Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Non au régime réactionnaire iranien !
Non à une intervention
militaire de l’impérialisme
américain en Iran !
Non au régime réactionnaire iranien !
Nous sommes une autre voix !
Nous voulons donner une voix aux luttes des peuples du monde contre la politique d’intervention et de violation militaire de l’impérialisme américain en Iran !
La voix des luttes du peuple iranien contre la République Islamique !
La voix des luttes des travailleurs, des femmes, des enseignants, des peuples opprimés et des étudiants contre l’intervention étrangère et contre le despotisme de l’intérieur !
Nous sommes la voix des étudiants de gauche d’Iran !
Des étudiants qui veulent :
« Accomplir le devoir d’organiser un mouvement général contre la guerre et les interventions étrangères, en même temps que lcontre a dictature et le despotisme de l’intérieur »
Des étudiants qui veulent informer et mettre en garde les Iraniens des dangers d’une guerre destructrice alors qu’ils sont engagés dans une lutte contre les réactionnaires de la République Islamique. Des étudiants qui défendent les droits fondamentaux des travailleurs et du peuple laborieux, des peuples opprimés, la liberté pour les femmes et la séparation de la religion de l’Etat. »
Dans des conditions où le gouvernement de Bush et ses collaborateurs européens d’un côté et la République Islamique de l’autre veulent faire croire aux peuples du monde qu’à part l’esclavage néo-libéral et le fondamentalisme islamique, il n’existe pas d’autre choix, toute personne éprise de la liberté a le devoir d’appuyer l’idée de l’existence d’une autre voie ! Les impérialistes et les fondamentalistes islamiques sont les deux faces d’un même système, et tout soutien apporté à l’un se traduit obligatoirement par le renforcement de l’autre.
Dans des conditions où les Etats impérialistes lancent d’un côté les forces réactionnaires du fondamentalisme islamique contre les peuples du Moyen-Orient, et de l’autre côté provoquent les forces racistes et xénophobes des pays occidentaux contre les réfugiés, immigrés et musulmans, il est impératif et urgent qu’ils possèdent leur propre voix et s’unissent contre les forces de la réaction religieuse au Moyen-Orient et contre le racisme, la guerre et l’occupation impérialiste !
Le 22 décembre 2007, dans une manifestation devant l’ambassade américain et l’ambassade de la République Islamique à Bruxelles, nous crierons cette voix indépendante des peuples du monde.
Rejoignez-nous ; contre la guerre, la mondialisation néo-libérale, l’impérialisme !
Rejoignez-nous ; pour défendre la lutte du peuple iranien contre la République Islamique !
Rejoignez-nous ; pour défendre le mouvement étudiant et la commémoration du 16 azar (7 décembre), le jour où pour cause de la résistance contre le coup d’Etat du C.I.A. en 1953, trois étudiants ont été sacrifiés aux pieds de Nixon, par l’armé du Chah.
Rejoignez-nous ; pour construire l’unité internationale en faveur d’un autre monde libéré de la guerre, de l’injustice, de l’oppression et de l’exploitation !
Le Collectif de la jeunesse et des étudiants de gauche iraniens résidant en Europe
Le Mouvement pour une Alternative Socialiste
Résistance Internationale
Etudiants de Gauche Actifs.
Nous appelons toutes les personnes et organisations intéressées à souscrire à cette plateforme.
militaire de l’impérialisme
américain en Iran !
Non au régime réactionnaire iranien !
Nous sommes une autre voix !
Nous voulons donner une voix aux luttes des peuples du monde contre la politique d’intervention et de violation militaire de l’impérialisme américain en Iran !
La voix des luttes du peuple iranien contre la République Islamique !
La voix des luttes des travailleurs, des femmes, des enseignants, des peuples opprimés et des étudiants contre l’intervention étrangère et contre le despotisme de l’intérieur !
Nous sommes la voix des étudiants de gauche d’Iran !
Des étudiants qui veulent :
« Accomplir le devoir d’organiser un mouvement général contre la guerre et les interventions étrangères, en même temps que lcontre a dictature et le despotisme de l’intérieur »
Des étudiants qui veulent informer et mettre en garde les Iraniens des dangers d’une guerre destructrice alors qu’ils sont engagés dans une lutte contre les réactionnaires de la République Islamique. Des étudiants qui défendent les droits fondamentaux des travailleurs et du peuple laborieux, des peuples opprimés, la liberté pour les femmes et la séparation de la religion de l’Etat. »
Dans des conditions où le gouvernement de Bush et ses collaborateurs européens d’un côté et la République Islamique de l’autre veulent faire croire aux peuples du monde qu’à part l’esclavage néo-libéral et le fondamentalisme islamique, il n’existe pas d’autre choix, toute personne éprise de la liberté a le devoir d’appuyer l’idée de l’existence d’une autre voie ! Les impérialistes et les fondamentalistes islamiques sont les deux faces d’un même système, et tout soutien apporté à l’un se traduit obligatoirement par le renforcement de l’autre.
Dans des conditions où les Etats impérialistes lancent d’un côté les forces réactionnaires du fondamentalisme islamique contre les peuples du Moyen-Orient, et de l’autre côté provoquent les forces racistes et xénophobes des pays occidentaux contre les réfugiés, immigrés et musulmans, il est impératif et urgent qu’ils possèdent leur propre voix et s’unissent contre les forces de la réaction religieuse au Moyen-Orient et contre le racisme, la guerre et l’occupation impérialiste !
Le 22 décembre 2007, dans une manifestation devant l’ambassade américain et l’ambassade de la République Islamique à Bruxelles, nous crierons cette voix indépendante des peuples du monde.
Rejoignez-nous ; contre la guerre, la mondialisation néo-libérale, l’impérialisme !
Rejoignez-nous ; pour défendre la lutte du peuple iranien contre la République Islamique !
Rejoignez-nous ; pour défendre le mouvement étudiant et la commémoration du 16 azar (7 décembre), le jour où pour cause de la résistance contre le coup d’Etat du C.I.A. en 1953, trois étudiants ont été sacrifiés aux pieds de Nixon, par l’armé du Chah.
Rejoignez-nous ; pour construire l’unité internationale en faveur d’un autre monde libéré de la guerre, de l’injustice, de l’oppression et de l’exploitation !
Le Collectif de la jeunesse et des étudiants de gauche iraniens résidant en Europe
Le Mouvement pour une Alternative Socialiste
Résistance Internationale
Etudiants de Gauche Actifs.
Nous appelons toutes les personnes et organisations intéressées à souscrire à cette plateforme.
Iran. Internationale solidariteit tegen het imperialisme en tegen het reactionaire regime
Iran. Internationale solidariteit tegen het imperialisme en tegen het reactionaire regime
Komende zaterdag wordt in Brussel actie gevoerd aan de Iraanse en Amerikaanse ambassades. Deze actie wordt georganiseerd door linkse vluchtelingen uit Iran en wordt gesteund door LSP. We spraken hierover met Reza, een Iraanse vluchteling die ook lid is van onze partij.
Wat is het doel van de actie zaterdag?
Het belangrijkste doel is om steun te geven aan het verzet van de Iraanse bevolking tegen het imperialisme en tegen het reactionaire regime van het land zelf. Dat is zeker nu belangrijk aangezien de arbeiders en studenten in Iran steeds meer in actie komen. Het ongenoegen onder de bevolking is groot met heel wat steun voor acties van de arbeiders in de olie- en autosector, maar ook voor de acties van de studenten. Met de actie van zaterdag willen we onze internationale solidariteit tonen met de arbeiders en studenten en tegelijk duidelijk maken dat ons verzet zich zowel richt tegen het imperialisme als tegen het regime van Ahmadinejad.
De afgelopen weken kregen we te horen dat een Amerikaans rapport ontkent dat Iran in staat is om kernwapens te produceren. Vermindert dit niet de dreiging van een eventuele militaire aanval van de VS op Iran?
De vrees onder de bevolking is erg groot. De ervaring van de 8 jaar durende oorlog tussen Iran en Irak (in de jaren 1980) is nog niet vergeten. Er is een algemene vrees voor een aanval en de gevolgen ervan. Anderzijds wil een grote meerderheid van de bevolking ook niet dat het huidige regime over kernwapens zou beschikken, dat zou immers erg gevaarlijk zijn. De mediatieke campagne van het regime om voor te stellen alsof de bevolking de productie van kernwapens zou steunen, is niet gebaseerd op een reële steun onder de bevolking.
