in order to make their accusations look credible, the authors of the article included a number of links. Out of curiosity, I tried all of them... and (of course) none of them led to anything that might remotely suggest any link to the alleged designers.

Moreover, there is this box on the side of the article that without showing any name indicates "Age:24" and then what can be assumed to say "Children: no", "Ethnicity: Middle-Eastern", "speak: Persian" (which is not correct English, by the way...), and "Religion: Baha'i" . Now, the form being in English, I really wonder where in the Western world would any form ask for one's religion?...

But my final question is: so what? And even if Mr. Abtahi's website designers are Baha'is, what does it have to do with the way the site is designed or run? Are they running subliminal messages so that everyone reading the blog are going to become hypnotized and convert? Is Mr. Abtahi less of a Muslim cleric because of his webmasters' alleged religion?

Relativity

I must say, I was a little disappointed with the analysis around Mr. Larijani's resignation. It is strange how when one ultra-conservative is replaced by an even more ultra-conservative he suddenly becomes "conciliatory"... Not to mention the fact that the conservative then becomes a moderate.

But a few days ago, I was nicely surprised by Omid Memarian's piece for OSI.

Red and orange

It is the time for harvesting:

Pomegranites

and saffron

A sober reality check

Once again, I am too late for my posts... Last week, Mrs. Ebadi was in Paris saying how US sanctions were bad and Mr. Ganji wrote an Op-Ed in the Washington Post finally explaining why US money was so bad. But then, a friend sent me this and it takes us away from all the rethorics of human rights to what day to day life means in Iran ... particularly if you try to stand up for your rights, whether you be a woman, or part of any other group that would make you less good than the average.

Little stones

It had been too many years since I last tasted Sangak... my favourite -- while watching PBS' programme on Iran.

In perspective

Not having been able to access the internet regularly these days, I was planning to write about the Iranian ridiculous and misplaced pride and my receiving many emails boasting about Doris Lessing being Iranian (right...) but now I have heard that Emad Baghi has been imprisoned...

Useful Dialogue (for once)

Having missed a connection ended-up in one good thing: I flew Air France and therefore got a chance to watch an excellent French film, Dialogue avec mon jardinier (Conversation With My Gardener in English). Simple and yet profound, hitting to the core in impressionistic touches.

I don’t know if the DVD would be available anywhere else than in France … if not, perhaps you might want to book a flight.

Next?

There was indeed much of a hullabaloo at the visit of our President, but after all, it can be summed up in one word: denial. We knew about his first denial, now at Columbia he informed us that there are no homosexuals in Iran, and during his UN press conference he enlightened us with the fact that the Baha'is don't have a Prophet.

Clearly, after all that everyone will believe him when he says that Iran is not trying to get the bomb.

Above and beyond Mr. Ahmadinejad's gesticulations, the issue remains what is going to happen to our country. Initially, Mr. Abdi's recent interview made me quite depressed, then today I read Abbas Milani's excellent piece -- remarkably, they are saying the same thing.

An unhealthy (re)visit

A couple of weeks ago, Ms. Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was in Tehran, attending a Conference organized by the Non-Aligned Movement on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity. Those poor diplomats who fought tooth and nail nearly 15 years ago to maintain the universality and indivisibility of human rights at the Vienna Conference, against an Iranian proposal led by no less than Mr. Zarif himself, must really feel let down. One wonders who advises Ms. Arbour. She should know better than allowing herself to be manipulated into what is no small victory for Iran and its likes.

Moreover, I have a question: Did the High Commissioner take this opportunity to condemn the violations in Iran? Well, publicly, she couldn’t really; it would have upset her hosts... However, in her report at the Human Rights Council last Thursday, she indicated that she had raised a few points with her Iranian counterparts (she met with Mr. Mottaki, it seems).

At least the EU (through its Portuguese Presidency) and Canada used the opportunity to say that they were worried about the human rights situation in Iran. Don’t know why it was only the latter who got the brunt of Iran’s response.

