Moussavi bietet dem Regime in Iran weiter die Stirn: Miliz fordert Ermittlungen gegen Oppositionsführer
NZZ Online: Trotz drohender Strafverfolgung bietet der iranische Oppositionsführer Moussavi der Staatsführung weiter die Stirn. Er bekräftigte am Mittwoch seinen Widerstand gegen die Wiederwahl von Präsident Ahmadinejad. Die Basij-Miliz forderte unterdessen strafrechtliche Ermittlungen gegen Moussavi.

Die Präsidentenwahl vom 12. Juni sei illegitim gewesen, erklärte der nach offizieller Lesart unterlegene Kandidat in einer Internetbotschaft. Ausserdem forderte Moussavi die Freilassung aller politischen Gefangenen sowie Pressefreiheit und eine Wahlrechtsreform. >>> ap | Mittwoch, 01. Juli 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Mir-Hossein Mousavi Calls Iran Election Illegitimate in Renewed Defiance of Ayatollah

Iran's reform leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi urged his supporters on Wednesday to continue to fight for "the rights of the people" in his first rallying cry since the regime validated the results of the country's disputed presidential election.

Mr Mousavi reasserted his claim that the June 12 election was illegitimate, and demanded that Iran's hardline government release all political prisoners and institute electoral reforms and press freedom.

His latest defiance came as the Basij militia accused the opposition leader of undermining national security and asked a prosecutor to investigate his role in violent protests.

The move came amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the West.

On Wednesday, a senior Iranian military official suggested that nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the West would be further stalled in the wake of the protests, which the regime has accused European powers of masterminding.

Iran has particularly targeted Britain as an instigator of the protests, and on Monday arrested nine local employees of Britain's embassy in Tehran. Five were released on Monday night.

"It's not yet too late," said Mr Mousavi, who has slipped from public view in recent days. "It's our historic responsibility to continue our complaint and make efforts not to give up the rights of the people." >>> | Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Murray through to Wimbledon Semis
Watch BBC video: Murray wraps up impressive quarter-final victory >>> | Wednesday, July 01, 2009

The EU Should Have a Workable Policy on Economic Migrants
THE TELEGRAPH (VIEW): It is not the UN who should be sorting out the mess at Calais.

The decision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to re-establish a full-time presence in Calais where large numbers of migrants are living in squalid encampments is a sad reflection on France's unwillingness to deal with the problem.

The migrants are in Calais for only one reason - they want to come to this country. The UK Borders Agency says they are there not because they are queuing to get in but because they have been "locked out". That is a moot point. But if they have been locked out, it is up to the French authorities to deal with them. They are reluctant to do so, which has prompted the UNHCR to intervene. >>> | Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Ahmadinejad prangert die Dominanz der USA an: Erster Auftritt des iranischen Präsidenten nach Bestätigung durch Wächterrat
NZZ Online: Die Worte sind noch immer die gleichen: Der iranische Präsident Ahmadinejad hat sich erstmals seit der Bestätigung seines Wahlsieges durch den Wächterrat offiziell geäussert. Dabei prangerte er die Vorherrschaft der USA und weiterer westlicher Länder an.

In seiner ersten Rede nach der offiziellen Bestätigung seines Wahlsiegs durch den Wächterrat hat der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinejad die Vorherrschaft der USA und anderer westlicher Länder angeprangert. «Wir wollen eine Interaktion mit dem Rest der Welt», sagte Ahmadinejad am Dienstag laut der Nachrichtenagentur Irna bei einem Besuch im Geheimdienstministerium.

Gegen die Vorherrschaft
In diesem Zusammenhang werde Iran alle «Kapazitäten nutzen, um die Dominanz der Weltmacht zu zerstören», sagte er in Anspielung auf die USA und den Westen. Die Vorherrschaft der Grossmächte im wissenschaftlichen und militärischen Bereich müsse ein Ende haben, sagte er. >>> sda/afp/Reuters | Dienstag, 30 Juni 2009

lePARISIEN.fr: Ahmadinejad veut «détruire la domination» de l'Occident

Le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad veut «détruire la domination» des grandes puissances. Dans sa première déclaration après la confirmation officielle de sa réélection controversée, Ahmadinejad a affirmé : «nous voulons avoir une interaction avec le reste du monde fondée sur le changement, et, dans ce contexte, nous devons utiliser toutes les capacités pour détruire la domination de la puissance mondiale».

Faisant clairement allusion aux Etats-Unis et à l'Occident, le président iranien a ajouté que le monopole des grandes puissances dans les domaines scientifique et militaire devait également cesser, selon l'agence officielle iranienne Irna.

