The Latest from Iran (2 May): Persistence

2115 GMT: Show of Support. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard have visited reformist leader Mostafa Tajzadeh as he continues to undergo medical treatment on his back.

Tajzadeh was supposed to return to prison last week to serve his six-year sentence, but this has been delayed because of his medical situation.

2010 GMT: MediaWatch. Last night we closed by noting how The New York Times mangled the story of Iran's May Day, drawing from one "analyst" rather than any apparent recognition of events to claim --- erroneously --- that the Iranian people had not responded to opposition calls for public demonstrations.

It is only fair, therefore, that we give a tip of the hat to the Los Angeles Times, which does notice the video clips that, despite regime efforts, got through to show "opposition vitality".

NEW Iran Analysis: The Scattering of Protest is Still Protest
NEW Iran Eyewitness: “The Movement Is Still Strong and Vibrant”
UPDATED Iran Video and Translation: The Mousavi Statement for May Day/Teachers Day (29 April)
Latest Iran Video: Deterring Protests, “Greeting” Ahmadinejad (1 May)
Iran: US Filmmakers Demand “Free Jafar Panahi”
Iran Document: Mehdi Karroubi “The Green Movement is Growing in Society”
UPDATED Iran: Tehran, Defender of Rights (Don’t Mention Boobquake), Joins UN Commission on Status of Women

1520 GMT: Karroubi Watch. BBC Persian posts a series of photographs, dated yesterday, that it says are from the memorial service for the father of the Minister of Culture, Mohammad Hosseini. They show Karroubi meeting Ali Larijani, 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, and Hossieni. Karroubi is being treated warmly, far from a leader of sedition, as he has been labelled by the "hardline" press.


1510 GMT: The UK Deportation Case. Actvists report that the deportation to Tehran of Bita Ghaedi, originally scheduled for 20 April but delayed because of the Icelandic volcanic ash, has now been rescheduled for 5 May. Ghaedi, who fled Iran because of alleged domestic abuse, claims she will be under threat from Tehran authorities if she is forcibly returned.

1445 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. Make of these comments what you will. In a meeting with members of the academic section of Parliament for National Teachers Day, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani said:

When it comes to making laws and passing bills, the Parliament is in charge and the interference and meddling of other organizations can seriously damage the position and dignity of the Parliament....Actions that are either above the law or are against the law by any individual, any group or organization seriously damages the unity, solidarity and trust of the people.

1430 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Ali Akbar Soroush, university lecturer and member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front central council in Mazandaran province, has been released on bail after 47 days of solitary confinement.

1200 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Lawyer Mohammad Oliyaifard, who has been prominent in his defence of those facing the death penalty, has been arrested for propaganda against the regime.

1000 GMT: Teachers Day News. Rah-e-Sabz, writing of students commemorating Teachers' Day while many of those teachers are behind bars, reviews dismissals, detentions, and death sentences.

On a happier note, the website features Green students of Zahedan University thanking and congratulating staff with flowers and cookies on May Day.

0940 GMT: The Effect of the Election. An interesting radio roundtable with MPs Mohammad Reza Bahonar, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, and Mehdi Kuchakzadeh. As one might expect, the reformist Tabesh said "there is no balance" in Iranian politics and society when all protesters are imprisoned and all media are in the hand of a particular group. However, Bahonar --- far from a reformist --- asserted that the mistakes of the Guardian Council had a "negative effect" and spread doubt over the 2009 Presidential election.

0830 GMT: Parliament v. President. Key conservative MP Ahmad Tavakoli has launched another assault on the Ahmadinejad economic development plan. Elyas Naderan, another conservative critic, has repeated his allegation --- alluding to 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi --- that "corrupt economic organisations linked to the government have been installed".

On the "outside", Rah-e-Sabz has a long analysis alleging that the oil ministry in is the hands of an official, Ahmad Ghalebani, linked to Ahmadinejad Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai. Ghalebani has allegedly excluded former Ministers (and Ahmadinejad opponents) like Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie and Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi and appointed personnel with dubious financial records. The report, which is echoed in Khabar Online, adds that both Ejeie and Naderan have complained about Ghalebani's corruption.

0755 GMT: Get Political, Revolutionary Guards. The Supreme Leader's liaison with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Hojatoleslam Ali Saidi, has denied that Imam Khomeini said the IRGC should not enter politics.

0750 GMT: A May Day Declaration. The reformist Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution's May Day statement has demanded the unconditional release of all labour activists and unionists from prison.

0745 GMT: An Interesting Denial (and Un-Denial). Secretary of the Expediency Council and 2009 Presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei has used Khabar Online to deny a report in Der Spiegel, "He knows that even his six bodyguards will be no protection if he sticks his neck out too far in Ahmadinejad's republic." Rezaei said, "Perhaps through making such allegations, some are trying to disrupt the peaceful climate and endanger cooperation, brotherhood of Iranian people."