Er zijn natuurlijk delen van de bevolking die het regime steunen, maar bij heel wat zogenaamde protestacties ter bescherming van nucleaire sites (acties die wereldwijd heel veel media-aandacht kregen) waren er niet alleen overtuigde aanhangers van Hezbollah, maar even goed studenten en werkenden die verplicht werden om deel te nemen aan de acties onder het dreigement dat ze anders hun inkomen of studiemogelijkheden zouden verliezen.
Groeit het verzet tegen het regime?
Het regime beschikt natuurlijk over heel wat middelen om ieder verzet de kop in te drukken. De geheime politie, de Sepa, is erg actief in alle gemeenschappen. Er wordt snel tot repressie overgegaan en bovendien weet het regime hoe het de internationale media kan bespelen. Maar onder de oppervlakte groeit het ongenoegen en beginnen arbeiders en studenten steeds meer in verzet en actie te komen tegen het regime.
Een gekend voorbeeld hiervan was de busstaking van vorig jaar. De leiding van die staking was op bepaalde vlakken zeker verward, maar het versterkte mee het idee van de nood aan een eigen arbeidersorganisatie die volledig los staat van het regime.
De afgelopen weken waren er studentenprotesten. Activisten moeten ondergronds hun activiteiten organiseren, wat niet gemakkelijk is. Maar begin december waren er toch verschillende grote acties aan alle universiteiten in Iran. Opvallend daarbij was dat de band met de arbeidersbeweging steeds werd gelegd. Er is een traditie van studentenbewegingen in Iran, maar die link met de arbeidersbeweging is van cruciaal belang.
Links heeft een lange traditie in Iran, heeft dat gevolgen voor de discussies die nu plaatsvinden over de politieke oriëntatie van de protestacties?
Met de revolutie van 1979, maar ook daarvoor, heeft de linkerzijde aangetoond dat het in staat is om met haar eigen organisaties een cruciale rol te spelen. 28 jaar later weten linkse activisten dat ze zich moeten organiseren, maar ook dat ze moeten leren uit de fouten van het verleden. In 1979 maakte links een fout door te stellen dat eerst en vooral het verzet tegen het imperialisme moest worden gevoerd en dat pas daarna de discussie over een socialistisch alternatief zou kunnen worden gevoerd. Dat zorgde ervoor dat een reactionair regime aan de macht kon komen.
Hetzelfde zagen we eerder ook al, met de linkse Tudeh-partij (een Sovjet-gezinde formatie) die in 1953 ten tijde van het studentenprotest tegen het bezoek van Nixon aan de Iraanse koning (de Sjah), kant koos tegen het protest. Het is dat studentenprotest uit 1953 – dat 16 Azar wordt genoemd - dat ook nu werd herdacht begin december. Dat is belangrijk omdat het net als dat studentenprotest toen nodig is om ons uit te spreken tegen zowel het imperialisme als het reactionaire regime.
Het is vandaag niet makkelijk en erg gevaarlijk om linkse groepen te organiseren, laat staan deze te coördineren in Iran. De repressie treedt snel op, ook de studentenacties werden beantwoord met repressie en arrestaties. Met de actie komende zaterdag willen wij de studenten en arbeiders onze solidariteit tonen.
Waarom zouden Belgische activisten komende zaterdag mee moeten protesteren?
Ten eerste om de linkse groepen in Iran te steunen en om hen onze internationale solidariteit te tonen. Maar ten tweede ook om een inhoudelijk duidelijke stellingname naar voor te brengen. Wij verzetten ons tegen een mogelijke imperialistische aanval op Iran, maar hebben evenmin vertrouwen in het regime van Ahmadinejad.
Onze strijd is internationaal en daarom vinden we het ook erg nuttig dat we met LSP kunnen samenwerken rond verschillende thema’s, niet alleen rond de situatie in Iran. Vorige week waren we ook de vakbondsbetoging voor meer koopkracht. Onze strijd is niet beperkt tot één land, maar een internationale strijd. Ook zijn we het inhoudelijk eens met LSP in haar oppositie tegen een tweestadia-theorie die ervan uitgaat dat in het verzet tegen het imperialisme geen kritiek mag worden gegeven op het reactionaire regime in Iran. Dat standpunt heeft in Iran tegen een erg hoge prijs voor de arbeidersbeweging haar failliet aangetoond. Samen kunnen we een verschil maken en daarom roepen we op om, ondanks de drukke agenda van de afgelopen weken en de timing van een actie vlak voor kerstmis, toch een inspanning te doen en samen actie te voeren aan de Amerikaanse en Iraanse ambassades.
Komende zaterdag wordt in Brussel actie gevoerd aan de Iraanse en Amerikaanse ambassades. Deze actie wordt georganiseerd door linkse vluchtelingen uit Iran en wordt gesteund door LSP. We spraken hierover met Reza, een Iraanse vluchteling die ook lid is van onze partij.
Wat is het doel van de actie zaterdag?
Het belangrijkste doel is om steun te geven aan het verzet van de Iraanse bevolking tegen het imperialisme en tegen het reactionaire regime van het land zelf. Dat is zeker nu belangrijk aangezien de arbeiders en studenten in Iran steeds meer in actie komen. Het ongenoegen onder de bevolking is groot met heel wat steun voor acties van de arbeiders in de olie- en autosector, maar ook voor de acties van de studenten. Met de actie van zaterdag willen we onze internationale solidariteit tonen met de arbeiders en studenten en tegelijk duidelijk maken dat ons verzet zich zowel richt tegen het imperialisme als tegen het regime van Ahmadinejad.
De afgelopen weken kregen we te horen dat een Amerikaans rapport ontkent dat Iran in staat is om kernwapens te produceren. Vermindert dit niet de dreiging van een eventuele militaire aanval van de VS op Iran?
De vrees onder de bevolking is erg groot. De ervaring van de 8 jaar durende oorlog tussen Iran en Irak (in de jaren 1980) is nog niet vergeten. Er is een algemene vrees voor een aanval en de gevolgen ervan. Anderzijds wil een grote meerderheid van de bevolking ook niet dat het huidige regime over kernwapens zou beschikken, dat zou immers erg gevaarlijk zijn. De mediatieke campagne van het regime om voor te stellen alsof de bevolking de productie van kernwapens zou steunen, is niet gebaseerd op een reële steun onder de bevolking.
Er zijn natuurlijk delen van de bevolking die het regime steunen, maar bij heel wat zogenaamde protestacties ter bescherming van nucleaire sites (acties die wereldwijd heel veel media-aandacht kregen) waren er niet alleen overtuigde aanhangers van Hezbollah, maar even goed studenten en werkenden die verplicht werden om deel te nemen aan de acties onder het dreigement dat ze anders hun inkomen of studiemogelijkheden zouden verliezen.
Groeit het verzet tegen het regime?
Het regime beschikt natuurlijk over heel wat middelen om ieder verzet de kop in te drukken. De geheime politie, de Sepa, is erg actief in alle gemeenschappen. Er wordt snel tot repressie overgegaan en bovendien weet het regime hoe het de internationale media kan bespelen. Maar onder de oppervlakte groeit het ongenoegen en beginnen arbeiders en studenten steeds meer in verzet en actie te komen tegen het regime.
Een gekend voorbeeld hiervan was de busstaking van vorig jaar. De leiding van die staking was op bepaalde vlakken zeker verward, maar het versterkte mee het idee van de nood aan een eigen arbeidersorganisatie die volledig los staat van het regime.
De afgelopen weken waren er studentenprotesten. Activisten moeten ondergronds hun activiteiten organiseren, wat niet gemakkelijk is. Maar begin december waren er toch verschillende grote acties aan alle universiteiten in Iran. Opvallend daarbij was dat de band met de arbeidersbeweging steeds werd gelegd. Er is een traditie van studentenbewegingen in Iran, maar die link met de arbeidersbeweging is van cruciaal belang.
