TIME is polling its readers to find out who should be the 2009 Person of the Year and guess what–currently leading as the number one candidate are the Iran Protesters.
This is great news and a reminder to the world that the Iranian people continue their struggle for democracy, even when the headlines focus elsewhere. Many of you have joined the campaign to encourage the editors of TIME to make Neda Solton, who has come to personify the Iranian people’s battle, Person of the Year. Today’s poll shows that these efforts are paying off.
There are a total of 10 candidates, including Barack Obama (who won in 2008 and is the current runner up), Steve Jobs (ranked third) and the Somali Pirates (currently ranked last).
Head over to Time.com to view the candiates, see the current results, and cast your vote.
Here at NIAC, we’ve been focusing on doing our work rather than devoting all our time to responding to the flimsy allegations made against us by Eli Lake (with the assistance of an individual we’re suing for defamation, and parroted by neoconservative bloggers).
But since BBC Persian has done an actual investigation of the allegations against NIAC and the political motivations behind them, we felt like this video is worth sharing. (Persian, and skip ahead past the first 20 seconds)
English readers who’d like more information can find our response to Mr. Lake’s *ahem* journalism here and a point-by-point response to the many insinuations (and outright falsehoods) in his article here.
And for those unfamiliar with the quotation this post’s title is taken from–it’s one of my favorites by Winston Churchill–here it is reproduced in its entirety:
“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.”
The Agence France Presse reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been given command over “naval operations” in Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. A study conducted by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence concluded that,
the military reorganization launched in 2007 transfers responsibility for the Gulf from the regular navy to the elite Guards’ naval force, which has an arsenal of small, high-speed boats and cruise missiles.
The Islamic Republic’s regular naval forces are now responsible for the Gulf of Oman and the Caspian Sea regions.
This change in the operational theater of the IRGC navy is likely designed to allow Iran to effectively shut down shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf; something that the Iranian government has threatened in the past. Of course, as the Agence France Presse article points out, shutting down either sea lanes would have a massive deleterious effect on Iran’s economy in addition to damaging the economies of Europe and the United States.
Update:
On November 25, the Iranian Navy has detained five British nationals who accidentally sailed into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. The Britons were sailing a yacht, possibly named the Kingdom of Bahrain, on their way to Bahrain for a Dubai-Muscat race.
The five sailors are reported to be in good health and are being well treated.
Only a few weeks after US-Iran diplomacy began in earnest, it seems to be heading towards a premature ending. Rather than tensions reduction, the world has witnessed the opposite. Iran is refusing to accept a fuel swap deal brokered by the IAEA, the IAEA has passed a resolution rebuking Iran, and Tehran has responded by approving a plan to build ten more nuclear facilities.
With the potential end of at least this phase of diplomacy, fears of a disastrous Israeli attack on Iran are on the rise once more. But contrary to Washington’s official line, America is capable of preventing Israel from initiating a war that would further destabilize the Middle East.
The Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was recently released from Evin Prison, has an excellent op-ed in today’s Washington Post. In it, Bahari argues two main points: 1) The U.S. must still pursue diplomacy with Iran and 2) Smart sanctions (targeted ones that don’t affect the Iranian people) are the appropriate sanctions to impose.
Our regular readers already know this, but it is worth repeating that this is exactly the position we take here at NIAC. NIAC supports diplomacy with Iran, but NIAC has also been investigating how smart sanctions, which target Iran’s leaders rather than the general population, can be used effectively. (See our membership survey.) Stay tuned for more on this…
In the meantime, everyone should read Bahari’s op-ed in the Washington Post. Also, if you haven’t already seen it, the incredible story of his imprisonment in Newsweek is a must read
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors voted 25-3 to censure Iran in a motion that gained rare backing from Russia and China, which have in the past blocked attempts to isolate Iran, a trade partner for both.
The U.S. envoy to the IAEA, Ambassador Glynn Davies, said in Vienna on Friday that international patience with Iran was running out and that “round after round” of fruitless talks could not continue.
