Film Director Jafar Panahi on Hunger Strike in Evin Prison

Internationally acclaimed Iranian director has made several movies addressing laws and customs in Iran that discriminate against women.  In "Offside," young women dress and men to gain entrance into a soccer stadium where women are forbidden.



Panahi was arrested in early March 2010 in Iran, "culminating months of obvious and hidden pressure on the independent filmmaker from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence" the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported. Jafar Panahi is on hunger strike, and his demands for ending his hunger strike include contact and visits with his family, consultation with and representation by a lawyer, unconditional release until his trial date and final verdict, and in case he dies soon, that his body be delivered to his family to bury wherever they like. ICHRI reports that Panahi stated in his letter dated 18 May 2010, ”I have not taken any food or liquids since Sunday morning [16 May 2010], and I would like to announce that unless the following demands are met, I will continue to refrain from eating and drinking, as I do not wish to turn into a guinea pig who is put under various torture, psychological and mental abuse, and subjected to false accusations...I swear upon the cinema in which I believe, that I will not stop my hunger strike until my demands are met...”

Iran Sentences Female Activists

Saeed Valadbaygi writes in astreetjournalist.com that:

"An Iranian court has convicted two activists in absentia and sentenced them to jail and lashes over a 2007 protest.

"The court tried the two women, [Shadi Sadr and Mahbubeh Abbas-Gholizadeh] both of whom are currently abroad, on May 8 over a March 2007 rally outside a revolutionary court where four fellow feminists were on trial.

"Both have campaigned to abolish the practice of stoning adulterers to death.

"Sadr, a lawyer and journalist, was awarded the Polish Lech Walesa Prize in September 2009 for promoting “human rights, freedom of expression and democracy in Iran.”

Women Harrassed in Tehran

Video: Women harassed in Tehran

by Julie Jigsawnovich

I remember reading about a group of guys who tried to rape a girl in Iran. She stabbed one of them, so they left without raping her.  But the guy she stabbed died later from the wound. Then she was convicted of murder. There are attempted rapes and stabbings in the U.S. too, but a woman here can declare self-defense.

Three guys robbed me in Brooklyn, and were starting to grope me like they were going to rape me. I swung a piece of metal close to the head of their leader and scared them away. But if I had smashed his head in and killed him instead at least I could have claimed self-defense in court.

I recommend studying Wing Chun Kung Fu. This is a good self-defense form to use when fighting a larger opponent. It was developed by Bhuddist nuns to fight off men invading and trying to rape them. It is very effective.  Bruce Lee also used Wing Chun as the basis of the fighting style he developed.

Watching this video makes me thankful that there were at least a few good men at that scene who helped the women escape the crowd.  And it makes me extra proud of my friend who told me:

"Last week I saw a mullah beat a 17year old girl in front of us, in the street! He punched the girl and said, "You don't have to call him again, I'm your stepfather!" And me and our friends went there and beat the mullah!"

Iran, the UN and Women's Rights

I'm not usually a fan of FOX, and I don't know much about this lady, but she does have a point.  

The world press was busy covering Boobquaake while Iran got a seat on a UN Women's rights commission.  We got to wake up fast, sisters and brothers! (BTW, Women have even fewer rights in Saudi Arabia than in Iran.)


Keep in mind, there is a difference between Muslim hardliners and mainstream Muslims--just the same as there is a difference between Christian extremists and mainstream Christians or Jewish extremists and mainstream Jews.  From what I've seen, the same is true of other religions too.

There's a protest against Ahmadinejad at the UN Monday.

World Press Distracted by Boobquake while Iran Maneuvers Into Women's Rights Commission

by Julie Jigsawnovich

Blogger Jennifer McCreight, who created Boobquake, must now use her marketing skills, new-found fame, and press contacts to seriously address international women's rights. And organizations seeking to elevate women's rights must acknowledge the power that sexuality has in marketing to the West. The fine lines between freedom of expression, distraction, empowerment, exploitation and oppression may have entered public debate between Islam and the West in new ways thanks (there's some irony here) to McCreight and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Fox New reports:
"NEW YORK — Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged 'immodest.'

"Just days after Iran abandoned a high-profile bid for a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, it began a covert campaign to claim a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women, which is "dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women," according to its website.
Buried 2,000 words deep in a U.N. press release distributed Wednesday on the filling of 'vacancies in subsidiary bodies,' was the stark announcement: Iran, along with representatives from 10 other nations, was "elected by acclamation," meaning that no open vote was requested or required by any member states — including the United States."

Meanwhile, the Official facebook page for Boobquake gathered 213,899 confirmed guests (myself among them), and 70,619 guests maybe attending.

In her article for The Daily Beast, Jennifer McCreight, the blogger who initiated Boobquake includes information about the press she received regarding the event. McCreight reports that, "I was interviewed by CNN, BBC, CBC, ABC, FOX, WLFI (our local news affiliate), and that’s just naming a few. Articles about Boobquake appeared on every continent except Antarctica…Boobquake received support and commentary from people like Roger Ebert, Penn Jillette, Phil Plait from the Bad Astronomy blog, “The Bloggess,” Bill Corbett of Mystery Science Theater and Philip DeFranco, the video blogger. But the cherry on top was a skit about Boobquake on the Colbert Report."