Just an ordinary president

When I first started reading Ray Takeyh's Op-Ed, I thought he had learned from Haleh Esfandiari's lessons but no, he remains consistent in advocating Détente with Iran.

However, I was really glad that finally someone was openly saying (to the West) what we all knew: the Islamic Republic of Iran's policy is consistent, whether we have a Rafsanjani, a Khatami or an Ahmadinejad as president.

So I will slightly change Takeyh's conclusion and suggest that rather than raising the spectre of a dangerous and uncontrolled man perhaps one should look at the quite systematic policy of the country's rulers.

PS: for those interested, the text of the poem chanted by Shajarian in my previous post can be found at the end of this article

Point by point

Mourning

Due to a passing, this blog has not been updated. It will eventually resume.

Roots

Last week this photographer/blogger posted this:



Well, after all my grandfather was from Gilan...

In all fairness

Has any election in Iran not been rigged? And at some point wasn't Mr. Abtahi Vice-President for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs? One part of me resisted writing this (thus the delay) precisely because of the above-mentioned reasons, and yet, this time I have to say I enjoyed his post.

Baghe Anar (ter)

Although someone told me that my blog is a little confusing, because in the middle of serious matters, all of a sudden there is a photo of a pomegranate tree, I still felt that I needed to keep you abreast with the developments: a few weeks ago I returned to the garden and there it was, a beautiful and bright flower -- probably turned into the beginning of a fruit by now...

PS: for those who kindly email me: I respond to each and everyone of them.

Relativism

Today, the Spokesman of the Iranian Judiciary announced that Kian Tajbakhsh (along with Haleh Esfandiary) is accused of spying and acting against Iran's national security.

Mr. Tajbakhsh was collaborating with the Open Society Institute. But if having contacts with OSI is tantamount to spying, then perhaps someone else will also be in trouble when he returns to Iran...

To all the Iranians

Marjane Satrapi has won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Persepolis. Clearly, I have not seen the film but being a fan and having read the books I can imagine that it is a very well deserved prize.

Most likely, the IRI will not think so.

And yet, when asked to comment about the controversy in a press conference, she tried not to fuel the fire by saying that the film is humanist and could have been set anywhere in the world.

Other Iranians in Cannes have made veiled comments, which were subsequently unveiled...

Tonight, Ms. Satrapi herself added to her first comment by saying: Although, as I said, this film shows events that could happen to anyone in the world -- that one's life be affected by a revolution, a war... this particular story happened in Iran and I dedicate this award to all the Iranians.

Thanks Marjane!

PS: Kiarostami's contribution to the film in honour of the 60th Anniversary of the Festival was about women. Every single one of them would have been stopped in the street for bad hijab...

The Great Pretender

I am sorry...

This was the first comment that was left on this photographer's blog, responding to the question posed on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the 2nd of Khordad, what was your image of the next ten years at the time you were voting for Khatami?

The next comment is "Oh my! these people have no memory..."

Well, yes... but no, really...

It seems that our dear Minister of Foreign Affairs doesn't quite seem to be able to make up his mind, one days he says a thing and the next he really meant something else.

Of course, he was under pressure, having to match the statement Mr. Larijani had made the day before.

But we have to raise our hat to the man who prompted all this by saying: "Talk about adding Palestine to the map and not cancelling Israel."


PS: You will note, however, that at the end of the day, both Mottaki and Larijani agree that is it either the "claim" or the "bi-product" of Western media

Stormy weather

A few days ago, first hail



and then rain

The hard way

Thanks to this blogger, I found out about the site in support of Ms. Haleh Esfandiary's release. Very quickly set up and quite sophisticated. I don't think I have seen such a high quality site put together for any Iranian prisoner of conscience before, not even for Mr. Ganji.

I once heard Ms. Esfandiary speak at Asia Society in New York, on women's rights. That evening she said that Iranian women are protected by the Constitution...

We all hope that Ms. Esfandiary will be released very soon, Evin is no place to linger in, and I hope that when she returns to the US safe and sound she will take on the defence of those who will (unfortunately) still be suffering from human rights violations in Iran and who will not have the benefit of such public attention.