Rezaei, however, said nothing about this portion of the article: "Like [Mehdi] Karroubi, Rezaei refers to 'Dr. Ahmadinejad' and avoids using the word president. And like Karroubi the reformer, Rezai the conservative says: "It can't go on like this."

0740 GMT: The Oil Squeeze. Tehran Times offers an optimistic counter to recent stories of countries limiting their imports of Iranian oil: exports from Tehran to Japan rose 21 percent in March.

0720 GMT: Iran and Women's Rights. A twist in the tale of Iran's successful attempt at membership on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, as the Canadian Government issued a sharp criticism:

“It is the Government of Canada’s understanding that Iran was acclaimed as a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women as part of an uncontested slate endorsed by the Asian regional group, of which Canada is not a member,” [Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon] said. “We deplore this development but will use Iran’s membership on this body to take the Iranian authorities to task for their systemic human rights violations. We have done so in the United Nations General Assembly. We have done so in the United Nations Human Rights Council, and at every opportunity will continue to do so publicly.”

It will be interesting to see if the US, one of the countries who voted Iran on to the Commission by acclamation, takes any notice.

0710 GMT: Look Over There! Yesterday we noted that Fars News was so busy covering international May Day protests that it forgot to notice them at home.

Step up, Press TV. Its feature story is "May Day Turns Violent in Berlin", but it does have a bit of domestic coverage:

“We have documents that prove [Washington] is the root of world terrorism. It has been aiding and abetting extremist groups over the past years,” said President Ahmadinejad in a Saturday ceremony marking World Labor Day.

Curiously, however, the Press TV correspondent who noticed this ceremony missed the students who "greeted" the President. Indeed, the correspondent seems, in his/her haste to note the US and world terrorism on "World Labor DaY", all of Iran's workers.

0700 GMT: We begin today with two features: Scott Lucas offers an analysis of the events of May Day, "The Scattering of Protest is Still Protest", and we have an eyewitness account from an Iranian who recently returned to the country for a month, "The Movement is Still Strong and Vibrant".

On to National Teachers Day today to see if it brings further signs of protest despite the regime's dedicated attempt to put dissent beyond vision, if not to crush it altogether.

Comments

[M.Ali]

It boggels the minds that even though Iran has the highest ratio of female-to-men university students in the world, and the females represent a huge part of the work force, Cananda deems it thats okay for Zimbabwe, Congo, Estonia, and Libya to be on the seat, but not Evil Iran.

[Catherine]

Ali,
It boggles the mind that any country would think that the Democratic Republic of Congo should be on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and then complain about Iran's success. The DCR has an *infinitely* worse track record on women's rights than Iran. I was hoping to post a link here to my comment on the subject in :
http://enduringamerica.com/2010/05/01/iran-special-tehran-defender-of-womens-rights-p-s-dont-mention-boobquake/" rel="nofollow">http://enduringamerica.com/2010/05/01/iran-spec...

but, alas, there are no comments left in that thread anymore :-(

[M.Ali]

I have no problem with claiming that its not a big deal that Iran is on that seat (its not), my problem is acting like its a HUGE deal and Iran somehow doesn't deserve it, while other countries do, like what Canada is doing.

[M.Ali]

When you look at female issues, specially in relationshion to the theme of the committee, " “Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work”.", Iran has a fairly decent record, compared to the other members in the committee.

[Catherine]

Ali,
Yes, when you look at Iran's achievements in relationship to the theme of the committee you cite, one would never think there would be a need for something like the One Million Signature Campaign. The fact that women comprise 60% of university students, making Iranian women more educated than their male compatriots and putting Iranian women on a similar level to that of women in advanced European countries, serves as a stark contrast to women’s subordinate legal status in Iran.

Why should the life of a woman be half the value of a man’s? When a car hits and injures a man and a woman, why should the driver be obligated to pay the woman half the damages entitled to the man? Is it a sin to be a woman? Is human dignity based on gender? Educated and conscious women in Iran ask themselves why the legal testimony of two women is equal to the testimony of one man? And worse, why can the system punish and whip women who have chosen to bear witness to a crime in the absence of any willing male witnesses?

Why do Iranian women need such a campaign?:
http://www.we-change.org/english/spip.php?article41" rel="nofollow">http://www.we-change.org/english/spip.php?artic...

