Back to the future?

Human rights in Iran

Back to the future?
by Tina Ehrami
15-Jan-2008
 

Kianoosh Sanjari, a human rights activist and an ex-political prisoner himself, demonstrated against the human rights atrocities in Iran by showing his protest in a gathering together with Amnesty International in front of the Norwegian parliament in Oslo on January 12th.

During this demonstration they protested against the torture of Iranian students who have been imprisoned and are awaiting their death sentence. During this demonstration Kianoosh spoke about the situation of political prisoners in Iran. Alongside him was the representative of Amnesty International in Norway who gave a speech. [See: "Iran’s Broadening Clampdown on Independent Activism", Amnesty International 2008 report on human rights in Iran]

Other speakers were Mahmood Amir Moghaddam (a human rights prize winner in Norway) and Jila Hassanpour (Adnan Hassanpour's sister, a journalist who currently is imprisoned and awaits his death sentence in Iran).

It is an alarming fact that the number of death sentences in Iran are on the rise, comparing 177 death sentences by hanging in 2006 to 298 in 2007. Not only is there a rise in the number of death penalties, there also seems to be more cases of “alternative penalties” like amputating limbs or pushing people off cliffs.

The character of these cruel human rights violations are comparable to the harsh punitive measures taken at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution when the punitive laws of the Sharia, the Islamic law, were literally implemented.

Kianoosh and other human rights activists and advocates are spreading the word about the alarming rise of these human rights violations. It now becomes times that their protests are taken seriously and NGO’s and civil society looks for ways to stop this trend.

 


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XerXes, since you're saying

by Farhad Kashani (not verified) on

XerXes, since you're saying these organizations are lying, please say to us how do you feel about the IRI? And please say clearly if you beleive the IRI has committed any human rights violation? Its a yes or no question. I mean you guys need to make it clear to the Iranian people how you view the Islamic facist regime. Then we all know where we stand.


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markux jan

by Anonymous21 (not verified) on

Legitimacies or non-legitimacies are not subject to personal interpretations. You are not in a position to legitimize or denounce any social or political institution. Understood?


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lies

by XerXes (not verified) on

These organizations lie about Iran. Don't believe them! These things do happen in Iran.


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In response to Izads comment

by Gol Goli (not verified) on

In response to Izads comment both countries have death penalties, so what the hell is your point? and your khanom koshgel comment is to what take a uppity tone to your own idiotic comment.

How the death penalty is carried out is a sign of the humanity or lack there of in that society you are not seriously comparing stoning women to death to the death penalty options in the US? if you are then ninny koocholoo hanooz kheyli munde ke be mardo begi khanom koshgel va nazar bedi,,,


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correction to my previous comment

by markux (not verified) on

what I meant to say is that I consider all monarchies Illegitimate and not legitimate. I had to make that very clear.


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Please go to this site....

by x-pasdar :-) (not verified) on

//iranian.com/main/2008/sacrificing-innoc...

xpasdar likes to see you there


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Death Penalty

by Izad (not verified) on

Khanoom Khosgel

When i applied for my Green Card long time ago, my lawyer told me, "IRAN and US have one thing in common, they both have death penalty". GOD BLESS BOTH NATIONS. In fact, CHINA has the worse human rights violations. If there is no death penalty, there would be crimes like our downtowns here.


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amnesty and BBC have always been the subjuct my criticism

by markux (not verified) on

I have always been critical of Amnesty and BBC. Sorry to inform you that what brought the shah down was neither khomeini nor the BBC or Amnesty rather it was his policies and not realizing that enough and enough the same way that the mulla's will one day realize that enough is enough not because of you and me but because the people inside who get fed up. Despite what you assume I am not a supporter of the currently regime either, but I for one am unwilling the go back to the bad old day just because this regime is also rotten to the core. If we criticize the "government" all I am asking is to be honest and call a spade a spade and admit the the "good" old days were not so good after all. Just for the record I consider Monarchies legitimate and religion has no place in running the countries policies.


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Re: Markux

by Jamshidd (not verified) on

The BBC and Amnesty International were Khomeini's mouth pieces against the Shah, remember that?
It was ok back then, but not today haan?
Jamshid


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Back to the future?

by mohamad hossein (not verified) on

God bless the IRI.


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Amnesty Internation is a bankrupt organiztion

by markux (not verified) on

Here is an organization which is in the forefront to show atrocities in non-western country, no problem there. But for the west it's either silent or not as loud. Just like the BBC that reports extensively and loudly about the anywhere else in the world except when it come to the atrocities committee by the British government. We need organization like this but not to completely rely on them. Remember Amnesty International was shamelessly silent during the previously Iranian regime.


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Human rights must be recognized and adopted

by navid agha (not verified) on

بنی آدم اعضای یک پیکرند، که در آفرينش ز یک گوهرند
چو عضوى به درد آورد روزگار، دگر عضوها را نماند قرار
تو کز محنت دیگران بی غمی، نشاید که نامت نهند آدمی

"Of one Essence is the human race,
Thusly has Creation put the Base;
'
One Limb impacted is sufficient,
For all Others to feel the Mace."


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Dear Tina:

by Anonymous4now (not verified) on

In your previous article "values, not Bombs" You elaborated:
"We should remember that an open and democratic society can be reached only through open and democratic methods."

In this article you are exposing the brutal and ruthless nature of this regime. How sincerely do you believe that they will sit back and let "open and democratic methods" displace them?


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Why do you expect an Islamic

by Anonymousq (not verified) on

Why do you expect an Islamic Theocracy to respect human rights in the first place??

Human rights are not recognized by Islam, period. Religious rights are the only rights women or men are entitled to.
Islam requires total submission to One God, including our sense of what is right and wrong to what God declared right and wrong. If you are not willing to accept that then you are not a muslim. It is not gauranteed that you will understand the wisdom behind each and every command and decree of God and this is the test for us in this life according to Islamic doctrines and true devotees. ergo, any "human rights' activism" in this context is irrelevant and meaningless...


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az in harfa nazan

by Anonymous21 (not verified) on

ye vaght be mollaha bad nagi ha!! jahanshah joosh miyare az ghole tamoome daro dasteye shaboon bimokhe journalistesh bar zedet maghale minevise.
to ham mese ina begoo bah bah che khube IRI, sabr konin 100 sale dige ye kami behtar mishe.