Congratulations!

[SaggyBalls]

Congratulations To The People

Of Iran And To

President Ahmadinejad

From Israel Shamir, Jaffa, Israel

6-13-9

The People of Iran have made their choice. Democracy won.

Despite Israeli military threats and American charm offensive, Iranians re-elected their president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, by landslide majority.

This is a highly deserved choice: President Ahmadinejad proved his devotion to God, to people of Iran, to freedom of man.

He is a brave and charismatic leader. At his visit to the UN, Ahmadinejad reminded us of a young Fidel Castro in 1960 and of asser Arafat in 1974. He stood his ground and supported embattled Palestine in Durban-II, He also spoke frankly at Columbia University despite torrents of hate, threats, isolation attempts, calumny and abuse.

He leads Iran on the way of peaceful development and political and economic independence. His steadfastness improves the world we live in. Barak Obama called for peace with the Muslim world in Cairo because Ahmadinejad did not give ground to pressure. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu demanded his head but became the butt of world-wide criticism himself. There is a good chance for peace in the Middle East, and that is thanks to President Ahmadinejad's consistency.

We call upon the candidate Mr Mousavi to concede victory to Ahmadinejad, and avoid turmoil and provocations for the sake of democracy and for Iranian people. We call upon President Obama's administration to confirm its "<>determination to seek dialogue with Iran whoever wins". We call upon Israeli government to give up their attempts to interfere in Iran's affaires and proceed with peace process. We call upon Arab nations to reject Zionist intrigues and preserve peace and friendship with Iran.

The true interests of Israelis and Palestinians call for a powerful, stable and independent Iran, as together with Turkey, they would be able to restrain aggressive ambitions of Zionist generals and bring peace to the Middle East.

Regards,

Israel Adam Shamir

[Thorgnor]

Peace through threats of aggression? smrt fail.

[Birdy]

I just threw up a little.

This is a highly deserved choice: President Ahmadinejad proved his devotion... to freedom of man.

At a recent UN conference on ending discrimination...

Ahmadinejad failed to make reference to Iran's discrimination against its own religious and ethnic minorities. Ahmadinejad's government routinely represses dissent and has continued the decades-old repression of Iran's religious and ethnic minorities, including the Baha'i religious minority. Iran's record of repressing peaceful dissent does great injustice to the struggle against racism and discrimination.

May 14, 2009

Iran should immediately free seven detained Baha'i community leaders, or bring them promptly to trial so they can defend themselves in fair and open proceedings against the serious charges against them.

May 1, 2009

Iran secretly hanged a juvenile offender early today despite a flawed trial, a stay of execution and an unequivocal international ban on such executions.

April 20, 2009

The conviction in an Iranian court of journalist Roxana Saberi on charges of espionage followed a fast-track, closed-door proceeding that gave her lawyer no opportunity to prepare a defense or adequately represent her.

March 13, 2009

Iranian officials are unlawfully detaining the Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi by holding her without charge.

February 27, 2009

Iranian authorities should promptly free 10 students arrested in February 2009 in connection with peaceful campus demonstrations and detained without charge in Tehran's Evin prison.

February 10, 2009

The sentencing of four Tehran bloggers by Iran's Judiciary Court on February 3, 2009, to prison terms, fines and flogging, despite the head of the judiciary's admission that they had been coerced into confessing, violates their right to a fair trial.

December 30, 2008

The Iranian government should end immediately its escalating persecution of Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel peace laureate and a leading human rights defender.

November 4, 2008

Iran hanged a juvenile offender on October 30, 2008, the seventh this year, only two days after Iranian authorities "categorically denied" that it still executes juveniles.

October 29, 2008

The Iranian government is escalating its attacks against women activists, subjecting them to arbitrary detention, travel bans, and harassment.

