Reaching Millions of Television Viewers in Iran Each Week
Washington, DC – June 30, 2008 . . . Major stories this week included
the US House of Representatives introducing a resolution condemning the
Iranian government’s repression of religious minorities; reports that
the State Department may open a US Interests Section in Iran; EU
nations approving new sanctions against Iran; Tehran’s mismanagement of
increased revenue from oil; the US presidential campaign; problems in
the Iranian Football Federation; the incarceration of many young
Iranian men because they can’t pay the dowry, a part of the prenuptial
agreement; Iranian performers and athletes visiting the US; the closure
of Tehran Emrooz newspaper for criticizing President Ahmadinejad’s
policies; and interviews with Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeffrey
Feltman on bilateral relations and UN sanctions on Iran; Assistant
Secretary of State Goli Ameri on bilateral exchanges with Iran; with
Robert Satloff, the Executive Director of the Washington Institute for
Near East Policy, on ways the US and Israel can work together to change
Iran’s behavior on the nuclear issue; with journalist and blogger
Roozbeh Mirebrahimi on the early days of the Islamic Revolution; and
for a special edition of Late Edition focusing on the documentary Come
Walk in My Shoes, interviews with filmmaker Robin Smith, Congressman
John R. Lewis (D-GA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), House
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), House Minority Whip Roy Blunt
(R-MO), prominent civil rights activist Robert Zellner, Rev. Cletus
Kiley, President and CEO of the Faith and Politics Institute, and
Sayyid Syeed, National Director of the Islamic Society of North America.
Late
Edition June 27 announced that VOA/PNN is launching a giveaway of gray
silicone wristbands – symbolic bracelets as a gift for Persian News
Network viewers. Within one hour of the announcement, VOA/PNN had
received over 200 e-mails from audience members around the globe
embracing the idea. Late Edition also received e-mails from almost
every major city of every province in Iran as well as small towns far
removed from Tehran. Some viewers requested more than one wristband,
saying they needed more for family members and friends. The VOA/PNN
awareness bracelet is based on the LIVESTRONG wristband of the Lance
Armstrong Foundation. One viewer from Tehran wrote, “Thank you for
creating a gift for your viewers. It is a very good idea that all your
viewers connect and find each other through this symbolic bracelet.
Please send me one. Thank you.” VOA/PNN will begin mailing the
bracelets in July.
News and Views June 28 reported that the US
House of Representatives has introduced a resolution condemning human
rights abuses in Iran. HR1310 says the Government of Iran’s lack of
protection for internationally recognized human rights creates poor
conditions for religious freedom in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The
resolution calls for the release of all religious prisoners in Iran. It
asks the United Nations Human Rights Council to monitor and demand
compliance with the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on
Freedom of Religion or Belief, the Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention, and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion or
Expression. Further, the resolution encourages the UN Human Rights
Council to continue to use its procedures to maintain oversight
conditions for freedom of religion or belief in Iran. The resolution
singled out the especially harsh treatment of Baha’is, Sufi Muslims and
evangelical Christians. This bill, which was introduced by
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) is in the first stage of the
legislative process. It has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs
Committee for further action.
News and Views June 25 reported that
Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry Official as
saying Tehran would consider a US request to establish a diplomatic
presence in Tehran. State Department officials have neither confirmed
nor denied the possibility of opening a US Interests Section in Iran.
State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the US has established
several Iranian watcher posts, including one in Dubai. “We want to try
and give ourselves a greater insight into what’s occurring in Iran and
to try, of course, to also find ways to get more Iranian people to have
some exposure or some experience in the United States.” Ambassador
Jeffrey Feltman, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau
of Near Eastern Affairs, told VOA/PNN this is not the first time the
possibility of opening direct communications has been discussed at the
State Department. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council
and Germany have been insisting Iran halt its nuclear enrichment
program for 1½ years. Ambassador Feltman said P5+1 cannot wait forever
for Iran’s response to its incentives package and should it be
negative, Chapter 7 of the UN Charter provides the guideline for
further action: increased pressure on Iran. He described the incentives
as beneficial to Iran and stressed the benefits the Iranian people
would enjoy should their government accept the package. Mr. Feltman
reiterated the US is not opposed to Iran having a peaceful nuclear
program, adding that it is Iran’s right provided it is in accordance
with the Non-Proliferation Treaty. He said Iran’s earlier proposal had
interesting elements but was more a propaganda tool for the non-aligned
movement and other regional blocs. He said it did not seriously address
the one issue at the core of the dispute: suspension of uranium
enrichment. Mr. Feltman stressed suspension is the key to opening
talks, adding that he hoped hints in Iranian media reports that the
door to negotiations is open reflect the Iranian government’s position.
Roundtable
with You June 24 featured Assistant Secretary of State for Cultural and
Educational Affairs Goli Ameri on US-Iranian cultural ties. Ms. Ameri
said her office recently facilitated a three-week training opportunity
for Iranian athletes to come to Las Vegas. The group later competed in
Colombia at the Junior World Weightlifting Championship and Iranian
Saeed Shahedi June 19 won a bronze medal. Earlier, en route to Berlin,
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States wants more
Iranians to visit the US, adding that she particularly favors cultural
exchanges such as visits by artists and athletes.
Stay Tuned
for Ping-Pong Diplomacy: VOA/PNN July 2-5 will report live from Las
Vegas on the 2008 US Open Table Tennis Championship. Iran is sending a
nine-member team, made up of men and women, to compete in the
international field. VOA/PNN is sending both a male and a female
reporter so that gender won’t impact coverage.
lyrics, composes,
sings, produces and mixes his music in Iran. Homay and The Mastan Group
will perform in the Washington, DC area at Strathmore Concert Hall on
July 20. Tickets for the tour are selling briskly, with some shows
already sold out. The group’s newest CD, Forbidden Journey, will be
released July 22.