Speaking to reporters in Washington later, the U.S. official said the vote showed “unity of purpose” among major international powers on Iran, and repeated that time was growing short for Tehran to come clean about a nuclear program that Western governments fear is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge.”
The Washington Post reported Thursday on US efforts to secure China’s backing for the IAEA resolution:
Two weeks before President Obama visited China, two senior White House officials traveled to Beijing on a “special mission” to try to persuade China to pressure Iran to give up its alleged nuclear weapons program.
If Beijing did not help the United States on this issue, the consequences could be severe, the visitors, Dennis Ross and Jeffrey Bader, both senior officials in the National Security Council, informed the Chinese.
The Chinese were told that Israel regards Iran’s nuclear program as an “existential issue and that countries that have an existential issue don’t listen to other countries,” according to a senior administration official. The implication was clear: Israel could bomb Iran, leading to a crisis in the Persian Gulf region and almost inevitably problems over the very oil China needs to fuel its economic juggernaut, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier this week, the White House got its answer. China informed the United States that it would support a toughly worded, U.S.-backed statement criticizing the Islamic republic for flouting U.N. resolutions by constructing a secret uranium-enrichment plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors voted 25-3 to censure Iran in a motion that gained rare backing from Russia and China, which have in the past blocked attempts to isolate Iran, a trade partner for both.
The U.S. envoy to the IAEA, Ambassador Glynn Davies, said in Vienna on Friday that international patience with Iran was running out and that “round after round” of fruitless talks could not continue.
Speaking to reporters in Washington later, the U.S. official said the vote showed “unity of purpose” among major international powers on Iran, and repeated that time was growing short for Tehran to come clean about a nuclear program that Western governments fear is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge.
The Norwegian government said today that Shirin Ebadi’s 2003 Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma have been removed from her bank box by Iranian authorities. More from CNN:
“The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi’s bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement.
Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation, and there was no immediate reaction from Iran.
“Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement.
Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement that it “has reacted strongly” and summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires on Wednesday afternoon to protest the move.
During the meeting with the Iranian charge d’affaires, State Secretary Gry Larsen also expressed “grave concern” about how Ebadi’s husband has allegedly been treated.
“Earlier this autumn, he [Ebadi's husband] was arrested in Tehran and severely beaten. His pension has been stopped and his bank account has been frozen,” the statement from Norway said.
Store said in the statement that it marked the “first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities.”
Ebadi received the prize for her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children.
According to Radio Farda, more than 60 Basiji’s on motorcycles harassed Karroubi during his stay in Qom early Friday morning. The Basijis reportedly gathered in front of Karroubi’s residence after midnight and shouted insulting remarks against him.
During Karroubi’s visit in Qom, the police and security forces cooperated with Karroubi’s bodyguards. Ultimately, the Basijis left due to cold weather and police intervention. Karroubi was not harmed.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has more very concerning news about Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbakhsh:
Earlier this week, Tajbakhsh was brought in front of the Third Branch of the Security Court, which is a new court created and controlled apparently by the Revolutionary Guards to prosecute dissidents. He was charged with new allegations of spying based on emails he wrote to Middle East specialists on the Gulf 2000 list, which includes hundreds of experts, diplomats, and journalists. According to information received by the Campaign, high ranking Revolutionary Guards commanders initiated the new charges against Tajbakhsh. He is currently held in solitary confinement in Evin prison and denied release on bail.
Tajbakhsh has been already sentenced to 15 years in prison by a lower court, which charged him with multiple counts, including “acting against national security, by membership in the internet network related to Gary Sick, a CIA agent, and other foreign elements with the purpose of urging people to riot in presidential elections; spying and connections with foreign elements against the sacred system of the Islamic Republic; accepting a consultancy position with the Soros Foundation aimed at the soft overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran; propaganda activities against the sacred system of the Islamic Republic by participation in illegal assemblies and causing doubt and giving impression of fraud and cheating in election results; and causing lack of public trust towards the official national organs and the ruling system by instigating rioting, mayhem, fear and terror within the society.” No evidence was presented in Tajbakhsh’s trial to support these grave charges.