Naivete?!

So, the cat is finally out of the bag: Switzerland was working on a proposal to settle the nuclear issue. This explains why it has been turning a blind eye on Iran's human rights. Unlike all other Western countries, it recently abstained on the vote at the Human Rights Council and it did not co-sponsor the resolution at the UN General Assembly.

Trying to be a broker is not a bad thing per se, but not at the cost of human rights, particularly when we know what generally happens to Swiss proposals regarding Iran.

Kitsch in Qom

Cover that bosom... *

They are making a statement:

and paying for it...

and so did the owners of these satellite dishes:
but Nikahang has an advice...


* Molière, Tartuffe, Acte III, Scene II

This could happen to you ...

... and to me too !!!

Some of us were getting really worried about the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the murders in Kerman and the fact that it seemed to have gone totally unnoticed. Last Sunday, the BBC had a piece on it and on Monday, Mr. Abtahi also commented about it, and that seemed to be it.

Finally today, the New York Times covered it quite thoroughly.

Basically, if you are found "morally corrupt" then anyone in the IRI has the right to kill you and will be pardonned.

Dubious to say the least...

Once the dust has settled

Ten days have passed since my last post and I am still hung up on the British soldiers!!!

Well, not really... but these past days I read a couple of pieces that I found quite interesting. Firstly, an editorial in Baztab which reveals the thinking of some people within the system, and then another piece in the Washington Post with a different angle than mainstream.

A little bit of reading for the day and no analysis on my part

What to do...

I have never been particularly impressed with the Op-Eds that Ray Takeyh has published these past years, and the one he recently wrote with Vali Nasr was of the same vein. However, his more comprehensive piece for Foreign Affairs is actually quite interesting. Meanwhile, I also recommend Karim Sadjadpour's analysis.

Interestingly, both men are each advising one side to take a more sober look at where they stand. I wonder if the combination of the two would work... (wishful thinking)

"S" for speech

The Human Rights Council ended its 4th session last Friday, but unlike during the first session, this time the participation of some Iranians went almost unnoticed.

A number of NGOs complained at our dear Minister of Foreign Affairs presence, but aside from that, quite a few Iranians spoke during those three weeks. Altogether four men including Mr. Mottaki (here, here and here for the others) and a women as far as our government representatives are concerned, and two NGOs (Organization for Defending Victims of Violence and Baha'i International Community).

[you will need to scroll down on the list of webcasts]

See and hear for yourselves.

Nostalgia

Thanks to this blogger, I found many of Dariush's songs on YouTube.

Perhaps it is because I recently saw a friend I had not seen for a long time, but listening to those songs brought back a lot of nostalgia and memories and -- sadly -- I felt the following had to be posted:



buye gandom male man, har tchi ke daram male to -- the smell of wheat is mine, all that I have is yours. The song was at the time of the Shah and granted Dariush some time in prison, I believe. The video seems to have been revisited, since it also shows a few clerics -- says quite a bit about our country and its successive leaders, doesn't it?

Outspoken insights

I remembered being quite depressed by Abbas Amanat's opinion piece in the New York Times last May -- I had expected more from him than once again indulging in the usual middle-eastern rhetoric of blaming others rather than doing a little introspection.

Well, on the contrary, Ahmad Zeidabadi never ceases to impress me, please read his piece in Rooz (although, and quite unfortunately, the English translation never renders the full content of the Persian).

Women and human rights activists

When most in Iran do not dare to come out and speak of human rights, these ladies demonstrate, write a petition open for signature, create a website, are prosecuted, and demonstrate some more and get arrested some more.

Their courage is remarkable, particularly as we all know too painfully that torture and rape is not unheard of in Iranian prisons.

Here's a remarkable piece written by one of them and translated by another, just a week ago.

