THE EYERANIANS

URGENT ACTION APPEAL - From Amnesty International USA

Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 30 of May , 2008 at 5:39 pm

30 May 2008

UA 146/08             Imminent execution/legal concern

IRAN                   Mohammad Feda’i (m) aged 21, juvenile offender

Mohammad Feda’i is facing imminent execution for a murder committed
when he was 17 years old. He was convicted after an unfair trial. Iran
is a state party to international treaties including the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibit the execution
of those below the age of 18 at the time of the commission of the
offense. According to news reports, he is scheduled to be executed on
or around 11 June.

On 21 April 2004, Mohammad Feda’i attended a snooker club with his
friends in Robat Karim, a town near the city of Karaj, in Tehran
province, when one of his friends was involved in a fight with a group
of about 17 young men. According to his testimony, Mohammad Feda’i
tried to break up the fight, but a boy named Said started to hit him
with a piece of wood. Mohammad Feda’i, who was holding a knife handed
to him by one of his friends, then, according to his account, fell
over. As Said was about to hit him again, he fatally stabbed Said once
in self-defense. Said was transferred to hospital, where died three
hours later.

The case went before Branch 71 of the Tehran Criminal Court and
Mohammad Feda’i was sentenced to qesas (retribution) for the murder of
Said on 12 March 2005. Although the five sentencing judges in his case
found Mohammad Feda’i guilty, they also acknowledged in their written
verdict that the stabbing was an act of self-defense and that he had
not been adequately represented at his trial, as his first legal
representative was not an accredited lawyer, and two lawyers hired
later had only submitted one written defense statement to the court
during his trial. Nevertheless, the death sentence against Mohammad
Feda’i was upheld by Branch 27 of the Supreme Court, and has been
approved by the Head of the Judiciary.

Mohammad Feda’i had been due to be executed on 18 April 2007. However,
the execution was stayed on the basis of the inadequate legal
representation during his trial. A subsequent request to the Attorney
General for a retrial was rejected, and a new execution date was set.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As a state party to both the CRC and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Iran has undertaken not to execute
juvenile offenders: those convicted of crimes committed when they were
under the age of 18. However, since 1990 Iran has executed at least 28
juvenile offenders, six of them in 2007. At least 85 juvenile
offenders are now on death row in Iran. This number may be even higher
as at least a further 15 people are believed to have been sentenced to
death. For more information about executions of juvenile offenders in
Iran, please see: Iran: The last executioner of children (June 2007),
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130592007.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, and
supports the global trend away from the use of the death penalty,
powerfully expressed in the UN General Assembly’s resolution calling
for a worldwide moratorium on executions on 18 December 2007.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as
possible:
- calling on the authorities to commute the death sentence passed on
Mohammad Feda’i, who is at imminent risk of execution for a crime
committed when he was under the age of 18;
- noting that he had inadequate legal representation at his trial,
meaning that proceedings did not meet international fair trial
standards;
- urging the Iranian authorities to review Mohammad Feda’i’s case;
- reminding them that Iran is a state party to both the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibits the use of the death
penalty against those under the age of 18 at the time of offense, and
that the execution of Mohammad Feda’i would therefore be a violation
of international law.

APPEALS TO:

Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email:             info@leader.ir
Salutation:      Your Excellency

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh /Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email:             info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line
write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation:     Your Excellency

COPIES TO:

President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email:             dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir OR via website:
www.president.ir/email

Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead,
please send copies to:

Iranian Interests Section
Embassy of Pakistan
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone:            1 202 965 4990
Fax:                1 202 965 1073
Email:             requests@daftar.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

——————————

—-
Tip of the Month:
Use shortcuts: Do whatever is necessary to make your letter writing as
quick and easy as possible. This way, letters will not be put off and
they can be sent out sooner. Start by making a generic file for each
type of concern; paragraphs on torture, the death penalty,
disappearances, denial of medical care and so on, can be copied into
your working file and edited as needed.

** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.27 - Postcards
$0.42 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico and Canada:
$0.72 - Postcards
$0.72 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.94 - Postcards
$0.94 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)

Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes
and defends human rights.

This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact
information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your
help with this appeal.

Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566

———————————-
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
———————————-

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Category: Human Rights, Politics

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Michael Moore willing to attend Documentary Film Festival in Iran

Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 30 of May , 2008 at 12:49 pm

Tehran, May 25, IRNA - American filmmaker and author, Michael Moore held talks with the representative of Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Cinema Development Center at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival in southern France on Sunday.

In the meeting, Moore voiced his willingness to take part in the Second Iran International Documentary Film Festival slated for October 14-19 in Tehran.