NIAC condemned the sentencing of Tajbakhsh last month.
In 1951, Iran’s first democratically elected leader, Mohammad Mossadegh, was recognized by Time Magazine and the world. He led his life based on the ideals of democracy and Iran’s sovereignty. Now, another Iranian who gave her life striving for freedom and justice needs to be recognized.
Her name is Neda.
Time Magazine awards the title to the person who “most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year.” Neda moved us to tears, gave us hope and moved millions to take action – all without uttering a word.
Her impact is undeniable. She has come to symbolize the struggle for democracy in Iran.
The campaign to nominate Neda for Time’s Person of the year began by ordinary people in Iran. NIAC wants to amplify their voice and enable you to do the same.
The Iranian government has done their best to quell her impact – calling her murder staged and refusing to let people visit her unmarked grace. Her life was ended by a single bullet, but you can make her live forever through a single email.
The International Campaign for Human Rights inIran reported today that along with Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights, it sent a letter to Iranian authorities demanding an investigation into the death of Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani, a 26-year-old physician at the Kahrizak detention center, “who reportedly witnessed grave human rights violations there.”
Iranhumanrights.org:
“Scores of protestors were detained and held at Kahrizak, where they were allegedly tortured and ill treated. At least four detainees died in the facility. Iranian authorities have promised to investigate the ill treatment of detainees at Kahrizak but to date, no public announcements about the prosecution of those responsible have been made.”
Pourandarjani had been working at Kahrizak once a week as part of his military service, treating detainees who had been tortured. Some reportedly died of their abuses in the facility. Before his death, Dr. Pourandarjani “reportedly received threats to prevent him from revealing the abuses he had witnessed at Kahrizak.” He was also said to “have been forced to certify that one detainee had died of meningitis.” (Our readers will remember that detainee was Mohsen Roholamini, the son of an aid to the conservative presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei. Parleman news reported in August that the coroner’s office of Tehran announced that he did not die from meningitis, leading to the conclusion that he had been killed in Kahrizak.)
Amnesty and ICHRI describe the suspicious circumstances behind the doctor’s death:
“Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani’s body was discovered in a room at Tehran police headquarters on 10 November. While the Chief of Police, General Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqaddam, has said that Dr. Pourandarjani, committed suicide and that a letter found near his body suggested that he had been depressed, officials had initially said he had suffered a heart attack in his sleep and later that he had died of poisoning. Dr. Pourandarjani’s father, Reza-Qoli Pourandarjani, said he had spoken to his son the night before his death and that he did not appear to be depressed. He told the Associated Press that he had initially been informed by the authorities that his son had broken his leg in an accident and that his [the father's] consent was needed for surgery. However after travelling to Tehran from his home in Tabriz, Reza-Qoli Pourandrarjani discovered that his son was dead.”
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran released a statement today outlining recent waves of arbitrary arrests of students as “authorities apparently seek to stifle protests expected on 7 December, National Student Day…”.
While authorities in Iran have released little information about students being detained, the site has been able to report on many specific cases between November 16 and 23:
The Campaign has received information of such detentions in Isfahan, Babol, Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiari, Shiraz, Ilam, Kermanshah, Ghazvin, and in Tehran in Azad University, Tehran University, Amirkabir and Elm-o-Sanaat. [...]
According to Amirkabir News, in the past month, over 60 students were arrested, some of whom remain in jail.
Hadi Ghaemi, spokesperson for the Campaign, said:
“In order to silence the student movement, a wholesale crackdown on Iranian students is underway, which not only violates their rights, but also disrupts their studies and the lives of their families.”
Such unwarranted crackdowns are in contravention of Iran’s obligations under the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which it signed in 1968.
Posted by Jamal Abdi 
Posted by David Elliott 
Posted by Matt Sugrue 
In 1951, Iran’s first democratically elected leader, Mohammad Mossadegh, was recognized by Time Magazine and the world. He led his life based on the ideals of democracy and Iran’s sovereignty. Now, another Iranian who gave her life striving for freedom and justice needs to be recognized.