Under the Skin of the City

When I saw this title on ISNA's photo gallery, I was drawn because of the lasting impression the film had left on me. And then, once again in a span of a week, I was too taken not to write about it, and yet, I can only put links to the photos of drug addicts taken in Southern Tehran.

Delos made in Iran...

... or more precisely Azerbaijan?

Robert Sole is a specialist of Egypt, but this time he decided to dedicate his column in Le Monde to Iran. The original story was relayed by Reuters: the island of Arezou (on the Urumiyeh lake) will be for women only.

The cycladic island of Delos (which also happens to be the birthplace of Artemis) was created from the body of Asteria fleeing Zeus' ardour, thus protecting her chastity.

The difference is: it was her own choice.

Where have you been, Arth?

I know... I am really sorry I missed these guys, and the release is a year and a half old, but it is so brilliant that there is no way I cannot post it.

Some months ago, a video from young Iranian rappers was all over the web, but Kiosk is something else... I think it is the first time I hear anyone singing the Blues in Persian. And the lyrics... most impressive.

Of course, this omission is due to the fact that I do not read Iranian.com, and it really seems that I should, as I fully agree with Behrouz Bahmani: the best lyrics are in the two songs "roozmaregi" and "zorbaye malayeri".

Well, I guess I have found some Noruz presents!

No comment

"Even if access and use of the nuclear energy requires closing down of other activities for 10 years, it is worth paying such a price", says our President.

Our country is in such great shape...

Too painful not to post...

... and yet I could not put the video itself on the blog either, so here's the link.

The other gory part, I hear, is that apparently one of the two "interrogators" is now a broadcaster in an IRIB weekly programme.

Where do you really stand?

I have just come across Javad Zarif's website, although it must be quite recent, if one looks at the dates of the articles posted. As a good friend of mine remarked, you will notice that there is not one photo with Mr. Ahmadinejad, although we all have seen how Mr. Zarif was dutifully passing notes to the President during the latter's press conferences at the UN GA both in 2005 and 2006.

I have mentioned a few times how unimpressive (to say the least) Mr. Zarif's statements and letters are, and his latest Op-Ed in the New York Times is unfortunately in the same vein.

He is soon to be replaced, I hear, and will no longer be the IRI's Permanent Representative to the UN in New York. I wonder if any paper will publish his pieces after that.

Recognition

Seems that my favourite Iranian artists are one by one making the headlines lately, first Bahram Beyzaie, then Marjane Satrapi and now Farhad Moshiri, who's painting "broke the prices record in the history of Iran's art sale" (along with two others).

I prefer his old work, the numbers and the jars, but hey, he deserves the recognition.

Baghe Anar (bis)

I went back to the garden and checked the lone pomegranate...



and as you can see, it was no longer there.

On the other hand, the oranges were reaching out to the cacti.

A story not to tell

What I admire most in Marjane Satrapi, aside from her talent, is her audacity. She has consistently broken Iranian taboos and written about things that should not be spoken of, of all the hypocrisy: like revealing that as an adolescent, she did drugs, like talking about "reconstructed" virginities. I know that many Iranians were offended.

And now she is making a film. The NY Times piece is already archived, but there is a good article and also a short video, both in French.

Future... what future?

In the past few days, a couple of analysis or criticism of Iran and its political structure, taking a look at its not-too-bright future, have been published in Rooz. The first one was by Ahmad Zeidabadi followed by the report of a conference given by Akbar Ganji (the English translation skips parts of the original Persian version, so I recommend that you read them here and here, respectively, if you can).

Interestingly, one states that "the real solution is in the hands of the country’s leaders" while the other "called on the people not to sit in their houses and expect changes, which otherwise would only make matters worse" but I agree with both articles.

Do as I say, not as I do

I read Mr. Abtahi's post last week but did not have a chance to react before now:

Isn't it strange that the "Head of the Interreligious Dialogue Institute" does not even realize what he is writing, and that when threading on thin ice, perhaps he should watch his steps in order not to crack it.