Moore, a vocal critic who denounced Bush and the war in Iraq, further expressed regret for not participating in Iran’s first documentary film festival.

Documentary & Experimental Film Center (DEFC)

The festival tries to express the relationship between reality and truth through documentary films.

The following sections are part of the 2nd edition of the festival:

International Competition
National Competition
Market
Production Fund
Retrospective
Tribute
Special Screenings

Deadline of submission: July 15th, 2008. Submission forms are available on irandocfest.ir

Comments (1)

Category: Politics, Iranian Americans, pop culture

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No One Left to Lie to: The Triangulations of Barack Obama

Writing by Andrew on Wednesday, 28 of May , 2008 at 10:42 am

As Christopher Hitchens wrote this week, “It’s somehow absurd and trivial to use the word Israel and the expression 60th birthday in the same sentence or the same breath. (What is this, some candle-bedecked ceremony in Miami?).” Nevertheless, behold the message on Obama’s web site:

http://www.barackobama.com/2008/05/09/at_60_israel_has_much_to_celeb_1.php

It’d be generous to say that Obama’s record on the Mid East has been contradictory. In 2007 he declared that “no one suffers more than the Palestinians.” Then, facing pressure from pro Israel supporters, he completely reversed this statement. Indeed, as a state senator, Obama was initially considered pro Palestinian - but then decided to change his position as his career advanced. Such distinguished political courage is rare in our times.

Just last year Obama said that he would unconditionally meet with the leaders of Iran, Cuba and Venezuela – countries that the US government has accused of everything from communism to terrorism – in the first year of his presidency. But to Obama, the elected leaders of the Palestinian authority are an entirely different story – Barack says he doesn’t want America or Israel to negotiate with these “terrorists.” A recent Israeli poll showed that 64% are in favor of diplomatic talks with the Palestinian leadership. In other words, Obama rejects the views of the Israeli public, rejects peace talks, and instead chooses to “appease” the right wing, which has accused him of being soft on terrorism.

Obama has highlighted his hypocrisy by saying that his commitment to diplomacy was misunderstood and that he will not, as pledged, engage in unconditional diplomacy with the leaders of Iran and Cuba. Just last week, Obama echoed Bush and called Iran a “threat” that must be confronted. And just this week he traveled to Miami and addressed a crowd of Cuban Americans, telling them that he won’t negotiate with the new leader of Cuba unless the Cuban leadership agrees to allow Cuban exiles to sit in during the meetings. Being at least somewhat intelligent, Obama must certainly know that Raoul Castro would never agree to such an unacceptable precondition. So, in other words, Obama has no plans of ever negotiating with Cuba - at all. Amazing, isn’t it?

Obama’s record of flip flopping on important political issues is quite disturbing. A creature of political expediency, Obama’s compromises and backtracks on his positions whenever he is criticized (Take Reverend Wright, for example). This is quite typical of the Democrats. After all, it was Clinton-Gore who expanded the War on Drugs, cut government spending, ended welfare assistance for the poor, and bombed Iraq for eight years straight. Obama’s behavior is unsurprising. Hope. Change. And, of course……

Honesty

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R.I.P. Utah Phillips

Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 27 of May , 2008 at 10:59 am

One of the great hobos, labor organizers, union men and singer/writer/mentors Utah Phillips passed away on Friday night. He was 73 years old and I suspect any reader of Songs:Illinois will be well aware of the work of Utah. Newer fans may have heard of him first though his work with Ani DiFranco. In fact it’s this association that has always kept Ani in my good graces despite her uneven output. If you’ve never heard of him, think of him as an older, saltier, American version of Billy Bragg.

He was loved by the hundreds of performers he encountered, tutored, befriended and mentored. He’ll be sorely missed. And impossible to replace.

Source. / Songs:Illinois.net. Go there for links to “Talkin’ NPR Blues,” “Moose Turd Pie,” “Railroading On The Great Divide,” and “Stupid’s Pledge.”

Thanks to Carlos Lowry / The Rag Blog

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Category: Politics

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Khamenei is buying My Life By Bill Clinton

Writing by Rezareza on Thursday, 15 of May , 2008 at 8:16 pm

Comments (1)

Category: funny, Politics

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Only in Iran

Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 13 of May , 2008 at 9:28 pm

The conference of Quran and Health

 

Iranian media just doesn’t ask this girl about her views, but they also provide the response.

