Call To Release Iran's 'Blogfather' For Norouz

The mother of a controversial, well-known blogger, Hossein Derakhshan, who is often described as Iran's "blogfather" because he helped popularize blogging in Iran, has called on the head of Iran's judiciary to release her son for the Iranian New Year, or Norouz, marked on March 21.

Derakhshan, a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen, has been in jail in Iran since November 2008.

Derakhshan is reportedly facing security charges, including espionage. But his mother says in her open letter to the head of the judiciary that the family hasn't been informed of the official charges against him.

"Hossein has been in your prison for more than 500 days. And we have been waiting for him outside the prison every day," she writes.

Derakhshan's mother says that the judiciary should release Derakhshan for the New Year, as it has done in the case of a number of postelection detainees who have been allowed to go on prison leave.

"It's been eight months that you've said in all media that you have arrested those who were attempting to overthrow the establishment. On the eve of the New Year, you release all of those who had been described as the leaders of sedition. Why in your view doesn't Hossein deserve to be released?" she asked.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has said that his case is "typical of the lack of justice and due process in Iran's judiciary."

(Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/Call_To_Release_Irans_Blogfather_For_Norouz/1987475.html)

The Sea of Green is back

A day of protests in Iran ended in tears and arrests again, mostly due to the tear gas hurled into the crowds by Revolutionary Guards.

Foreign media was ordered to remain in their offices for 3 days and were told they were not to report on the events currently happening in Iran. Mobile networks in downtown Tehran were shut down. The internet was slowed to a crawl or didn't work at all.

All this because of a planned student protest. A protest aimed at getting the message out that the election results from Iran's last election are illegitimate and that the deaths, beatings, executions and abuses of the regime following said election would not be forgotten.

Police surrounded universities in an attempt to silence the protesters, fired tear gas into crowds and many people claiming to be witnesses have reported beatings by Basij militiamen. But the crowds were relentless and protested hard.

Without a doubt, the Sea of Green has returned.

More Sham Trials in Iran... (surpise!)

A French lecturer named Clotilde Reiss and staff from the French and British Embassies were charged in court yesterday with "spying and aiding a Western plot to overthrow the system of clerical rule"; according to an article in the Globe and Mail.

It is unclear if Reiss or the others were provided with interpreters while the charges were read and as we know from articles published last week, defendants in these mock trials are not allowed to have defense lawyers present. Many have called these proceedings by Iran's Revolutionary Court to be a sham, a farce and an outrage.

Since the June 12th elections official news sources state that over 20 people were killed in riots in the streets, but other sources from inside the country claimed to have confirmed over 1000 deaths.

In addition it would seems that "collecting news and information and sending pictures of the unrest abroad" is also considered a crime in Iran as these were also part of the charges laid against the defendants.

France and England expressed their outrage as did most of the EU, but it doesn't seem to slow down Iran pounding more victims into the ground with its iron fist. The trials are continuing and media coverage is dwindling, it's important for all of us to keep Iran in the news, not only because of the foreign nationals that are being held, but because the people of Iran believed, when they started reaching across cyberspace, that we would keep this alive as long they kept fighting for their rights. They haven't given up and neither should we.

Live (Kind of) From Tehran...

Youtube video of the laments and protests of oppositions supporters under the cover of darkness.



(from Twitter: SLSiriRT Tonight in Tehran. Gives me chills. Let's make tomorrow LOUDER!)

There's no justice, they're just us....

The trials of protesters and government opposition are underway in Iran. Criticism from around the world hasn't stopped, the #iranelections channel on Twitter is still going strong.

Even those inside Iran's government are calling for a simultaneous trial of those who hit, abused, burned and murdered protesters but apparently the cry from within has yet again fallen on deaf ears as the government has made no moves to bring charges against those at fault.

In today's Globe and Mail Moshen Rezaei, a conservative challenger to the "president" said that trials of those responsible for the attack of protesters and torture or prisoners should go forward, “otherwise, justice will not be realized and it is possible that unrest will not end.”