Ahmadinejad, un ultraconservateur s'était attiré pendant son premier mandat de quatre ans le courroux des grandes puissances à cause de sa rhétorique agressive à l'égard particulièrement des Etats-Unis et d'Israël.

Le Conseil des gardiens de la Constitution a confirmé la réélection de M. Ahmadinejad pour un nouveau mandat de quatre ans, malgré les protestations des candidats de l'opposition qui demandaient l'annulation du scrutin. La repression contre l'opposition qui a constesté sa réelection lui a valu des condamnations de la communauté internationale. >>> Leparisien.fr | Mardi 30 Juin 2009

Western Man: The Shadow of His Former Self! Al-Qaeda Members, Go Snigger Up the Sleeves of Your Dishdashas!
Men's style trends from Paris Fashion Week
To the photo gallery >>>

Presenter Nick Ferrari Quits Iran Press TV over ‘Bias’ after Election
TIMESONLINE: It is called Press TV, is funded by the Iranian regime, and opponents say that from its nondescript offices off Hanger Lane in northwest London the 24-hour news station is beaming pro-Tehran propaganda into homes across Britain.

Nick Ferrari, a leading British radio presenter, quit his show on the station yesterday in protest at the regime crushing dissent after the Iranian elections, but Press TV continues to employ plenty of other Britons — including MPs and Cherie Blair’s sister.

It operates freely in this country, even as foreign journalists are ejected from Iran. It advertises on London buses.

The regime set up Press TV two years ago to break the “stranglehold” of the Western media — and its coverage of the election and the aftermath has certainly been different.

Stories featured on its website yesterday carried headlines such as “Ahmadinejad vows to break global monopoly”, “Ahmadinejad orders probe into Neda’s ‘suspicious’ death”, and “Guardian Council closes file on Iran election”.

Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, is investigating a complaint that Press TV has breached its duty to be accurate and impartial, and many Iranians living in Britain are appalled that it can operate so freely.

“They’re the mouthpiece of a vicious regime. Their motto is, ‘We give voice to the voiceless’. In fact, they give voice to liars and murderers,” says Potkin Azarmehr, a popular blogger. >>> Martin Fletcher | Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Warum Irans Milizen das Volk prügeln
TAGES ANZEIGER: Mit dem Kampf gegen die Opposition verteidigen die freiwilligen Milizen der Basiji auch ihre eigenen Privilegien. Denn für viele bedeuten sie den sozialen Aufstieg.

Sie knüppeln Demonstranten nieder, treten Haustüren ein, verwüsten Satellitenantennen und zertrümmern Autos. Viele Amateurvideos aus Teheran zeigen Mitglieder der freiwilligen Basiji-Milizen (übersetzt «Mobilisierung»), wie sie in diesen Tagen brutal gegen jede Regung der grünen Opposition vorgehen. Sie verbreiten Angst und Schrecken. Ihre Einschüchterungstaktiken haben tatsächlich bewirkt, dass sich nur noch wenige Iraner auf die Strasse getrauen, wenn die Oppositionsführer dazu aufrufen. Der schlimmste Vorwurf gegen die Milizen lautet, sie sollen schuld am Tod der jungen Neda sein, die zum Symbol der Demonstranten geworden ist.

Die Basiji wissen, wofür die kämpfen. Seit Ahmadinejad Präsident ist, geht es ihnen so gut wie seit langem nicht mehr. Er hat Basiji und Mitglieder der Revolutionsgarden zu Ministern, Gouverneuren und andern wichtigen Funktionsträgern gemacht und ihr Budget dramatisch aufgestockt. In diesen Zahlen sind andere Vergünstigungen wie die bevorzugte Behandlung bei der Verteilung von Studienplätzen, Jobs und Wohnungen ebenso wie Mobiltelefone und Kredite nicht enthalten. Diese materiellen Anreize würden eigentlich der Idee der Freiwilligkeit zuwiderlaufen. Tatsächlich würden seit langem junge Männer der Organisation beitreten, um aufzusteigen, schreibt die iranische Politologin Fatemeh Sadeghi. >>> Von Astrid Frefel, Kairo | Mittwoch, 01. Juli 2009

Défense électronique: EADS devient le gardien de l'Arabie saoudite
LE POINT: Au terme de tractations qui durent depuis 1996, c'est finalement EADS qui devrait installer la barrière de défense électronique aux frontières de l'Arabie saoudite. Le contrat a été signé mardi dans la soirée à Djedda, capitale d'été du Royaume, en présence du ministre de l'Intérieur le prince Nayef. Un communiqué officialisant la nouvelle devrait être publié mercredi après-midi. >>> Par Patrick Bonazza | Mercredi 01 Juillet 2009

Burqa: Al-Qaïda menace la France
leJDD.fr: Al-Qaïda s'est invité mardi dans le débat sur le port de la burqa en France. En réaction notamment à la position de Nicolas Sarkozy, qui a affirmé le 22 juin que ce voile intégral n'était "pas le bienvenu" dans l'Hexagone, la branche maghrébine de la nébuleuse terroriste a en effet menacé, mardi via des forums internet relayé par le centre américain SITE, de s'en prendre à la France. [Source: leJDD.fr] | Mardi 30 Juin 2009

LE FIGARO: Burqa : al-Qaida menace
la France

La branche maghrébine d'al-Qaida promet de se «venger» après les propos de Nicolas Sarkozy sur le port du voile intégral en France. Le président français avait déclaré que la burqa n'était «pas la bienvenue» sur le territoire français.

Le sujet avait créé la polémique et la réaction islamiste ne s'est pas fait attendre. Selon le centre américain de surveillance des sites islamistes SITE, citant des forums djihadistes sur internet, la branche maghrébine d'al-Qaida a menacé de se venger de la France après l'opposition de Nicolas Sarkozy au port de la burqa en France. «Nous nous vengerons de la France et de ses intérêts par tous les moyens à notre disposition, pour l'honneur de nos filles et de nos sœurs», a affirmé le dirigeant d'al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique (AQMI) Abou Moussab Abdoul Wadoud, cité par le SITE Intelligence Group. Créé en 2002, le Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Intelligence Group est spécialisé dans la recherche et le dépistage de l'activité sur internet des organisations terroristes.

Al-Qaida a également appelé les musulmans à réagir à «l'hostilité de la France contre leur communauté religieuse» et ses tentatives pour empêcher, selon le groupe extrémiste, la pratique de l'islam. «Nous, les moujahidines, ne resterons pas silencieux face à de telles provocations et injustices», a déclaré Abdoul Wadoud. D'après le chef islamiste, les cinq millions de musulmans de France sont «de plus en plus préoccupés par les pratiques des hommes politiques et des dirigeants français et leur harcèlement».

Al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique a revendiqué de nombreux attentats meurtriers en Algérie. Le groupe était anciennement connu sous le nom de Groupe salafiste pour la prédication et le combat (GSPC) avant de faire allégeance à la nébuleuse al-Qaida. >>> Mathieu Szeradzki (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Mardi 30 Juin 2009

IC PUBLICATIONS: Qaeda Warns of Revenge on France for Burka Warning

Al-Qaeda's North Africa wing threatened on Tuesday to take revenge on France after President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Islamic burka was not welcome, the US monitoring service SITE Intelligence reported.

"Yesterday was the hijab (the Islamic headscarf long banned in French schools) and today, it is the niqab (the veil)," the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Abu Musab Abdul Wadud was quoted as saying.

"We will take revenge for the honour of our daughters and sisters against France and against its interests by every means at our disposal." [Source: ICPublications] | AFP | Tuesday, June 30, 2009

French-Israeli Spat over Comments
”You need to get rid of this man... You need to remove him from this position” – Attributed to President Nicolas Sarkozy

BBC: Israel's foreign ministry has accused France of unacceptable meddling in its internal affairs over a reported comment by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

He was quoted by Israeli TV calling for Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who leads a far-right party, to be sacked.

The plea, which has not been confirmed nor denied by officials, was allegedly made during a meeting with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu last week.

Israeli Arab leaders have accused the foreign minister of anti-Arab racism.

Ahmed Tibi, a member of the Israeli parliament for the United Arab List, welcomed President Sarkozy's comments, saying: "The international community has started to absorb the danger of the fascism" coming from Mr Lieberman.

However, the deputy leader of Mr Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party called the comments "grave and unacceptable".

Mr Lieberman's office said: "If this report is correct then this is an unacceptable interference in internal Israeli affairs."

Mr Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying the PM voiced his "full confidence" in Mr Lieberman during a meeting with ambassadors from European Union countries. >>> | Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Iran Mulls Death Penalty for Offensive Blogs (March 24, 2009)

Torture in Iran

The Situation in Iran

Iran Protesters May Have Last Laugh on Ageing Regime
THE NATIONAL (UAE): Some years ago, Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president, revealed something that speaks volumes about the bare-knuckled quality of politics currently on display in Tehran.



In late 1978, with protests mounting against his abusive reign, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi went on television and expressed contrition. “He admitted to past transgressions and past sins and said ‘I’ve heard the voice of your revolution’,” Karim Sadjadpour, an expert on the Middle East republic, told a conference held recently at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He believed that was going to appease the crowds and silence the unrest.

On the contrary. In hard-boiled Iran, the Shah's mea culpa was a fatal show of vulnerability. "That's when we smell blood", said Mr Rafsanjani. "That's when we pounce."


Mr Rafsanjani’s aside explains the uncompromising stance staked out by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, as his regime faces the most serious threat to its legitimacy since the Shah’s removal. “What Khamenei has long believed is that you never compromise when you’re under siege,” Mr Sadjadpour said at the Carnegie briefing. “That projects weakness, which invites even more pressure.”

The Iranian regime is indeed weak, and has been long before it struggled to win the latest election with president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad apparently receiving more votes cast. If anything, the events of the past 10 days have revealed the Iranian government to be the hollow shell that it is, and not a rising power as it was so ludicrously portrayed by George W Bush, the former US president, and his neoconservative cadres. >>> Stephen Glain | Sunday, June 28, 2009

Artist Flees Turkey after Brush with Leader
THE INDEPENDENT: An artist who was cleared of mocking Turkey's prime minister by portraying him as a dog in a collage has fled the country after hearing his acquittal has been overturned.

Michael Dickinson, 59, returned home to County Durham after hearing a late-night TV report last week saying the acquittal had been quashed and a new trial was pending.

"I was shocked. I couldn't believe it. I was told by a woman, whose husband had seen it, and I said 'He must be dreaming'," he said.

"I caught a plane out as soon as I could, leaving most of my possessions behind, including my books, furnishings and computer.

"I was sad to leave after 23 years in Turkey, but I don't fancy another taste of Turkish hospitality in incarceration." >>> Rod Minchin, Press Association | Tuesday, June 30, 2009

EURACTIV: EU Tells Turkey: No 'Cruise Control' on Accession

As leading EU countries are advocating alternatives to full EU membership for Turkey, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week that Ankara should speed up reform instead of breeding unrealistic expectations during its accession process.

"No one should be mistaken: There is no cruise control in the accession negotiations. Each step forward requires hard work and intense preparations by the candidates for EU membership," Rehn said, speaking at forum held in Brussels on Friday (26 June).

The enlargement commissioner acknowledged progress made by Turkey in the accession process, but stressed that no such advance was visible in the last six months.

He stressed the "pressing need" to reform the legal and constitutional framework governing the closure of political parties, as well of guaranteeing freedom of expression and the independence and pluralism of the media.

Recent reports by the European Commission and the Parliament have warned of a continuous slowdown in the reform process in Turkey (EurActiv 12/02/09). >>> | Monday, June 29, 2009

The Fight for Iran’s Future Is Far from Over
TIMES ONLINE: The Islamic Republic is dead. But will it be replaced by a Taleban-style emirate or democracy?

As the post-election crisis in Iran enters its third week, one thing is clear: the oxymoron that was the Islamic Republic is already dead.

If the radical faction led by Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, wins the power struggle, Iran will drop its “republican” pretensions to become an Islamic emirate or an imamate. But if the opposition wins, the theocratic aspect of the regime will end, allowing Iran to become a normal republic in which power belongs to the people.

For 30 years, Iran has suffered from a split personality: trying to remain faithful to the late Ayatollah Khomeini’s ersatz version of Islam while pretending to have a people-based system of government.

The moment of truth for the death of the Islamic Republic came when Ayatollah Khamenei broke with tradition and declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the victor in the election even before the polls had closed. Over the past two weeks he has ignored demands for a rerun of the controversial election or even a complete recount of the votes, insisting that Mr Ahmadinejad is President not because the people elected him but because the Supreme Leader says so.

Over the past 30 years the Islamic Republic has organised 30 elections at various levels, from local to presidential. In every case the Supreme Leader merely endorsed the results once they had been established and announced by the Government. That kept alive the fictitious claim that the Islamic part of the system recognised the republican element. This time, however, that separation disappeared, as Ayatollah Khamenei not only announced the results but also stated publicly that he had wanted Mr Ahmadinejad to win.

The government-controlled media have highlighted the change in the nature of the regime. They now refer to Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech endorsing Mr Ahmadinejad’s re-election as “Fasl el-Khitab”, a theological term that means “end of the discussion”. Propaganda now refers to the ayatollah as “Emir al-Momeneen” (Commander of the Faithful), a title initially used for Ali ibn Abi-Talib, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law and the first imam of Shiaism.

