Global Voices » Fred Petrossian

Iran: No Access to Email

Fred Petrossian — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:42:31 +0000

Several bloggers reported for last two days they have had no access to emails including gmail, hotmail and yahoo.
Hese Penhan says [fa] dictators attacked internet again. Even Tor and Psiphone3 do not work.

Iran: Beautiful nature

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:10:35 +0000

Here is a blog publishing the photos about Iran's northern province, Gilan. It lies along the Caspian Sea.

Iran: No War, No Dictatorship

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:57:11 +0000

Gahneveshteaye Ali writes [fa] that Green Movement demonstrated in New York both against war and dictatorship. The Iran based media preferred to ignore them.Watch the photos here.

Iran: Blogger was sentenced to 14 years in prison

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:49:14 +0000

Several bloggers reported that Mehdi Khazali, a blogger and publisher was sentenced to 14 years in prison. The blogger was sentenced to 90 lashes too. He can appeal this sentence.

Iran: Blogger under pressure to give TV confession

Fred Petrossian — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:31:27 +0000

Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi Malki is under pressure to give TV confession according to his mother. He is serving a 15 year prison sentence in Tehran.

Iran: A surprsing Maquette to remember Khomeini

Fred Petrossian — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:10:09 +0000

Iran remembered the Islamic Revolution Leader,Ruhollah Khomeini's return to Tehran in 1979 by creating a maquette .You can see the photos. A user in Balatarin writes it is a ridiculous show and a kind of idolatry.

Iran:American Accent for Persian Speakers

Fred Petrossian — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:15:19 +0000

This video shares insights for Persian first-language speakers who wish to improve their pronunciation, word stress, and intonation in American English.

Iran: Asylum seeker committed suicide

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:22:25 +0000

Several bloggers reported [fa] that Mohammad Rahsepar committed suicide in a refugee camp in Germany. The blogger says that “rich Iranians, politicians in exile,…should help these asylum seekers who live in terrible camps.”

Iran: Sanctions Bite, and the Iranian Currency Falls

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:43:18 +0000

Iranians are facing a financial tsunami as the national currency (Rial) loses value day by day as sanctions against Iranian oil and the banking system get tougher. The Rial was trading at nearly 20,000 to the U.S. dollar on Saturday on the black market, compared to 18,000 Rials a day earlier.

Some bloggers blame Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for failing to keep his economic promises. Fasl tazeh says [fa]:

One dollar is currently traded at about 2,200 tomans (22,000 Rials) and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took a trip to Mashhad to talk about Taziyeh [religious art].

Nikahang Kowsar, Image from Roozonline

Harfayi az Tahe Del says:

The Iranian regime [Velyate Faghieh] took Iran and its people hostage for its useless nuclear energy…. The economy is collapsing… dark days are ahead of us… with prayer nothing will get changed… This regime and its nuclear energy only gave th Iranian people poverty and misery.

The blogger Sight writes [fa] ironically, that is it a bad thing that “most of our people became millionaires. You need to have one gold coin to have one million tomans”.

Hamdel writes [fa]:

… People consider the Islamic Republic's political and economic situation unstable and they exchange their Rials to Dollars, Euros and gold. The Islamic Republic moves into the direction that there is no hope for economic and political improvements. Concerning the economic situation, we can compare Iran to a bankrupt company. In regards to foreign policy, Iran is in the worst situation of the last 30 years and is led by Iran's Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. More and more workers become jobless and people's purchasing power is declining.

Dara2011 predicted fall of the Rial a couple of weeks ago. The blogger says [fa]:

… since the Islamic Revolution, Iran's leaders do not care about the economy and just want to remain in power. During Ahmadinejad's presidency the economic situation has deteriorated more. A Dollar was around 70 Rials in 1979 and now we buy at 14,000 rials because the Dollar is on its way to becoming 2,000 rials. Does Iran become Middle East's Zimbabwe, with a national currency without value?

Iran: Barbie dolls under attack

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:46:38 +0000

Iranian police close down shops selling Barbie dolls in Tehran. Sabzgosh says” Iranian police has banned selling Barbies dolls.For Iran's police Barbie dolls are considered as an instrument in the Western soft war against Islamic Republic.”

Iran: Iranian site is striking against censorship in U.S.A

Fred Petrossian — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:35:53 +0000

Amsterdam based Iranian Arseh Sevom site is striking against SOPA and PIPA which seek to deploy online censorship and surveillance in the name of enforcing copyright, employing the same tools used by authoritarian regimes. Arseh Sevom promotes civil society in Iran.

Iran: Gender based books for schools

Fred Petrossian — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:33:00 +0000

Iranian authorities announced that school books to be changed and written based on gender. Azar Todnar says gender discrimination becomes institutionalized in Iran.

Iran: Jailed Islamic Cleric and Blogger on Hunger Strike

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:25:38 +0000

In the last 33 years since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has been a kind of paradise for Islamic clerics who gained power and rule over the country. But not for all of them. Mohammad Sadegh (Arash) Honarvar Shojayi, a cleric and a blogger is one who is currently sharing the pain of imprisonment for his ideas and writings along with many other prisoners. Has the Islamic Republic democratized repression? In October 2011, after one year of jail, the blogger was sentenced to four years in prison and lashes.

Arash Honarvar Shojayi had online profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and a blog. He is a critic of the concept of Guardianship of the Jurists (Vlayat Faqih), which means leadership under one cleric, the position currently held by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was accused of propaganda activities and activities against national security, as well as defaming the regime and the clergy. He was released recently due to health problems, but arrested again after an interview. He has been on hunger strike since last Monday.

Youth for Human Rights blog says [fa]:

Arash Honarvar Shojayi had been among political prisoners in section 350 in Evin Prison but he was transfered to section 325, among jailed clerics who do not share his critical ideas. The authroities warned if he continues his hunger strike, nobody in that section has right to receive any phone calls. Such warnings are made to provoke other prisoners to raise pressure on Mohammad Sadegh Honarvar Shojayi.

In 2010, Mohamad Sadegh Honarvar Shojayi published several posts regarding human rights violations in Iran against Shi'a religious leaders. The blogger quoted Amnesty International's 1998 report on Iran:

Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 serious human rights violations have continued. Victims have included a broad range of political opposition from members of left-wing groups to monarchists, as well as ethnic and religious minorities. There has also been a pattern of restrictions placed on Shi’a religious leaders opposed to fundamental tenets of the Iranian political system such as velayat-e faqih.

In the Islamic Republic, even some clerics, do not favor of the regime.

Iran: A group of Iranians celebrate win at Golden Globes

Fred Petrossian — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:10:08 +0000

Here is a film shows a group of Iranians celebrating “A Sepration” win at Golden Globes.

Iran:Bread price soars

Fred Petrossian — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:57:36 +0000

Harfayi az Tahe Del writes bread price [fa] soars in country and a Sangak cost about 1000 tomans.The blogger reminds [fa] us before revolution, 33 years ago, a Sangak was just one toman. The blogger asks if our parents had known one day Sangak becomes so expensive, would they have chanted down with Shah?