Iranian film director Panahi released

Following two months of custody Jafar Panahi has been released from prison in Iran.

The acclaimed Iranian film-maker had been arrested for voicing his support for the opposition.

It has been reported that he was bailed out of prison for $200,000 which has also followed a week long hunger protest.

Iran Parliament Approves Last Three Ministers

Iran’s Majlis approved today the last three ministers in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 21-member cabinet after rejecting his original choices in September. Parliament voted to support Ahmadinejad's new candidates for the energy, welfare and education portfolios.

The nominee for the welfare portfolio, Sadeq Mahsouli, came under attack by MPs for mismanaging the detention of post-election demonstrators. He was the acting interior minister at the time, overseeing the elections and internal security.
"The interior minister is in charge of domestic security. Mahsouli was in charge when bitter events happened at the Kahrizak detention center and Tehran University dormitory," said conservative MP Ali Motahari [ILNA, 15 November].

A number of young detainees were tortured and some killed at Karizak prison, creating a widespread public anger as news spread of conditions in the jail. The government closed down the facility in July. [Kahrizak’s medial director committed suicide in Tehran on Saturday.] At the University of Tehran, government forces attacked the dormitory, killing and injuring a number of students. Close to 70 protestors were killed in the days after the disputed 12 June presidential election and thousands arrested. More than 100 people, including former senior officials in Khatami administration, lawyers, activists and students still remain in jail.

Mahsouli is a former IRGC officer and a close friend of Ahmadinejad. He had been a nominee for oil minister in Ahmadinejad's first term but withdrew after lawmakers criticized his lack of related experience and his wealth.MP Motahari repeated the criticism over the source of Mahsouli's wealth, accusing him of using his previous positions to acquire it.

"Such an enormous wealth would not accumulate naturally," Motahari said [ILNA, 15 November].

Green Supporter Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison

The Islamic Revolutionary Court today sentenced Soheil Navidi Yekta, a Green Movement supporter who was detained during post-election protests in Iran, to seven years in prison and 74 lashes. He had been charged with taking action against national security, propaganda against the system and disrupting public order [Rah-e Sabz, 12 November].

Navidi-Yekta, son of a martyr of Iran-Iraq war, received maximum punishment for all of the charges brought against him by the prosecutor. It is widely feared that many more detainees will receive harsh sentences in the coming days.

Human Rights Activist Arrested in Tehran

Emadeddin Baghi

Emadeddin Baghi, a prominent human rights activist and the head of a prisoner rights’ group, was attested today in Tehran.

IRNA quoted unnamed officials as saying Baghi was “doing his activities against national security under the cover of defending prisoners' rights.”

In 2003, Baghi was sentenced to three years in prison on similar charges. He served two years and one year was suspended. Now the suspended term reportedly will go into effect.

Baghi has been a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic’s treatment of political and all other prisoners.

Interview with Ramin Jahanbaglu

The Spanish daily El Pais has published the text of a telephone interview with Ramin Jahanbaglu on 17 July. Jahanbaglu talks about the “confession” show that was to be aired by Iran’s TV. Since the interview, the show has been aired in two segments.

Ramin Jahanbaglu, a philosopher, spent four months in prison last year. He was traveling abroad when the show was aired. The translation of El Pais interview appears below.

El Pais: Did you know you appear in the program, according to the agencies which have seen the trailer?
Jahanbaglu: I had no idea.

El Pais: And how does it strike you?
Jahanbaglu: I'm very surprised. A political confession of this kind is absurd. It's pure propaganda. It reminds me of Stalinism, of "1984", the book by George Orwell. The fanatics want you not only to obey but also to agree with them.

El Pais: In the trailer your links with US institutions are denounced. What do you think they are referring to?
Jahanbaglu: It's all a matter of interpretation. Obviously, I take part in international conferences; it's no secret, nor is it illegal. Now, if you interpret it according to an ultra-ideological logic, it can become a crime. It's absurd.

El Pais: What effects may a program of this kind have on the population?
Jahanbaglu: I'd compare it with Mao's Cultural Revolution in China. The long term is the important thing. Over time one sees very clearly who the victim of the process is and who isn't, where the truth and the propaganda lie.

El Pais: Are you surprised that a program like this should be broadcast and that you should appear in it?
Jahanbaglu: I imagine they took the pictures of one of the interrogations they once subjected me to. Yes, of course I'm surprised at appearing on a political "reality show" like this one. I just can't understand the need for it. Having contacts abroad or taking part in conferences is not treason. On the contrary, I'd see it as a show of patriotism, of contribution to the country. I've never been a politician! What's more, I still want to live and teach in Iran. I believe I can be more useful to my country that way.

El Pais: Are you afraid?
Jahanbaglu: I'm scared. Showing confessions on television really is a victory for the politics of the absurd.

El Pais: Do you fear returning to prison?
Jahanbaglu: Obviously I don't want to go back to jail, but as I've said, the situation frightens me. I don't want to repeat my experience. These kinds of programs create an atmosphere of fear that is useful to nobody.

El Pais: What will happen with the [Iranian-]Americans who are being held?
Jahanbaglu: I hope they'll be released soon and can go back to their families as soon as possible.

El Pais: North Korea has given up its nuclear plan. Are there any lessons for the case of Iran?
Jahanbaglu: The case of Iran is more complicated. It can't be tackled in isolation. It falls into a much broader whole, which includes internal and external matters, like Iraq, the Middle East et cetera.