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POPSThe Challenge of Freedom Part I
a desperate struggle, conducted in the defiance of inevitable defeat. As a religious and spiritual people, we have a tendency to regard the triumph of the righteous as assured, and see victory as the destiny of virtue. The evidence of history says otherwise. No one would have given the American patriots winning odds at the outset of the Revolutionary War, fought against the most disciplined and well-equipped military force of the era, by men who marched through the snow in the tatters of disintegrating boots. Even patriotic Americans of today don’t always appreciate how special our achievement is… not just in its success, but its endurance. Most victorious “revolutions” end with a new class of slaves cleaning up the victory celebrations, beneath the whips of a new set of tyrants. As Binyon points out in his Times Online article, grisly regimes like North Korea remain in power, despite decades of poverty and manifest failure. The image of a lone, unarmed man standing against
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POPS2009 in photos (parts 1, 2 and 3!) A great collection of photos from The Boston Globe's "The Big Picture" feature. Please click through to the site for the lovely hi-res images and information on each one.
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POPSWhy are feminists like Azar Nafisi called "right wing" "neo cons?"
The quotes in the clip are welcome antidotes to the attitude our Beloved Leader is flacking towards the Islamic Republic of Iran. But the article itself leads into the story of <p>"a vibrant and beautiful young girl, Neda Agha-Soltan, and not the men who rule over Iran has become a symbol of Iranian people's fight for democracy and pluralism. Her murder, like those of Politkovskaya and Estermirova, gives the lie to the claims of those who vainly tried to silence them, and reminds the rest of us that we neither should or can evade the truth and its consequences."</p> The article is about a journalism award in honor of the Russian journalist, Ana Politkovskaya. She says that it was Politkovskaya's <p>"single-minded commitment to truth, and her demand for justice, that made her so dangerous to the tyrants in her country and inconvenient to leaders of western democracies.</p> More than this, Nafisi takes us on a world historical tour of feminists and feminism.
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POPSMarwa Ali El Sherbini Marwa Ali El Sherbini: News reveals that the tragic incident Marwa Ali El Sherbini has been the buzz all over the world and the entire Arab and Muslim world. Who is Marwa Ali. Marwa Ali El Sherbini, neda aqa soltan, klve 107.5, kmov, observer dispatch, radio france internationale.
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POPSNeda Agha-Soltan's Fiance Has Been Released From Evin Prison in Iran Amnesty International had been calling for Makan's release, claiming he had been ill treated in prison and subject to coercion and torture. The circumstances of his release and his imprisonment are not immediately clear, and Amnesty International has apparently suspended its appeal but is continuing to monitor Makan's situation. Others involved in the circumstances surrounding the now-famous videotaped death of the young Neda Agha-Soltan have fled Iran in fear for their own lives, including Dr. Arash Hejazi, who attended to Neda after she was shot, and the television journalist who interviewed Caspian Makan after Neda's untimely death.
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POPSNeda's Murder Was Not Staged
But, according to Iran's Press TV, police chief Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam declared Wednesday that the shooting was a "prearranged scenario" — a "premeditated act of murder" that could not have been committed by Iranian police. The White House called that allegation part of Iran's "ongoing campaign of misinformation" about the country's widely-disputed June 12 presidential elections, which returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to office and sent hundreds of thousands into the streets in fury over what they claim was a stolen election. "I think the notion that the death of an innocent woman would be staged is — even with them — it's shocking," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday. Moqadam led the investigation following an order from Ahmadinejad inquiring about the "suspicious" nature of the shooting. The Iranian president said even before the investigation that anti-government "elements" were behind the killing — presumably fingering either foreign agents or even the
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POPSWho Was Neda Agha-Soltan Face of a Revolution? Neda has not been the only person to die during the anti-government protests. Iranian state television has reported 10 deaths, while the radio has reported 19. Many believe the true total is much higher
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POPS A Profoundly Dangerous Message Because never at any time since the revolution has public criticism been as open and as bitter as now. The state television channel as the mouthpiece of the regime is increasingly mocked for its lies. We watched in disbelief as it broadcast cookery shows during the upheaval. Now we view staged confessions by some of the countless individuals rounded up after the election. A colleague quietly left a piece of paper on my desk tallying recent news items on IRIB. Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman shot dead during a street protest, was mentioned three times; Uighur Muslims in China eight times and the killing of an Egyptian-born Muslim woman by a racist in Germany 140 times. Until recently, it was almost unheard of to utter criticism and the name of the Supreme Leader in the same breath. But now, even Ayatollah Ali Khamenei does not escape, and I don't mean just in conversations between trusted friends. My own father, seriously mistrustful of talking about anything . . .
