Iranian Diplomat Resigns Over Regime's Brutal Ways

A veteran Iranian diplomat based in Norway has resigned from his post, denounced his government and urged colleagues around the world to do the same after the regime’s brutal suppression of huge opposition demonstrations last month.

Mohammed-Reza Heydari, Iran’s consul in Oslo, is the first Iranian diplomat to publicly quit and condemn the regime.

He revealed that it sought to lure him back to Tehran after rumors of his defection surfaced last week. At the time, the Iranian Foreign Ministry insisted that the rumors were baseless.

In an interview with the Norwegian television channel NRK, Heydari said that he decided to resign after Iranian security forces killed a dozen demonstrators on Dec. 27.

“I hope my friends and colleagues in other parts of the world who see and hear me now and know me will move in the same direction as their people. I hope they will manage to sacrifice some personal interests and rather think of what is in the interest of their people and their nation,” he said.

Heydari said that he did not fear for his life, but in the past the regime has arrested the relatives of those, such as Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel peace laureate, who criticize it from abroad. Opposition Web sites said that Heydari’s brother was a well-known Iranian television presenter.

More on this story from the Times of London.

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Diplomats visiting Xinjiang call for "hand-in-hand" fight against terrorism

URUMQI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Foreign envoys visiting the riot-hit Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China called for closer cooperation among the international community to crack down on terrorism after watching an exhibition on the July 5 riot on Tuesday. Diplomats watch weapons seized from terrorist cells while visiting an exhibition on the achievements of anti-terrorism and anti-separatism in Xinjiang at Xinjiang Public Security Department in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 11, 2009. Diplomats from 26 countries and regions to China visited the exhibition on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Sadat) "I have seen some photos (of the riot) before I came to Urumqi, but I still feel very shocked now for the tragic incident," said Pakistani ambassador to China Masood Khan. "Children lost their parents, wives lost husbands, the elderly people lost their offspring. This should not have taken place at all," he said. "We fully support the Chinese government's stand in cracking down on 'the three forces'of terrorism, separatism and extremism." Diplomats from 26 countries and regions to China began a five-day visit to Xinjiang on Monday, a month after the deadly riot in the regional capital of Urumqi which left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 others injured. At the invitation of the regional government, they are expected to, through the visit, acquire a better understanding of Xinjiang's development over the past several decades in various sectors, including its politics, economy, ethnic and religious policies, preservation of cultural relics and the livelihood of local residents. Murat Salim Esenli, Turkish ambassador to China, said the timing of the riot was not accidental. The image of Xinjiang is changing for the positive to the world, but some people did not want to see the positive image and tried to sabotage the development and stability of the region, he said. Esenli said countries should cooperate with each other in face of terrorism, separatism and extremism. The "three forces" have become a common threat to almost all countries in the world, said Esenli, adding that "no single country can deal with the problem alone, they should cooperate with each other." A large number of weapons seized from terrorist cells were displayed during another exhibition on the achievements of anti-terrorism and anti-separatism in Xinjiang. The diplomats who visited the scene of the exhibition said it's necessary for the Chinese government to take measures to fight against terrorism and protect the safety of the people. According to the regional public security department, the "three forces" had launched some 1,000 attacks in Xinjiang since 1990, killing more than 160 people. Some 648 terrorist cells and violent criminal groups had been wiped out by the public security forces. "We have to share information and technology in the field of fighting against terrorism," said Esenli. Afghan ambassador Sultan Ahmad Bahee said his country is also a victim of terrorist attacks, particularly suicide bombings. "We strongly request the international community to combat terrorism hand-in-hand," said Bahee. Source: Xinhua

'Meddling' embassy staff released

From correspondents in Tehran, Iran | June 29

IRAN says it has freed five of the local British embassy staff it arrested on accusations of stoking post-election unrest, a move that further threatened tense ties with London.

"Eight people were arrested. Five were freed and three are still being interrogated,'' ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said at a press conference in Tehran today.

Earlier, English-language state television Press TV had spoken of a total of nine arrests.

Mr Ghashghavi also said that Iran, which has accused Western nations, particularly Britain and the US of "meddling,'' has no current plans to close embassies or downgrade diplomatic ties with foreign nations.

"There is no plan at the moment to close any embassy or downgrade ties with them,'' Mr Ghashghavi said when asked if Tehran planned to close the British embassy.

The Fars news agency, announcing the arrests yesterday, said the British embassy staffers were accused of playing a "considerable role'' in the unrest that swept Iran after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie accused the British embassy of sending local staff "undercover among rioters in order to push its own agenda,'' the official IRNA news agency reported.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said yesterday that London had protested strongly over the arrests, which he described as "harassment and intimidation'' and dismissed claims the embassy was behind the demonstrations.

EU nations also vowed to respond to any harassment of diplomats in Iran with a "strong and collective response'', Mr Miliband said at an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Corfu.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki - who has previously said Tehran was considering downgrading its ties with London - urged Britain and the EU not to take rash action over the arrests.

"Don't continue with this losing game because this is neither in the interests of the British people nor the two countries' relations that have (already) been damaged because of the British Government's behaviour,'' he said.

He also called for European countries and officials to "revise their stand'' towards Iran, after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused European and American officials of making "idiotic comments'' about the country.

Britain and Iran have already expelled diplomats in tit-for-tat moves last week.

Source: The Australian

Afghan diplomat Mohammed Fagirad charged in all-day wife beating

By Nicole Bode

An Afghan diplomat was charged Friday with beating his wife "like a dog" for more than 15 hours in their Queens home, prosecutors said.

Mohammed Fagirad, 30, a vice consul at the Afghanistan Consulate, brutalized his wife inside their Flushing home from about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday until nearly midnight, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

During the attack, Fagirad bit, slapped, choked and beat the 22-year-old woman with a belt, pushed her down a flight of stairs and sat on her chest, prosecutors said.

At one point, prosecutors said, Fagirad threw his wife up against a wall, held her there by the neck and then let her drop to the floor, where he beat her with a belt.

Fagirad told police his "wife was a dog and he was going to treat her like a dog," prosecutors said. Read more ...

Source: New York Daily News