In order to cover-up for the recent attack on Christians because they are trying to "convert" Muslims in Iran, Mr. Abtahi tells us that "the present world is the world of dialogue among religions and their cooperation", and that although it is easier for Muslims to accept Judaism and Christianity, as they existed before Islam, the Christians, thanks to the Vatican II Council, have accepted to have a dialogue and cooperate with Muslims.

With all this thirst for dialogue among religions, I think one should ask Mr. Abtahi how he feels about the Muslim accepting the Bahais, who came after Islam? And why they are not included as partners in his Institute.

Of course, he does not accept comments on his blog, but I will email him the link to this post... and will let you know if he responds.

Baghe Anar

Yesterday, I was walking in a garden and noticed this pomegranate, hanging by itself on a leafless tree, having resisted the winter...

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

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

Look who's talking

So Canada has announced that it will once again introduce a resolution on the human situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran at the UN General Assembly. Interestingly Iran has also announced that it will present a resolution on the human rights situation in Canada (unfortunately their statement is not posted, so for those of you who understand Persian and are reading this post today, watch here at 33 minutes into the programme).

It is a little ridiculous, but as was rightly said, the positive part of this action by Iran shows that it still believes that the UN has the right to look into the human rights situation of any given country, therefore that should apply to Iran too...

A few weeks ago, the second session of the UN Human Rights Council took place in Geneva, but this time, since the meeting was not graced by the presence of Mr. Mortazavi, nobody really talked about it... Well, it seems that there were a number of Special Rapporteurs and countries who mentioned Iran.

Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur on Summary and Arbitrary Executions;

Yakin Erturk, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women;

Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in a response to a question by the Netherlands;

Miloon Kothari, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing;

and two NGOs jointly, the International Federation for Human Rights Leagues and the Bahai International Community.

No one spoke of human rights violations in Canada.

Iran Human Rights UN Canada

AOL is the absolute worst

I have been without internet connection for more than 3 weeks, thanks to AOL. Many things I would like to post on, but I cannot squat at my cousin's for hours...

:-(

Hopefully next week I will start posting again, so some of the info will be a little old -- apologies!

Another transition...

Regardless of what Hoder had to say, I thought that Gozaar (which they themselves have translated "Transition" -- but no connection with yours truly) produced an impressive line-up of contributors and interviewees for it's first edition. Moreover, they covered the human rights issues in Iran that are at the moment at the forefront, without any taboo. I understand that they needed to have a first edition that would attract interest, we now need to see how the subsequent editions will fare, and whether they will not be repetitive.

But I wish them well. Freedom House is what it is, and American human rights NGO, but let's face it, how many other publications do you know that seriously deal with human rights in Iran?

Iran Human Rights NGO Media

Iranian laughs

It's nearly a week old and will only be online for another 10 days, but listen here to Omid Djalili, Maz Jobrani and Shappi Khorsandi. A few laughs and also some nostalgy -- and a lot of truth...

Iran humour

Set them free

Nearly at the outset of his statement delivered on Monday at the UN General Assembly, our president indicated:

"What afflicts humanity today is certainly not compatible with human dignity; the Almighty has not created human beings so that they could transgress against others and oppress them."

The full text in English can be found here and the webcast here.

I have already made a number of references to various reports on the human rights situation in Iran, whether by the UN or NGOs, however, another of those came out just a few days before Mr. Ahmadinejad's speech. In its introduction it says:

"Government actions and rhetoric created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all religious minorities..."

Or maybe the reference to the Almighty was only for some ...

Iran human rights religion Ahmadinejad UN

Men in robes

Whether of the West or of the East, their time is up...

Iran Khatami Religion

We once thought we had a president

I would be remiss if I did not post on Mr. Khatami's visit, and yet, what is there to say that has not been said? The Washington Post offers a pretty good overview of the various reactions.

And then there is also the unimpressive FT interview...

Iran Khatami

Shoes

Since we were in Botswana with Aref just a while ago, let's stay there for a minute and allow me to say how much I enjoyed "Blue shoes and hapiness" -- the last of a series that has been my favourite for a while.