Late Edition June 28 reported that Homay and The
Mastan Group will perform for the first time outside of Iran at the
Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on July 3. Musician Saied
Jafarzadeh, also known as Homay, founded The Mastan Group in 2005. His
ensemble, which consists of eight highly proficient musicians, is one
of Iran’s prominent traditional Persian music groups. Homay, who is in
his 20’s, writes his own
News and Views June 24 reported that the
European Union’s sanctions against Iran go into effect today. The
sanctions, based on UN Security Resolution 1803, add individuals,
companies and institutions to the EU sanctions list. The EU also
approved the freezing of assets in the three European branches of the
Melli Bank of Iran in London, Paris and Hamburg. EU entities also are
not allowed to transact with any Bank Melli branches within Iran nor
with the branch in Moscow. In other developments, both the Washington
Post and the Washington Times newspapers are reporting that the State
Department has been debating opening a liaison office in Tehran to
facilitate the issuance of visas for Iranians wanting to travel to the
United States. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she will not
comment on what is considered an internal matter. But she pointed to
the US consular office in Dubai which issues visas for Iranians, noting
that she is aware that traveling to Dubai is difficult for some
Iranians. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Switzerland has
been looking after US interests in Iran since the 1979 hostage taking
in Tehran, and said he doesn’t expect anything to be decided any
differently in the near future.
Panelists on NewsTalk June 27
debated whether President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s claim that someone
wanted to kidnap or kill him was real or an imaginary threat for
political purposes. Mr. Ahmadinejad made the claim while in Rome to
attend the UN hunger conference earlier this month. VOA/PNN’s reporter
in Rome, Ahmad Raafat, said the Food and Agriculture Organization had
no information on the matter, while the Italian Interior Ministry said
it didn’t consider this claim credible or worthy of comment. However,
the story had enough merit to become the brunt of jokes in Italian news
and entertainment. From Irbil, PNN reporter Ali Javanmardi said Iraqi
forces have arrested 190 insurgents in southeastern Maysan province, 87
of whom came from Iran or trained in Iran. He said Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki has granted insurgents a 10-day reprieve in which to lay down
their weapons. Critics say the reprieve is a mistake because it halts
the military operation, giving the insurgents the time to hide or leave
the country. VOA/PNN sports correspondent Ali Emadi reported that
archer Najmeh Abtin has been named the third Iranian woman who will
participate in the Olympics. To date, Iran has 52 athletes attending
the games, the highest since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
News
and Views June 23 reported that European Union nations approved new
sanctions against Iran on Monday, including an assets freeze of the
country’s biggest bank. The EU said it will also be announcing
additional financial and travel sanctions – effective immediately – on
several Iranian companies and “senior experts” linked to Tehran’s
nuclear program. Washington welcomed the EU decision, and a
State Department spokesman said these sanctions are another indicator
that the Iranian government is increasingly being isolated, adding that
the UN and EU are both serious about increasing pressure. Der Spiegel
reported that Damascus and Pyongyang helped Iran to develop its nuclear
program through the construction of a suspected nuclear site in Syria
that Israel destroyed last September. But the German newsweekly also is
reporting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is considering
withdrawing his support for the Iranian program, Der Spiegal says that
German intelligence reports indicate a joint plan by Syria, North Korea
and Iran for a nuclear reactor for military use was to have been
developed at the Al-Kibar site in eastern of Syria.
Roundtable with
You June 27 focused on soccer in Iran – and how corruption, cronyism,
nepotism and religious fanaticism have wreaked havoc with one of the
country’s most prized passions and pastimes. Sports
commentators/analysts Ali Sarshar in Washington and Iraj Adibzadeh in
Paris reviewed the successes enjoyed by Iranian soccer in the past,
providing insight into the lack of planning and the mixture of politics
and religion in sports in Iran today, particularly soccer. They said
the Iranian government is afraid of international success for Iran’s
soccer team because victory will lead to mass celebrations, and mass
celebrations could lead to civil unrest, which in turn could jeopardize
the government’s hold on power. Mr. Sarshar said, “Soccer in Iran need
not worry about foreign rivals. It should fear the daily barrage from
within against its success and legitimacy.” In response to a caller who
asked what the Iranian national soccer team needs to do in order to
succeed in the 2010 World Cup games, Mr. Sarshar said the Iranian
national team has an abundance of talented and capable players. He said
what the team is missing is serious, legitimate and powerful leadership
at the helm of the Iranian Football Federation.
On June 28 and 29,
PNN reported that dozens of demonstrators were arrested Friday by riot
police in Mashad and Tehran during major protests over Iran's
deteriorating economy.
Roundtable with You June 23 focused on
Iranian-Canadians with Manoo Missaghi, a founder and member of the
Board of Directors of the Iranian-Canadian Congress. The ICC is a
not-for-profit, non-partisan and non-religious organization that is
committed to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He said there
are three groups of Iranians the international community experiences
with regard to Iran: Iranians who live in Iran, the Government of Iran,
and Iranians who live abroad. Mr. Missaghi said the ICC’s mission is to
uphold the interests of the Iranian Canadian community and their well
being in social, economic, political and cultural spheres. He said one
the benefits of having an organization with ICC’s outreach is that he
was able to have a meeting with Canada’s Immigration Minister to
discuss ways of making it easier for Iranians to travel to Canada. Mr.
