Shifteh Ansari's blog

Watch live webcast of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Speech at UN

Shifteh Ansari — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:32:04 +0000

On Wednesday, September 26, 2012, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will address the United Nations General Assembly for the last time as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. You can watch his speech online here. Below is the order in which speakers will appear at tomorrow's session. He is the seventh speaker. I couldn't figure out when exactly his talk will start.

Watch live Sunday, August 26, 3:00 pm EST: a debate about Iran & Israel

Shifteh Ansari — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 07:47:45 +0000

Today, Sunday, August 26, 2012, at 3:00 p.m. EST, 12:00 p.m. PST, there will be a live debate between Dr. Muhammad Sahimi and Mr. Menashe Amir. You can watch the video streaming below, or go to the links below. The debate is about Iran and Israel.

Menashe Amir is an Israeli expert on Iran and Arab Affairs, formerly head of the Israel Broadcasting Authority's Persian language division and the chief editor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Persian language website. (source: http://www.isracast.com/expert.aspx?ID=12&name=Menashe-Amir)

Prisoner of the Day: Saeed Zeinali

Shifteh Ansari — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:15:49 +0000

Rooz Online: Saeed Zeinali, 22, a Tehran University Computer Science graduate, was arrested at his home on July 10,1999, five days after the 5 July 1999 (18 Tir 1378) unrest at Tehran University dormitories in Tehran. He was allowed to make one phone call to his family three months later. Since then, his family have not heard from him, have not seen him, and have no information about his fate and possible detention location.

Prisoners of the Day: Hamid Reza and Saleh Moradi Sarvestani

Shifteh Ansari — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:10:13 +0000

Majzooban-e Noor: Hamid Reza and Saleh Moradi Sarvestani are Nematollahi Gonabadi Order dervishes.

Video: "Iran Under Pressure," a debate

Shifteh Ansari — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:19:17 +0000

"Is it just sabre-rattling or should we worry about the war of words between Washington and Tehran? François Picard’s panel argues over the impact of sanctions both on the regime and ordinary Iranians. Meir JAVEDANFAR. Middle East Analyst, Middle East Economic and Political Analysis Company (from Tel Aviv); Muhammad SAHIMI. Lead Political Columnist, Tehran Bureau (from Los Angeles); Ali FATEMI. Professor, American School of Business and Economics; Rouzbeh PARSI.

بلندترین شب سال، تقدیم به زندانیان سیاسی

Shifteh Ansari — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:16:31 +0000

در بلندترین شب سال...
کاری از محمد رضا کلانی، صدا: ایرج ادیب زاده، شعر هوشنگ ابتهاج، موسیقی مجید انتظامی، تهیه شده در گروه شهروندیار
کلیپی به مناسبت شب یلدا تقدیم به زندانیان سیاسی

زندان شب یلدا "

چند این شب و خاموشی؟ وقت است که برخیزم

وین آتش خندان را با صبح برانگیزم

Shocking Video: Rape and Torture, Legacy of the Post-Election Crackdown

Shifteh Ansari — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 04:34:14 +0000

On the threshold of the second anniversary of the disputed 2009 presidential election in Iran, a shocking video of a young woman in Tehran has emerged. The young woman testifies she was repeatedly raped and tortured while in detention during the post-election protests in Iran in the summer of 2009. It is truly heartbreaking to listen to her, so please be forewarned. Here is the PBS NewsHour report aired on this testimony. The next clip shows the longer testimony from the website of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The second video has English subtitles.

For the man walking on Tonekabon streets

Shifteh Ansari — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:29:34 +0000

With all the news I read everyday, I wish I would become insensitive to hearing bad news. I still feel sad when I read about prisoner families talking about the inhumane way in which their prisoner kin and themselves are treated inside Evin Prison. When I hear that someone is going to be imminently executed, I read Iran news with a thumping heart and sweaty palms shortly after the sunrise hours in Iran, knowing by now that prison hangings happen just before sunrise.

May Day 2011: developing news

Shifteh Ansari — Sun, 01 May 2011 09:53:04 +0000

Today is May 1, the International Labor Day. This day is traditionally observed in Iran as "rooz-e kaargar." Over the past several years, however, it has been almost impossible for workers to observe this day through holding any protests. In fact, each year, shortly prior to May 1, labor activists are rounded up and arrested, in order to make sure there is no leadership for any protests. Many labor activists and union leaders are in prison this year. Mansour Osanloo is only one of them, but quite possibly the most distinguished one.