[Kanada Kev]

Really good panel discussion on GPS with Fareed Zakaria yesterday (see next post)

Lots of independent blogging going on from the streets too (until a lot of communications have been jammed):

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2009/06/iran-on-fire.php

80% turnout for voting in this Iranian election! That's amazing. The US could learn a little something from that

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?JSONLINK=/video/world/2009/06/14/ahmadinejad.challenger.presstv

[Kanada Kev]

Embedded video from CNN Video

[SaggyBalls]

How long did it take Ahmadinejad to declare victory - er, be declared victorious?

90 minutes?

80% of Iran's polpulation voted...and their ballots were counted in 90 minutes?

riiight.

Though I really appreciate his open questioning of Political Zionism and its impact on the middle east, both this and the 'there are no gays in Iran' (though he could have meant openly flamboyant facade fags) comments (I laughed) I didn't post the article to state my support of this guy.

To be realistic, Ahmadinejad is just another in the long list of Iranian leaders villified by the Corporacratic Babylon Controllers and their media after Iran stood up for themselves and demanded to profit from their oil...something few other countries have done.

So I'm sort of on their side, for fighting the fight for their own true and just cause...

...but it's shit like this (presuming at least some of what out Western Media says is true...to some extent) that reminds me that political tyrants are still political tyrants...

To be fair, the same thing happened with GWB several years ago...though the riots didn't happen quite like that.

"Human Rights Watch Said:

May 14, 2009

Iran should immediately free seven detained Baha'i community leaders, or bring them promptly to trial so they can defend themselves in fair and open proceedings against the serious charges against them.

May 1, 2009

Iran secretly hanged a juvenile offender early today despite a flawed trial, a stay of execution and an unequivocal international ban on such executions.

April 20, 2009

The conviction in an Iranian court of journalist Roxana Saberi on charges of espionage followed a fast-track, closed-door proceeding that gave her lawyer no opportunity to prepare a defense or adequately represent her.

March 13, 2009

Iranian officials are unlawfully detaining the Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi by holding her without charge.

February 27, 2009

Iranian authorities should promptly free 10 students arrested in February 2009 in connection with peaceful campus demonstrations and detained without charge in Tehran's Evin prison.

February 10, 2009

The sentencing of four Tehran bloggers by Iran's Judiciary Court on February 3, 2009, to prison terms, fines and flogging, despite the head of the judiciary's admission that they had been coerced into confessing, violates their right to a fair trial.

December 30, 2008

The Iranian government should end immediately its escalating persecution of Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel peace laureate and a leading human rights defender.

November 4, 2008

Iran hanged a juvenile offender on October 30, 2008, the seventh this year, only two days after Iranian authorities "categorically denied" that it still executes juveniles.

October 29, 2008

The Iranian government is escalating its attacks against women activists, subjecting them to arbitrary detention, travel bans, and harassment."

Iran is far from being innocent, but is the West much better?

I say no.

Aside from hanging juveniles, that list reads a lot like the fallout from the Patriot Act.

Guantanemo Bay?

'Terrorists'??

If you look into the details, the definition of 'terrorist' in the USA is vague enough to encompass almost any civil disobedience.

The difference is that Iran is a few years ahead of the USA in its following their vague guidelines to a 'T'.

Peace through acts of aggression, T.?

Which acts of aggression are those?

[Thorgnor]

The true interests of Israelis and Palestinians call for a powerful, stable and independent Iran, as together with Turkey, they would be able to [color:red]restrain aggressive ambitions of Zionist generals and bring peace to the Middle East.

Regards,

Israel Adam Shamir

Who's to say the Isrealis are the only one's with misguided "aggressive ambitions"? Although I think this Ahmedinejad guy is a terror, I also think that Iran needs to self-govern and not be overly influenced by outside, just like the rest of us.

Like you said YT, I worry for the "minorities" inside Iran as much as international conflict with Iran. Ahmedinejad is no friend of the downtrodden.