An editorial last week in Kayhan, whose editor is appointed by the Ayatollah, put the new situation in graphic terms: “Imam Ali is back, the Commander of the Faithful. But this time he is not alone!” The editorial said that Iran was now ruled by “the Vicar of Allah” in a “pure Muhammadan system”. >>> Amir Taheri | Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Amir Taheri is author of The Persian Night: Iran under the Khomeinist Revolution

Honour Killings in Pakistan: Adherents of the Religion of Peace, Love, Compassion and Mercy Have Been Trying to Prove Islam’s Superiority Again!
THE TELEGRAPH: Dozens of relatives of a Pakistani teenager who eloped against her parents' wishes shot her dead on Monday in a raid on her new home which also left her husband and in-laws dead, police said.

Relatives dressed in police uniforms stormed the bridegroom's house in the district of Charsadda, in North West Frontier Province.

"The assailants took the bridegroom out while some of the attackers climbed the wall and entered the house. They killed the bride, the mother and sister of the bridegroom," said Saleem Jan, a police official for the Charsadda district.

"They beat them first and then shot them dead," he told AFP news agency.

The groom's father was also killed, another police official told AFP.

Police said the bride, who was 18 or 19 years old, came from the deeply conservative Mardan district next to Charsadda. She had run away and married her boyfriend, who was around 30, without telling her parents.

"Both the girl and man married some weeks ago," Misal Khan, the bridegroom's uncle, told reporters at the scene.

Police said the main suspects were two uncles and a cousin.

Human rights groups have strongly condemned the practice of honour killings in Pakistan, which claim the lives of hundreds of women each year. Pakistani family shot dead in 'honour killing' after wedding >>> | Monday, June 29, 2009

Iran Election: Faces of the Dead and Detained
If you’d like to help The Guardian put a face to the dead or detained in Iran in the recent uprisings, click here

La communauté gay s'affirme dans la société turque
LE FIGARO: Malgré un îlot de tolérance à Istanbul, le pays reste profondément réfractaire à l'égalité des droits des homosexuels.

Sous la pression des slogans «Nous ne nous tairons pas», «Nous existons, il va falloir s'y habituer», le cordon de policiers s'est finalement résolu à laisser le champ libre à la Marche des fiertés homosexuelles.

Dimanche, environ deux mille personnes ont descendu l'avenue de l'Istiklal, à Istanbul, dans un joyeux brouhaha, rythmé par les percussions et les coups de sifflet. Comparé à l'exubérance des fêtes programmées dans les villes européennes, le défilé est resté sage. Mais, profitant de la démocratisation du pays, il a pris de l'assurance : en 2003, une cinquantaine de militants seulement, dont une bonne partie avec le visage dissimulé, avait osé participer au premier rassemblement gay et transgenre. Dans le monde musulman, la Turquie tient une place à part. L'homosexualité n'est pas condamnée par la loi, des artistes affichent leur identité sexuelle et des drapeaux aux couleurs de l'arc-en-ciel flottent à l'entrée des bars gays du quartier de Beyoglu, à Istanbul. En dehors de cet îlot de tolérance, les actes de violence restent cependant répandus et l'homophobie est toujours profondément ancrée dans les mentalités : une étude de la Tesev, un think-tank turc, montre par exemple que près de sept personnes sur dix refuseraient des voisins homosexuels. >>> Laure Marchand, à Istanbul | Mardi 30 Juin 2009

Saudi Royal Denounces His Brother
BBC: A member of the Saudi royal family has called for the assets of his brother to be frozen.

Prince Khaled bin Talal denounced his brother's media empire in an unprecedented public attack from within the ruling family.

Prince Khaled accused Prince Walid bin Talal of disseminating vice and violating the rules of Islamic Sharia in the conservative kingdom.

Prince Walid is one of the richest businessmen in the world.

It has long been known that there is a split within the ranks of Saud family between liberals and conservatives.

But, until now, they have always managed to keep a lid on the problem.

Prince Khaled said he had been forced to speak out after quiet efforts to advise his brother to mend his ways had fallen on deaf ears.

Prince Walid, known for his liberal lifestyle, owns a media empire which features entertainment channels that have long angered conservative Saudis.

Prince Khaled, told an Arabic website that his brother's plan to introduce cinema into Saudi society was the straw that broke the camel's back. >>> | Monday, June 29, 2009