Iranian human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by what the Iranian government refers to as “courts.” To his credit, Soltani refused to defend himself before the Iranian tribunal which blindly carries out the dictates of the religious leaders of the country.
Soltani co-founded the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. Just the combination of human rights and the law was enough to make him a public enemy in Iran. He was convicted of spreading anti-government propaganda and endangering national security. That is how the mullahs refer to human rights law: “propoganda” and a threat to national security.
His charges included “accepting an unlawful award” in connection with his Nuremburg International Human Rights Award. He received his prestigious award in 2009. Other human rights figures have been given similarly draconian sentences. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah was sentenced to nine years in prison, a ten year ban from teaching in universities, and a ten year ban from practicing as an attorney.
Notably, he was also banned from practicing law for 20 years. That should protect the Islamic Republic — one less lawyer.
Source: RFER
Iranian politics mixed with religion drives things there like the republican primary debaters seem to want done here. Paranoia is the fuel.
How dare this felon actually try to help us fellow man!
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/04/iran-election-result-idUSL5E8E407H20120304 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tightened his grip in the recent election.
Raf – and then to have the unmitigated gall to accept an award for such despicable behavior! Shouldn’t there be a flogging?
In the article it states that he received 18 years and a 20 year ban from law…. That he had been arrested 6 times since 09′…..makes one feel warm and fuzzy all over….
Now….where is bradley….
Don’t give them any ideas Frankly!
SW – you have to wonder how long the people of Iran are able to put up with election fraud like this. They are some of the best educated and most connected populace in the ME. I can’t imagine this won’t cause unrest particularly with all that is going on in the area.
Raf – they have not had an idea since 1370
https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+contraception+hearing+bishops&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=qcFUT9_cIeyx0QGO4pG9DQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CBIQ_AUoAQ&biw=1093&bih=538
Cases like this, The Pentagon Papers, Wikileaks, and the takeover of the media by rogue forces, lends credence to the notion that, on this planet, we are governed by psychopaths.
Frankly, You are so right about the Iranian people. I highly recommend the Iranian movie, “A Separation”.
SwM,
Haven’t seen the movie, but can recommend the Stockholm Heart Center jointly owned and staffed by 25 cardiologists, (most have hospital placements also). My Iranian urologist is also fine. Very aware and cosmopolitan.
Frankly,
It requires many factors to keep them down:
—-traditional respect for those above you (sounds like us)
—-history (the shah, his father, the ruler before that, etc)
—-the enforcement systems employed (the shahs, khomeini and the theologists, the system of neighborhood committees with weekly cross-examination, the Revolutionary Guards, a state within a state with own economy, etc, etc.
—-regular hate America/West sessions
—-modern technology in a traditional world
—-a cultural tradition of subversively seeking your goals instead of controntational forms of conflict.
Those are my opinions no links offered, nor bonafides either.
As an example of the penultimate mentioned, consider our own situation with in recent years adding of the following monitoring points: smartcells, dumbdells, internet. landline telephones ia easy with modern exchanges. etc.
I’m sure you could add other factors.
Sorry SwM those were, of course Iranian cardiologists—–most trained here in Sweden.
From a little obscure area in southern Lebanon have immigrated thousands of Arjayouns. Anthony Shadid was one, his family came when the Ottoman empire was dissolved in early 20th century.
One of the world’s most praised heart surgeons came from there.
My point is obvious. We don’t recognize the value these “immigrants” have added to our American and the world society. The Arjayouns settled here mostly in Oklahoma and other midwestern states. Google map it. Fine town, how big the arjayouns are, I don’t know. But the town got its name from them.
And it looks to be very well kept judging from the satellite closeups.
We claim ourselves to be the melting pot of the world, but forget their cultural contributions. We welcome the tired, poor, those yearning to be free…..
But then what happens?
What can you expect from an ignorant and illiterate bunch of mullahs who dress like pigs and who smell like garbage
The Iranians have committed a Human Rights Crime punishable under the Geneva Convention and this has ample precedent for crimes we prosecuted at Nuremberg. For information please Google: The Judges Trial Nuremberg and/or Altstoeffer. Martin Niemoeller addressed this in his statements about who they came for. In Iran it is the stage: …then they came for the lawyers and I was not a lawyer so I did not stand up for them or say anything.