 

===> Islamic Republic St. ===>
<=== Freedom St. <===

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Category: funny

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Peugeot Company History

Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 13 of May , 2008 at 6:19 pm

Company history Although the Peugeot factory had been in the manufacturing business for some time, their entry into the world of wheeled vehicles was by means of the bicycle. Armand Peugeot (educated at the Ecole Centrale Paris) introduced the Peugeot “Le Grand Bi” penny-farthing in 1882 and a range of bicycles. Peugeot bicycles have been built until very recently, although the car company and bike company parted ways in 1926. Armand Peugeot became very interested in the automobile early on, and after meeting with Gottlieb Daimler and others was convinced of its viability. The first Peugeot automobile (a three-wheeled steam-powered car) was produced in 1889, in collaboration with Léon Serpollet. Steam power was heavy and bulky and required lengthy preparation before running, so it was soon abandoned in favor of the petrol-fueled internal combustion engine.         1890 saw the first such vehicle, powered by a Daimler engine and with four wheels. Further cars followed, twenty-nine being built in 1892. Peugeot became the first manufacturer to fit rubber tires to a petrol-powered car that year (solid tires; pneumatic would follow in 1895). The vehicles were still very much horseless carriages in appearance and were steered by tiller. 1896 saw the first Peugeot engines; no longer were they reliant on Daimler. Further improvements followed; the engine was soon under a hood (bonnet) at the front of the car, instead of hidden underneath, the steering wheel was adopted, and they began to look more like the modern car. Peugeot added a motorcycle to its range in 1903, and motorcycles have been built under the Peugeot name ever since. In 1913 a Peugeot driven by Jules Goux won the Indianapolis 500. This car was powered by a Straight-4 engine designed by Ernest Henry, which had been successful in Grand Prix racing. The design was very influential for racing engines as it featured for the first time DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder providing for high engine speeds, a radical departure from previous racing engines which relied on huge displacement for power. When one of the Peugeot racers remained in the United States during World War I and parts could not be acquired from France for the 1914 season, owner Bob Burma had it serviced in the shop of Harry Arminius Miller, by a young mechanic named Fred Offenhauser. Their familiarity with the Peugeot engine was the basis of the famed Miller racing engine, which later developed into the Offenhauser, or “Offy” racing engine . By that year, Peugeot produced half of the cars built in France. 1916 and 1919 saw repeat wins at Indianapolis. During the 1914-1918 years Peugeot turned largely to arms production, becoming a major manufacturer of arms and military vehicles, from bicycles to tanks and shells. Postwar, car production resumed in earnest; the car was becoming no longer just a plaything for the rich but accessible to many. 1926, however, saw the cycle (pedal and motor) business separate to form Cycles Peugeot — the consistently profitable cycle division seeking to free itself from the rather more boom-and-bust auto business. 1929 saw the introduction of the Peugeot 201, the first car to be numbered in what became the Peugeot way — three digits with a central zero, a registered Peugeot trademark. It was also the first mass-produced car with independent front suspension. Soon after, the Depression hit; Peugeot sales decreased, but the company survived. In 1933, attempting a revival of fortune, the company unveiled a new, aerodynamically styled range. In the following year, a car with a folding, retractable hardtop was introduced, an idea re-iterated by the Ford Skyliner in the 1950s and, revived by the Mercedes SLK in the mid-1990’s. More recently, other manufacturers have taken to the idea of a retractable hard-top including Peugeot itself with the 307CC. Three interesting models of the thirties were the 202, 302 and 402. These cars had curvaceous bodies, with headlights behind sloping grille bars. The 402 entered production in 1935 and was produced until the end of 1941, despite France’s being occupied by the Nazis. The 302 ran from 1936-1938. The 202 was built in series from 1938-1942, and about 20 more examples were built from existing stocks of supplies in February 1945. Regular production began again in mid-1946, and lasted into 1949.       In 1948 the company restarted in the car business, with the Peugeot 203. More models followed, many elegantly styled by the Italian design firm of Pininfarina. The company began selling cars in the United States in 1958. Like many European manufacturers, collaboration with other firms increased; Peugeot worked with Renault from 1966 and Volvo Cars from 1972.   