Wednesday
Dec092009
UPDATED Iran's 16 Azar: The Arrest of Majid Tavakoli
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 5:45
Setareh Sabety sends us a report on an event which we briefly noted yesterday:
UPDATE 9 December 1115 GMT: Human Rights Activists in Iran have posted more information on Tavakoli's arrest.
UPDATE 9 December: Setareh Sabety notes that Fars News has tried to discredit and degrade Tavakoli (as well as insulting women), with this "report": "The leader of Mousavi`s rioters was captured while in disguise and fleeing the security forces.Dressed as a pious woman and even sporting a purse to complete the look,he failed to reach his target and was arrested by the security forces."
This does not even deserve the label of propaganda, let alone news
Majid Tavakoli, a student at Polytechnic (Amir Kabir) University in Tehran, was arrested on his way out of the University after he gave a moving speech at ceremonies/protests held on the National Student's Day in Iran.
Iran: The Arrest of Majid Tavakoli “His 16 Azar Speech on Video”
Iran’s Arrest of Majid Tavakoli: “Khamenei in Hejab/We Are All Majids”
According to the Amir Kabir student newsletter, Tavakoli was arrested last winter and served three months in jail after an appearance at commemoration ceremonies for former Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan. Tavakoli also spent over a year in jail after a 2007 arrest, and according to sources, he was tortured.
A human rights activist who has been working in Iran for years told me that Tavakoli's arrest does not bode well because the regime may try to make him a scapegoat, painting him as the leader and instigator of the massive protests that took place today. “His only chance is that the international community supports him,” claimed the activist. That is a dramatic statement: usually families and friends of a prisoner take a back-door route to getting release orders; an appeal to the international community comes only to cases that look hopeless.
This was Tavakoli's last entry on Facebook, posted on Saturday:
UPDATE 9 December 1115 GMT: Human Rights Activists in Iran have posted more information on Tavakoli's arrest.
UPDATE 9 December: Setareh Sabety notes that Fars News has tried to discredit and degrade Tavakoli (as well as insulting women), with this "report": "The leader of Mousavi`s rioters was captured while in disguise and fleeing the security forces.Dressed as a pious woman and even sporting a purse to complete the look,he failed to reach his target and was arrested by the security forces."
This does not even deserve the label of propaganda, let alone news
Majid Tavakoli, a student at Polytechnic (Amir Kabir) University in Tehran, was arrested on his way out of the University after he gave a moving speech at ceremonies/protests held on the National Student's Day in Iran.
Iran: The Arrest of Majid Tavakoli “His 16 Azar Speech on Video”
Iran’s Arrest of Majid Tavakoli: “Khamenei in Hejab/We Are All Majids”
According to the Amir Kabir student newsletter, Tavakoli was arrested last winter and served three months in jail after an appearance at commemoration ceremonies for former Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan. Tavakoli also spent over a year in jail after a 2007 arrest, and according to sources, he was tortured.
A human rights activist who has been working in Iran for years told me that Tavakoli's arrest does not bode well because the regime may try to make him a scapegoat, painting him as the leader and instigator of the massive protests that took place today. “His only chance is that the international community supports him,” claimed the activist. That is a dramatic statement: usually families and friends of a prisoner take a back-door route to getting release orders; an appeal to the international community comes only to cases that look hopeless.
This was Tavakoli's last entry on Facebook, posted on Saturday:
Only two more days (to 16 Azar). I have spent ten exhausting days on the road with more than 100 hours of driving and now I have to leave for Tehran. Looking at my mother's tearful eyes and father's anxious glances and despite all the difficulties only the true wish for freedom can maintain my drive and steadfastness. And so once again I welcome and accept all the dangers, standing next to my friends with whom I am honoured and proud to be on 16 Azar shoulder to shoulder we will shout against tyranny. For Freedom.