Chahar Shanbeh Souri (March 15): developing news

Shifteh Ansari — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:09:24 +0000

This marks the third "Protest Tuesday" since the arrests of Mousavi and Karroubi, and the new awakening of Iran's protest movement. It also coincides with Chahar Shanbeh Souri, the last Tuesday night of the year, an ordinarily noisy and eventful night in Iran, as Iranians follow their thousands years old customs of lighting up bonfires and jumping over them, celebrating the end of the winter and the coming of spring. The Islamic Republic's Police and Basij forces are out again in full force, as they have been for the past three weeks.

کارتونی از نیک آهنگ کوثر: سرای سالمندان خبرگان

Shifteh Ansari — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 04:40:18 +0000

عنوان: سرای سالمندان خبرگان
اثر نیک آهنگ کوثر
منبع: روز آنلاین
اسفند 1389

March 8, Internatioanl Women's Day: developing news

Shifteh Ansari — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:55:46 +0000

Today, March 8 (17 Esfand), marks the International Women's Day. Supporters of Iran's women's movement, along with supporters of the Green Movement have planned to take to streets of Iran today at 4:00 p.m. Needless to say, then, a variety of government forces have also planned on taking to the streets today.

February 28 (10 Esfand): developing news

Shifteh Ansari — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 07:51:31 +0000

And so, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi and Fatemeh Karroubi, were first put under house arrest inside their own homes for close to two weeks and then at some point transferred from their homes into a military detention center, reports say.

February 20 (1 Esfand): developing news

Shifteh Ansari — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 07:14:12 +0000

Last week's demonstrations ended in fresh violence and lost lives. The cruel cycle of directly shooting at and killing the unarmed protesters and then kidnapping their bodies was enhanced by attempting to hijack their ideals and dignity, and turning them into "martyred Basijis, murdered by the Mojahedin-e Khalgh Organization." As a desperate Islamic Republic of Iran slips further into acts of violence, threats, and intimidation, the crowd that protests deceit and violence and injustice has found new resolve in taking to streets.

February 14 (25 Bahman): developing news

Shifteh Ansari — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:50:31 +0000

And so, here we are again. After months of silence achieved through unbelievably violent suppression, intimidation, arrests, torture, and executions, the people of Iran are preparing one more time to take to the streets in solidarity with the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, and to protest Iran's state of total political and civil suffocation following last year's fraudulent elections.

Mohammad Nourizad: the man who can't keep quiet

Shifteh Ansari — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:03:53 +0000

I would like to ask you to take a step back from where you are standing right at this moment, and imagine what kind of guts it takes to write letters and criticize your old friends in high places at the cost of being plucked from your ordinary life, tried for your thoughts, thrown in solitary confinement, beaten, tortured, and made to repent, and be further tortured when you don't, and be sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and 50 lashes.

IranAir's Art

Shifteh Ansari — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:26:08 +0000

Writing on an IranAir poster: Our Art Is Flying With Tied Wings

I am heartsick for the new tragedy that led to another set of lost lives aboard another Iranian airplane.

I assume the above poster was designed to demonstrate IranAir's resolve to fly despite sanctions which have kept Iran from being able to buy parts to maintain its commercial aviation fleet.

YouTube removes clip of Mahmoud's party in New York

Shifteh Ansari — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:12:56 +0000

There was news yesterday that YouTube has removed the video clip showing a group of Iranians participating at a September dinner held by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York. Today the news was confirmed by another source on Balatarin. The reason YouTube has provided for removing the video has been cited as "terms of use violation." From what I remember from the video clip, it was a news report by Islamic Republic's television, IRIB.

Quds Day 2010: developing news

Shifteh Ansari — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:54:34 +0000

Friday, September 3, 2010 is the last Friday of Ramadan, known as Quds Day in Iran. Watching the debate on Iranian blogs and websites, it's hard to tell whether there will be a large turnout of the greens at this event. Certainly, the 2009 Quds Day saw one of the most amazing public protests in Iranian history, where new slogans emerged which defined the movement a lot better and more clearly than it had been even just a few days prior to Quds Day 2009.

Maziar Bahari's documentary on Mossadegh

Shifteh Ansari — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:56:05 +0000

"An Iranian Odyssey: Mossadegh, Oil, and the 1953 CIA Coup," directed by Maziar Bahari for the BBC, 2009:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4: