Suspicious death of Iranian student who knew too much about dissidents' prison torture

Martin Fletcher

RAMIN Pourandarjani was a brilliant medical student with a promising future, until he was found dead in a dormitory at Tehran police headquarters last week.

He is now the new cause celebre of the Iranian Opposition, with MPs and Western organisations demanding an investigation into the death of a man who knew too much.

The official cause of death for the physician is heart attack but there is evidence that regime officials drove him to suicide or murdered him because he witnessed the brutality used against opposition detainees after the disputed election in June.

Dr Pourandarjani, 26, attended a school for gifted children, graduated with distinction from the University of Tabriz and was doing his two-year national service at the Kahrizak detention centre in Tehran during the June protests.

Many detainees were beaten and at least three died of their injuries, including Mohsen Ruholamini, the son of a senior conservative politician. His death provoked such an outcry, even among the regime's sympathisers, that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, was forced to close Kahrizak on the pretext that its facilities were sub-standard.

The Supreme Council for National Security set up a special committee to investigate. Its report has not been published but what is purportedly a leaked page has been posted on the internet.

It says that "rape, mental and physical torture, malnourishment and inhuman treatment of the detainees have been confirmed" and it demands that those responsible be punished. The authenticity of the document cannot be confirmed.

Dr Pourandarjani examined many of the detainees, including Mr Ruholamini. Opposition websites claim that Dr Pourandarjani was detained for a week after Kahrizak was closed and forced to state that Mr Ruholamini had died of meningitis. He was released on bail and ordered to say nothing about what he had seen in the centre.
He was threatened with imprisonment and the removal of his medical licence.

One reputable website, Mowjcamp, said that Dr Pourandarjani later told MPs on the special committee that he had examined Mr Ruholamini two days before he died.

He said: "He was brought to me after being physically and severely tortured. He was in a grave physical condition and I had limited medical supplies, but I did my best to save him. It was then that I was threatened by the authorities of Kahrizak that if I disclose the cause of death and injuries of the detainees, I will cease to live."

More at the Australian

Iran Updates parts 1 and 2

These events have been reported to World Threats.

Nov. 13 - In Sanandaj in the evening of November 12 more than 800 people and families of political prisoners gathered in Azadi Square and marched down Ferdosi Ave.

They were protesting against the execution of Ehsan Fatahian and demanding the revocation of execution warrants on eleven other prisoners in Sanandaj Prison.

The march was held under conditions equivalent to a curfew.

Seven people were arrested when the SSF raided the crowd and they were taken to an unknown place.

Eyewitness reports reported that the SSF even beat old people and women walking on the sidewalks and in the alleys. Some of the agents took photographs of people in the crowds for later identification.

Nov. 13 - In Kermanshah at 2:30 PM more than 1200 residents gathered in Shahrak Karmadan Mosque to commemorate the death of Ehsan Fatahian.

Those present had pictures of Ehsan and placards reading “Eshan Fatahian - fallen for freedom”. Young people had hi picture in their hands and on them was written “each of us is an Ehsan”.

Nov. 14 - Reports say that some female prisoners in Evin Prison are in critical condition.

Several are reported to have influenza and are in bad shape. The prison authorities have cut off all calls and visits to prevent this news from being reported.

Further update here,,,

Source: World Threats

Arabs Are Not Ready for Peace in the Middle East

Dr Sami Alrabaa

Peace in the Middle East must wait another 50-100 years to become a reality. By then, all the current Arab dictators would be dead, oil and petrodollar have dwindled, and radical Muslims dead or at least tired.

What has Tony Blair, former British prime minister, achieved since his appointment, in July 2007, as special envoy of the Middle East Peace "Quartet" (comprised of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia)? Nothing.

What has the former U.S. senator, George Mitchell, achieved since assuming his job as the United States Special envoy for the Middle East in January 22, 2009? Nothing.

What have all those Western officials, including Xavier Solana, the Foreign Relations of European Union Coordinator, have achieved through their shuttle diplomacy to the Middle East? Again, nothing.

In the meantime, while the European Union injects billions of dollars in a corrupt Palestinian Authority, the oil Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, and Libya, support Muslim terrorists with their petrodollars across the globe.

