Haleh Sahabi killed at father’s funeral
Haleh Sahabi, a human rights activist and women rights champion, died today in a scuffle that broke out with Iranian government security forces at her father’s funeral, Reuters reported. Haleh was arrested for participating in protests following the 2009 election, and temporary released to attend the ceremony. Her father, Ezzatollah Sahabi (1930-2011) was a politician […]
Monolithic Myths
I could not help but laugh at the irony when I read successive articles in the New York Times on Monday in which, in the first article, Iran’s government was referred to monolithically as “the mullahs”, while in the second, the Times reported that senior clerics in Iran are actually being targeted for government censorship. […]
One Year Later: Are We Missing the Real Story?
Much attention has been given to the absence of large street protests on the anniversary of Iran’s disputed elections. This focus on street protests however, largely misses the point of the opposition movement today. “A government that is scared of a corpse is a weak government,” Shirin Ebadi said, referring to the government’s decision to […]
IRI’s Helping Hand
While some Iranians came out to protest on the one-year anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections this weekend, others came out to attack Mehdi Karroubi and the offices of Grand Ayatollah Saanei and late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri. Karroubi, who traveled to Qom on Sunday for a mourning ceremony, planned on visiting Grand Ayatollah Yousef Saanei, […]
Reformist Cleric Arrested
Radio Zamaneh reports (via www.payvand.com) that Iranian reformist cleric Mohammad-Taghi Khalaji was arrested yesterday by the Qom Intelligence Department. Khalaji’s son Mehdi affirms that when arrested, Khalaji’s computer and personal documents, such as his passport, were confiscated as well. Mehdi Khalaji further reports that his mother and sister also had their passports confiscated and they […]
The Significance of Today’s Events
Today clearly breathed new life into Iran’s opposition movement. Opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi both took the risk and attended alongside countless other mourners. (Mousavi’s convoy was reportedly attacked en-route back to Tehran by plain-clothed security officials who cut off the convoy and bashed in a window of one of the […]
Ayatollah Montazeri: Occupation of the American Embassy Was a Mistake
In a statement posted on his website, Ayatollah Montazeri said that the occupation of the American embassy was not the right thing to do. According to Montazeri, “occupying the embassy of a country we are not at war with is like declaring war on them and is wrong. Many devoted [revolutionaries] who were involved accept […]
Ayatollah Montazeri: no pious court can try someone based on these confessions
Grand Ayatollah Montazeri issued a statement today regarding recent trials, condemning forced confessions and other human rights abuses: With complete surprise and regret, our dear and suffering people are witnessing the broadcasting of unlawful and immoral interviews by their captive love ones; those who have been detained for more than 40 days and some of […]