London: Promoting the 1Million Signature Campaign at South Bank University

Lib Dem MP, Simon Hughes, Signing the Petition

Potkin: A conference organised by the South Bank University Student Union, titled "The Empowerment of Women from the 1960's to the New Era" and the recent arrests of Iranian women campaigners, gave us an opportunity to raise awareness about the struggle of Iranian women and in particular about the one million signature campaign.


Speakers for the event included former First Lady of Ghana, Mrs Nana Rawlings, the local Lib Dem MP, Simon Hughes and the London based Persian Weekly correspondent Nazanin Ansari.

Participants were handed a brief outline of the recent arrests of women activists in Tehran before entering the lecture hall. Nazanin Ansari did an excellent job of outlining the challenges faced by Iranian women and how through peaceful non-violent means, Iranian women are fighting for their rights under extremely difficult conditions. Her speech was well received by the audience and nearly all the 100 people who attended, signed the petition and were keen to learn more about the plight of imprisoned activists in Iran.

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Batebi's Wife is Abducted; Batebi Starts Starvation

Kamangir: Ahmad Batebi has reportedly started a dry starvation after the reports about the abduction of his wife, Somaiieh Bayenat. His wife’s brother mentioned to BBC earlier today that his sister has been arrested by individuals resembling intelligence personnel, after they showed her a document. A few minutes before her abduction, in a phone call, she told one of her friends that she felt like being followed for the whole day. Mohammad Abtahi, a close aide to the former president compares Batebi’s case with Jazayeri, the corrupt businessman who fled recently, and writes, “I am afraid he did not have the money to escape”.

This is an opportunity for the Liberals, the Left and the anti-war/torture activists in the West to show the Iranian people where they stand on fundamental issues of freedom and human rights.Do they back Iranian people's legitimate struggle for human rights and democracy, do they back Iranian just cause for equal rights? Or do they only come out of their closets for a bit of US bashing? Where are the dailykos bloggers? Do they only care about the legal and human rights of Guantanamo prisoners ? The left is the enemy of the enslaved Iranian people, period. Not only that, they want to sell us out to the tyrannical mullahs; hence, their silence. The sick part is that they expect us to lick their boot while they are kicking us in the face and expect us to celebrate their so-called moral relativisim, which quite frankly tantamounts to what social psychologist call, 'covert racism'.

Previously on Jailed Iranian Activists:

Brutal Death of Iranian Activist Akbar Mohammadi Revealed Iranian

Iranian Political Activist Batebi Gets Nine More Years at Evin Prison

Noted Iranian Activist, Ahmad Batebi, in Serious Condition Harvard Students Will Protest Khatami for Release of Ahmed Batebi Iranian Activist

Sanjari Arrested With Ayatollah Boroujerdi

Please checkout amnesty international library on Iran:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/eng-irn/index

Holy Crimes of IRI Documented:
http://www.abfiran.org/english/memorial-browse-1.php

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Kurdish-Iranian Journalist Incommunnicado

URGENT ACTION
Iran: Fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest: Adnan Hassanpour (m)
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/017/2007 16 February 2007UA 39/07 Fear of torture or ill treatment/ arbitrary arrest

IRAN Adnan Hassanpour (m), journalist Adnan Hassanpour, journalist and advocate of cultural rights for Iranian Kurds, was reportedly detained on 25 January in Marivan, a small city in the northwestern province of Kurdistan. He is believed to be held incommunicado in the provincial capital Sanandaj, where he is at risk of torture or ill-treatment.

Up to six people, reportedly from the Ministry of Intelligence, are said to have telephoned Adnan Hassanpour’s mobile telephone on 25 January and told him to go to a certain place. When he followed their instructions, he was arrested. Security forces personnel reportedly took him back to his home where they removed his computer, notebooks and other personal effects prior to detaining him. It is believed that he was transferred the same day to a detention centre in the provincial capital, Sanandaj, around two hours away, where he is believed to be held incommunicado.

Adnan Hassanpour has reportedly been denied access to his family and his lawyer. His mother is said to have made several requests to Ministry of Intelligence officials to visit him, after travelling for more than two hours in cold winter weather to reach Sanandaj, which have all been denied. The officials have reportedly indicated that he will be detained for several more weeks, although he is not known to have been charged with any offence.Adnan Hassanpour is a former member of the editorial board of the Kurdish-Persian weekly journal, Aso (Horizon), which was closed by the Iranian authorities in August 2005. Adnan Hassanpour had previously reportedly been tried in connection with articles published in the journal.On 13 February 2007, over 20 Kurdish writers, journalists and artists issued a petition against the manner of his arrest.Kurdish human rights defender and journalist Sherko Jihani, who was arrested on 27 November 2006, is believed to have been tortured, including by being beaten severely, while held incommunicado at an unknown location, believed to be a detention facility belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence in Iranian Kurdistan. (See further information on UA 331/06, MDE 13/009/2007, 26 January 2007: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130092007?open&of=ENG-IRN).

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Three women's rights activists arrested in Iran

Sheema: Earlier today I received an e-mail from Omid Habibinia, a Swiss based journalist with the news of Talat Taghinia, Mansoureh Shojaie, and Farnaz Seify, Iranian women activists arrests at the airport. They are taken to Evin Prison.

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