I still don't see how proliferation of arms/armies leads to peace though. Seems as if Shamir neglects the possibility that a strong Iran might decide to make a weak Isreal, rather than becoming an equal. The religious leaders of Iran do heartily believe in the birthright of the Imam and the righteousness of the Mahdi's return, they are no different from those Christians or Jews who hope to bring about the Rapture in order to provide proof of their own relgion, and therefore to legitimize their actions in the eyes of God, whatever those actions be. The "maryrdom" complex in Shi'i Islam is central.

If you don't like the idea of religious monarchy it's hard to side with the leaders of Iran on much. And if you don't like the idea of a religious monarchy bringing about armageddon to proove their faith then it's hard to cheer for the proliferation of arms/armies/violence.

[Birdy]

I didn't post the article to state my support of this guy.

I know you didn't. It still made me throw up a little to read that others believe he defends 'the freedom of man'. Others as in Israel Adam Shamir, the letter writer. The guy is a warped, twisted, fraudulent fuck.

I'm weary of his 'open questioning' of Zionism. It comes from a man who has been accused of wishing Israel to be totally obliterated and of describing the Holocaust as a myth. Doesn't really do wonders for those, like myself, who'd prefer a world where we don't confuse anti-Zionism with anti-semitism. Yet people say he's misunderstood, and that's fine, but he makes no effort to make himself clear. Instead he attends UN conferences and gives hate-filled speeches, he says he won't execute juveniles and he executes juveniles, he claims his nuclear interest is for energy purposes and tests missiles. All aggressive behaviour for a man looking to promote peace. Even peace, according to the binds of Islam.

And you're right, the West is no better. If at all possible, i'd have George Bush tried on war criminal charges in a heart beat. I half cried/half cheered out loud the day Obama signed the papers to close Gitmo. And the Democrats won the debate for me when Obama said the key to foreign policy is open communication without sanctions first.

But to think after thousands of years of sticking our noses in other's business, that suddenly we're going to come to the realization that 'live and let live' is going to work is a beautiful pipe dream. We're always going to influence and be influenced by the outside. Foreign policy will always be a question. And there will always be ambitions.

I think they key to it all is globalization, developing an international code of conduct and respect, and practicing what we preach. Fucking good luck with that one. In the meantime, close your eyes and hope for the best.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Guest

[Birdy]

Brutal.

This is an email from one of radio farda's contacts in Tehran.

I talked to a few students in Tehran (Monday morning Tehran time). They confirmed that the attack on their dormitory was brutal, destructive, and the authorities may have taken as many as 100 students with them. In Tehran, one faculty told me, the security forces had thrown some student off a building. There was an attack on a University dormitory in Isfahan as well. A similar episode happened in Shiraz a few nights ago. In last night’s attack, according to an ‘Amir Kabir Newsletter’ (I can send it to any journalist who can read Persian), security forces and others in civilian clothes were brutal: 5 students are reported in critical condition, and three were killed (including a female student).

Mr. Mousavi’s request for holding a rally in Enghelab Square was denied. One of his spokespersons has said they will try to go to Imam Khomeini’s mausoleum if they are denied the right to meet there. If they are not allowed there either, they will have a ‘sit in’ (motehasen) in Jamaran, former residence of Ayatollah Khomeini in Northern Tehran. However, at about 130 PM Tehran time (330 AM central time) I received news that it has been cancelled and that Mr. Mousavi will make an announcement about it shortly (http://kalemeh.ir/vdcb.sb9urhbz9iupr.html). I suspect they are trying desperately to make sure it does not turn bloody.

Mr. Karoubi, in a second statement, has aksed that students remain present in the scene but peaceful (just as Mr. Mousavi has). They are aiming for civil disobedience. This is especially so since everyone believes the security forces have received ‘hagh-e teer’ (permission to fire with live ammunitions). I have received several emails about this one. At about 5 AM (Eastern Time) I was told that Zahra Rahnevard, in a meeting in Tehran University, has said the gathering is cancelled. I am told that security forces are swarming around University of Tehran, heavily armed. The previously announced route (from Enghelab to Azadi Square) has been closed to traffic.