(BUT - we must admit that Iran is a paradise for women in comparison to countries like Congo and Saudi Arabia)

[Catherine]

Maybe Iran's Women Really Can Cause An Earthquake
Op-Ed by By Golnaz Esfandiari

I wasn't surprised when I read the comments by Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi in which he claimed that women who don't dress modestly lead men astray and even cause earthquakes. In fact, I was amused, thinking he was being was unusually imaginative in his reasoning.

But I wasn't surprised. After all, I grew up in postrevolutionary Iran, and we used to find statements similar to Sedighi's on state television and in state-controlled newspapers all the time.
Read more: http://www.rferl.org/content/Maybe_Irans_Women_Really_Can_Cause_An_Earthquake/2028935.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rferl.org/content/Maybe_Irans_Women_...

[wdavit]

M.Ali,

Two wrongs don't make a right. However I do agree it does stink of hypocrisy that Congo for example isn't targeted as well. The harsh realty is Iran is perceived as threat and not Congo thus the attention on Iran. I might also add Iran along with Libya are the only states that have actually laws on the books that clearly discriminate against women and yes they are were both sourced from Sharia sadly. Hopefully one day all will regard each other equal regardless of faith and gender.

Thx
Bill

[wdavit]

M. Ali,

All good if you not a Bahai. When is Iran ever going to stop persecuting based on faith? For that matter when is the Islamic world as a whole going to stop persecuting and judging based on faith? Sadly this an a problem that is endemic across the Islamic world. You might also want to not Ahmadinejad was the one who push through a new quota system in the universities that actually reduce the number of females allowed to attend a University. It would seem to me this action contradicts your statement on some levels.

Thx
Bill

[M.Ali]

THere are many laws on the books, in many different countries, that can be differently interpreted as being discriminatory, and I honestly don't know why you think Iran & Libya are the only two in the world!!

[wdavit]

“We have documents that prove [Washington] is the root of world terrorism. It has been aiding and abetting extremist groups over the past years,” Well Mr. Ahmadinejad is it the Bahais, Western Media, the Jews, CIA, Mossad, or the US as you now claim. Please make up your mind because we are utterly cofused at this point and we off course make all our decisions based on your wise council!!! Not!!! What a muppet once again trying deflect and make a show at the UN! While you at will you tell us more about how Iran is the most powerful nation in the world? God this guy is absolutely delusional!

[M.Ali]

There are movements all around in the world, even in countries that are deemed more advanced, have groups that are calling more what they perceieve as improvement over the lives. If I get you a few examples of groups in European countries, should we automaticaly assume that countries like those are really down on the ladder?

Definately, Iran has concerns that need to be challenged, however, I find it unfair that it is always singled out. Why does Mr Canada Man pin point out only Iran, even though Iran's treament over women, legally & culturally, is miles furthur than other countries.

If certain aspects seem discriminatory, they can be challenged and then worked to make sure it meets with the society's needs. For example, some discrimination is not based on just considering the women's life to be of less value, but in relationshion to Islam's teachings which are based on the notion that a man is generally (not always) more responsible for handling the financial aspects of a family, not only of children, but of such things such as parents.

[wdavit]

M. Ali,

I don't think Iran or Libya are the only problem. In fact I would target a huge number of Islamic states that have discriminatory laws based on faith or gender. I can cite ad nauseum laws directly lifted from Sharia that discriminate based on faith and gender(most are directly sourced from Dhimmi jurisprudence.) I would encorage you to read the Cario Decleration of Human Rights the OIC felt it neccessary to foist on the world for some perspective. The OIC did so becaue the Universal Decleration of Human Rights guranteed equal rights, freedom, and liberty regardless of faith in direct contradiction to Sharia. It is why the Cario decleration of rights has no mention of relgious freedom and in numerous spots replaces the word "rights" with "dignity." I would also point out the fact that year after year it is Islamic states that make up the who's who list of the world's worst human and religious rights abusers. They do so because their laws based on Sharia clearly denote the non believer as a second class citizen. Why?

Thx
Bill

[Catherine]

Ali,
"If I get you a few examples of groups in European countries..."

Well, we're talking about Iran, so that won't be necessary. :-)

RE "Iran has concerns that need to be challenged, however, I find it unfair that it is always singled out."

This happens a lot here and at certain specialised websites, but across the board at human rights, women's rights and general news sites, you'll find other countries are singled out far more frequently for their horrible treatment of women: Sudan, Congo, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan.... And remember all the female infanticide constantly going on in India and China, and the honour killings all over the world (including amongst traditional, male-dominated Christian communities)........

But here's a POSITIVE story about - and for - Iranian women athletes!
FIFA lifts hijab ban on Iran girls football team
FIFA lifted its suspension of Iran's girls' soccer team and the players are now permitted to participate in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games while observing Islamic dress code
http://www.payvand.com/news/10/may/1009.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.payvand.com/news/10/may/1009.html

I don't think women should be forced to wear anything they don't want to, but since these girls can't compete without hijab, I prefer Iranian women athletes to be able to get out there no matter how they're dressed.