Missaghi suggested Canada increase its staff at the Canadian Embassy in
Tehran so that Iranians won’t have to wait so long for visitor, work
and study visas. He also suggested the expanded staff handle permanent
resident visas, so that Iranians won’t have to travel to Syria to
process their immigrant visas.
Roundtable with You June 26 focused
on how Iran has chosen to distribute the revenue from its windfall in
the current oil market. Economist Jamshid Asadi, who teaches at the
American University of Paris, provided an overview of oil revenue
management, and the fact that in many countries, oil revenue is used to
pay for economic forecasting while in Iran, oil revenue is performed
using a portion of revenues, whereas in Iran, oil revenue is spent on
today’s budget as opposed to future interests. Mr. Asadi said that even
with oil revenue included in Iran’s budget, “economic expansion there
has only been 5%. In contrast, China and India, which trailed Iran for
many years, have now surpassed it.” Mr. Asadi said though crude oil
prices are soaring on a daily basis, in Iran – the world’s second
largest oil producer – a worker’s salary only meets 45% of his monthly
expenses. One caller identified himself as an employee of the Iranian
Oil Ministry and stated that for the past four months, he has
not been paid. He said the reason given to him was that “the Ministry
is unable to pay you because of the economic sanctions against Iran.”
Roundtable
with You June 25 focused on the Mahrieh, or dowry. This prenuptial
agreement has become another reason many young Iranian men are
incarcerated. It also destroys marriages in Iran. A member of the
Iranian parliament recently stated that “throughout her life, a woman
depreciates, and therefore, ought not to receive a hefty dowry, because
she is not as valuable as she was once the agreement was put in place
with her husband.” Roundtable’s guest, Mehdi Haeri, is a cleric and
expert on Islamic law. He unequivocally rejected the legislator’s
comment, saying such a notion is “shameful” and “inhumane.” Mr. Haeri
pointed out that thousands of men are in jail for not paying the dowry.
He said the mixture of today’s civil laws combined with fanatic ancient
traditions has created a mess which is good for neither men nor women.
In response to a series of questions from Iranian callers, both men and
women, Mr. Haeri said although a dowry is an ancient part of marriage
in Iran, it is not be used as a measure of “value” or putting a “price
tag” on a woman. In the past, Mr. Haeri said, a dowry was given to the
woman because she did not earn money outside of the home and the dowry
was her safety net in case of divorce. “A marriage is a civil agreement
between two individuals,” Mr. Haeri said. “Yet, in Islamic law, if a
man knows that he will never be able to fulfill his part of the deal to
pay the dowry, and still signs that agreement, that marriage is null
and void.”
News and Views June 24 interviewed Robert Satloff, the
Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy,
which is recommending the United States and Israel set up a high-level
forum to coordinate strategy and policy on ways to prevent Iran from
acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Mr. Satloff, who served as a
co-convenor of the Institute’s Presidential Task Force on the Future of
US-Israel Relations, said “the United States needs to see the Iranian
nuclear problem in its totality and the threat it poses not only to
Israeli and US interests but also to the prevention of nuclear weapons
proliferation.” Mr. Satloff said the task force’s proposal has been
endorsed by key policy advisors of Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), the presidential candidates of the two
major political parties. Former Middle East peace envoy Dennis Ross,
who is currently a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for
Near East Policy, also served as a task force co-convenor. The Task
Force says the first item on the agenda of the forum should be a
discussion of each side’s views regarding current and potential efforts
to compel a change in Iranian behavior on the nuclear issue. This
covers the entire range of policy options, and preventive military
action. In its final report the Task Force said, “The central argument
is that preventing Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear-weapons capability
is not special pleading for America’s ally Israel – it is vital to
America’s own security.”
Today’s Woman June 23 reported that the
Press Oversight Committee of Iran’s Ministry of Islamic Guidance closed
the Tehran Emrooz newspaper. Journalist Isa Saharkhiz, who is a member
of the Committee for Protecting Journalist Freedoms in Iran, told
VOA/PNN that Iranian authorities shut down the newspaper because of a
recent article, published on the third anniversary of President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad’s presidency that criticized the president’s policies. Mr.
Saharkhiz also noted that the closure of the newspaper was processed
illegitimately, that it was constitutionally illegal, and that the
paper’s editor has been summoned to court. The main difference now
compared to past media censorship, Mr. Saharkhiz suggested, is that
publications used to get banned for a period of time but now
authorities are going further and permanently closing the media
property. He said the closure of Tehran Emrooz also resulted in 150
people losing their jobs.
Roundtable with You June 29 focused on the
week’s top stories with London-based political analyst Alireza
Nourizadeh. He dismissed a story in this week’s New Yorker magazine by
Seymour Hersh, saying it is not credible. He also accused Mr. Hersh of
exaggerating. According to Mr. Hersh, the Bush administration
has launched a “significant escalation” of covert operations in Iran,
sending US commandos to spy on the country’s nuclear facilities and
undermine the Islamic republic’s government. The New Yorker story said
that the US Congress had authorized up to $400 million to fund the
secret campaign, which involves US Special Operations troops and
Iranian dissidents. Moving on, Mr. Nourizadeh said that Iran’s
Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani made a serious error by threatening to
leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty if P5+1 countries don’t reach some
sort of accommodation with Iran. He added that Iranian leaders are
following the US presidential campaign very closely. “Iranian leaders
had been leaning toward Senator Obama, but after he spoke at AIPAC’s
annual conference and gave his unconditional support to Israel, they
have reconsidered their favorable view of [the Democratic candidate].