Mr. Mousavi’s audio message confirmed he is under house arrest (‘tahte nezarat’). I have heard from some of the students following his campaign closely that they have announced a general strike for Tuesday.

There is great deal of confusion and a lot of rumors flying around. These students have relied heavily in the past on SMS and other communication devices. In their absence, they are having a hard time coordinating and mobilizing effectively. However, I must add, they are amazing and brilliant in the way they are using emails (with much frustrations for slow connections), e-chats, and good old telephones in getting organized (their own word is ‘sazeman-dehi’). Theirs is truly a ‘grassroots’ as of now — self-organizing / self-generating in complex ways (‘khod joosh’). And they are smart with theirs words and their chants in the streets in that they are reclaiming the revolution’s claim to freedom, independence and justice and even its leader: ‘Khomeini kojaee, Mousavi tanha mondeh’ (‘Khomeini, where are you, Mousavi is all alone’).

President Ahmadinejad proved his devotion to God, to people of Iran, to freedom of man.

[SaggyBalls]

What's the statistic? Israel is the 4th largest miliary superpower in the world?

A specifically RACIST state with Nukes that isn't recognized as a valid state by its neighbours and near-neighbours?

Israel's 'Aggressive ambitions' are to a large extent within its own borders against the brethren of these neighbours.

A strong Iran is central to quelling the fears of its neighbours about a misaligned Zionist republic.

I think it's funny that people confuse 'wiped of the map' with 'obliterated', as it seems to me to be a simple translation miscommunication.

In every account I've read of Ahmadinejad talking about the Holocaust and either denying it, calling it a myth he always says 'let's assume it happened' and then he either: a) brings up the fact that in many countries, questioning the state-sponsored line is punishable under law (as truths typically don't need to be backed up like that), mentions that those atrocities didn't happen in Palestine, so why was Israel created? Why does the Holocaust bear down on Palestine?, or c) both of those.

I wonder how many people tune him out and how many people tie together questioning the holocaust and why it is affecting a place that wasn't Jewish to begin with...after all, it can be argued that Iran is more historically Hebrew than Israel, as the Parsim have been in Iran for over 2700 years.

I'm not 'weary' of his anti-zionist alignment one bit. I've never heard or read him openly denounce or criticize people for being of a different culture.

"I think they key to it all is globalization, developing an international code of conduct and respect, and practicing what we preach. fuÇking good luck with that one. In the meantime, close your eyes and hope for the best."

The key to it all is NOT globalization. We've developed international codes of conduct and respect and they're not followed. Globalization is just stretching out evil politics in the world.

It seems to me, Birdy, that you're speaking of compassion and fairness. If that's your ground then fantastic. I think I'm standing on a piece of it right now too. Realistically, Globalism and Globalization are not the same as the understanding, respect, and merging of human rights and sensitivity.

It's really easy to presume that civil unrest is centered in the youth of Iran, so of course that's where there would be more guard - especially with a 'strike', being 'self-orgainzed' and 'self-generated'.

Is anyone really suprised one bit that people were hurt/killed during protests like these?

I'm not.

Will we threaten this once great country or will we foster positive relations and work to actually make the world a better place without conflict?

Though it's easy to resent Iran politcally, it's also easy to pay little attention to the content and context of its words and do little to understand from where they originate.

http://www.iranchamber.com/history/coup53/coup53p1.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d'état

Mix that with America's Zionist interests in Israel, and Israel's aggressive anti-Islamic approach to governance, and it gets tricky.

When a country like Iran stands up for itself, it's just a matter of time before acts of aggression demand acts of retaliation.

I really hope we don't aggress.

With 2 American wars in Asia and hints at cold war aggression (South Ossetia last year), it's about time for another world war to spring up.

