Global Voices » Iran

Iran: Protesting against Google

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:44:32 +0000

Iranians have been complaining that Google Maps now has no name on the body of water called the Persian Gulf.IranFarda says [fa] Mr.Google do you like we call you, Yahoo?

Iran: Buying book can become dangerous

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:30:30 +0000

Several bloggers published a photo where a woman pushed to the ground by the security forces in a book fair. Gargagarga writes it happens in book fair and everybody is watching. It seems people get used to seeing such scenes.

Iran: A blogger was arrested

Fred Petrossian — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:03:20 +0000

Iranian cyber police (Fata) announced [fa] a blogger in the northern city of Rasht was arrested. The blogger was accused of writing in his blog against Rasht's authorities and trying to “disturb public opinion”.
Iranian police did not mention the blogger's name.

Iran: Successful campaign against lashes for cartoonist

Hadi Nili — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:53:22 +0000

An online campaign against lashes for Iranian cartoonist turned to be successful. Mahmoud Shokrayeh was sentenced to 25 lashes for a caricature of a local MP, Ahmad Lotfi. Iranian cartoonists launched a campaign on Facebook and cyberspace to draw Mr. Lotfi's cartoons in condemning this verdict. You can see some of this cartoons here. Eventually the MP announced that he is withdrawing his complaint.

Iran: Cartoonist Eludes Sentence of 25 Lashes for Drawing Politician

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:05:45 +0000

Cartoon of Ahmad Lotfi Ashtyani that landed Mahmoud Shokraye in trouble with authorities.

An Iranian cartoonist, Mahmoud Shokraye, was sentenced [fa] to 25 whiplashes for drawing a cartoon of former conservative member of parliament, Ahmad Lotfi Ashtyani in Amir Nameh magazine in Arak.

A campaign to support the cartoonist was launched online, and several cartoonists drew cartoons in support of Mahmoud Shokraye.

It seems the campaign was successful, since finally the former politician withdrew his complaint [fa] on Monday, May 14, 2012.

Mana Neyestani, a leading Iranian cartoonist who has also been jailed for his cartoons, made a cartoon to support the cause.

Cartoon by Mana Neyestani from Mardomak.org

Vahid Nikgoo drew a cartoon where Ahmad Lotfi Ashtyani looks himself in a mirror and says, “When I take you to court and sentence you to lashes, you will learn not to show me like that.”

An image can be worth more than 1000 words, but in Iran a cartoon can cost you jail and lashes.

Iran: 28.5 millions have access to Internet

Hadi Nili — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:05:55 +0000

According to official statistics,28.5 millions of Iranians are estimated to have access to Internet connection in 1154 cities of Iran. This figures says more than 2.1 millions of this Iranian users have ADSL connection and the rest are connected via dial-up. Iranian government has restricting rules for Internet connection of citizens and only academic and business users can have broadband connections more than 128 kbps.

Iran: Calls for killing of ‘apostate’ rap artist

Fred Petrossian — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:38:30 +0000

Several bloggers announced their support to Shahin Najafi, Europe based Iran singer.A Shi’ite cleric, has issued a death sentence against rap artist Shahin Najafi for apostasy. The sentence was issued after Najafi released a controversial song called “Naqi” (a Shi'ite saint).

Iran: Government prohibits ‘foreign' mail services

Hadi Nili — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:26:44 +0000

Iran's minister of communications prohibited using ‘foreign' mail services like Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and MSN, since he believes ‘they are tools for information leak'. Reza Taghipour has asked Iranian state offices, universities and companies to use Iranian mail services ‘which are hosted in Iran'.

Iran: Street Sweeper Finds and Returns $500,000

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:44:08 +0000

Headlines about multi-million dollar corruption often dance across the front pages of Iranian newspapers. There is currently hot news about Iran's biggest bank fraud, allegedly by people with ties to the government.

But all of a sudden a piece of positive news shined in Iran and outside country: A street sweeper named Ahmad Rabani from Bojnourd, 700km from Tehran, found 1 billion Toman (about $570,000 US dollars) and returned it to the owner.

As thanks, he received a 200,000 Toman ($120 US dollars) reward.

Iranian blogger Unirani praises the street sweeper and calls his actions a lesson for Islamic Republic officials involved with corruption. The blogger writes [fa]:

… a man from the working class and a member of the municipality found 1 billion Toman in a bag and returned it to its owner. We realise the worthiness of his actions when we learn he lived in poverty because of dire economic situation in country. Naturally he could have kept the money, resigned from his job, and become one of these millionaires. But he did not do it. Let that be a lesson to those thieves and corrupt people who steal everything in the country and with their impure policies that create endless economic difficulties.

Another blogger, Pesarirouni writes about this story and says [fa]:

Dignity still exists… in a time when a brother has no mercy for a brother… I was born in a working class family and I can sympathise with all the difficulties these people face… I praise his dignity, and think he should get a medal of honor for his actions.

Del2del writes [fa] that Rabani must have overcome big temptations to return the money, since he estimates the amount of money would equal 166 years of a street sweeper's salary.

Iran: Cockroaches and New Hijab Crackdown

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:54:04 +0000

Iranian bloggers protested against security forces who launched new hijab(veil) crackdown in Tehran. A Balatarin user published a photo of two agents and write they are like cockroaches when the weather becomes hot, they reappear.