[danial]

to M.Ali and those who stand behind this regime...

The US may be that root of world terrorism, and perhaps this regime will do its best to protect the country from foreign influence but how can they possibly stand their ground when they are opposed by their own countrymen?

Maybe when Khamenei says that the western, un-Islamic and un-Iranian lifestyle that SOME Iranians ask for is in fact against their best interest he is right. However his strict and uncompromising approach is fruitless and has turned the masses against him. What has he to offer that could win the favor of the Iranians and when can he deliver?

It is not right to argue that since some states violate human rights that it is justifiable that this regime does the same. Most Iranians who oppose this regime don't prefer western oppression over this regime's oppression, they don't want oppression of any kind.

"It boggels the minds that even though Iran has the highest ratio of female-to-men university students in the world". This is not something that this regime has contributed, it from the will and defiance of the Iranian women.

How many people who support this regime can you mention that contributed something positive to Iran and its people aside from those who have defected and those who now are critical of this regime?

[M.Ali]

Bill, in your previous post, you said, "Iran along with Libya are the only states that have actually laws on the books that clearly discriminate against women". Notice "the only states". Then when I disagreed with this, you claimed that they weren't the only states, but Islamic states. Should I argue this point, or are you going to change the boundaries of the discussion again?

[M.Ali]

This is one of the typical argument tactics you have, Bill. You keep changing focus. We talk about elections, you bring up something else. We talk about Iran's UN seat, and you bring up Bahais. If the discussion was about Ahmedinijad's hairstyle, you's say, "Well, what about gay rights!? Huh?? Answer that!!"

[M.Ali]

I'm concerned about the recent concentrated effort on Iran. Iran's seat is brought into question, even though it really has done a lot of things that should be respected. Like the silly "boobquake" attention, religious scholars and such are making similar comments all throughout the year, yet its Iran that gets the wild PR, which shapes people's minds. Most young people passing on such news articles aren't paying attention to the complexities of Iran and compared to other countries. It nudges their minds in a certain direction that slowly, all these stories, combined gives them a certain image of Iran.

I don't agree with forced hijab either but I'm also not religious at all. But I might argue that if put to vote, and this is mainly a guess, its fairly possible that people in Iran would vote to keep it...

[M.Ali]

"How many people who support this regime can you mention that contributed something positive to Iran "

The fact that Iran survived 8 years of devastating war against Iraq (helped by the world), survived sanctions, improved its economy against all odds, started an internal economy, advanced in areas of science, medical, and technology, resisted foreign influences at the level of the gulf countries, was able to provide subsidies for many essentials for three decades, increased literacy and education among its people, are all positive contributions.

You can, of course, name as many negative contributions, but they don't necessarily cancel out the positive ones. They co-exist together.

[danial]

You are right. Iran survived...but not because of this regime but because of the people.

I asked you to name someone that is supporting this regime that made a positive change. The Iranian people are NOT the ones that support this regime.

Nazi Germany had its intellectuals (actually intelligent people) and almost all of them stood by their Fuhrer till the downfall. Who stands by the this government?

"The fact that Iran survived 8 years of devastating war against Iraq". The remaining war heroes, academics, artists and people of those times, the same people who helped this country maintain its integrity are being punished for doing and saying whats best for Iran.

Wasn't it Rafsanjani that lead the country out of war and into recovery during that period. Isn't it he shunned for being critical of this regime?

[M.Ali]

The government Is the people.

[wdavit]

M. Ali,

One solution to the "News" issue with Iran is to open up the borders. As your well aware most foreign based journalists are categorically barred from Iran. Taking this into context along with Iran's censorship how in the world can you expect any real news to come out of Iran. The only news that comes out of Iran is either regime approved or smuggled out by those opposing the regime. In both instances it leaves very little room for well balanced stories seeing as both sides will always be politically motivated when airing their stories.

Thx
Bill

[wdavit]

M. Ali,

It is not changing the subject. It is all under the umbrella of oppression targeting gender or faith. Iran has a serious issue with this and that's why I brought it up. Having said that I do agree with you Iran is light years ahead of almost every other Islamic state in terms of educating females. In fact I think Iran's educational system is probably the best throughout the whole Islamic world. Unlike the majority of the Sunni world Iran sees the value of the females in society--I only worry that under the Ahmadinejad regime they will scale this back and an example of scaling it back is the recent quota system introduced.

Thx
Bill

[greenheat]

m.ali

NO! the government is NOT the people any more!
they killed people n have been sending innocents, the wisest to prisons. they r sinful. but we people do not do such crimes.