Incidentally, I recently tried to buy a pair of shoes but they were already sold to someone else... So I got another one and dropped them at my friend's previous address. But they are not blue...

A little quiz

These are photos of the "5+1" (China, France, Germany, Russia, U.K. + Switzerland (representing U.S. interests)) during their meeting with Ali Larijani, who delivered Iran's response on the nuclear issue.

Now in your opinion, who's who?


Iran Nuclear Quiz

Shajarian's successor?

I found this great video on this blog and could not but post it, to me the best part is when the little boy sings along with Shajarian. Enjoy!

PS: looks like the video is no longer available online. This blogger and this one, have it posted on their sites.

Iran Africa Video

A new blogger in town

At a time when our best Iranian bloggers (here, here and here) have either stopped or taken a looong leave of absence, Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has decided to launch his own personal blog. Silly me! Six months ago, I thought I was late in starting mine!

Now a few remarks:

- Mr. Abtahi will either complain or be honoured because I noticed that Mr. Ahmadinejad has taken a few ideas from his blog -- he has even used the same font in the Persian header!

- The flag that represents English for the choice of language is really strange, looks a little like the American flag and yet not quite -- perhaps another way of destroying it?

- Mr. Ahmadinejad has immediately started a poll. When I checked last, there were more "no" than "yes" -- if the final result remains the same, will he face a fate similar to that of previous pollsters?

Iran Blog

Better late...

I have been meaning to write this post for some days now, so apologies for the lack of freshness of the links.

Nearly a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Abtahi wrote a post where he asserted the innovative idea that Ben Laden and Israel coordinate their actions. I don't know whether this sign of genius from yet another of our leaders-to-be attracted many comments, as his blog does not take any, but it certainly made me reflect on the fact that his is one of the most popular blogs amongst Iranians.

On the other hand, for anyone interested in reading on the Ben Laden/Israel issue I recommend this Op-Ed.

Iran Terrorism Israel

Leaders?

I had been waiting for a couple of days, in fact since Thursday when the article appeared in Persian, for Rooz to translate it into English and then ... it announced that the whole staff was taking a week-long holiday! I am all for holidays, so no complaints here... but that was also the signal to the absence of translation to come.

Mr. Abbas Abdi was asked to give his thoughts on Mr. Ganji and the Reformists, and basically saying that he did not think any of the two had any real programme in order to bring about change in Iran. In a nutshell, he said that if Mr. Ganji's programme could take place in Iran, it would mean that there would be a government with which no one would have a problem to begin with. And then he added that this kind of actions eventually resulted in some form of violence, whether you liked it or not, and the Iranian people did not want that. As for the Reformists, he said that rather than pretending they have a programme, they should first take stock of their previous actions.

In conclusion, when he was asked what should be done he said: nothing. And then went on to say that Mr. Ahmadinejad is doing the right thing, taking the country to a place where nothing could be done for it.

(Apologies for the approximate translation, the Persian is here.)

It sadly reminded my of a book I read about Iraq -- probably the best book on the subject that I have come across -- and the dramatic lack of capable and earnest (I know, it's a strange word for politicians, but allow me to use it) leaders to take over the country once Saddam was ousted.

I know I wrote a hopeful post about Mr. Ganji a while ago, and yet, and much to my regret, the more he travels, gives interviews and makes speeches, the more I find myself agreeing with Mr. Abdi, not to say disappointed.

Abdi gave an interesting interview to the New York Times last April -- it is no longer accessible for free, but if you have a few dollars to spare it's here.

(Un)veiled thoughts

As a woman not wearing the "hijab", I still respect those who, out of their own free will, wish to cover their hair/head/body in whichever manner they wish. It's their right, it's their belief. And this post contains a number of interesting links regarding the debate on this issue.

But I must say that yesterday, my heart sank when I saw this -- the First Exhibition of Islamic Covering.

Also, on the same day a Press Conference was held at the outset of the First International Conference on Women's Rights and Responsibilities in an Islamic System. The photos speak for themselves... I suggest this post be considered as a written contribution to the debate.