“you have to wonder how long the people of Iran are able to put up with election fraud like this.”
Frankly,
While I despise the current Iranian government, their attitudes and power are the result of the US meddling in their affairs for at least 8 decades, because of their oil wealth. The CIA take-out of Mossadegh and installation of the Shah led directly to a despotic kingdom, terrorized by a US trained secret police the Savak, who rivaled the Gestapo in ruthlessness. This in turned set the table for the Iranian Revolution and all the terrible excesses of religious zealotry it has wrought.
It’s funny we have this thing for taking out democratically elected leaders.
Especially progressive ones (of course they are painted red in the propaganda) and preparing making good preparations by training Gestapo forces. (That latter was new to me as far as Iran is concerned) Mossadegh was not red so much as he was intent of keeping the oil for Iran, not for the British/American corps.. A nationalist. Seems to be a dangerous career. Others worth naming, of late that is; othewise we have Allende and half of Central America to name. .
I’ve dangle Robert Baer’s book “The Devil We Know” a couple of times, but no one has taken the bait.. It claims to reveal how Iran is seeking (successfully) to establish an empire rivaling the US in strength in the Gulf area.
Is the lack of interest due to his lack of merit or other factors instead? Any comments?
id707,
I can’t comment on the book having not read it, but if what you say about the premise of the book – Iran is seeking (successfully) to establish an empire rivaling the US in strength in the Gulf area – then I can say that comports with my knowledge gained from other sources about the area. The same can be said about the Saudis as well. The ME is rife with intra-Islamic agendas, not the least of which is a fight for dominance in the area driven by the Wahhabi in Saudi Arabia and the Shia in Iran. Both seek to dominate all other forms of Islam as well as the political and economic destiny of the region. This is part and parcel of why attacking Iraq was a disastrous decision both short term and long term. The people who attacked us on 9/11 were predominately and primarily Saudis funded by Saudi money. We should have turned Saudi Arabia into a parking lot. But instead, because the President and Vice President were in the pockets of their business partners in the House of Saud, we attacked a country that didn’t attack us. A country that, even though ruled by a despicable tyrant, nonetheless provided the only local secular bulwark against the theocratic jihads sponsored by both Iran and Saudi Arabia. We took out the only local check against either Iranian or Saudi aggression in the region and put ourselves in the middle. All so the President’s family and friends could make money and escape justice for their role in attacking and killing U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.
A pox upon all their houses.
Jeez, exactly what I realize but can’t express. Hope others note.
What a condensation. You write so purty, must be nice to be smart. No rancor, just admiration. And you earn it.
Let me embroider as to Iran’s intentions.
Baer cites an address made at the usual´annual meeting of the highest reps, including clergy and the “Guards” by Khamenei I think it was. After the usual introductory homilies, he announced that they were indeed very satisfied using local armed proxy fighters remotely and locally supported by them. He mentioned Lebanon, the defeat of Israel after 13 years in 2000 and in 2006; and the results of the Shia majority in Iraq, leading to massive oil fund transfers by the Shia oil minister.
He futher stated that their empire ambitions were not only aimed at the Gulf region, but also extending and replacing the current Sunni dominance elsewhere, including the control of Mecca. Now Mecca we can skip, but the rest of the oit is necessary to us, and not just to the Bush family. Although am glad you made clear who they are siding with—-namely themselves, not us.
This article brings up the issues raised on the topic about IBM and the Nazi regime. Iran is a genocide country. If American companies deal with them we should identify those companies and learn what services they render such tyrants. Our government should seek criminal charges against Iran for persecuting this person. The Hague Court is somewhat alive and well. Let us push for prosecutions. If IBM is providing the punch cards for this current regime we need to investigate them. Wikipedia says that IBM left Iran in 1981. If so, well and good. But what other companies help these beasts?
TD
Do you have links or a summary what the current restrictions call for?
They should be pretty tough.
You know: no nukes, no components, no raw uranium compounds, no…..!