Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://politiktoons.blogspot.com
and also at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
and also at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
Showing posts with label Election rigging in Iran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Election rigging in Iran. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Video turns woman into icon of Iran unrest
PLEASE BE ADVISED - This Video contains extremely GRAPHIC footage that some may consider distrubing
Amateur footage appears to capture death of woman identified as ‘Neda’
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
Amateur video of a young Iranian woman lying in the street — blood streaming from her nose and mouth — has quickly become an iconic image of the country's opposition movement and unleashed a flood of outrage at the regime's crackdown.
The footage, less than a minute long, appears to capture the woman's death moments after she was shot at a protest — a powerful example of citizens' ability to document events inside Iran despite government restrictions on foreign media and Internet and phone lines.
The limits imposed amid the unrest over the disputed June 12 election make details of the woman's life and events immediately preceding her apparent death difficult to confirm. She has been identified in the video clips as 'Neda' but it's impossible to confirm her name, or even if the widely distributed video was taken in Tehran during the unrest.
Yet clips of the woman are among the most viewed items on YouTube — with untold numbers of people passing along the amateur videos through social networks and watching them on television.
"We will gather on the streets of Tehran with candles to bear witness and mourn for Neda and other fallen friends," said one posting from Tehran.
The images entered wide circulation Saturday when two distinct videos purporting to show her death appeared separately on YouTube and Facebook.
'Don't be afraid, Neda dear'
They show people trying desperately to treat the woman, who is clad in blue jeans, white sneakers, a black jacket and the headscarf required by Iran's Islamic dress code. Her eyes roll back and blood squirts from her nose, pouring across her face as those trying to help her scream.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Neda dear, don't be afraid," a white-haired man in a striped shirt repeats throughout the longer of the videos, his voice escalating throughout.
People posting the video say the woman was shot by a member of the pro-government Basij militia. That information could not be independently verified: Reporters for foreign news organizations have been barred from reporting on the streets of Tehran, and the Iranian government has not released any information about her death.
A profile on Wikipedia identified the woman as Neda Agha Soltani, and said she was 26 or 27 years old.
An acquaintance of her family told the Associated Press that Neda worked part-time at a travel agency in Iran and that the government barred the family from holding a public funeral Monday. The acquaintance spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared government reprisal. The Iranian government has banned all public gatherings, though there was no specific information about funerals for those killed in recent clashes.
Imagery could have impact on opinion
Although the Iranian government has blocked many Web sites including Facebook and has jammed satellite television signals, the videos of the woman's death have been circulating inside the country. People have used anti-filtering software to download them. Some Iranians have uploaded the footage to their cell phones and used Bluetooth technology to share it.
The bloody imagery alone could have an important impact on public opinion in Iran, where the idea of martyrdom resonates deeply among a populace steeped in the stories and imagery of Shiite Islam, a faith founded on the idea of self-sacrifice in the cause of justice.
The deaths of protesters during the 1979 Islamic Revolution fueled a cycle of mourning marches that contributed to the overthrow of the U.S.-backed dictator, Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Thousands of people inside and outside Iran have written online tributes to the woman, many condemning the government and praising her as a martyr. Some posted photos of a gently smiling woman they said was Neda, some calling her "Iran's Joan of Arc."
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
Amateur video of a young Iranian woman lying in the street — blood streaming from her nose and mouth — has quickly become an iconic image of the country's opposition movement and unleashed a flood of outrage at the regime's crackdown.
The footage, less than a minute long, appears to capture the woman's death moments after she was shot at a protest — a powerful example of citizens' ability to document events inside Iran despite government restrictions on foreign media and Internet and phone lines.
The limits imposed amid the unrest over the disputed June 12 election make details of the woman's life and events immediately preceding her apparent death difficult to confirm. She has been identified in the video clips as 'Neda' but it's impossible to confirm her name, or even if the widely distributed video was taken in Tehran during the unrest.
Yet clips of the woman are among the most viewed items on YouTube — with untold numbers of people passing along the amateur videos through social networks and watching them on television.
"We will gather on the streets of Tehran with candles to bear witness and mourn for Neda and other fallen friends," said one posting from Tehran.