While former president Mohammad Khatami called the trials a sham and said they would do nothing but “lead to ignorance of the real crimes”. The defendants' lawyers were not allowed to access court files or enter the courtroom. The former president then went on to say “As far as I have learned, what happened in the trial was contrary to the constitution and law, as well as citizens' right.”

So it appears that the Sea of Green, despite its best efforts, is subject to yet another injustice by their government and its choke hold on the population continues. I've said it in previous posts that any court called a Revolutionary court will never give true justice... Iran has yet again proven my point.

I don't know why I'm surprised though, the authorities and the militia have been acting like judge, jury and executioner since June 12th, just as they did to poor Neda who became a worldwide symbol of hope and resistance. Now the authorities are just doing it in nicer clothing and with the protective blanket offered by laws that they seem to invent as they go along.

There will be no justice in Iran, but as long as we keep spreading the news, those who have died and suffered will not be forgotten.

Iran: The Sea of Green returns

As the tweets in #iranelections roll in this Friday morning, the Telegraph.co.uk is reporting that police showed up to Friday prayers in Tehran and started hitting Mousavi supporters and launching tear gas into the crowds.

This is the first time ever that Friday prayers have not been televised in Tehran and the planned government assault of its citizens might have something to do with it.

As the tweets continue to roll in various reports of two girls being stabbed by pro-government militia keep being re-posted; reports of clashes in the streets, reports of a large crowd of protesters heading towards the state television station and many reports that cellular networks and the internet are down in much of central Tehran keep pouring in. Reuters also confirms that police have been detaining people today despite calls from the senior clerics to free those already jailed following the recent protests.

Kudos again to the Iranian people for having the balls to stand up for what they believe is right despite everything that can possibly go wrong and despite the very real possibility of arrest and grave physical harm.

NDP leader calls for realese of Journalist in Iran

That's right everyone, "Jumping" Jack Layton our favorite mustachioed politician held a press conference in the home of Maziar Bahari a Canadian journalist arrested in Iran in the aftermath of the June 12th "election". It's good to see our politicians speak up considering that Reporters Without Borders announced the arrest on June 20th.

When I wrote about it on this blog on the June 21st, I really didn't expect our government to do ANYTHING because last time a Canadian was detained in Iran was back in October 2008 when the BlogFather was taken and I haven't heard about many efforts being made on Ottawa's part to do anything about it.

So congratulations to you Jack for doing the right thing... now if you could only get the Conservatives and the Prime Minister behind you in this effort, maybe it would actually get somewhere.

Muchacho Enfermo

Iran:A picture worth a thousand words

(Link to original pic HERE)

Some Montreal Protesters Missed the Point

There was another march yesterday in Montreal to show support towards those requesting a legitimate democracy in Iran, actually there was two...

One with about 400 marchers organized by Solidarité-Iran that was demanding "another vote, the ouster of Ahmadinejad and international boycotts."

The second group with about 100 marchers "demanding a complete regime change."

And both claim to be for "for the purpose of the democracy movement in Iran."

Maybe I am the one missing the point here, maybe there was an email sent out explaining all this stuff and I never got it but I thought we were marching to show our support, so that those in Iran know they weren't alone... I didn't think I was marching on the street to make demands of a foreign government or decide for a complete regime overhaul.

What's important to remember is that many Iranians that marched in Tehran aren't marching against the actual system, many of them are FOR the Islamic Republic of Iran, they are simply marching because they don't believe this election was fair. They don't want to oust a president (or at least they didn't at the beginning, now that he's killed a bunch of people they probably do) they just wanted to make sure their president was actually elected fairly.

So who are we, here in our safe little city thousands of miles away to tell them that they need to overhaul their system, the system many of them fought to put in place in the late 70s?

Let the Iranians deal with Iran, they know what is best for themselves... If you want to march in support, do just that: demand democracy, demand peace... once these things are achieved perhaps the system can change from within.

(source for quotes: The Gazette)

Muchacho Enfermo

Bon Jovi records a song for Iran

In a surprising show of support for the Iranian people John Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Iranian superstar Andy Madadian team up record and release a cover of the song Stand by Me.

