Iran Video: Ahmadinejad's Right-Hand Man Rahim-Mashai v. the Protestors
Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 15:30
Scott Lucas in EA Iran, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, Planet Iran, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, Voice of America

In the midst of its report on the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad road show in New York, Voice of America Persian captured an extraordinary moment.

At the 2:41 mark in the video, Iranian activists catch up with the President's Chief of Staff and close ally, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai near the United Nations and challenge him over human rights in Iran. Planet Iran summarises the conversation:

The lady in the black shirt says: “Inside Iran all of our most esteemed journalists are being tortured….”

Rahim-Mashai brazenly responds: “VOA…what does it mean?”

The voiceover: “The Voice of America’s reporters however were attacked by him" as Rahim-Mashai covers the VOA camera lens.

The woman in the lavender colored shirt asks: “What do you have to say for yourself about the case of Sakineh Mohmmadi-Ashtiani [the woman initially sentenced to death by stoning for adultery; the execution has been suspended as the case is completed]? Mr. Ahmadinejad claims that the sentencing was not even passed on her case.”

Rahim-Mashai snickers and lies: “It was not at all passed!”

Woman in lavender shirt: “The judiciary passed the sentence! So why is the judiciary saying that, for now, the sentence is voided.”

Rahim-Mashai: “Who says? Voided? The case has not even been processed!”

Human rights activist Naghmeh Mosaed in the green shirt says: “She was supposed to be executed!”

Rahim-Mashai: “No such thing!”

Woman in the lavender shirt: “So okay, she won’t be stoned to death then.”

The man in the black and white striped t-shirt says: “Yeah right, if it wasn’t for the international pressure, that it was stopped…and you lot aren’t scared of our people…”

Rahim-Mashai to the man: “If the international committee had any real care, they’d stop the nonsense about the nuclear issue and not concentrate on this Sakineh."

Article originally appeared on EA WorldView (http://www.enduringamerica.com/).
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