Links heeft een lange traditie in Iran, heeft dat gevolgen voor de discussies die nu plaatsvinden over de politieke oriëntatie van de protestacties?
Met de revolutie van 1979, maar ook daarvoor, heeft de linkerzijde aangetoond dat het in staat is om met haar eigen organisaties een cruciale rol te spelen. 28 jaar later weten linkse activisten dat ze zich moeten organiseren, maar ook dat ze moeten leren uit de fouten van het verleden. In 1979 maakte links een fout door te stellen dat eerst en vooral het verzet tegen het imperialisme moest worden gevoerd en dat pas daarna de discussie over een socialistisch alternatief zou kunnen worden gevoerd. Dat zorgde ervoor dat een reactionair regime aan de macht kon komen.
Hetzelfde zagen we eerder ook al, met de linkse Tudeh-partij (een Sovjet-gezinde formatie) die in 1953 ten tijde van het studentenprotest tegen het bezoek van Nixon aan de Iraanse koning (de Sjah), kant koos tegen het protest. Het is dat studentenprotest uit 1953 – dat 16 Azar wordt genoemd - dat ook nu werd herdacht begin december. Dat is belangrijk omdat het net als dat studentenprotest toen nodig is om ons uit te spreken tegen zowel het imperialisme als het reactionaire regime.
Het is vandaag niet makkelijk en erg gevaarlijk om linkse groepen te organiseren, laat staan deze te coördineren in Iran. De repressie treedt snel op, ook de studentenacties werden beantwoord met repressie en arrestaties. Met de actie komende zaterdag willen wij de studenten en arbeiders onze solidariteit tonen.
Waarom zouden Belgische activisten komende zaterdag mee moeten protesteren?
Ten eerste om de linkse groepen in Iran te steunen en om hen onze internationale solidariteit te tonen. Maar ten tweede ook om een inhoudelijk duidelijke stellingname naar voor te brengen. Wij verzetten ons tegen een mogelijke imperialistische aanval op Iran, maar hebben evenmin vertrouwen in het regime van Ahmadinejad.
Onze strijd is internationaal en daarom vinden we het ook erg nuttig dat we met LSP kunnen samenwerken rond verschillende thema’s, niet alleen rond de situatie in Iran. Vorige week waren we ook de vakbondsbetoging voor meer koopkracht. Onze strijd is niet beperkt tot één land, maar een internationale strijd. Ook zijn we het inhoudelijk eens met LSP in haar oppositie tegen een tweestadia-theorie die ervan uitgaat dat in het verzet tegen het imperialisme geen kritiek mag worden gegeven op het reactionaire regime in Iran. Dat standpunt heeft in Iran tegen een erg hoge prijs voor de arbeidersbeweging haar failliet aangetoond. Samen kunnen we een verschil maken en daarom roepen we op om, ondanks de drukke agenda van de afgelopen weken en de timing van een actie vlak voor kerstmis, toch een inspanning te doen en samen actie te voeren aan de Amerikaanse en Iraanse ambassades.
Message on the occasion of December 22, 2007 demonstration in Belgium
From Sunsara Taylor, writer for Revolution newspaper, US
It is with great revolutionary enthusiasm that word of Iranian students and others marching against both the US and Iranian Embassy in Brussels reached the ears of revolutionaries and youth in the United States.
Increasingly humanity is being confronted with two intolerable choices: U.S. wars of aggression or a reactionary Islamic fundamentalist response. The aggression of the U.S. is the greater danger to the people of the world -- already having claimed as many as a million lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, driven millions more from their homes, shredded the bonds of family and friends as sectarian rivalries have been built up and played off each other, and now threatening to expand their aggression into Iran. In response to this, the accelerated growth of Islamic fundamentalism has made life a living hell for women, children, secular and revolutionary forces, and has only served to reinforce – and offer a foil for – more imperialist aggression.
Neither of these “choices” offers anything good for humanity. As Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, has pointed out: "What we see in contention here with Jihad on the one hand and McWorld/McCrusade on the other hand, are historically outmoded strata among colonized and oppressed humanity up against historically outmoded ruling strata of the imperialist system. These two reactionary poles reinforce each other, even while opposing each other. If you side with either of these ‘outmodeds,’ you end up strengthening both."
As the U.S. threatens to expand their aggression into Iran – a move that could enflame the whole Middle East and massively escalate the deadly global dynamic of McWorld vs. Jihad – the protests by Iranian students and others on December 22 stand out as all the more critical. With the future at stake, the world is hungry for a new voice and new songs to animate a struggle to bring a whole new, emancipated world into being.
Having been on dozens of campuses across this country, building resistance to the crimes against humanity of the Bush regime and spreading revolution, I have seen and tasted how deeply a new generation in the U.S. is disgusted, disturbed and enraged by what is being done in their names. But I also know how deeply this is paralyzed by the way it appears that the only choices out there are McWorld or Jihad. How big a difference it will make for them to see and hear you, as part of a new voice emerging.
How big a responsibility those of us living in the U.S. have to bring forward resistance to “our own” government –mass political resistance that is so powerful it cannot be hidden from the victims of the U.S.’s wars, who are justifiably seething with hatred for all this brings down on them.
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to bring about a competing global dynamic, where our new voices reverberate across oceans and echo across continents, opening up new possibilities, giving hope and fueling forward truly emancipatory and liberating struggles, in opposition to both McWorld and Jihad , from within the imperialist citadels as well as out of the rubble of homes caused by U.S. aggression.
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to explore and bring forward revolutionary movements aimed at getting to a world without the grinding wars of imperialist plunder, without the massive lopsidedness of extraordinary wealth concentrated among a handful in the imperialist countries and the growing mass of exploited, degraded and expendable humanity brought about by the global system of capitalism, without its corresponding ideas such as patriarchy and false concepts of some unchanging, selfish “human nature.”
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to bring about a world without the enslavement of religious ignorance whether propagated by the evolution-denying George Bush or of his ideological counterparts in the Islamic clerics. Instead, a new generation must fight to, and increasingly enable, the oppressed to take up a scientific approach towards everything, including the project of humanity’s emancipation.
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to bring about a world where women are treated as human beings, not as slaves or property of men, where women are neither plundered as sex objects nor shrouded and veiled to protect their virginal “purity.” It is no longer tolerable – or necessary – for half of humanity to be subjugated, enslaved and brutalized in either the “modern” forms of the West or the traditional forms being reasserted in the Middle East. Instead, across the globe, the fury of women must be brought forward as a mighty force for a truly liberating revolution aimed at emancipating all of humanity!
All this will require not only fierce struggle, resistance and sacrifice against the actions of the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran, but also scientifically searching and honestly engaging the vexing problems that lie before us. All of this will require struggling and studying and thinking and dreaming beyond the confines of what today seems “possible” and “realistic.” This requires looking deeply at the structures that have brought the world to where it is today and the ideas that have reinforced all this – and what kind of revolution and communism it will take to really enable humanity to get beyond the many nightmares that are so commonplace today.
And the youth, more than anyone else, must fearlessly enter into that search –refusing to listen to the cynics who say you can't change the whole world, who try to lower your sights. History shows that the dreamers and fighters are right. Follow your principles, work to realize your deepest and highest aspirations, and follow THAT where it leads you.
As the cries of the imperialists and the reactionary fundamentalists escalate towards a confrontation in Iran, do not underestimate how hungry humanity is for another way. Play the role that youth have always played – get way out front, build uncompromising mass political resistance to any moves towards U.S. war on Iran and to the repression carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran, refuse to be confined by the limitations of what now exists, reject everything that is reactionary, challenge the passivity of others, and dare to struggle and sacrifice in the service of dreams big and liberating enough to offer real hope for humanity. Do it with urgency, do it with determination, and do it with tremendous joy --– for there is nothing that could matter more.
Sunsara Taylor
Writer for Revolution newspaper, USA
It is with great revolutionary enthusiasm that word of Iranian students and others marching against both the US and Iranian Embassy in Brussels reached the ears of revolutionaries and youth in the United States.