With this song they hope "to send a message of global solidarity to the people of Iran who are caught in the midst of debate and protest over the country's recent election."

This song has always been one of my favorites, no matter how I feel about Bon Jovi, it's still a good song. The Video link is for the full video, the song is in English and Farsi. Enjoy and share folks.

(Source for quote: TV Guide)

Muchacho Enfermo

Chavez Blames US and EU for Unrest in Iran

After some of the international community has spoken out against the violence in Iran (or at least pretended to) and after president Obama addressed the issue; ut should come as no surprise that self-made arch-nemesis of the US, Hugo Chavez is blaming the US and Europe for the uprising in Iran.

Now... here's a point I'd like to make to President Chavez in regards to his comments:

Just because you didn't like Bush and probably don't like Obama, it doesn't mean that you have to contradict everything that the US has said. If you'd like to accuse the US and Europe of inciting these riots please provide proof because so far certain sources say over 150 people have died and, as far as I know, they were ALL civilians.

Are you saying that the militia that is killing civilians backed by the US?
Or that the Iranian military is funded by Europe?
Or are you blaming the US and Europe because the PEOPLE WANT TO BE HEARD?
Or... are you just being contrary because it's what is expected of you?

Either way... you've managed to stay in power this long, a lot of your people genuinely admire you and some will believe everything that you say, so please, when you are going to blame the entire world for something without providing proof... please be aware that your words can have real consequences for the people living inside your borders.

A word of advice, before you decide to accuse any nation of something like this again without having proof, remember the story of the little boy who cried wolf.

Muchacho Enfermo

Pen and Paper Post

Click on the image for better quality....

Canadian Journalist "Arrested" in Iran

Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, a Concordia graduate who has dual citizenship Iran-Canada, was "arrested" today and is being held without charge.

He has been working for Newsweek magazine for the last 11 years and has been living and covering Iran for many years. He was arrested today while or after covering the ongoing protests in Tehran. In a statement Newsweek said that he is being "detained without charge by Iranian authorities and has not been heard from since."

Reporters Without Borders claims that 23 journalists have been arrested in Iran since the contested election. In the case of Mr Bahari however, his dual citizenship might slow or stop his release altogether, as we have seen in the past with the Iranian-Canadian Blogger Hossein Derakhshan (AKA the blogfather).

Please write to your MP in parliament to urge the Canadian government to pressure Tehran for his release.

(Source for quotes: the Montreal Gazette)

Muchacho Enfermo

Latest Tweets on #iranelection

AmandaMilano RT there is no fear here now..i feel it in the air. we all are ready to become martyrs. why live if you are not free.no point. #iranelection

eyecandylights if you see helicopters - burn tyres - as many as possible in many location - #Iranelection RT RT RT

baveel RT If an innocent girl gets shot halfway across the world, does she make a sound? Yes, the whole world hears her. #iranelection #neda

sashamakila RT To those outside Iran- Change your Timezone to +3:30 Tehran and location to Tehran to help hide twittering Iranians #iranelection

Muchacho Enfermo

Montrealers show their support for Iran

Last night around 9pm there was a vigil for those who died in Iran following clashes with armed forces.

I attended because I wanted to show my support and my sympathy. It was a candlelight vigil and most of those in attendance wore the color green. A few hundred people at most attended the vigil, but I loved seeing people of all colors and all walks of life in attendance, people with their children, people speaking French, English and Farsi, students, elderly people.

Even if those in Tehran can't see us, we were with them in spirit and we will continue to do so. Today there will be a rally at 11 a.m. at Dorchester Square and I encourage all those who can to be there or to go to similar rallies in your cities.

Muchacho Enfermo

Twitter #IranElections

(a screen shot from #IranElections taken 5 minutes ago)

A good friend of mine convinced me to join Twitter this week. At first I wasn't exactly sure what the whole point was to my joining and I must admit that to a certain degree I'm still no sure how it works.