Where I want to be

I have recently finished "Let me tell you where I've been". The collection contains three remarkable pieces by Farnoosh Moshiri, Mimi Khalvati and Mojdeh Marashi.

Each in their own way and style have been able to take me back to the scent and the feel for the first, the rhythm and the mood for the second and our contradictions for the third.

But aside from those remarkable moments, the taste left is more of a slight bitterness: why only women, as if yet again we have to be separated from men, even in a book, why an overwhelming sadness, as if our culture can only be shrouded in black, why mainly anger and shame...

Freedom at its best

Someone who participated in a group investigating religious freedom in Egypt once told me how, when they officially met with the Coptic Pope, he told them that the Copts were treated very well, while making a disgusted face, and added that they had equal rights with the Muslims, while shaking his head in a no. The person believed that the Pope had done that because the room was probably bugged, but not filmed...

This reminded me of that story. And is perhaps in response to this -- although I find its contents to be quite mild.

Yet another inalienable right

Saeed Mortazavi is the IRI's inalienable right. Well, having him as part of Iran's delegation to the inaugural session of the Human Rights Council is.

Much ado about nothing? In some ways, yes. Any sovereign country is allowed to choose the members of their delegations to the United Nations and the host country has to issue a visa and grant them diplomatic immunity. However, I understand that today -- the day that Mr. Mottaki spoke in the Assembly Hall -- Mr. Mortazavi chose to go sightseeing in Bern.

Was it because Canada's Minister had issued a formal statement of "disgust"? Or because the EU had threatened that its Ambassadors would leave the room at the beginning of the speech? Or was it due to condemnations voiced by a number of NGOs ?

Perhaps. Or perhaps it was because the weather, or climate, in Bern was better than in Geneva.

Had he listened to our Minister's speech though, he would have been impressed, as I always am, at the commitment of Iran to human rights, and I cannot but quote him: "My country commits itself in working closely with the international community and the members of the Council in making the human rights aspirations of all peoples in the world a reality."

I hope this includes the people of Iran.

A Beacon

Manouchehr Mottaki never ceases to impress me with his statements. This time he bade us the good news that human rights will be high on the agenda of his Ministry... and that "detailed reports have been prepared on the human rights issue in the US and many European countries".

Indeed, why bother about human rights in Iran? Just yesterday we saw how women's rights and freedom of expression were respected, today we hear about the right to a fair trial. As for the rest of them, I would just be repeating myself...

Ganji and other Iranians

Akbar Ganji delivered the most remarkable speech on the occasion of the 2006 Golden Pen Freedom.

And somehow I wonder how many Iranian journalists, politicians, even human rights activists would totally and publicly associate themselves with all of its content.

And then, aside from those who were in Moscow and a few others, who heard it?... who read it?... Payvand published it in its entirety, Rooz and RFE/RL only quoted parts of it...

Oh! How I wish Mrs. Ebadi had given a similar speech when she received the Noble Prize! She had the whole world as an audience and yet, it was, as mentioned then, quite an "anti-climax".

And Mr. Abtahi only speeks of Mr. Khatami and how if he would "candidate" himself in Palestine, he would "win almost the majority of votes". ???

(sigh)

Sacred Music

Once again Iran and Mali linked through music. This time with India too. On a Moroccan night, in Fes, it was called "The Rythm of speech" -- three remarkable voices, including that of Ali Reza Ghorbani, and percussionists from the three countries as well, in a united ensemble... wish I could have been there... Here's a spectacular photo of all the artists.

Open sesame

Do you know who is the first Frenchwoman to get past the qualifying rounds at Roland Garros since 1997?

Aravane Rezai (just a little Iranian too, perhaps?)

She is playing seeded player no 16 Nicole Vaidisova this afternoon.

