Wednesday, February 10, 2010

February 10, 2010

There are reports that in recent weeks Iranian security officials have been making sweeping arrests across Iran in an effort to silence the opposition. It's believed that Iranian security officials are trying to head off widespread protests from occurring on the nation's anniversary of the revolution, which is on Thursday. According to human rights groups, people are being pulled out of bed during late night raids, and then they disappear into the penal system and their family and friends have no official information about where they're held or what they're being held for. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, a group based in New York, estimated that in the last two months at least 1,000 people have been detained. Many have been arrested under a blanket detention order issued in June that allows the police to detain anyone for any reason.
It's been reported that the government has not arrested the principal leaders of the opposition [probably because that would garner too much attention]. However, a number of well-known reformists were already detained shortly after the contested presidential election in June. Those that have been imprisoned recently include artists, photographers, children's rights advocates, women's rights activists, students, and journalists. The two groups that seem to be targeted the most by the authorities are women's rights activists (who have years of experience in organizing a movement) and journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders, Iran now has more journalists in prison than any other country. There are at least 65 journalists in custody. A director for International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said, "We don't believe their detention has to do with any specific acts they have committed but for the ideas and ways of thinking they represent. By detaining them en masse, the government is spreading fear and intimidation, implementing a sort of a reign of terror, to dissuade potential protesters from coming out to the streets on February 11."
On Tuesday, the Revolutionary Court summoned the wife and children of an imprisoned journalist to appear as "political prisoners." This is likely connected to the the fact that the wife had recently written an open letter to the people of Iran discussing the detainment. Another group that has faced harassment by the authorities is the organization called the Mourning Mothers. This organization was founded by mothers whose children were killed by government agents during the protests after the contested election in June. Every Saturday they meet near the fountains in Laleh Park in Tehran and sit quietly. They are sometimes joined by supporters that do the same. And yet every Saturday they are chased down by the police, put into the back of police vans, and are taken to prison, according to witnesses. The director of ICHRI said, "It shows how frightened they are of their own people, when they cannot tolerate mothers who are holding a silent vigil and want accountability." (Full Story)

No comments:

Post a Comment