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POPSJAILED: Important Intellectuals and Political Thinkers Human Rights Watch has called for his release. Back in 1972, Professor Muhammad Sahimi, of TehranReport.com (whom we interviewed here) was a classmate of Hajjarian's in Tehran University. His profile of the man he describes as "one of the most important intellectuals and political thinkers of Iran over the past few decades," is here. Posted by FintanDunne at 3:30 AM Labels: #iranelection, activists
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POPSFresh News From Iran - July 4-5 Confirmed reports indicate that protesters are quietly going through the city and writing anti-government slogans on city walls, using the storm to their advantage. 4. Recently, a lot of news has been circulating about IRG and military clashes over how to deal with protests. (the more reliable twitter sources have not been able to confirm anything in this regard.) 5. Mehdi Karoubi today stated that they will continue to fight even though it looks as if resistance will become more difficult. He mocked Ahmadinejad for ordering a probe into Neda Agha-Soltan’s death while many more people have been killed in the unrests. 7. Reliable sources have indicated that Mir Hossein Mousavi will be creating a new party in order to further their goals of nullifying the election. Among the many instances of fraud in the election that have been claimed by Mousavi is the alleged printing of 20 million extra votes by the government in order to fill boxes with votes for Ahmadinejad.
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POPS No Eyewitnesses to the Crime Still, the world is watching. As we Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence, let’s stand with Iran by recalling the first democratic revolution in Asia. It began in 1905 in Iran, driven by the quest to secure parliamentary government and a Constitution from the Qajar dynasty. Now, 104 years on, Iranians demand that the Constitution they have be respected through Islamic democracy and a government accountable to the people. They will not be silenced. The regime’s base has narrowed dramatically. Its internal splits are growing with the defection of much of the clerical establishment. One distinguished Iran scholar, Farideh Farhi, wrote this to me: “So I cry and ask why we have to do this to ourselves over and over again. Yet I do have hope, perhaps for purely selfish reasons " because I don’t want to cry all the time, but also because of the energy you keep describing.
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POPSA Hardline Cleric Calls For Iran 'Rioters' To Be Executed Mr Mousavi's supporters plan to release thousands of balloons later today with the message: "Neda you will always remain in our hearts", in memory of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman killed last week who has become an icon of the demonstrations. Iranian state television said eight Basij militiamen were killed by "rioters" during the protests. State media previously said 20 people were killed in the marches. Mr Khatami said Neda was killed by the rioters themselves for propaganda purposes. "By watching the film, any wise person can understand that rioters killed her," he said. Britain's Times newspaper quoted Dr Arash Hejazi, an Iranian who appeared on internet videos helping Neda, as echoing opposition charges the 26-year-old music student was killed by a government militiaman. "She was just a person in the street who was against the injustice going on in her country, and for that she was murdered," he said.
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POPSWho Really Killed Neda of Iran? Ballistics Suspicious Another possibility, besides the CIA, is Israel's Mossad and it's "shadow wars" . He suggested that the CIA or another intelligence service may have been responsible. Interesting how CNN only mentions the CIA in their title, and its denial in the article, instead of "another intelligence service". The details of her murder, and the ballistics of the bullet used by "a sniper", and away from the crowd of protestors are inconsistent with that of Iranian "militia" in both use of weaponry and motive. Killing a harmless unarmed girl, away from the crowd, would serve no one's purpose except the purpose for which her death is now being employed , quickly, by western media. It is no secret that covert operations are being employed against Iran by both the US and Israel for "destabilization".