Africa (china,sudan), Iran/Iraq/Israel, AfPakia/India, North Korea/south Korea, Japan

So what a perfect time for all this to happen and potentially erupt in a whirlwind of militaristic economic boosting!

the 'economic system' is such that we need to both depopulate and make more money. the 'Media' wants us to have a reason to back up a war on Iran.

[Birdy]

That you, M.O.B.E.?

If you insist a strong Iran is essential to keeping and promoting peace in the region, you would have to agree US presence essential for the same. You can question the legitimacy of the state of Israel (as do I), but the bottom line is that they are still PEOPLE. People whose lives SHOULD be protected.

If Ahmadinejad does not want to 'obliterate' Israel, he needs to stop using words like 'wipe Israel off the map'. He needs to be diplomatic, and not only to those he wishes to ally with. He needs to stop committing human rights violations and he needs to stop flexing his nuclear muscles. Frankly, it fucking scares people. It makes people question his motives and it decreases his legitimacy.

I by no means want to threaten Iran and would love if 'we could all get along'. But that requires effort on both sides. If Iran continues to fund Hezbollah, they continue to fund a military group whose primary goal is to destroy the state of Israel... the past aggressions of which (and the alliance with Hamas) makes it appear to me, the outsider, that 'destroy' most likely won't come by way of peaceful treaty. The past aggressions of which are too fresh on too many people's minds to ever allow us to progress towards fostering "postive relations".

Sure, Iran is standing up for themselves, but so's everyone else. I AM speaking of compassion and fairness here, and the bottom line that we're all just people trying to do as we see right. It's going to take the greatest communicator this world has ever seen to wade us out of this one... i think.

[Birdy]

Especially if you believe the proliferation of arms essential to maintaining peace.

That's the equivalent to giving a person plenty of reasons to want you dead, and then handing them the gun and waiting.

[SaggyBalls]

Yup. I came back to check this to make sure I wasn't taken as a holocaust denier or called out as a nasty jerk.

My issue with Hezbollah is that they fight for struggle, while that is precisely the problem I hate the most about the way the world has been run across the map.

"He needs to stop committing human rights violations and he needs to stop flexing his nuclear muscles. Frankly, it fuÇking scares people. It makes people question his motives and it decreases his legitimacy."

so does everyone else. Iran isn't alone in this. Every nuclear power is guilty of this in many ways.

Not that I'm trying to argue or suggest that Iran/Ahmadinejad is spotless, but there's certainly been a spin on the portrayal of this guy that supports taking sides for a very long time which seems very counterproductive in the grand scheme of things.

Is there a real need to pick sides? In awhile this will all simmer down and we'll see how it actually starts to play out.

Accountability? Recount? I hope so.

I kinda like this guy - he's an interesting character and if he's given the opportunity to be a part of the world political scene then we'll probably see a stronger Middle Eastern Alliance in coming years.

He's a lot more intelligent than often portrayed. Most interviewers are so damn condescending to the guy.

[Birdy]

For what it's worth, I don't want to pick sides either. But it never was and never can be a good thing for anyone to bulk up their armies and flex their muscles to promote... peace. It's a pissing match, is what it is.

You kinda like the guy? Really? Am I missing something, or is there something charming about denying a person or persons the most basic of human rights?

[SaggyBalls]

You say that like he's the person that commits every Iranian human rights violation.

Many world leaders do nothing to truly help the oppressed in their nations.

I meant his conversational tone and demeanor.

We'll see if he rights some wrongs in time.

[Birdy]

No, I say that like he's the person that has the power to stop human rights violations, and doesn't.

Please tell me your second sentence isn't a justification.