The images entered wide circulation Saturday when two distinct videos purporting to show her death appeared separately on YouTube and Facebook.
'Don't be afraid, Neda dear'
They show people trying desperately to treat the woman, who is clad in blue jeans, white sneakers, a black jacket and the headscarf required by Iran's Islamic dress code. Her eyes roll back and blood squirts from her nose, pouring across her face as those trying to help her scream.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Neda dear, don't be afraid," a white-haired man in a striped shirt repeats throughout the longer of the videos, his voice escalating throughout.
People posting the video say the woman was shot by a member of the pro-government Basij militia. That information could not be independently verified: Reporters for foreign news organizations have been barred from reporting on the streets of Tehran, and the Iranian government has not released any information about her death.
A profile on Wikipedia identified the woman as Neda Agha Soltani, and said she was 26 or 27 years old.
An acquaintance of her family told the Associated Press that Neda worked part-time at a travel agency in Iran and that the government barred the family from holding a public funeral Monday. The acquaintance spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared government reprisal. The Iranian government has banned all public gatherings, though there was no specific information about funerals for those killed in recent clashes.
Imagery could have impact on opinion
Although the Iranian government has blocked many Web sites including Facebook and has jammed satellite television signals, the videos of the woman's death have been circulating inside the country. People have used anti-filtering software to download them. Some Iranians have uploaded the footage to their cell phones and used Bluetooth technology to share it.
The bloody imagery alone could have an important impact on public opinion in Iran, where the idea of martyrdom resonates deeply among a populace steeped in the stories and imagery of Shiite Islam, a faith founded on the idea of self-sacrifice in the cause of justice.
The deaths of protesters during the 1979 Islamic Revolution fueled a cycle of mourning marches that contributed to the overthrow of the U.S.-backed dictator, Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Thousands of people inside and outside Iran have written online tributes to the woman, many condemning the government and praising her as a martyr. Some posted photos of a gently smiling woman they said was Neda, some calling her "Iran's Joan of Arc."
Monday, June 22, 2009
The Courage for Changes
Supporters of Iranian Presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi hold placards and pictures depicting injured protesters during a protest against the election results in Iran near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Western leaders expressed rising anger at Tehran's crackdown on protesters disputing Iranian election results and on foreign journalists covering the story soiled diplomatic relations. (AFP/Bulent Kilic)June 21, 2009
Op-Ed by Jayakhmer
"The changes from within can only happen when the majority of Cambodian people feel that the country is heading toward a wrong direction and have the courage to express those desires for changes in elections."Watching the development in Iran, one could not help but wonder why the U.S. does not take a stronger action to a situation that started as a protest against allegedly fraud elections turned into the challenge to the regime.
As of today at least 10 protesters were killed during the courageous acts of defiance to the regime that endorses what widely believed to be rigged Iranian election of June 12th. The protesters are directly challenging the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini who approved the questionable elections that declared President Mahmoud Amahdinejad as a winner over the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania told John King of CNN on Sunday morning in response to the criticism that the current administration does not do enough that President Barack Obama “strikes the right balance.” Congress also passed non-binding resolutions “to condemn the ongoing violence against the demonstrators by the government of Iran, and expressed its support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law.”
Iranian analyst Afshin Molavi told CNN that President Obama takes the right approach, “He needs to be on the record in standing with the Iranian people, but that does not mean he should aggressively insert himself into the political debate in Iran or aggressively insert himself the battle between the regime and the protesters.”
The delicate balance has to be taken because the U. S. has to deal with Iranian nuclear capability which continues to be a vexing issue that the U.S. will have to resolve to stabilize the region.
The way in which the U.S. handles the situation in Iran puts those who inspired by idea of democracy in notice. That includes all of us. While Cambodia desperately needs changes, external supports are only secondary to the changes from within. The U.S. by its nature has worldwide responsibilities for its security and worldwide security that largely driven by regional stability.
The changes from within can only happen when the majority of Cambodian people feel that the country is heading toward a wrong direction and have the courage to express those desires for changes in elections.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Tale of Two Tyrant Regimes
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
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