In 1974 Peugeot bought a 30% share of Citroën, and took it over completely in 1975 after the French government gave large sums of money to the new company. Citroën was in financial trouble because it developed too many radical new models for the financial resources it had available. Some of these projects, notably the Citroën SM and the Comotor rotary engine venture proved unprofitable. Others, like the Citroën CX and Citroën GS were recent designs that proved very successful in the marketplace. The joint parent company became the PSA (Peugeot Société Anonyme) group, aiming to keep separate identities for both Peugeot and Citroën brands, but sharing engineering and technical resources. Peugeot thus briefly controlled the valuable racing brand name Maserati, but disposed of it in May 1975 out of short term financial concerns. Both Citroën enthusiasts and automotive journalists point out that the company’s legendary innovation and flair took a marked downturn with the acquisition. The Citroën brand has continued to be successful in terms of sales, and now achieves over 1 million units annually. The group then took over the European division of Chrysler (which were formerly Rootes and Simca), in 1978 as the American auto manufacturer struggled to survive. Unlike Citroën, Chrysler Europe had no current designs and the factories acquired were worn-out. Further investments were required because PSA decided to create a new brand for the entity, based of the Talbot sports car last seen in the 1950’s. From then on, the whole Chrysler/Simca range was sold under the Talbot badge until production of Talbot branded passenger cars was shelved in 1986. The flagship of this short-lived brand was the Tagora, a direct competitor for PSA’s 604 and CX models. This was a large, angular saloon based on Peugeot 505 mechanicals. The resulting investments caused serious financial problems for the entire PSA group - PSA lost money from 1980 to 1985. The Peugeot takeover of Chrysler Europe had seen the aging Chrysler Sunbeam, Horizon, Avenger and Alpine ranges rebadged as Talbots. There were also new Talbots in the early 1980’s - the Solara (a saloon version of the Alpine hatchback), the Samba (a small hatchback to replace the Sunbeam).   In 1986, the company stopped the Talbot brand for passenger cars when it ceased production of the Simca-based Horizon/Alpine/Solara models. What was to be called the Talbot Arizona became the 309, with the former Rootes and Simca assembly plants in Ryton and Poissy respectively being turned over for Peugeot assembly. The former was significant, as it signalled the very first time Peugeots would be built in Britain. The Talbot name survived for a little longer on commercial vehicles until 1992 before being shelved completely. As experienced by other European volume car makers, US sales faltered and finally became uneconomic, as the Peugeot 505 design aged. The newly introduced Peugeot 405 proved uncompetitive with models from Japan, and sold less than 1,000 units. Total sales fell to 4,261 units in 1990 and 2,240 through July, 1991. This caused the company to cease U.S. operations after 33 years. Beginning in the late 1990s, with the presidency of Jean-Martin Folz at PSA, the Peugeot-Citroën combination seems to have found a better balance. Savings in costs are no longer made to the detriment of style. On April 18, 2006, PSA Peugeot Citroën announced the closure of the Ryton manufacturing facility in England. This announcement will result in the loss of 2,300 jobs as well as about 5,000 jobs in the supply chain   Motorsports The company has had much success in international rallying, notably with the durable Peugeot 504, highly developed four-wheel-drive turbo-charged versions of the Peugeot 205, and more recently the Peugeot 206. The 206 rally car had a dramatic impact on the world rally championship, beating the Subaru Impreza, Ford Focus and Mitsubishi Lancer, cars which had always traditionally dominated the sport. The 206 was retired practically unbeaten after several successful years, and replaced with the comparatively disappointing Peugeot 307cc. Throughout the mid-1990s, the Peugeot 406 saloon (called a sedan in some countries) contested touring car championships across the world, enjoying dominant success in France, Germany and Australia, yet failing to win a single race in the highly-regarded British touring car championship despite a number of excellent podium finishes under the command of touring car legend Tim Harvey. The British cars were prepared by Prodrive in 1996 where the cars sported red livery, and MSD in 1997-1998 where they wore a distinctive green and gold flame design. Initially the 406’s lack of success was blamed on suspension problems, but it is now clear that the team was underfunded and the engine lacked power on tracks which required straight-line acceleration. In 2001, Peugeot entered three 406 coupes into the British touring car championship to compete with the dominant Vauxhall Astra coupes. Unfortunately the 406 coupe was at the end of its product life-cycle and did not prove competitive, despite some returns to form towards the end of the year, notably when Peugeot’s Steve Soper led a race only to suffer engine failure in the last few laps. The 406 coupes were retired at the end of the year and replaced with the Peugeot 307 - again, uncompetitively - in 2002. Until its withdrawal at the end of 2005, Peugeot entered the Peugeot 307cc in the World Rally Championship. Peugeot won the grueling Paris Dakar Rally each year from 1987 to 1990. In the 1990s the company raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours race, winning in 1992 and 1993 with the 905. It will come back in 2007, with the 908 powered by a diesel engine. Peugeot have some involvement with the Courage C60 Le Mans racing team. The company has also been involved in providing engines to Formula One teams, notably McLaren in 1994, Jordan for the 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons, and Prost for the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons   www.khodroiran.com

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Category: technology, History

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اول ماه مه روز جهانی کارگر گرامی باد

Writing by Rezareza on Friday, 2 of May , 2008 at 8:00 pm

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Category: Human Rights, Politics

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