[hamilton]

Without agreeing with anything else YT has said, he's kind of right in regards to his first sentence. Technically, the Supreme Leader of Iran (the Ayatollah Khamenei) outranks the president, and probably wouldn't allow many reforms to pass if they didn't conform to whatever warped interpretation of Islam he follows. Since many of the human rights violations are seen as justifiable under that interpretation, I'm guessing Ahmadinejad wouldn't have the power to erase them if he wanted to.

But I'm also guessing that he doesn't want to anyway, so I guess it's a moot point.

[Birdy]

All true, but why do human right's agencies claim the situation to have worsened since Ahmadinejad's election? Khamenei has been supreme ruler since 1989. Although Khamenei has been particularly brutal towards the Bahai's. But to elude Ahmadinejad as powerless and therefore imply that he has no part in the crime... well.

Well, you covered that with your last sentence.

[Thorgnor]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neda_(Iranian_pr otest...

"At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karekar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart.

I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that the bullet had blasted inside the victim's chest, and she died in less than 2 minutes. The protests were going on about 1 kilometers away in the main street and some of the protesting crowd were running from tear gass used among them, towards Salehi St.

The film is shot by my friend who was standing beside me. Please let the world know."

mp;fea...

[Thorgnor]

Would it be too crazy to suggest that the Ayatollah actually recognizes the need for "generational revolution", the need to force each successive generation to improve the Iranian system through greater participation, and the need for each generation to make the leadership their own through "force"? It seems that the gov't is actually doing everything they can to make martyrs and ensure the continuation of protests. People in Iran do not generally forget about those who have martyr'd themselves for the cause of the "People", imo.

Where's everybody with the "blame America" proofs from the ways that people are using technologies such as cell phones and texting, to the actuall participation of agents in the organization of protests?

[Birdy]

Here you go!

Proof: Israeli Effort to Destabilize Iran Via Twitter

Right-wing Israeli interests are engaged in an all out Twitter attack with hopes of delegitimizing the Iranian election and causing political instability within Iran.

Anyone using Twitter over the past few days knows that the topic of the Iranian election has been the most popular. Thousands of tweets and retweets alleging that the election was a fraud, calling for protests in Iran, and even urging followers hack various Iranian news websites (which they did successfully). The Twitter popularity caught the eye of various blogs such as Mashable and TechCrunch and even made its way to mainstream news media sites.

Were these legitimate Iranian people or the works of a propaganda machine? I became curious and decided to investigate the origins of the information. In doing so, I narrowed it down to a handful of people who have accounted for 30,000 Iran related tweets in the past few days. Each of them had some striking similarities -

1. They each created their twitter accounts on Saturday June 13th.

2. Each had extremely high number of Tweets since creating their profiles.

3. “IranElection†was each of their most popular keyword

4. With some very small exceptions, each were posting in ENGLISH.

5. Half of them had the exact same profile photo

6. Each had thousands of followers, with only a few friends. Most of their friends were EACH OTHER.

Why were these tweets in English? Why were all of these profiles OBSESSED with Iran? It became obvious that this was the work of a team of people with an interest in destabilizing Iran. The profiles are phonies and were created with the sole intention of destabilizing Iran and effecting public opinion as to the legitimacy of Iran’s election.

I narrowed the spammers down to three of the most persistent - @StopAhmadi @IranRiggedElect @Change_For_Iran

I decided to do a google search for 2 of the 3 - @StopAhmadi and @IranRiggedElect. The first page to come up was JPost (Jerusalem Post) which is a right wing newspaper pro-Israeli newspaper.

JPost actually ran a story about 3 people “who joined the social network mere hours ago have already amassed thousands of followers.†Why would a news organization post a story about 3 people who JUST JOINED TWITTER hours earlier? Is that newsworthy? JPost was the first (and only to my knowledge) major news source that mentioned these 3 spammers.

JPost, a major news organization, promoted these three Twitterers who went on the be the source of the IranElection Twitter bombardment. Why is JPost so concerned about Iranian students all of a sudden (which these spammers claim to be)? I must admit that I had my suspicions. After all, Que Bono? (who benefits).