News
and Views June 24 reported that Republican presidential candidate John
McCain is defending his position to end a ban on offshore oil drilling
as he seeks votes in environmentally conscious California. In
appearances in coastal Santa Barbara and inland Fresno, Senator McCain
said the change in his position is the right decision at a time of
record-high gasoline prices, and that this proposal would add one
million to two million barrels a day to global oil supplies. Some 21
billion barrels of proven oil reserves are left untouched in the United
States because of a federal moratorium on offshore exploration and
production. His rival, Democratic Senator Barack Obama, opposes lifting
the ban, saying development of the new wells could take 10 years, by
which time global demand is expected to be at least 100 million barrels
per day, about 15 million bpd above current levels. Recent polls by
Zogby International indicate that 74% of Americans support Senator
McCain’s position on this issue.
VOA/PNN correspondent Siamak
Deghanpour hosted a Late Edition special on June 26 focusing on the
documentary Come Walk in My Shoes, made by filmmaker Robin Smith. In
the film, Congressman John R. Lewis (D-GA) leads colleagues from the
House and Senate on an emotional pilgrimage to sacred sites of the
Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Smith, who joined Mr. Deghanpour in studio
for the one hour special, talked about different aspects of the film
such as the nature of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s, the
philosophy behind non-violence, legislative challenges in getting the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 adopted, the
role of the media and the influence of Martin Luther King, Jr. and
President Lyndon Johnson. They aired clips from the film as well as
interviews conducted with congressional leaders. Congressman Lewis
said, “I was very moved to see this work come alive….If I had to go
back and relive my participation in the movement, I would do the same
thing all over again.” His only regret was not spending more time with
Martin Luther King, Jr. “I thought Dr. King would be with us much
longer and I feel when I see him in the film and hear his voice or see
him in action I only feel so sorry for myself and for others and for
our nation and for our world because of what we lost.” Mr. Lewis
appealed to people around the world to “take a lesson from the civil
rights movement; take a page out of the book of actions of Martin
Luther King, Jr. – the way of peace, the way of love, the way of
non-violence. As I said in the movie, hate is too heavy a burden.”
Congressman Lewis said, “Without the civil rights movement and without
Martin Luther King, Jr. there would be no Barack Obama.” The Majority
Leader of the US Senate, Harry Reid (D-NV), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD),
who is House Majority Leader, and House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO)
all had effusive praise for Congressman Lewis, telling PNN he lived the
message of non-violence despite being beaten over and over again in the
pursuit of equal rights. PNN also talked with Robert Zellner, a
prominent white civil rights activist who was the first white to work
at the Southern Christian Education Fund; Rev. Cletus Kiley, President
and CEO of the Faith and Politics Institute; and Sayyid Syeed, National
Director of the Islamic Society of North America.
News and Views
June 27 reported that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
(D-IL) said critical questions remain unanswered in North Korea’s
nuclear declaration and that it is crucial for Congress to review it.
In a statement, Senator Obama said US sanctions on Pyongyang
should only be lifted “based on North Korean performance.” He said
their declaration was a step forward but other steps need to follow.
His rival, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), was equally cautious, but also
said that “obviously the six party talks have yielded some results
here.” Meanwhile, several key members of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee have expressed concern that the AQ Khan network in Pakistan
might have transferred designs for smaller, more sophisticated nuclear
warheads more widely than previously believed, allowing states like
Iran to more easily produce smaller nuclear warheads for its ballistic
missiles. They said this would significantly increase the potential
nuclear threat from Iran to Israel and our European allies. These
congressmen said an Iran with nuclear weapons capability is one of the
gravest national security threats facing the United States and our
friends and allies. Also, a group of Jewish congressional Democrats
lambasted Senator McCain for voting against 2005 legislation that would
have toughened sanctions against Iran. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
said, “McCain tries to give the impression that he’s tough on Iran, but
when it came time to stand up to party leaders and big oil, John McCain
stood down.” The Senate passed a $162 billion war spending plan,
sending to President Bush legislation that will pay for operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan until the next president takes office. The
package, approved 92-6, includes a doubling of GI Bill college benefits
for troops and veterans. Also, Senator Obama and Senator Hillary
Clinton (D-NY) made their first joint public appearance since the
divisive Democratic primary race ended, making a display of unity in a
carefully staged rally in Unity, New Hampshire.
Today’s Woman June
26 focused on the close parallels between the worker, student and
women’s rights movements in Iran. The program noted that half of all
university students in Iran are women, so the overlap of interests
between the student and women’s movement is a natural one. The
interests of the women’s movement also coincide with those of workers,
in large part because women workers in Iran are not paid the same wage
for the same work as a man. The last segment acknowledged that overall,
the worker, student, and women’s rights movements in Iran are part of a
broader movement toward democracy and a demand for legitimacy from the
government. Callers noted that women students from Mazandaran
University are staging a sit-in to protest inadequate dormitory
conditions in Iran. Another caller, from the University, said the
participants are not political activists. They just want their problems
– like the inadequate facilities – to be resolved.
News and Views
June 26 interviewed the former head of the Iran University Press,
Nasrollah Pourjavadi, while he was in Washington to deliver a lecture
at the Library of Congress. Mr. Pourjavadi said Iran’s publishing
industry has never compared particularly well to other countries
because of its colonialist past, but he said there were some publishing
houses which were independent and institutes which had quality
research. He said one of the best examples of this would be Iranian
submissions to the Journal of the Franklin Institute, a journal with a
reputation for publishing high-quality papers in the field of
engineering and interdisciplinary mathematics. Mr. Pourjavadi these
limited pursuits continued after the Islamic Revolution, noting that
the Franklin Institute has published 28 texts in various scientific
fields under his supervision.