Increasingly humanity is being confronted with two intolerable choices: U.S. wars of aggression or a reactionary Islamic fundamentalist response. The aggression of the U.S. is the greater danger to the people of the world -- already having claimed as many as a million lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, driven millions more from their homes, shredded the bonds of family and friends as sectarian rivalries have been built up and played off each other, and now threatening to expand their aggression into Iran. In response to this, the accelerated growth of Islamic fundamentalism has made life a living hell for women, children, secular and revolutionary forces, and has only served to reinforce – and offer a foil for – more imperialist aggression.
Neither of these “choices” offers anything good for humanity. As Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, has pointed out: "What we see in contention here with Jihad on the one hand and McWorld/McCrusade on the other hand, are historically outmoded strata among colonized and oppressed humanity up against historically outmoded ruling strata of the imperialist system. These two reactionary poles reinforce each other, even while opposing each other. If you side with either of these ‘outmodeds,’ you end up strengthening both."
As the U.S. threatens to expand their aggression into Iran – a move that could enflame the whole Middle East and massively escalate the deadly global dynamic of McWorld vs. Jihad – the protests by Iranian students and others on December 22 stand out as all the more critical. With the future at stake, the world is hungry for a new voice and new songs to animate a struggle to bring a whole new, emancipated world into being.
Having been on dozens of campuses across this country, building resistance to the crimes against humanity of the Bush regime and spreading revolution, I have seen and tasted how deeply a new generation in the U.S. is disgusted, disturbed and enraged by what is being done in their names. But I also know how deeply this is paralyzed by the way it appears that the only choices out there are McWorld or Jihad. How big a difference it will make for them to see and hear you, as part of a new voice emerging.
How big a responsibility those of us living in the U.S. have to bring forward resistance to “our own” government –mass political resistance that is so powerful it cannot be hidden from the victims of the U.S.’s wars, who are justifiably seething with hatred for all this brings down on them.
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to bring about a competing global dynamic, where our new voices reverberate across oceans and echo across continents, opening up new possibilities, giving hope and fueling forward truly emancipatory and liberating struggles, in opposition to both McWorld and Jihad , from within the imperialist citadels as well as out of the rubble of homes caused by U.S. aggression.
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to explore and bring forward revolutionary movements aimed at getting to a world without the grinding wars of imperialist plunder, without the massive lopsidedness of extraordinary wealth concentrated among a handful in the imperialist countries and the growing mass of exploited, degraded and expendable humanity brought about by the global system of capitalism, without its corresponding ideas such as patriarchy and false concepts of some unchanging, selfish “human nature.”
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to bring about a world without the enslavement of religious ignorance whether propagated by the evolution-denying George Bush or of his ideological counterparts in the Islamic clerics. Instead, a new generation must fight to, and increasingly enable, the oppressed to take up a scientific approach towards everything, including the project of humanity’s emancipation.
It is possible – and the youth more than anyone else must dare – to bring about a world where women are treated as human beings, not as slaves or property of men, where women are neither plundered as sex objects nor shrouded and veiled to protect their virginal “purity.” It is no longer tolerable – or necessary – for half of humanity to be subjugated, enslaved and brutalized in either the “modern” forms of the West or the traditional forms being reasserted in the Middle East. Instead, across the globe, the fury of women must be brought forward as a mighty force for a truly liberating revolution aimed at emancipating all of humanity!
All this will require not only fierce struggle, resistance and sacrifice against the actions of the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran, but also scientifically searching and honestly engaging the vexing problems that lie before us. All of this will require struggling and studying and thinking and dreaming beyond the confines of what today seems “possible” and “realistic.” This requires looking deeply at the structures that have brought the world to where it is today and the ideas that have reinforced all this – and what kind of revolution and communism it will take to really enable humanity to get beyond the many nightmares that are so commonplace today.
And the youth, more than anyone else, must fearlessly enter into that search –refusing to listen to the cynics who say you can't change the whole world, who try to lower your sights. History shows that the dreamers and fighters are right. Follow your principles, work to realize your deepest and highest aspirations, and follow THAT where it leads you.
As the cries of the imperialists and the reactionary fundamentalists escalate towards a confrontation in Iran, do not underestimate how hungry humanity is for another way. Play the role that youth have always played – get way out front, build uncompromising mass political resistance to any moves towards U.S. war on Iran and to the repression carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran, refuse to be confined by the limitations of what now exists, reject everything that is reactionary, challenge the passivity of others, and dare to struggle and sacrifice in the service of dreams big and liberating enough to offer real hope for humanity. Do it with urgency, do it with determination, and do it with tremendous joy --– for there is nothing that could matter more.
Sunsara Taylor
Writer for Revolution newspaper, USA
700 studenten en linkse activisten voeren actie in Iran. 30 worden opgepakt
700 studenten en linkse activisten voeren actie in Iran. 30 worden opgepakt
Ondanks een sterke aanwezigheid van de veiligheidsdiensten van het Iraanse regime waren er aan de universiteit van Teheran acties op de herdenking van “studentendag” (16 Azar of 7 december is de herdenking van een groot studentenprotest 43 jaar geleden tegen de Shah). Zowat 700 studenten en linkse activisten namen deel aan het protest, 30 daarvan werden opgepakt.
Het Iraanse regime was blijkbaar vrij wanhopig in haar pogingen om de actie tegen te houden. Zo was er een inval in het huis van een linkse activist om de studenten het voorbeeld te tonen dat iedere vorm van verzet zou leiden tot repressie. Dit volstond echter niet om de herdenking van 16 Azar te verhinderen.
De steun voor het regime van Ahmadinejad neemt af terwijl er een groeiende openheid is voor alternatieven. Ook de progressieve en linkse formaties winnen aanhang. Dat maakte het mogelijk om voor het eerst sinds lang opnieuw een herdenking te organiseren van het Iraanse studentenprotest tegen het militarisme, de dictatuur en voor sociale rechtvaardigheid. De eisen van de studentenbeweging 43 jaar geleden zijn ook vandaag nog steeds actueel.
Het regime ging over tot de arrestatie van verschillende organisatoren in de hoop zo de basis af te schrikken en verwarring te creëren. De arrestaties hadden een omgekeerd effect en zorgden voor een grotere mobilisatie. De studenten waarschuwden het regime dat er op alle universiteiten, van de universiteit van Teheran tot die in Shiraz, Tabriz, Mashad, Ahvaz,... acties zouden komen die het verenigd verzet zouden duidelijk maken. De actie zou van start gaan aan de hoofdingang van de universiteit van Teheran.
De actie begon op 4 december zoals voorzien. De politie was verrast door de grote opkomst: enkele honderden activisten daagden op, ondanks de dreiging van repressie. Ondanks die beperkingen was er een vrije tribune van waarop iedereen de betogers kon toespreken. Minstens twee sprekers van de radicale linkse studentenbeweging konden het woord nemen en hun programma bekend maken. De meeste leden van de “Linkse Arbeiders”-groep werden opgepakt voor ze konden spreken.
De politie vreesde een contact tussen de studenten en bredere lagen en gebruikte daarom bussen van het overheidsbedrijf om de universiteit hermetisch af te sluiten. De hoofdingang was quasi onzichtbaar gemaakt voor buitenstaanders. Het kwam tot confrontaties met de politie, maar volgens een ooggetuige kleurde de universiteit toch rood op 4 december. Ook na de arrestaties zullen de studenten hun protest verder zetten.
Met deze actie werd aangesloten bij de radicale en revolutionaire tradities van de Iraanse studentenbeweging. Deze traditie gaat terug tot december 1953 met de grote beweging die toen plaatsvond, maar ook vandaag is er nog studentenprotest. Er werden veel slogans geroepen en de actievoerders toonden zich bijzonder vastberaden. De actie werd afgesloten met het zingen van de Internationale, het socialistische strijdlied.