With international press frothing over Boobquake, who covered the letter signed by international women's rights, human rights, and anti-violence groups and notable Iranian activists both inside and outside Iran sent to the U.N. ? Well, Radio Zamaneh and En.IranGreenVoice.com reported it. I hope others also reported this letter.

This article posted by S.B. Anderlini, Hadi Ghaemi, and Dokhi Fassihian on ForeignPolicy.com expressed the devastating implications of Iran having a seat on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, including:

"First, Iran will claim the win as a major diplomatic victory and indication of an international community that supports and respects it. Second, as a member of the CSW Iran will be well placed to shape the agenda for discussion and the recommendations made. It will bring the same regressive attitudes and cynicism towards women that it enacts in Iran to the global community. No doubt it will have cheerleaders among other nations that prefer to see women as second class citizens.

"Finally, as a CSW member, Iran will be well placed to block the participation of independent women's human rights groups from UN forums, while easing the way for its many counterfeit or ‘government-led non-governmental organizations' (GONGOs) to participate at the UN as if they are legitimate independent civil society and human rights defenders."

PROTEST AT THE U.N. AGAINST AHMADINEJAD SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY

Protest Against Ahmadinejad at the UN

Iranian friends told me about this protest against Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to the UN. Everyone of all nationalities, races and political persuasions are invited to attend. Just don't bring divisive signs or flags. Myself, I'm particularly angry that Iran got a seat on the Committee on the Status of Women when Iran has a bad record on women's rights, and other human rights.

EMERGENCY RALLY!

Ahmadinejad at the United Nations

*Monday, May 3rd, 2010* at 10am-12noon*

Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (47th St. between 2nd & 1st Ave.s)

Wear green. No flags no Factions.

*The time of his speech may change. We promise to keep you informed

when/if we have new information. Please visit www.whereismyvoteny.org

for more information

Iranian Women's Right Activists Protest Iran Bid for CSW Seat

Radio Zamaneh reported today that: A group of Iranian women’s right activists have written a letter to the United Nations to speak out against Iran’s efforts in joining the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

The letter calls on the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council to deny Iran’s bid for membership in the CSW.
The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council that "is dedicated to gender equality and advancement of women."

The letter calls on the Council to stop Iran’s membership in the CSW or at least accept the bid only on the condition that Iran commits to International agreements on equal rights.

Last week Iran announced that it has withdrawn its bid for membership in the United Nation's Human Rights Council and instead announced its candidacy for the CSW.

The Iranian women’s rights activists write that the membership of the Islamic Republic in this Commission “is a serious threat for the aims and ideals of the Commission and in contradiction to its nature as it is also a threat against peace, equality and global security.”

The letter is signed by over 250 women’s rights activists.

Women’s rights and human rights activists have often accused Iran of violating the rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as ignoring international human rights conventions.

CSW membership elections are set for Wednesday. Roozonline reports that Pakistan and Thailand have retracted their candidacy for the empty seat at this Commission in favour of Iran and made Iran’s membership in the CSW definitive at this point.

Iran's Bait and Switch

by Julie Jigsawnovich

After visiting Iran, I learned that women there have fewer rights than women in many other predominantly muslim countries including Syria, Egypt and Malaysia. It seemed peculiar that the IRI recently withdrew their audacious attempt at membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council, only to announce their plans to join the U.N. Commission for the Status of Women. This resembled a grasp at straws of ethical respectability, especially after the regime's brutal crackdown. The rape and murder of female and male opposition candidate supporters has been widely reported not only by the international press, but also addressed by elected officials inside Iran including Mehdi Karroubi.* 

Tuesday S.B. Anderlini, Hadi Ghaemi, and Dokhi Fassihian reported  that the UN's Commission for the Status of Women (CSW), comprising 45 countries, is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to the advancement of women. Its mandate is "to evaluate progress, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide."


"Iran does not deserve a spot on the commission; it should earn it by providing Iranian women their basic human rights. Yet on Wednesday, Iran is likely to ascend to the CSW because it agreed to pull out of running for the Human Rights Council in exchange for securing an uncontested seat for the CSW. That it can do so, with such ease, is a denigration of the very principles for which the CSW and UN stand." 

The Struggle for Justice exhibition

Washington, D.C.--National Portrait Gallery Press Release:
"The Struggle for Justice” showcases major cultural and political figures—from key 19th-century historical figures to contemporary leaders—who struggled to achieve civil rights for disenfranchised or marginalized groups.
The exhibition, featuring more than 40 photographs, paintings, posters, buttons and sculptures, includes portraits of civil rights leaders Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King, Jr.; women’s-rights advocates Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Betty Friedan; Native American activist Leonard Crow Dog; cultural icons Jackie Robinson and singer Marian Anderson; United Farm Workers organizer César Chávez; gay and lesbian rights leaders and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. .

Karroubi Criticizes Ahmadinejad's Attempts to Create Enemies

“Creating enemies is not a big deal. A big deal would be to respond to threats with reason and logic so that the public opinion of nations and [the opinion] of governments are drawn towards the truth such that threats are eliminated and turned into opportunities," Iranian Majlis (parliament ) member and 2009 Presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi recently said during a meeting with members of the MKO, Revolution Mojahedin Organization. Karroubi also expressed concerns for the treatment of political prisoners in Iran's jails, the treatment of women and girls, and for the undermining of the Iranian parliament by Ahmadinejad.