But this morning, there is a protest in Tehran and I wanted to know what was happening at the same time it was happening. So I decided to go see on Twitter. Ends up there is a channel called #IranElections and updates on the Green Revolution are coming in at the speed of light. Hundreds of people from government "spies" to people AT the protests are uploading their comments as it unfolds.

This week it is reported that at peek times the channel had over 200,000 Tweets per hour. What we are seeing here people is something absolutely amazing. Not just in terms of Freedom of Speech and the courage to protest, but in terms of ways to use technology to rally together behind a cause.

So go to Twitter, type #IranElections in the search bar and show your support by posting your comment.

Muchacho Enfermo

Iran.. crazy times..

I promised a friend that I would write about Iran today more specifically about the recent elections and now the “recount” of the “votes”. So here it goes:

I am impressed with the Iranians determination willingness to fight for free elections and for a democracy that works. Seeing these people, young and old, in the streets being chased around by riot police and soldiers because they refuse to accept what the supreme leader (the Ayatollah) has told them is a true and fair election result. It takes a lot of balls to do what these people are doing out in the open: protesting an oppressive and restrictive government that has lied to them since it ousted the Shah all those years ago, knowing full well the consequences of their actions could lead to devastating consequences for their families and for themselves.

And all this, for an election that on the grand scale of the world really makes no difference (from what I understand about the Iranian political structure) because no matter who is elected, the final word on ANYTHING in Iran belongs to the Ayatollah who is not elected by the people but chosen by the church.

So why do these people fight a useless fight that they know they can’t win? Because they have to, no one else will do it for them. Resistance is the key to existence in places like this. Iran has decided to express itself, Iran has decided to resist and Iran has chosen a very public forum in which to express its views: the streets, in front of television cameras.

The Iranian blogosphere is on fire with people that are supporting the rioters and those who are against them, those loyal to the president elect and those who’d like to see him removed but more importantly: Iranians are expressing online the feelings that on the street would earn them a beating and possibly an arrest; they are bringing these feelings to the entire world that simply has to point, click and open their eyes to see that this beautiful and diverse culture seems to be on the brink of yet another social shift in its long and tumultuous history.

So to the people of Iran who refused to be blind, to the people of Iran standing on the streets demanding justice, to the bloggers of Iran who are courageously posting their views online, to the Iranians around the world who are demanding justice: thank you for being an inspiration to the rest of us.

(Note: it is impossible for me to write about Iran again without mentioning that as far as I know the Blogfather, the Canadian-Iranian blogger, is still being held in jail by the Revolutionary Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran on charges of being a spy for Israel. Please click HERE to show your support)

Muchacho Enfermo

US Journalist Freed, Canadian Blogger Still Behind Bars

The Associated Press reported that American journalist Roxana Saberi, who had been jailed for four months on charges of espionage. Her trial was held in secret, lasted 15 minutes, her lawyer was never allowed to speak and she was sentenced to 8 years. Then... like magic her sentence is reduced to a two years suspended sentence and she is released from prison.

All the US had to do was say that it would increase pressure on Tehran to release her and they did. Amazing.

What about a Canadian blogger that was arrested back in October? Hossein Derakhshan (AKA Hoder, the Blogfather) was originally accused of being a spy for Israel, then the charges were changed to "insulting religion" although no official charges have been laid (that I know of) and apparently the case is still in the discovery phase. The University of Toronto graduate was reported missing back in October of 2008 while he was visiting Iran, a few weeks later Tehran finally confirmed that they were holding Hoder.

What has our government done? We have demanded a fair trial that's about it. We won't touch the case... why? Who the heck knows but the release of this US journalist makes me think we should be working a little harder. So far the only person I've seen really stand up for Hoder is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, strangely enough, who had written a letter to the Chief Prosecutor requesting that they allow Hoder a full and fair defense when he stands trial.

The cries for Hoder's freedom have become murmurs over the internet, but I hope that the release of Roxana Saberi will reignite hope in the hearts of those campaigning for the Blogther's release.