Minstens 30 activisten werden gearresteerd. Onder hen: Anousheh Azadfar, Mehdi Gerayloo, Alnaz Jamshidi, Ehsan Azadfar, Nader Ahsani, Saeed Habibi, Behrooz Karimizadeh, Keyvan Amiri Elyas, Hossein Babaii, Karim Asayesh, Roozbeh Faghihi, Babak Pashajavid en Mohsen Ghamin, Roozbeh Rahimi, Javad Alikhani, Mehdi Masoomi en Raee. Stuur protestmails naar: secretariat@iranembassy.be. Stuur een kopie naar Committe.2007@gmail.com
Een collectief van Linkse Iraanse studenten roept op voor een manifestatie aan Iraanse en Amerikaanse ambassades
Een collectief van Linkse Iraanse studenten roept op voor een manifestatie aan Iraanse en Amerikaanse ambassades
By :Luc Schrijvers
By :Luc Schrijvers
Vrijdagavond was er in de Gentse Afdeling centrum van de Linkse Socalistische Partij een Iraanse avond met Linkse Iraanse jongeren en studenten die in België verblijven. Ter plaatse was er Iraans eten. Daarna volgde er een uiteenzetting over 100 jaar socialistische beweging gevolgd door informatie over de huidige situatie in Iran. Er werden onlangs nog linkse studenten gearresteerd en gefolderd. Dat ze nog leven is te danken aan de tussenkomst van de arbeiders die zich nu ook aan het bewegen zijn.
Deze samenkomst in Gent was georganiseerd naar aanleiding van de manifestatie die zaterdag 22 december 2007 plaats vindt in Brussel. Zij roepen iedereen op om 10u30 te komen naar de Amerikaanse Ambassade, Regentlaan 27 - metro Madou. Daarna is het verzamelen geblazen om 13 u aan de Iraanse Ambassade, Franklin Rooseveltlaan 15 - tram 23 stopplaats Etoile.
Met de manifestatie willen zij betogen tegen de militaire interventie door het Amerikaans impérialisme in Iran en tegen de reactionaire Iraanse regime.
Zij noemen zich de stem van de linkse studenten in Iran. Zij willen erin slagen een algemene beweging op gang te trekken tegen de oorlog, de neo-liberale globalisering en het imperialisme.Zij vragen internationale steun om de strijd van het Iranse volk tegen de Islamitische Republiek te verdedigen !Ook vragen ze steun om de studentenbeweging te verdedigen en om 7 december te herdenken, de dag waarop drie studenten door het leger van de Shah in opdracht van Nixon werden terechtgesteld wegens hun verzet tegen de C.I.A staatsgreep in 1953.Tevens doen ze een oproep om internationale éénheid op te bouwen voor een wereld, bevrijd van oorlog, onrecht, onderdrukking en uitbuiting !
Deze manifestatie heeft steun gekregen van de Linkse Socialistische Partij - Internationaal Verzet - Blokbuster en Aktief Linkse Studenten in belgië.Zij nodigen alle geïnteresseerde personen en en andere organisaties uit om dit platform te onderschrijven en zaterdag 22 december 2007 aanwezig te zijn op de manifestatie.
Deze samenkomst in Gent was georganiseerd naar aanleiding van de manifestatie die zaterdag 22 december 2007 plaats vindt in Brussel. Zij roepen iedereen op om 10u30 te komen naar de Amerikaanse Ambassade, Regentlaan 27 - metro Madou. Daarna is het verzamelen geblazen om 13 u aan de Iraanse Ambassade, Franklin Rooseveltlaan 15 - tram 23 stopplaats Etoile.
Met de manifestatie willen zij betogen tegen de militaire interventie door het Amerikaans impérialisme in Iran en tegen de reactionaire Iraanse regime.
Zij noemen zich de stem van de linkse studenten in Iran. Zij willen erin slagen een algemene beweging op gang te trekken tegen de oorlog, de neo-liberale globalisering en het imperialisme.Zij vragen internationale steun om de strijd van het Iranse volk tegen de Islamitische Republiek te verdedigen !Ook vragen ze steun om de studentenbeweging te verdedigen en om 7 december te herdenken, de dag waarop drie studenten door het leger van de Shah in opdracht van Nixon werden terechtgesteld wegens hun verzet tegen de C.I.A staatsgreep in 1953.Tevens doen ze een oproep om internationale éénheid op te bouwen voor een wereld, bevrijd van oorlog, onrecht, onderdrukking en uitbuiting !
Deze manifestatie heeft steun gekregen van de Linkse Socialistische Partij - Internationaal Verzet - Blokbuster en Aktief Linkse Studenten in belgië.Zij nodigen alle geïnteresseerde personen en en andere organisaties uit om dit platform te onderschrijven en zaterdag 22 december 2007 aanwezig te zijn op de manifestatie.
No to US imperialist military intervention in Iran! No to the reactionary Islamic Republic of Iran!”
We have a voice!
We are an echo of the struggle of the people of the world against the politics of invasion and US imperialism’s military intervention in Iran!We are the voice of the Iranian people against the Islamic Republic of Iran!We are the voice of workers, women, teachers, students, and oppressed nations against foreignintervention and internal tyranny!We are the voice of the leftist students of Iran, an ever-growing force that aims “to organize anation-wide movement against foreign intervention and wars, as well as internal tyranny and suppression.”We “are determined to inform people of horrors such as war, but at the same time target the reactionary Islamic Republic” and “are for the basic rights of workers, toilers and oppressed nations, as well as for the liberation of women and separation of religion from the state.”At the moment, Bush and his European allies, as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran, are trying to convince people that our only choice is between neo-liberal slavery and Islamic fundamentalism. It is up to those who believe in freedom to create and fortify a new path, a new way of thinking. Imperialists and Islamic fundamentalists are two faces of the same system and any support given to one will in reality and inevitably lead to strengthening the other.At the moment, imperialist states and the reactionary religious fundamentalists are pitting people against each other in the Middle East and at the same time, they are unleashing racist and xenophobic forces against refugees, immigrants and Muslims in Europe. In such a situation, it is all the more urgent for the oppressed people of the world to raise their own independent voice, and unite further against backward religious forces in the Middle East, racism, warmongering and imperialist occupation.On 22 December 2007, in a demonstration in front of both the US and Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) embassies in Brussels, we will raise the independent voice of the people of the world. Join us against war, neo-liberal globalization, and imperialism. Join us in support of the Iranian people against the IRI. Join us in defence of the student movement of Iran and the commemoration of the Student Day (when in 1953 three students were killed by the Shah’s army for opposing a CIA-sponsored coup in Iran, on the day the US [vice] president Nixon was visiting the country.)Join us to raise the banner of internationalist solidarity for a world without war, injustice oppression and exploitation!
http://www.aworldtowin.org/wordpress/?p=217
We are an echo of the struggle of the people of the world against the politics of invasion and US imperialism’s military intervention in Iran!We are the voice of the Iranian people against the Islamic Republic of Iran!We are the voice of workers, women, teachers, students, and oppressed nations against foreignintervention and internal tyranny!We are the voice of the leftist students of Iran, an ever-growing force that aims “to organize anation-wide movement against foreign intervention and wars, as well as internal tyranny and suppression.”We “are determined to inform people of horrors such as war, but at the same time target the reactionary Islamic Republic” and “are for the basic rights of workers, toilers and oppressed nations, as well as for the liberation of women and separation of religion from the state.”At the moment, Bush and his European allies, as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran, are trying to convince people that our only choice is between neo-liberal slavery and Islamic fundamentalism. It is up to those who believe in freedom to create and fortify a new path, a new way of thinking. Imperialists and Islamic fundamentalists are two faces of the same system and any support given to one will in reality and inevitably lead to strengthening the other.At the moment, imperialist states and the reactionary religious fundamentalists are pitting people against each other in the Middle East and at the same time, they are unleashing racist and xenophobic forces against refugees, immigrants and Muslims in Europe. In such a situation, it is all the more urgent for the oppressed people of the world to raise their own independent voice, and unite further against backward religious forces in the Middle East, racism, warmongering and imperialist occupation.On 22 December 2007, in a demonstration in front of both the US and Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) embassies in Brussels, we will raise the independent voice of the people of the world. Join us against war, neo-liberal globalization, and imperialism. Join us in support of the Iranian people against the IRI. Join us in defence of the student movement of Iran and the commemoration of the Student Day (when in 1953 three students were killed by the Shah’s army for opposing a CIA-sponsored coup in Iran, on the day the US [vice] president Nixon was visiting the country.)Join us to raise the banner of internationalist solidarity for a world without war, injustice oppression and exploitation!
http://www.aworldtowin.org/wordpress/?p=217
Actie aan Iraanse en Amerikaanse ambassades in Brussel
Zaterdag voerden enkele tientallen actievoerders actie aan de Iraanse en Amerikaanse ambassades in Brussel. Het initiatief voor de actie kwam van een collectief van linkse Iraanse vluchtelingen en LSP/MAS. We protesteerden samen tegen de dreiging van een Amerikaanse inval in Iran, maar tegelijk ook tegen het reactionaire regime in Iran. De afgelopen weken werden tal van linkse arbeiders en studenten bij protestacties in Iran opgepakt. We publiceren enkele foto's vanop de actie.