Today’s Woman June 27 focused on
Kurdish women in Iran and Iraq with Iraqi lawyer and human right’s
activist, Fatima Muhammad. Ms. Muhammad, who has lived in Irbil for
seven years, discussed improvements in the lives of Kurdish women in
Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein. She said many of the women
who survived Saddam Hussein are now widows. “They continue their lives
and are persevering even if they are alone. After the freedom of Iraq,
Kurdish women have become much more liberated and active. New laws and
budgets funded by non-governmental and governmental organizations are
serving the Kurdish people of Iraq, and particularly serving the women
with lawful protection against domestic violence.” Ms. Muhammad said
more Kurdish women are attending universities and more universities are
being built in Iraqi Kurdistan. “Classes are taught in English as well
as Kurdish, and foreign professors are coming to teach at the
universities. The United States has been very instrumental in improving
conditions for Kurdish people of Iraq.”
Roundtable with You June 28
talked with journalist and blogger Roozbeh Mirebrahimi about the series
of interviews he conducted with Abbas Amirentezam, a key player in the
early days of the Islamic Revolution. Mr. Amirentezam was the spokesman
and Deputy Prime Minister in the interim cabinet of Mehdi Bazargan, the
Islamic Republic’s first Prime Minister. Within two years, in 1981, Mr.
Amirentezam was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of spying for
the United States, a charge critics suggest for retaliation against his
early opposition to theocratic government in Iran. He is now “the
longest-held political prisoner in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Following the orders of Prime Minister Bazargan, Mr. Amirentezam set
out to rebuild the relationship between the United States and
post-revolutionary Iran. He established diplomatic contacts with the US
embassy, advocating for normalization of bilateral relations. Mr.
Amirentezam has always denied the allegations against him. Mr.
Mirebrahimi said that those who come to power are the ones who get to
write the history of their times, adding that leaders of the Islamic
Revolution are no exception. “They portray events the way they want
them portrayed and that means a lot of distortion,” he said. Mr.
Mirebrahimi said Mr. Amirentezam was definitely complicit in the
excesses of the Islamic Revolution when it came to power, but said he
had time to reflect on his role in paving the way for the clerics once
he found himself in prison. “The historical textbooks that are used in
Iranian schools are all full of myths to glorify the revolution. They
are far removed from historical fact.”
News and Views June 23
reported that British and Australian officials are condemning what they
call government-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe that caused opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw from the presidential run-off
scheduled for June 27. Britain’s Africa Minister Mark Malloch-Brown
urged the international community to agree on tough new measures
against President Robert Mugabe’s government, and noted that many key
figures in the regime have global bank accounts that he said could be
“choked off.” Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told his country’s
parliament that the government is looking to increase sanctions against
Zimbabwe, and he called on African nations to do more against what he
called the “brutal” Mugabe regime. The White House said senseless acts
of violence against Zimbabwe’s opposition by what it called the Mugabe
regime must stop. A statement said the US is prepared to go to the
United Nations Security Council to explore additional steps. UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the circumstances that led to Mr.
Tsvangirai’s withdrawal do not bode well for the future of democracy in
Zimbabwe. In Brussels, Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign
policy chief, said Mr. Tsvangirai’s withdrawal was understandable and
that the elections have become “a travesty of democracy.” Zambian
President Levy Mwanawasa, the current SADC chair, said the run-off
should be postponed because Zimbabwe has failed to meet the regional
bloc’s election standards.
News and Views June 29 reported that
Israel’s government planned to later in the day on a proposed prisoner
exchange with Lebanon’s opposition Hezbollah group. Under the deal,
Hezbollah will hand over Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad
Regev. They were kidnapped by the group in 2006. In return, Lebanese
prisoner Samir Kantar is to be released. He has been serving a life
prison sentence for the 1979 killing of a man and a young girl in
northern Israel. Israel also is to hand over the bodies of 10 Lebanese
fighters. Meanwhile, Israel says it will reopen border crossings with
the Gaza Strip to allow commercial goods into the Palestinian
territory. An Israeli military spokesman (Peter Lerner) says the Karni
and Sufa border crossings will reopen Sunday. He said about 80
truckloads of goods will be allowed to enter Gaza. Israel closed the
crossings after an Islamic Jihad rocket attack on Tuesday. The group
says the attack was revenge for the death of one of its West
Bank commanders who died in a firefight with Israeli troops. The West
Bank is not included in a nine-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas
militant leaders of the Gaza Strip.
News and Views June 26 reported
that Israel says its border crossings with the Gaza Strip will remain
closed Thursday in response to Palestinian rocket fire that breached a
fragile truce. Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza fired three rockets into
southern Israel Tuesday. Gaza’s Hamas rulers say the border shutdown
violates the terms of the truce, which went into effect last week.
Under the agreement, Israel committed to gradually increase the flow of
basic supplies into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for
a year. In another development, an Israeli official (Ofer Dekel) is due
to meet with Egyptian mediators in Cairo for talks on the possible
release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Hamas two
years ago. Israeli officials say Egypt has pledged to keep its Rafah
border crossing with Gaza closed until a deal is reached on the
soldier's release. Hamas has agreed to release Shalit if Israel frees
some 350 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has agreed to release 70, but
has refused to free top militants accused of planning deadly suicide
bombings.