Muchacho Enfermo

Worst Places to Blog From

There were no surprises for me when I first saw the list of Top Ten Worst Countries to be a Blogger to find countries such as Iran, Myanmar and Cuba included in the infamous list.

At number 2 Iran has a fairly large blogger population and most of them aren’t afraid of the things they say, I know that I follow a few Persian blogs and most of these people don’t mince words. However, the Iranian government has been holding an Iranian-Canadian blogger known as the Blogfather since October on charges of being an Israeli spy or something along those lines. The government there apparently isn’t afraid to stick bogus charges and throw due process out the door to silence offensive bloggers.

Myanmar (Burma) is a scary place if you’re a blogger... Right up there on the list at number 1 it has handed down ridiculously long prison sentences to blogger ranging in the 40-50 years behind bars (and please remember that these are not the nice Canadian jails with cable and a gym and 3 meals per day). But they forge on, the Burmese in exile publish blogs and write and get the news that even the international press can’t get. I’m fortunate enough to know one of these bloggers, Ashin Mettacara, who has a blog, a news site and has helped launch a social network called Smile Club to help Burmese and people from all around the world connect.

Cuba is the place that I’m most familiar with on this list. It sits at number 4 only because bloggers haven’t yet been given lengthy prison terms. Access to the internet is restricted in Cuba, especially for locals who can mostly only access it from government run “internet cafes” at the ridiculous price of 5 or 6 Cucs per month when the average wage is 18-20 Cucs per month. The government there has blocked access to all the blogs hosted on desdecuba.com (among others) and has forced the sites to be hosted outside the island with the help of friends living abroad.

Again, I wasn’t surprised by any of the members of the list and I’m glad to say that I live in a country where I’m free to say whatever I want whenever I want to whomever I want. I can safely have the internet at my house without worrying that a team of special ops soldiers will kidnap me in the night for what I’ve said or simply for being online. As much as I complain about our politics and our justice system, I’m eternally thankful to be living here.

Muchacho Enfermo

New years eve reflections and wishes for the new year

I'm sitting in my kitchen sipping on a beer and reflecting back on 2008. The whole tumultuous year that has seen Canada through another election, one in Quebec, the financial meltdown, renewed violence in Gaza, the whole business with Irak, my travels throughout the Americas and Canada. Looking back on the amazing people I've met (you all know who you are, despite the fact that some of you can't even view my blog), the things I've seen and done. Looking back on all this... I'm happy. I'm happy I went where I went, I'm in some strange way glad for the meltdown that forced me into a new life. All in all, 2008 was a huge success for me and I'm sad to see it go.

For 2009, despite the fact I'm sad to see 2008 finish, I'm looking forward to 2009, if only for my friends my Cuba. One more year forward is one year closer to change. I keep this little island country in my heart everyday and everyday I knock on wood for change.

For 2009 here are my wishes:
-For my blog: I want to increase my traffic, figuring this out is tough for me but I hope I can get more people here and spark some meaningful debates.
-For Canada: I wish that our politicians grow up and step up and figure out what we need in this time of crisis.
-For Gaza: I wish that there is a compromise that will finally end decades of bloodshed.
-For Africa: I wish an end to corruption of government, for the world to finally realize that Africa needs us.
-For South America: To realize that they are all sovereign nations without the need for radical views or extremist governments (ie Bolivia, Venezuela).
-For Russia: For Putin not to pass the laws he plans on passing.
-For Hoder: Freedom from Iranian jail and for the spotlight to be brought to Human Rights in that country.
-For Burma: For the struggle for human rights come to an end. For my friend and fellow blogger Ashin Mettacara not go to prison.
-For the US: That Obama really is change for the better.
-For Cuba: I wish for Cuba freedom, all sorts of freedoms. I wish for free elections, for reforms and for freedom of thought and expression. For Yoani Sanchez to continue paving the way for other revolutionaries.
-For my fellow bloggers: I wish the strength to carry on the good fight in the face of adversity or low readership. You are all making a difference no matter how small, you change the world one person at a time. Never give up.

In conclusion that's my motto for 2009: Never give up.

Muchacho Enfermo