Global Voices Online

While Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinjad, addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday declaring that “the American empire” and “Zionist regime” [Israel] are nearing collapse, pro-democracy Iranians and 3,000 people mobilized by a coalition of mostly Jewish groups, protested against Ahmadinejad's threats toward Israel and Iran's human rights record.

Protesters erected these statues in front of the UN to protest against Ahmadinejad. Photo by David Shankbone.

Iranian bloggers, diverse as usual, published several posts about Ahmadinejad's visit to New York and his interviews with American media, such as CNN and Los Angles Times where he denied that there are any political prisoners in Iran, and conveyed message of peace to the USA.

Mojtaba Saminejad, a former jailed blogger who had been in prison for more than 20 months because of his writings, says [fa] the Iranian president, as usual, denied the facts and reality in his interviews, especially when he says there is no political prisoners in Iran.

This blogger writes:

Maybe Ahmadinejad is talking about another country… The President says that there are no political prisoners in Iran, but that there are many political prisoners in the USA. Denying this reality of all these political prisoners in Iran can only be a sign that the Islamic Republic knows it is violating human rights. If not, there is no need to talk about the USA when questions are being asked about Iran.

NikAhnag, a Canada-based Iranian cartoonist and blogger, has published a cartoon to show his feelings about Ahmadinejad's claim that, “there is absolute freedom in Iran.” In this cartoon while Ahmadinejad stands in front of cameras, a guy hanging over the edge of a cliff says, “[freedom just for dying].”

Latidan says [fa] that once again Ahmadinejad has attacked Israel condemning it in support of Palestinians but the question is where were the Muslims and Palestinians when he was in New York? The blogger writes that the irony is that the only group that demonstrated to support the Iranian president, were some anti-Zionist fervently Orthodox Jews.

The blogger asks where are our Palestinians brothers and sisters that we pay this cost for?

Sharokh writes [fa]:

I was excited when I learned that Larry King from CNN would interview Ahmadinejad and I hoped he would challenge him. But I was disappointed when I watched the interview. Larry King not only did not challenge Ahmadinejad, but by asking very ordinary questions, let him to use the program as a platform to talk about the destruction of Israel and preach about freedom… Larry King showed that he does not know Iran.

Haji Washington says [fa]:

Larry King was not ready for this interview, and Ahmadinejad showed he has made a lot of progress in answering questions. It does not mean that I agree with whatever he said, but the way that he replied was more rational… Ahmadinejad's position among Muslims and Arabs became more strong after this interview.

Amir Hosein, an Islamist blogger in Iran writes [fa] that he wishes that Ayatollah Khomeini was alive to see how Ahmadinejad in the USA shouted that America is on the edge of collapse.