News and Views June 25 reported the Israeli military has
shut down border crossings in response to rocket fire on Tuesday in
violation of an Egyptian brokered ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, in Israel,
hundreds of people gathered in Jerusalem to protest what they said was
the slow pace at which the Israeli government was negotiating the
release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In other news, an
Israeli police officer committed suicide Tuesday at Ben Gurion
International Airport during a departure ceremony for French President
Nicolas Sarkozy. An Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, called
the suicide a “separate event,” not a terrorist attack. He said, “A
shot was heard in the background and immediately security guards moved
in to make sure that there was nothing going on, an incident, a major
incident, which at the beginning it seemed to be. Within moments, the
French president was taken to the airplane itself, and the prime
minister and president were taken to vehicles that were waiting nearby.
We immediately started to search the scene to see what had taken place
and we can confirm that unfortunately this was a separate incident
where a bodyguard committed suicide. He was actually involved in the
outer circle of [President Sarkozy’s] security approximately 200 meters
away.”
News and Views June 27 reported that North Korea has followed
through with its promise to destroy the cooling tower at its main
Yongbyon nuclear complex. Media organizations from nations involved in
the talks – the United States, Russia, Japan and South Korea, as well
as China – were on hand to record the event. Sung Kim, the State
Department’s Korean expert, was also on hand to verify the demolition.
President Bush responded to the North’s nuclear declaration by removing
Pyongyang from a terrorism blacklist, and easing some trade sanctions.
Mr. Bush welcomed the declaration, but cautioned that North Korea
continues to constitute a threat to US national security due to its
possession of weapons-grade nuclear materials. US officials say Mr.
Bush’s actions are largely symbolic, as most sanctions were lifted in
2000. Foreign ministers from the world’s eight richest nations released
a statement urging North Korea to quickly return to the six-nation
talks aimed at ending the isolated regime’s nuclear activities. Their
statement condemned the violence leading up to the presidential run-off
vote in Zimbabwe. The ministers also called on Tehran to cooperate in
negotiations over its nuclear enrichment activities, and to act more
responsibly in the Middle East. State Department spokesman Tom Casey
said, “We would hope that Iran would see the advantage of working with
the international community to resolve the nuclear issue there just as
good-faith actions by the North Koreans have been met by good faith
actions by the other members of the six-party talks.”
News and Views
June 26 reported South Korea says North Korea has submitted a
long-awaited declaration of its nuclear programs, nearly six months
after it was due. Speaking in Seoul, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu
Myung-hwan said the North submitted its declaration to Chinese
officials in Beijing. A State Department spokesman said if the
declaration is submitted, Washington would drop long-standing
trade sanctions against the regime and remove it from the terrorism
blacklist. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Kyoto,
Japan the declaration is “a natural step” on the path to ultimately
verifying Pyongyang's activities, only after which the US will live up
to its commitments. Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani
commented on the news that the State Department has reportedly been
debating opening a liaison office in Tehran. He said this is just a
deceptive rumor, and if the US was sincere in its actions, it would
have accepted an Iranian proposal of two years ago to allow an Iranian
airliner to land on US soil.
Today’s Woman June 28 began with a news
brief highlighting recent television programming in Iran stating the
serious possibility of an American attack on Iran. In response, Iran
threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. Next was an update on
Europe’s attempt to end unlawful executions in Iran, especially those
of children under the age of 18. And last, the increase in student
suicides in Iran due to arrests and stress resulting from inappropriate
hejab and interactions with the opposite sex. The program then turned
to Massoum Montakhab, appearing on the show from San Diego, California.
She talked about her new book, Emancipation, Revolution and Oppression:
A True story of Perseverance and Hope. A seamstress at the age of nine,
she was married off at fourteen. “I was born into a very religious
family. When mandatory hejab was first lifted, I knitted a hat for
myself and wore it, and out of that act, was forced into an unwanted
marriage which resulted in my three dear children.” Dr. Montakhab
worked full-time and attended night school while raising her three
children. Majoring in biology, she was valedictorian of her graduating
class at Tehran University and received a scholarship to attend
graduate school in the United States. She earned her Ph.D. from
Michigan State University and returned to Iran where she founded Iran’s
first nursing school in 1971 and a four-year allied health college in
1972. “Achieving my goals, given my circumstances, was very
difficult....My whole life was ups and downs, but I was persistent.
Nobody could stop me from achieving my goals, but I wasn’t rebellious.
I accomplished everything very peacefully and quietly. And because my
mother realized her mistake in marrying me off, she took up
responsibility of my children and home. She did this until the day she
died and it allowed me to get my education and work. Then my children
and I became companions: I went to high school with one of my daughters
and attended Michigan State with the other.”
Today’s Woman June 24
talked with Swedish filmmaker Nahid Persson about directing the
documentary, Prostitution behind the Veil. According to research
conducted by Professor Donna Hughes at the University of Rhode Island,
prostitution in Iran increased by 635% between 1995-2003. Her research
showed that 95% of girls who run away from home in Iran end up becoming
prostitutes. One official Iranian report indicates the average
prostitute waits only three-five minutes before getting picked up. Ms.
Persson said she was not planning to produce a film about prostitution
until she returned to Iran after 17 years and realized what a prevalent
problem it had become. Although prostitution occurs in other countries,
she said prostitutes in Iran run an extra risk since women who have
premarital sex may get stoned to death. One way around this is the
temporary marriage, or seeghe, which is permitted in order to sanction
prostitution. Ms. Persson also said prostitution’s frequent companion
is drug use. The film’s two main characters worked as prostitutes. They
also were drugs addicts who were first exposed to drugs by their
husbands, who then recommended they work on the street to earn enough
money to pay for their habit.