Prejudice

If the idea of having people identified because of their beliefs (and in order to better persecute them) is certainly horrendous, there is still something I do not understand:

- A lot of justified outrage at the news that in Iran Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians will soon have to identify themselves with a specific coloured cloth (subsequently denied);

- Silence when the UN discloses Ayatollah Khamenei's order to the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Guard and the Police Force to identify of all the members of the Baha'i faith.

?

On the fringe of "the letter"

Much has been said about "the letter". I would like to mention two: Firstly, an interesting point at the end of a New York Times article that quoted Wahid Abdel Maguid of the Egyptian Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, saying that the letter "was addressed more to young people in the Islamic world than to the American president" (this point was subsequently repeated by others). And there was also a much-needed response to the missive, posted on a blog, which brought everything back into the right perspective.

Reading the letter, I could not but notice the amount of "(PBUH)" it contained, associated to the various prophets mentioned. Of course, Muslims are familiar with the letters in brackets that always appear after Prophet Mohammed's name, but I was wondering what Americans, and Westerners in general, would make of it.

This led me to another, perhaps more fundamental reflection: one of Mr. Ahmadinejad's points in the letter was to show his own piety and somehow prove that not only was he a fervent believer in Prophet Mohammed, but he was also knowledgeable about and respectful of the Teachings of Christ -- a claim Mr. Bush seemed to make but not put into practice. However, if one reveres the Divine Messengers, then it could indeed be a form of respect to follow the utterance of their names by the expression of the wish that peace be upon them. But then reduce this to a few letters in bracket? To me, this kills all reverence, piety and spirituality.

Football and populism

The strategy involved various entities in power and the orchestration was smooth: Mr. Ahmadinejad played the card of women's rights by announcing that he was allowing indiscriminate access to football stadiums, then a number of grand Ayatollahs publicly expressed their disapproval (one of them being the President's own mentor) and finally the Leader himself said that it was inappropriate and the President bowed to Ayatollah Khamenei's wish, of course. Back to square one, with a few popular gains.

A few days ago I came across an article about a talk given by Ramin Jahanbegloo at the Amir Kabir University some months ago (unfortunately it is in Persian). During the talk Mr. Jahanbegloo made reference to the present government by calling them "populists" and in response to a question on the present situation in Iran he cited Jean-Paul Sartre saying France was never as free as during the Vichy regime. Later in the presentation, he went on to strongly criticize the Reformists as well, saying that the Populists appeared in our society because people no longer trusted the Reformists...

No wonder the man is now in Evin.

Countdown

No, I am not going to talk about the nuclear issue nor the Security Council but just return to my favourite subject: human rights.

Elections to the Human Rights Council are going to take place next Tuesday, 9 June, and as I have previously mentioned Iran is a candidate, although by now I believe it will not make it: there are enough other candidates within the Asian group with either better human rights records (which is not so difficult to achieve, as we all know) or who are more powerful and therefore can secure the votes regardless.

But predictions is not the purpose of this post. Because of this candidature, Iran has had to make commitments to the promotion and protection of human rights standards. The letter speaks for itself, but allow me to indulge in quoting one paragraph:

"The IRI, if elected, will spare no effort to assist the international community to safeguard the HRC from injustice, double-standards and politicization."

In other words, it will do its utmost to prevent Iran from being condemned for its human rights violations, as we can see from this and this, just to mention a couple.

On their websites, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have analyzed the situation of the various candidates. Iran is worth checking... edifying!

(double) Standards

A while ago, another blogger wrote about double standards, or more precisely about various interpretations depending on what suits the argument. His was in favour of the IRI. The discourse was so "nonsensical" (to use the terms of someone who responded in the comments) that my disappointment with the author led me to stop reading the blog altogether, rather than responding.

But the malaise of not having expressed my frustration remained, I guess (although I gladly found today that, in fact, someone did.)

And then, here I am, thanks to Mr. Zarif who had another go at the UN. Surely, he must feel a little awkward at calling upon the United Nations Security Council to somehow protect Iran when, a day or two before, his President had indicated that "Iran does not give a damn about such [Security Council] resolutions", and his main nuclear negotiator had defined them as "not very important".