Zaterdag voerden enkele tientallen actievoerders actie aan de Iraanse en Amerikaanse ambassades in Brussel. Het initiatief voor de actie kwam van een collectief van linkse Iraanse vluchtelingen en LSP/MAS. We protesteerden samen tegen de dreiging van een Amerikaanse inval in Iran, maar tegelijk ook tegen het reactionaire regime in Iran. De afgelopen weken werden tal van linkse arbeiders en studenten bij protestacties in Iran opgepakt. We publiceren enkele foto's vanop de actie.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Små, små, små, små, små, små steg mot en bättre värld
Små, små, små, små, små, små steg mot en bättre värld.
Häromdagen skrev jag om de iranska studenter som arresterades i början av december. Deras familjer har skapat en blogg där info finns på engelska, franska och tyska. Längre ner finns en lång protestlista och sedan namn på alla arresterade studenter och bilder på några av dem.Julen 2007 är följande personer bakom lås och bom för att de demonstrerade. De är verkliga individer, även om de tycks vara lite osynliga jämfört med Paris Hilton & co:Mehdi Gerailoo- University of TehranNader Ahsani - Ex-student of the University of MazandaranAnoosheh Azadbar - University of TehranIlnaz Jamshidi - Azad University of Tehran(south branchBehrooz Karimizadeh - Expelled student of the University of TehranSaeed Habibi - Ex-student of the Sharif University of TechnologyAli Salem - Amirkabir University of TechnologyMilad Omrani - Shahid Rajayi Teacher Training UniversityAbed Tavancheh - Expelled student of Amirkabir University of TechnologyYaser Pirhayati - Shahed UniversityRoozbeh Safshekan - University of TehranSaeed Aghamali - Art University of YazdRoozbehan Amiri - University of TehranNasim Soltanbeigi - Allame Tabataba’ee UniversityMahsa MohebbiKeyvan Amiri - Sharif University of TechnologyHadi Salari - Shahid Rajayi Teacher Training UniversityAmir Aghayi - Shahid Rajayi Teacher Training UniversityFarshid Farhadi Ahangaran - Shahid Rajayi Teacher Training UniversityMohsen Ghamin - Amirkabir University of TechnologySoroosh Hashempoor - Shahid Chamran University of AhvazHamed Mohammadi - University of MazandaranArash Pakzad - University of MazandaranHassan Maarefi - University of MazandaranBehrang Zandi - University of MazandaranPeyman PiranMajid Ashrafnejad - Shahid Rajayi Teacher Training UniversityAli Kalayi - Azad UniversityAmir MehrzadShoan merikhi- University of MazandaranSara Khademi- University of MazandaranNima Nahvi-Technical University of BabolMohammad Saleh Ayuman- Graduate student of Political ScienceSohrab Karimi- Graduate student of Political ScienceFarshad Dustipour- Mechanical EngineeringJavad Alizadeh- Graduate Student of Political ScienceParsa kormanjiyan- Azad University of KermanshahAlireza Heidari- Azad University of KermanshahBahram Shojaii – Azad University of TehranI svensk media har jag hittils bara sett detta nämnas i Internationalen (studenterna var rätt röda). Förutom redan nämnda Mana förstås (vars ansvarige utgivare är iranier).Under 2007 hjälpte svenska regeringen demokratiprocessen i Iran på följande sätt:Den iranska utrikesministern Manouchehr Mottaki bjöds in till Sverige. Den 7 maj träffade han Carl Bildt och Maud Olofsson. Den senare skakade han inte hand med; hon är ju kvinna.Socialdepartementet bjöd in Teherans polischef Ahmad Radan till Sverige. Snubben är direkt ansvarig för senaste tidens strikta klädregler vilket har lett till gripandet av tusentals kvinnor. I november fick han besöka iranska fångar på Österåkeranstalten och notera namnen på dem.Jag avslutar med Carl Bildt. Han skriver om “små men bra steg mot en lite bättre dag när julen nu närmar sig.”
God jul Carl.
Nima Daryamadj writes in his blog :http://nordicdervish.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/studenter-2/
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Iran makes arrests for "illegal" university meeting
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Intelligence Ministry said on Saturday it had detained several people who were planning an "illegal gathering" at Tehran University, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The ministry said "anti-government groups" had urged those detained, who it said carried fake student ID cards, to hold the rally "to create conflict, disturbances and unrest".
The ministry said it had also confiscated items including "insulting" publications, firecrackers and a large amount of alcohol, which is banned in the Islamic Republic. It gave no further details.
Liberal-minded students and academics have criticised President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for clamping down on dissent on campuses. The president and his government insist they support free speech and welcome constructive opposition.
Last month, a group of students gathered at Tehran University to protest against the detention of three fellow students who were picked up during a small demonstration at another Iranian university a week earlier.
Student protests have been relatively rare in recent years in Iran, which is embroiled in a nuclear row with the United States and is often criticised by Western rights groups for cracking down on dissent at home.
But in October, more than 100 students scuffled with police and hard-line supporters of Ahmadinejad on the campus of Tehran University outside a hall where the president was about to speak.
(Reporting by Reza Derakhshi; Writing by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Caroline Drees)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL0815876020071208
The ministry said "anti-government groups" had urged those detained, who it said carried fake student ID cards, to hold the rally "to create conflict, disturbances and unrest".
The ministry said it had also confiscated items including "insulting" publications, firecrackers and a large amount of alcohol, which is banned in the Islamic Republic. It gave no further details.
Liberal-minded students and academics have criticised President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for clamping down on dissent on campuses. The president and his government insist they support free speech and welcome constructive opposition.
Last month, a group of students gathered at Tehran University to protest against the detention of three fellow students who were picked up during a small demonstration at another Iranian university a week earlier.
Student protests have been relatively rare in recent years in Iran, which is embroiled in a nuclear row with the United States and is often criticised by Western rights groups for cracking down on dissent at home.
But in October, more than 100 students scuffled with police and hard-line supporters of Ahmadinejad on the campus of Tehran University outside a hall where the president was about to speak.
(Reporting by Reza Derakhshi; Writing by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Caroline Drees)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL0815876020071208
Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
European Parliament urges Iran to release students
European Parliament urges Iran to release students
Iran should release students arrested for planning a protest, the president of the European Parliament said on Monday. A statement from Hans-Gert Poettering also condemned the execution of a man found guilty of a crime supposedly committed when he was 13.
Poettering said a European Parliament delegation visited Tehran last week and received a list of 28 arrested students from their families.
"The European Parliament strongly supports the call for their immediate release and urges the Iranian authorities to swiftly provide adequate information to their families and lawyers about their case," Poettering said in a statement.
The whereabouts of the students arrested for planning a demonstration on Iranian students' day on Dec. 7 was unknown, he said.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry said on Dec. 8 it had detained several people who were planning an "illegal gathering" at Tehran University.
Student protests have been relatively rare in recent years in Iran, which is embroiled in a nuclear row with the United States and is often criticised by Western rights groups for cracking down on dissent.
But last month students gathered at Tehran University to protest against the detention of three fellow students during a small demonstration at another Iranian university a week earlier.
Liberal-minded students and academics have criticised President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for clamping down campus protests. The president and his government say they support free speech and welcome constructive opposition.
Poettering's statement said the European Parliament also condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the Dec. 4 execution of Makwan Mouloudzadeh.
It said the execution ran contrary to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a party, as well as to assurances given to EU institutions by Iranian authorities.
Iran hanged 20-year-old Mouloudzadeh, who was convicted of raping three boys when he was 13, despite retractions from his accusers and an order for a judicial review of his case, a Western rights group and an Iranian daily said.