There’s no question that Israel perceives Iran as an enemy, more so than any other nation. According to a recent poll, more than half of Israel’s population support using military force against Iran if they do not cease from developing nuclear energy (which they have the legal right to do as per the NNP treaty). Oddly enough, this comes out of a country which is not a cosigner to the NNP treaty and has no right to develop nuclear energy, yet posses an arsenal of nuclear BOMBS.

Of course, Mousavi himself plays an important role in causing the social unrest within Iran. How often do you see a candidate declare himself the winner before any votes are counted and then, when faced with defeat, call the entire election process a fraud? As obvious as it was in our own 2000 election, Al Gore would not touch the topic of voter fraud. No major US politician goes near the subject. They know full well that such an accusation would shake the entire foundation of our democracy and threaten the political structures that are in place.

These twitting spammers began crying foul before the final votes were even counted, just as Mousavi had. The spammer @IranRiggedElect created his profile before a winner was announced and preformed the public service of informing us in the United States , in English and every 10 minutes, of the unfair election. He did so unselfishly, and without any regard for his fellow friends and citizens of Iran, who don’t speak English and don’t use Twitter!

[Kanada Kev]

Thanks for posting that Birdy. Puts a very interesting spin on things. There's plenty of outside interest in promoting a change in Iran. Where the motives are for many of these groups shows their differences.

And here's where corporations have a chance to rake in profits ... ethical business practices? Oxymoron?

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/06/22/nokia-and-siemens-pr.html

Nokia and Siemens provided surveillance tools used to bust Iranian activists

Posted by Cory Doctorow, June 22, 2009 7:25 AM | permalink

A Nokia-Seimens joint venture supplied the key surveillance tech to the Iranian government that is being used to spot and bust protestors, subjecting them to massive human rights violations and endangering their lives. Seimens says it's all Nokia's fault, and a spokesman says they did nothing wrong because spying on and torturing dissidents is legal in Iran.

Meanwhile, Cisco and every other "western" network tech company is busily selling spyware, censorware, and other surveillance crap to every repressive government in the world, and also raking in big bucks selling unconstitutional wiretap tools to the US government for use on domestic populations (including, it turns out, former presidents).

Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), a joint venture between the Finnish cell-phone giant Nokia and German powerhouse Siemens, delivered what is known as a monitoring center to Irantelecom, Iran's state-owned telephone company.

A spokesman for NSN said the servers were sold for "lawful intercept functionality," a technical term used by the cell-phone industry to refer to law enforcement's ability to tap phones, read e-mails and surveil electronic data on communications networks.

In Iran, a country that frequently jails dissidents and where regime opponents rely heavily on Web-based communication with the outside world, a monitoring center that can archive these intercepts could provide a valuable tool to intensify repression...

Ben Roome, a spokesman for NSN, said, "We provide these systems to be used under the applicable laws in their countries and make sure we are abiding by U.N. and [European Union] export regulations and code of conduct. We provided the monitoring center to Irantelecom. We are not going to comment on the use of it. It is there to record lawful intercepts." ...

"My first reaction is, 'Wow! Why do they do this?' Don't they know that this will be used against the people of Iran?" said Mr. Sazegara, who now lives in the United States.

"They facilitate a regime which easily violates human rights in Iran and the privacy of the people of Iran. They have facilitated the regime with a high technology that allows them to monitor every student activist, every women's rights activist, every labor activist and every ordinary person

Fed contractor, cell phone maker sold spy system to Iran (Thanks, Bill and everyone else who suggested this!)

Edited June 22, 2009 by Guest

[Birdy]

As John Prine says, 'that's the way the world goes round'.

Jesus H. Christ - what kind of quote is that from Nokia? We didn't do anything wrong, because torturing dissidents in Iran is legal. ? Brutal.

I think i might join Twitter. Seriously.

[Kanada Kev]

[phishtaper]