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POPSDr Arash Hejazi Ran to Neda Agha-Soltan's Aid After She Was Shot in the Chest Iran doctor tells of Neda's death "We heard a gunshot. Neda was standing a metre away from me... I saw blood gushing out of her chest" To View Videotaped interview click on link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8119658.stm "I was there with some friends because we had heard that there were some protests and we decided to go and take a look," he said. "Anti-riot police were coming by motorcycles towards the crowd." Dr Hejazi said he saw Ms Soltan, who he did not know, with an older man who he thought was her father but later on learned was her music teacher. "We ran to her and lay her on the ground. I saw the bullet wound just below the neck with blood gushing out. "I have never seen such a thing because the bullet, it seemed to have blasted inside her chest, and later on, blood exiting from her mouth and nose. Ms Soltan has become a rallying point for protesters around the world
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POPSIran Crisis 25 June 2009 Youtube commentors offer these translations: Basically: last night several man in military uniforms with arabic accents attacked this building and several others in the same street. They broke the door, and made their way into the building all the way to the rooftop, and broke the a/c units, throwing some of them to the street. They also broke the cars in the street. 6.18pm: A reliable twitterer says that a group of mourners went to Neda Agha-Soltan's grave today but were turned back by security forces, who consisted of the usual mix of riot police, plain clothes cops and basiji militiamen. The twitter says they detained people who were carrying green signs or refused an order to disperse. 6.12pm: Our video production team knit together this montage of amateur footage from yesterday's protests. Amateur videos of clashes between protesters and the authorities in Tehran continue to be posted online
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POPS Iran Doctor Tells of Neda's Death The doctor who tried to save an Iranian protester as she bled to death on a street in Tehran has told the BBC of her final moments. Dr Arash Hejazi, who is studying at a university in the south of England, said he ran to Neda Agha-Soltan's aid after seeing she had been shot in the chest. Despite his attempts to stop the bleeding she died in less than a minute, he said. Video of Ms Soltan's death was posted on the internet and images of her have become a rallying point for Iranian opposition supporters around the world. Dr Hejazi also told how passers-by then seized an armed Basij militia volunteer who appeared to admit shooting Ms Soltan. Dr Hejazi said he had not slept for three nights following the incident, but he wanted to speak out so that her death was not in vain. He doubted that he would be able to return to Iran after talking openly about Ms Soltan's killing. Watch interview video with Dr Arash Hejazi BBC NEWS LINK (Cartoon: The Guardian's Steve Bell
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POPSI am jeopardising my situation because of the innocent look in her (Neda's) eyes." No matter how much we argue with each other, insanely, stupidly, brilliantly, or forcefully, republican, democrat or indifferent, we should all remember what we have a precious gift. The right to protest, the right to our voices being heard. The human right to peaceful gathering and protest. I hope we all remember as Americans, as July 4th approaches, how beautiful that gift is, and also remember those who have given their lives in our country and all around the world for this basic human right.
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POPSIran Crisis: Live 6/24/2006 Salon has a powerful article, with disturbing images, about a 17-year-old student who it says was horrifically beaten by the police in Tehran. The torture of a 17-year-old in Iran A teenager's story, with graphic photos, of abuse at the hands of Iran's religious paramilitaries, the Basij 12.15pm: A group called Human Rights Activists Iran has more details (including photos) of the students arrested since the election. 12.20pm: The Iranian authorities and their lackeys in the state-controlled media are trying to launch a counter-offensive on the Neda phenomenon, writes Robert Tait. Javan, another pro-regime paper, http://english.farsnews.net/ blamed an even more unlikely source - my friend and recently expelled BBC correspondent Jon Leyne. It claims that Leyne hired "thugs" to shoot her so he could then make a documentary film. Meanwhile, the government has forbidden hospitals from releasing deaths certificates that give shooting as the cause of death.
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POPSNeda Soltan's Family 'Forced Out of Home' by Iranian Authorities Amid scenes of grief in the Soltan household with her father and mother screaming, neighbours not only from their building but from others in the area streamed out to protest at her death. But the police moved in quickly to quell any public displays of grief. They arrived as soon as they found out that a friend of Soltan had come to the family flat. In accordance with Persian tradition, the family had put up a mourning announcement and attached a black banner to the building. But the police took them down, refusing to allow the family to show any signs of mourning. The next day they were ordered to move out. Since then, neighbours have received suspicious calls warning them not to discuss her death with anyone and not to make any protest. A tearful middle-aged woman who was an immediate neighbour said her family had not slept for days because of the oppressive presence of the Basij militia, out in force in the area harassing people since Soltan's death.
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POPSIranian authorities scramble to negate Neda Soltan 'martyrdom' The world really needs to extend a hand to help these people. Let's NOT let this get to the point of all these government executions evolving to genocide, before the international community steps in and tells this dictatorship to cease attacking its own people. Action is needed now, not just from the US, but all the international powers.
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POPSNeda Agha Soltan ~ The Face of Iranian Resistance The name "Neda" can be heard several times on the video clip, presumably by her father. It has been reported that he can be heard saying (in Farsi) "Neda, don't be afraid. Neda, don't be afraid. Neda, stay with me. Neda stay with me!" At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karegar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart. I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that the bullet had blasted inside the victim’s chest, and she died in less than 2 minutes. The protests were going on about 1 kilometers away in the main street and some of the protesting crowd were running from tear gas used among them Please let the world know
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