Murder, rape, adultery, armed robbery, apostasy and drug smuggling are all punishable by death under Iran's sharia or Islamic law, imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Poettering said a European Parliament delegation visited Tehran last week and received a list of 28 arrested students from their families.
"The European Parliament strongly supports the call for their immediate release and urges the Iranian authorities to swiftly provide adequate information to their families and lawyers about their case," Poettering said in a statement.
The whereabouts of the students arrested for planning a demonstration on Iranian students' day on Dec. 7 was unknown, he said.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry said on Dec. 8 it had detained several people who were planning an "illegal gathering" at Tehran University.
Student protests have been relatively rare in recent years in Iran, which is embroiled in a nuclear row with the United States and is often criticised by Western rights groups for cracking down on dissent.
But last month students gathered at Tehran University to protest against the detention of three fellow students during a small demonstration at another Iranian university a week earlier.
Liberal-minded students and academics have criticised President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for clamping down campus protests. The president and his government say they support free speech and welcome constructive opposition.
Poettering's statement said the European Parliament also condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the Dec. 4 execution of Makwan Mouloudzadeh.
It said the execution ran contrary to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a party, as well as to assurances given to EU institutions by Iranian authorities.
Iran hanged 20-year-old Mouloudzadeh, who was convicted of raping three boys when he was 13, despite retractions from his accusers and an order for a judicial review of his case, a Western rights group and an Iranian daily said.
Murder, rape, adultery, armed robbery, apostasy and drug smuggling are all punishable by death under Iran's sharia or Islamic law, imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Editing by Matthew Jones)
Iran: Protests Lend Momentum To Students' Struggle
Iran: Protests Lend Momentum To Students' Struggle
Student pressure, like this rally at Tehran University, began building in October
(Fars)
(Fars)
They may not be quite like the heady student protests of years past. But fresh rallies and a flurry of arrests in Iran suggest that the country's student movement is gaining steam for yet another push for change in the Islamic republic.
Student rallies began to gain momentum in early December. But they appear to be part of a wave of open dissent that began to build in earnest one year ago when -- during a speech by Mahmud Ahmadinejad at Tehran University -- students in the crowd burned photos of the president and chanted, "Death to the dictator!" Similar, if less strident, rallies followed in May and October, with the authorities responding in each case by arresting activists.
On December 4, some 250 students at Tehran University gathered to chant slogans such as “Freedom and Equality!” and “No to war!” About 20 were arrested and sent to Tehran's Evin prison. Several were released but others are still being held, students say. Similar protests spread the next day to the cities of Hamadan, Isfahan, Mazandaran, Shiraz, and Kerman, where students reportedly openly criticized Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
"Since the academic year began in October, the students' movements and activities have not stopped,” Iraj Jamsheedi, an independent journalist, told RFE/RL from Tehran. “They’ve been ongoing, at different levels, at many universities across the country. It has become a trend. And unlike in the past, I don't think their activities will die down after a short while, because their demands reflect those of the majority of the Iranian people."
"Since the academic year began in October, the students' movements and activities have not stopped,” Iraj Jamsheedi, an independent journalist, told RFE/RL from Tehran. “They’ve been ongoing, at different levels, at many universities across the country. It has become a trend. And unlike in the past, I don't think their activities will die down after a short while, because their demands reflect those of the majority of the Iranian people."
'Happy Events'
Authorities had not planned any official events at universities to mark Student Day, which commemorates the death of three students during protests in 1953. That is in sharp contrast to previous years when senior leaders, including Ahmadinejad, made a point of meeting with students. Iranian media said the authorities this year instead planned "happy events" for students, such as "placing flowers on martyrs’ graves."
The students had different plans.
Student Day this year fell at the start of the Muslim weekend on December 7, so organizers were expected to mount rallies on December 9.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry on December 8 reported detaining several people whom it accused of carrying false student-identification cards and planning an "illegal gathering" at Tehran University. The ministry alleged that the detainees were plotting "to create conflict, disturbances, and unrest" at the behest of "antigovernment groups."
An unspecified number of students with ties to the Office to Foster Unity (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Wahdat), a leading reformist students' group, gathered at Tehran University on December 9 to protest the detention of their colleagues. A report by Reuters said photographs from the rally indicated protesters demanding the release of student detainees had damaged bars on one of the university's gates.
Bahar Hedayat, a member of the women's commission of the Office to Foster Unity, had predicted ahead of Student Day that young people would protest. She said they would “demand their rights, including the right to academic freedom and publish journals reflective of their opinions. They also demand freedom for political and social organizations." Hedayat, speaking to RFE/RL from Tehran, said students also are calling more broadly for democratic change, improved human rights, and the release of students imprisoned for taking part in demonstrations.
Imprisoned Youth
Parents and relatives of students detained last week in Tehran were still seeking information about the fate of their children held at Evin prison. Nasreen Musavi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that her daughter, Ilnaz, had been arrested during the protest on December 4 and that the authorities had denied her any contact with her family or a lawyer. Another student, Ehsan Azadbar, said he was arrested during the rally along with his sister Azadeh, and that the authorities had released him only after two days of interrogation. Azadeh remains in custody.
At least one student has been in prison since 1999. That year, Iran saw its largest student demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Thousands took part in demanding freedom. Clashes with police left five students dead. Similar scenes, on a smallar scale, were seen in 2003. With some shouting “Death to Khamenei!,” the supreme leader who holds ultimate religious and political power under the constitution, thousands rallied against the perceived slow pace of change under then-President Mohammad Khatami, a reformist. Scores were arrested after clashes with police and radical Islamist vigilantes.
As the authorities sharpen their current crackdown, Hedayat says that she and other students know they risk arrest, expulsion from school -- even death for campaigning for change against the country's current leadership. “The more active the student movements become, the more intense will become the pressure from the authorities,” Hedayat said.
But the latest protests will continue, she vowed, because Iranians "can no longer put up with the current political, economic, and social pressures."
Authorities had not planned any official events at universities to mark Student Day, which commemorates the death of three students during protests in 1953. That is in sharp contrast to previous years when senior leaders, including Ahmadinejad, made a point of meeting with students. Iranian media said the authorities this year instead planned "happy events" for students, such as "placing flowers on martyrs’ graves."
The students had different plans.
Student Day this year fell at the start of the Muslim weekend on December 7, so organizers were expected to mount rallies on December 9.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry on December 8 reported detaining several people whom it accused of carrying false student-identification cards and planning an "illegal gathering" at Tehran University. The ministry alleged that the detainees were plotting "to create conflict, disturbances, and unrest" at the behest of "antigovernment groups."
An unspecified number of students with ties to the Office to Foster Unity (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Wahdat), a leading reformist students' group, gathered at Tehran University on December 9 to protest the detention of their colleagues. A report by Reuters said photographs from the rally indicated protesters demanding the release of student detainees had damaged bars on one of the university's gates.
Bahar Hedayat, a member of the women's commission of the Office to Foster Unity, had predicted ahead of Student Day that young people would protest. She said they would “demand their rights, including the right to academic freedom and publish journals reflective of their opinions. They also demand freedom for political and social organizations." Hedayat, speaking to RFE/RL from Tehran, said students also are calling more broadly for democratic change, improved human rights, and the release of students imprisoned for taking part in demonstrations.
Imprisoned Youth
Parents and relatives of students detained last week in Tehran were still seeking information about the fate of their children held at Evin prison. Nasreen Musavi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that her daughter, Ilnaz, had been arrested during the protest on December 4 and that the authorities had denied her any contact with her family or a lawyer. Another student, Ehsan Azadbar, said he was arrested during the rally along with his sister Azadeh, and that the authorities had released him only after two days of interrogation. Azadeh remains in custody.
At least one student has been in prison since 1999. That year, Iran saw its largest student demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Thousands took part in demanding freedom. Clashes with police left five students dead. Similar scenes, on a smallar scale, were seen in 2003. With some shouting “Death to Khamenei!,” the supreme leader who holds ultimate religious and political power under the constitution, thousands rallied against the perceived slow pace of change under then-President Mohammad Khatami, a reformist. Scores were arrested after clashes with police and radical Islamist vigilantes.