Nevertheless, the West still believes that it can help the Israelis and Arabs strike a peace deal.

While Western officials and Western media blast Mugabe of Zimbabwe and the Burmese Junta for their dismal political and human rights record and call them dictators, they do not do the same with Abdullahs of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the Moroccan Hassan, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and Gaddafi of Libya. They are “kings” and “leaders,” not despotic dictators, although they rule undemocratically and tread on human rights with their feet.

I wonder if Western officials and Western media realize that Arab leaders are unique demagogues and have always been so. I also wonder if these bodies check out the Arab media.

Day in and day out, the Arab media, which most Arabs voraciously consume, highlight deficits of Western policies and practices in the Muslim world. Torturing terrorists by the CIA and killing civilians in Afghanistan by NATO troops are widely reported.

The thousands of political prisoners in Arab jails who are tortured day and night for demanding democracy and human rights are rarely reported about by Arab media. Why should they? Everybody knows that torture of dissidents is quite normal in Arab jails.

There is nothing sensational about that.

Read more here,,,,

Source: Islam Watch

H/T: Gramfan

Dr. Sami Alrabaa, an ex-Muslim, is a professor of Sociology and an Arab-Muslim culture specialist. He has taught at Kuwait University, King Saud University, and Michigan State University. He also writes for the Jerusalem Post

Syrian blogger gets three years in jail

A human rights group says a Syrian court has sentenced a blogger to three years in prison for "spreading false news that weakens the nation's morals."

The National Organization for Human Rights said Monday that Karim Antoine Arbaji, a 31-year-old who writes frequently about corruption in the country, was sentenced a day earlier.

NOHR said Arbaji has been repeatedly summoned by the agency over his writings, and was detained in 2007.

NOHR did not specify what prompted his conviction.

The group called on Syria to free its political prisoners.

Since coming to power in 2000, President Bashar Assad has freed political prisoners and passed laws aimed at liberalizing the state-controlled economy. But he has also clamped down on political activists.

Source: JPost

For my friends in jail in Iran

By Hossein Shahidi


Several Iranian journalists were imprisoned for reporting on post-election demonstrations

My friends and colleagues Jila Baniyaghoob and Bahman Ahmadi-Amouee have spent more than 45 days in Tehran's Evin prison - without charge.

They are being held in Evin's Ward 209, where 'security' or political prisoners are kept.

They are among some 30 Iranian journalists jailed following protests against the declared results of Iran's presidential elections on June 12, whose names have been recorded by Reporters Without Borders and the Association of Iranian Journalists.

Last week, Jila's mother and Bahman's brother were allowed to see them, separately, for 10 minutes each at the prison. Jila's mother, Eshrat Ouliayi, said Jila had lost weight and looked "emaciated".

For those who have seen Jila before, thin and petite, this is very worrying.

Bahman is bigger.

But the court appearance by former president Mohammed Khatami's deputy, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, has shown what could happen to even larger people after such a long stay in prison.

Professionalism and compassion

Bahman and Jila were arrested
shortly after the June 12 election

I first met Jila in 2004 in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

She had been invited to speak at a conference organised by the Afghan Women Journalists' Forum, with which I was working as a UN gender and media specialist.

She was impressive because of her courage and professional commitment and her personal passion for the people about whom she wrote, including the people of Afghanistan, as shown in this article, A Journey to Afghanistan.

I then met Jila in Tehran, along with her husband Bahman, another professional journalist. I have learned much from their reports and books. Read more here ...

Source: Al Jazeera (English)

Iran Buries the Past. The Islamic republic bulldozes the mass graves of political victims.

By Nir Boms & Shayan Arya

As preparations begin in Iran for the festivities marking the Islamic republic's 30 year anniversary, another somber Iranian anniversary is commemorated. Twenty years ago, some 10,000 political prisoners and regime opponents were brutally killed following a fatwa from then supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The executed, some as young as 15 or 16 years old, were buried in mass graves. Many of the political prisoners were affiliated with radical left-wing groups and the Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (aka People's Mujahedin of Iran). Some of the prisoners were only a few weeks away from finishing their sentences and regaining their freedom when Khomeini gave his fatwa. Read more ...

Source: Weekly Standard