This week’s History Channel segments
included profiles of Mahatma Gandhi, Charles Dickens, Lech Walesa, and
Katharine Hepburn as well as the first segment of a three-part series
called “Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower.” Segment
One was a profile of Mahatma Gandhi, considered the father of his
nation – India. For 350 million Indians, he was the leader who brought
them to independence, fighting a revolution without guns . . . without
violence. He left a legacy: the principle of passive resistance. His
people called him Mahatma, or man of pure soul. Segment Two profiled
Charles Dickens, one of the most original, influential and prolific
writers if the 19th century. His tragic, deprived boyhood included
watching his father confined to debtors’ prison, and a year as
a child laborer in a blacking factory – yet pain only served to fuel
his ambitions. By his early 20’s, he already had achieved popularity as
a writer of “serials,” leading to worldwide fame of near superstar
proportions, heretofore unheard of in Victorian England. Segment Three
profiled Polish labor leader Lech Walesa, who led a movement which
liberated a country, going on to found Solidarity, the Soviet bloc’s
first independent trade union. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and
served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995. Segment Four profiled
actress Katharine Hepburn whose life and career were legendary. She was
a star of the first rank for 64 years, and won four Academy Awards. Her
tumultuous relationships with men such as Howard Hughes, John Ford and
Spencer Tracy fascinated the public. Segment five was the first part of
a series on the Mayflower, whose English passengers were forced to land
in New England by harsh December weather in 1620. Only half of the 100
colonists who survived the harrowing Atlantic crossing died of
starvation and exposure that first winter.
This week’s “On the
Record” – Persian News Network’s once-a-week program featuring
executive editor Kambiz Mahmoudi as ombudsman – again answered
questions that VOA/PNN receives over and over again. The questions:
What are the official policies of VOA/PNN? And, is VOA a vehicle of the
US government? Some wonder how VOA can defend US policy if it
broadcasts views that are in opposition to the US government. Mr.
Mahmoudi says VOA/PNN must be bringing in an increasing number of new
audience members who haven’t heard his previous explanations – or his
previous explanations have been unclear. The Persian News Network
operates under the VOA charter. We are a broadcasting organization. We
are not policymakers nor are we obliged to defend any given US policy.
Our job is to report the news. We broadcast views of both sides of a
debate without taking sides. There are many satellite television
networks that represent or reflect a particular political point of
view. VOA’s mission should not be mistaken with theirs. If we have to
defend anything it is the truth. We are effective when we ourselves
refrain from pros and cons, though we are obliged to present diverse
opinions. Some viewer e-mails say VOA/PNN is charged with a mission to
use propaganda to prove the US government’s point of view. Those
charges are wrong. Our practice is neutrality, balance and the
presentation of both sides of an argument. VOA/PNN employees might have
their own philosophical and political opinions, but these beliefs are
not reflected in our programs.
Week nine of Late Edition’s Book Club
highlighted A Thousand Splendid Suns, the follow-up novel to Khaled
Hosseini’s bestselling debut, The Kite Runner. The 2007 book received
favorable pre-publication reviews, made it to number two on
www.Amazon.com’s bestseller list before its release and made the New
York Times bestseller list after being published. Mr. Hosseini, an
Afghan, uses his story-telling talent to depict relationships between
mothers and daughters, and the plight of women in Afghanistan. He also
explains the political and social changes in Afghanistan during the
past 30 years by illustrating the points of view of men, women and
different social classes through the eyes of his characters. The
Guardian said, “Hosseini does not challenge the usual western view of
Afghanistan, but he does enrich it – he adds greater knowledge and
understanding to it, and makes the Afghans come alive as loving,
feeling individuals.”
PNN’s question of the week was “Will the visit
to Iran by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki result in an end to
Iran’s interference in Iraq’s affairs? Out of a total of 5,886
respondents, 16% said yes, 81% said no, while 3% said they did not have
an opinion.
The
Persian News Network’s television programming complements its radio
broadcasts. VOA has the largest combined radio and television audience
of all international broadcasters in Iran, with one in four Iranian
households tuning into a VOA show at least once a week. Programs also
are streamed on www.voapnn.com.
PNN’s 7-hour program block
opens with Today in Washington, a brief look at the latest news
developments in Washington, as well as the content of PNN’s upcoming
programs. Then we present cultural programming translated into Farsi
from A&E Television Network’s The History Channel. We intersperse
30-minutes of news breaks throughout our original programming, which
includes the following shows: Today’s Woman, PNN’s newest program, had
its debut September 27, 2007. The one-hour program features influential
women from around the world discussing a full spectrum of topics,
including social, medical, human rights, legal, sports and business.
News and Views, PNN’s existing flagship, is now 2 hours in length, and
features live news coverage of the latest headlines from Washington,
Iran and across the globe. Roundtable with You is a talk show with
expert guests, featuring discussion of current events, politics,
popular culture and global health. Viewers and listeners from Iran and
around the world participate in the show via phone calls and e-mails.
Late
Edition begins with a wrap up of the day’s news and a close look at the
day’s top story. Targeted to a younger demographic, the show also
features segments on health, technology, sports, entertainment and
culture. NewsTalk is a new journalists’ roundtable discussion program
that features a news update followed by an examination of the day’s top
stories and an in-depth look at issues relating to Iran.
From
a viewer in Qazvin: “#1 – Power cuts are intentional. They could be a
pretext to prove Iran’s need for nuclear power. Only last year, the
government said Iran was self-sufficient in electricity, and even
exported electricity to other countries. #2 – Our government says Mr.
Palizdar’s statements are false and based on rumors. If so, why do the
authorities act so frustrated, arresting him and others? [Editor’s
Note: Mid-level government official Abbas Palizdar became a
whistleblower several weeks ago, charging scores of senior-level
Iranians of corruption, including allies of President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He was arrested June 11 on
charges of embezzlement.]