As the authorities sharpen their current crackdown, Hedayat says that she and other students know they risk arrest, expulsion from school -- even death for campaigning for change against the country's current leadership. “The more active the student movements become, the more intense will become the pressure from the authorities,” Hedayat said.
But the latest protests will continue, she vowed, because Iranians "can no longer put up with the current political, economic, and social pressures."
Friday, December 21, 2007
We Will Make 28th December a Protest day against the Arrest of Students in Iran
We Will Make 28th December a Protest day against the Arrest of Students in Iran! A call to an international protest to free students in Iran!
A call to freedom – loving Iranian abroad!
A call to international organisations around the world!
Freedom – loving people!
More than two weeks ago 43 students and political activists across the cities of Iran were either abducted or were arrested before, during and after the national student day on 7th December in Iran and all of them were imprisoned.
The arrested students who have not committed any crime but defending freedom and equality; those students who have expressed their opposition to the militarised atmosphere in the universities created by security forces; our comrades who have not committed any crime and only defended humanity and justice; the students who organised the national students day with slogans such as “No War”, “University is Not a Militaries Camps”, “No Sexual Apartheid”, “Long Live Freedom & Equality”, “Workers Unity”, have been accused of actions against country’s security including conspiracy and bombings.
It is a fact that political prisoners in horrible wards 209 and 325 of Evin prison live under difficult conditions. Every day we here news about bad health and worsening of the physical condition of our comrades. According to news we have received our friends are under torture and all physical and psychological pressure. We are gravely concerned about our comrades as their families are banned to visit them. Students’ lawyers are not permitted to meet them and they are deprived of their basic human rights.
This treatment of students by the Islamic Republic has been faced with a fierce international protest. The amnesty international has organised a campaign to free students. The head of the EU Parliament has asked for their immediate release. During the last two weeks we have received hundreds of protest letters from across the world and numerous protest actions and demonstrations against the Islamic Republic and for immediate release of the imprisoned students have been organised.
On behalf of all students, we the Freedom and Equality – seeking Students are very proud of these waves of solidarity and thank all who were with and for us in these difficult days. But the fact of the matter is that despite all these efforts, our friends are still in prison.
To release the arrested students an international action is urgently required!
We call all the international organisations and campaigns to join us on 28th December to protest against the Islamic Republic and raise your voice to free the students in Iran. Your solidarity and joint actions all around the world will strengthen our efforts and make the release of our friends and comrades possible.
The movement for freedom and equality urgently needs your support and solidarity and united action.
Long Live Freedom!
Long Live Equality!
Freedom and Equality – seeking Students of Universities in Iran
19 December 2007 / 28th Azar 1386
A call to freedom – loving Iranian abroad!
A call to international organisations around the world!
Freedom – loving people!
More than two weeks ago 43 students and political activists across the cities of Iran were either abducted or were arrested before, during and after the national student day on 7th December in Iran and all of them were imprisoned.
The arrested students who have not committed any crime but defending freedom and equality; those students who have expressed their opposition to the militarised atmosphere in the universities created by security forces; our comrades who have not committed any crime and only defended humanity and justice; the students who organised the national students day with slogans such as “No War”, “University is Not a Militaries Camps”, “No Sexual Apartheid”, “Long Live Freedom & Equality”, “Workers Unity”, have been accused of actions against country’s security including conspiracy and bombings.
It is a fact that political prisoners in horrible wards 209 and 325 of Evin prison live under difficult conditions. Every day we here news about bad health and worsening of the physical condition of our comrades. According to news we have received our friends are under torture and all physical and psychological pressure. We are gravely concerned about our comrades as their families are banned to visit them. Students’ lawyers are not permitted to meet them and they are deprived of their basic human rights.
This treatment of students by the Islamic Republic has been faced with a fierce international protest. The amnesty international has organised a campaign to free students. The head of the EU Parliament has asked for their immediate release. During the last two weeks we have received hundreds of protest letters from across the world and numerous protest actions and demonstrations against the Islamic Republic and for immediate release of the imprisoned students have been organised.
On behalf of all students, we the Freedom and Equality – seeking Students are very proud of these waves of solidarity and thank all who were with and for us in these difficult days. But the fact of the matter is that despite all these efforts, our friends are still in prison.
To release the arrested students an international action is urgently required!
We call all the international organisations and campaigns to join us on 28th December to protest against the Islamic Republic and raise your voice to free the students in Iran. Your solidarity and joint actions all around the world will strengthen our efforts and make the release of our friends and comrades possible.
The movement for freedom and equality urgently needs your support and solidarity and united action.
Long Live Freedom!
Long Live Equality!
Freedom and Equality – seeking Students of Universities in Iran
19 December 2007 / 28th Azar 1386
Angelika Beer, Mitglied des Europaparlaments, fordert die Freilassung der Studenten
Während Sie in Teheran waren, haben dort rund 2000 Studenten gegen die Regierung demonstriert. Haben Sie etwas davon gemerkt?
Angelika Beer: Angehörige der inhaftierten Studenten haben uns spontan im Hotel aufgesucht. Sie waren über das Schicksal der Inhaftierten höchst besorgt, denn sie hatten keinerlei Informationen über ihre Angehörigen erhalten. Ich habe den Vorsitzenden des auswärtigen Ausschusses kontaktiert und die feste Zusage erhalten, das Parlament werde intervenieren und sich um die Studenten kümmern. Das Spannende war, dass er bei einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz öffentlich zu dem Fall Stellung genommen und gesagt hat, es könne nicht sein, dass Studenten im eigenen Land einfach verschwinden und Angehörige über ihr Schicksal nicht informiert werden. Wir haben auch die portugiesische EU-Präsidentschaft ebenso wie das EU-Parlament aufgefordert, zu intervenieren
hands off the people of iran (Hopi launch conference):
The Iranian Student Movementsubmitted by Communist Students
1. Conference notes that:1.1 The student movement in Iran has mobilised huge support around radical slogans such as "No to war! Death to the Dictator!" "Hands Off The People Of Iran" "Socialism or Barbarism" and "Freedom and Equality." 1.2 The radicalism and militancy of the student movement has in no way been dampened by the regime's threats, intimidation and arrests of student activists. 1.3 Although 45 leading activists were arrested in the run-up to the recent Student's Day Demonstrations at Tehran University, around 700 protesters defiantly marched against war and repression in Iran1.4 HOPI student supporters, particularly those in and around Communist Students, are in close contact with radical students in Iran.2. Conference believes that:2.1 HOPI supporters should look to campaign for the immediate release of the imprisoned students and help to build active solidarity with the Iranian students' struggles.3. Conference resolves to:3.1 Organise a HOPI speaking tour across British universities to build the HOPI campaign and to raise awareness of this and other radical anti-war movements in Iran 3.2 Hold regular fund-raising activities for students in Iran
3.3 Where possible, look to co-ordinate action and protests with Iranian students – especially on International Women's Day and Student's Day (December 4)
http://www.hopoi.org/conference/pictures. Ben Lewis, Communist Students
http://www.hopoi.org/conference/pictures.html
1. Conference notes that:1.1 The student movement in Iran has mobilised huge support around radical slogans such as "No to war! Death to the Dictator!" "Hands Off The People Of Iran" "Socialism or Barbarism" and "Freedom and Equality." 1.2 The radicalism and militancy of the student movement has in no way been dampened by the regime's threats, intimidation and arrests of student activists. 1.3 Although 45 leading activists were arrested in the run-up to the recent Student's Day Demonstrations at Tehran University, around 700 protesters defiantly marched against war and repression in Iran1.4 HOPI student supporters, particularly those in and around Communist Students, are in close contact with radical students in Iran.2. Conference believes that:2.1 HOPI supporters should look to campaign for the immediate release of the imprisoned students and help to build active solidarity with the Iranian students' struggles.3. Conference resolves to:3.1 Organise a HOPI speaking tour across British universities to build the HOPI campaign and to raise awareness of this and other radical anti-war movements in Iran 3.2 Hold regular fund-raising activities for students in Iran
3.3 Where possible, look to co-ordinate action and protests with Iranian students – especially on International Women's Day and Student's Day (December 4)
http://www.hopoi.org/conference/pictures. Ben Lewis, Communist Students
http://www.hopoi.org/conference/pictures.html
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