Iran: Jailed blogger's open letter to Head of the Judiciary

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:40:36 +0000

Jailed blogger and human rights activist,Hossein Ronaghi Maleki,wrote [fa] an open letter to Iranian Head of the Judiciary,Amoli Larijani to protest against his conditions. The blogger says he refuses to be operated in prison and he wants to go to hospital.

Iran: Opposition sites under cyber attack

Fred Petrossian — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:21:18 +0000

Several blogs and sites reported [fa] in recent days several Iranian reformist and green sites such as daneshjoonews have been under cyber attack.

Accused of Molesting Children, Iranian Diplomat Leaves Brazil

Fred Petrossian — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:53:37 +0000

An Iranian diplomat based in the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, was accused of molesting underage girls at a swimming pool on April 14, 2012. The Iranian official was questioned by police following complaints from parents, and was eventually released after invoking diplomatic immunity. While Iran's embassy denied the allegations, and said they were the result of a “cultural misunderstanding”, netizens both from Iran and Brazil didn't take long to react.

According to a video report [pt] on Brazilian TV, witnesses said that the diplomat had been pretending to swim around the pool in a “duck-diving” manner. While underwater he allegedly fondled four girls between the ages of nine and fifteen, police said. Some of the girls began screaming and their parents confronted the man. After being questioned by police, the diplomat left the country.

Screenshot from a Brazilian TV report.

Iranians were astonished to hear the news and criticized the Islamic regime for imposing a strict gender separation in the country, while diplomats of the country enjoy swimming in a mixed swimming pool. They also ridiculed the excuse of “cultural misunderstanding”.

Azarakan writes with irony about “cultural misunderstanidng” and says [fa]:

I think the islamic republic is right about cultural difference because this regime has raped its own people for many years without shame… have you heard that one of the Islamic regime's representatives was caught for his dirty activities? Can the regime escape the pressure of international public opinion this time?

In Brazil reactions came up on Twitter. Magalhães A.S, questioned [pt]:

@tovaga: Justiça e grande justiça, para que servem? É justo que o diplomata iraniano com “imunidade diplomática” abuse de crianças do DF? Só no Irã

@tovaga: Justice and great justice, what for? Is it fair that the Iranian diplomat with “diplomatic immunity” abuses children in DF [Federal District]? Only in Iran

"Grandfather says how many times I told you not to swim in this pool, there is a diplomat here". Cartoon by Mana Neyestani in Mardomak (used with permission)

Conservative journalist Reinaldo Azevedo, on his blog, also critized [pt] the allegation of “cultural differences” in the note from the Embassy - wondering how such an incident would be solved in Iran - and added:

É muito atrevimento a embaixada de um país que vive sob uma ditadura religiosa, que trata a divergência na base da bala e do porrete, que discrimina as mulheres, que as condena ainda ao apedrejamento, criticar a imprensa de um país livre.

It is very bold for an embassy of a country living under religious dictatorship, which responds to divergence with bullets and sticks, that discriminates against women, that condemns them to being stoned, criticizes the press in a free country.

From Iran, Jomhouriat writes [fa]:

The Brazil scandal displays the fall of the Iranian regime's morality. This disaster is just a window for the world to learn about behaviour of representatives of the regime… in our prisons there are many cases of torture and rape.

This post was co-authored by Sara Moreira

Iran: Pet Dogs Seized by Security Forces Once Again

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:32:33 +0000

Dogs Arrested by security forces in Tehran. Photo by Iranspca.com, used with permission.

Pet dogs have been arrested in Tehran, Iran again by security forces, and it's a deja vu of events in 2007 and 2011. Surreal but true. The Iranian Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals report [fa] that last week about 20 dogs in Pardisan Park were arrested as their owners walked them. They were moved to a center, let's call it jail. Owners have so far failed to have their pets released them. The video below shows the creatures disturbed behind bars. It seems “man's best friend” is an enemy to the Islamic Republic.

Iran's government considers keeping pet dogs un-Islamic, but has mostly tolerated it. It is possible that because the people most likely to keep dogs are Iran's urban and educated youth, dogs may be generating more official hostility again.

Iran: Ahmadinejad's Car, A Woman, And a Hungry Old Man

Fred Petrossian — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:20:11 +0000

An online video showing a young woman jumping onto the hood of the car of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while he was visiting Bandar-Abbass (a southern coastal city of Iran) on 10 April, 2012, is making a big splash.

The young woman speaks briefly to the president whose vehicle is surrounded by onlookers. Meanwhile, an old man also tries to approach Ahmadinejad. He cries out, “Ahmadinejad, I am hungry! Ahmadinejad, I am hungry!” Ahmadinejad keeps smiling and waving as he peers out from the sunroof of the car.

Curiously, while most western media have been talking about the girl, Iranian bloggers focused on the hungry old man.

Karansadr says [fa]:

This old man who shouts “I am hungry, I am retired” shows that all of Ahmadinejad's promises were false. We still remember when he said that Iran is the only country where there is no hunger.

Babak Dad writes [fa]:

One day, these people will ask us, “What were you doing when we used to struggle with hunger?” Do we have an answer? I have doubts.