From a graphic designer in Iran: “I hope
Today’s Woman accepts this logo that I have designed for you. It is a
token of my appreciation for your efforts.”
From a viewer in Fars:
“I would like to point out that that Iranians suffered from gas
shortages during the winter. Now, in the summer, they are facing
frequent cuts in water and power. This is very hard to bear, especially
in the southern parts of the country where the temperature goes up to
50oC (122oF).
From a viewer in Iran: “Thanks for your series about
the Kurdish political parties. We Kurds have always felt that we are
strangers in our own land. But now I feel that I am an Iranian. We hail
democracy and are proud to be Iranian.”
From a viewer in Tehran:
“[Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei claims that the West is against
development in Iran. However, the incentive package proposed by the
West guarantees the most sophisticated of light water nuclear plants.
So we conclude that Khamenei underestimates the wisdom and intelligence
of Iranians.”
From a viewer in Iran: “One of the problems
faced by members of the ruling class in Third World countries
(including Iran) is the “imaginary conspiracy”. These people always
think others are conspiring against them. Now they are targeting a man
called Master Iliad because they consider him a threat, enough so to
arrest him. [Editor’s Note: Iliad is the leader of a small, new sect in
Iran whose beliefs are similar to those of Sufism. Authorities
reportedly are not fond of Iliad or his publications. VOA/PNN received
more than 100 e-mails about Iliad this past week much like this one.]
From
an Iranian living in the German city of Bayrouth, located in northern
Bavaria: “First and foremost, I would like to start this e-mail by
saying how much I admire the work that you all are doing everyday! I am
currently a doctoral candidate in the field of Political Sociology at
the University of Bayreuth. My supervisor is Professor Michael Zoeller
and the working title of my thesis is ‘The Sound of Freedom: An
Analysis of Non-Conformist Elements in Iran.’ My research includes an
analysis of the daily programs of VOA/PNN. I am planning a research
trip to Washington, DC in September or October 2008. I was wondering if
it would be possible to meet the staff of VOA for a couple of
interviews. It would be a great pleasure to meet you personally and to
discuss my questions concerning your work in more detail.”
From a
viewer in Iran: “Thank you for your useful programs. I watch almost all
the Today’s Woman programs. With regard to the program you had on
prostitution in Iran, I have to inform you that economic difficulties
aren’t the only element leading women into prostitution. I know women
whose husbands’ infidelity drove them into prostitution out of revenge.
The cheating rate among men is very high due to the fact that they are
much freer than women”
From an Iranian viewer: “I would like to
suggest that you introduce more successful Iranian women on Today’s
Woman – young women like Azadeh Maghsoodi, a 15-year-old violinist who
lives in Germany. She has worked hard and has already achieved success,
playing with the likes of [renowned British violinist] Nigel Kennedy.
Success stories such as hers are encouraging to women in Iran and all
over the world.”
From a viewer in Iran: “I am 24-years-old and play
soccer in a women’s league in Iran. Our team has won the league
championship two years in a row now. You interviewed [filmmaker] Ayat
Najafi [the director of the documentary, Football Undercover] on June
22. I watched the program that day, but I had no access to the Internet
at home so could not e-mail you right away. I speak English and I’m
also a tour guide in Iran. I want to get in touch with Mr. Najafi.
Perhaps he can help me become an international player. Is it possible
for you to forward this e-mail to him? Thank you very much.”
From a
viewer in Karaj: “Almost no one in Iran has a bright future, no matter
the person’s age. The problems are so many. Voice of America is our
hope and happiness. Our voice is silenced with a gun pointed a tour
head. Please help our voice be heard in the world. Thank you for
enlightening our homes every night.”
From a viewer in Iran: “Several
of the weblogs linked to the One Million Signatures Campaign have been
filtered, including the site, www.change4equality.com. Please reflect
this news on Today’s Woman.”
From a viewer in Tehran: “I’m a
31-year-old architect and sometimes watch Today’s Woman. I have a
suggestion that might improve your program. Your logo is too large and
is poorly designed. And your names are always in chyron on the screen.
Believe me, people will. remember your names forever, so don’t repeat
them so often. And why don’t you change your studio décor once in a
while? Haven’t you learned this from other famous talk shows in
America?”
From a viewer in Iran: “What happened with Dr.
[Hassan] Madadi, [Vice President] of Zanjan University is nothing new
in Iran. The only new thing is that it was wisely documented. However,
I’d like to tell you of another story that happened a couple of years
ago, this time at Qazvin Azad University. In this case, the person
guilty of sexual harassment was even nude when he was caught. A few
years earlier, he’d asked to be transferred to Tehran Azad University,
but his request was denied. After the scandal, his punishment was to be
transferred to Tehran Azad University. What do you think will happen to
Dr. Madadi? Let’s wait and see.”
From a viewer in Sanandaj: “Hello
to you all at Today’s Woman. I’m a 28-year-old woman and I live in
Sanandaj, Kurdistan. Please send me the addresses of some women’s
rights web sites. I have been married for one year now and I feel like
I am my husband’s slave. I do not have the right to make any decisions.
I am really depressed. Please help me.”
From a viewer in Iran:
“Yesterday the Islamic Republic arrested another member of the One
Million Signatures Campaign. Her name is Mahboubeh Karami. I’m
attaching the contact information for her mother so that you can
interview her if you are interested. Thank you! [Editor’s Note: News
and Views broadcast an interview with Ms. Karami’s mother, Sedigheh
Mosaedi, on June 21.]