I'm Jadi. A 27 years old from Tehran / Iran. I blogged for years at my farsi weblog (www.jadi.net) but these days I'm FILTERED in my own country so I have to write here in english. It's shame but it is the situation !
I am keeping an eye on freedom of expression, censorship, internet filtering and ...
Email: jadijadi at gmail
Note: english IS NOT my native language. I'm not good at it. But I think writing in poor english is much more BETTER THAN not writing at all. But I'll be glad reciveing friendly editorial, spelling, grammer, ... comments and I'll fix and learn.
Bush, Chirac and Ahmadinejad die and arrive in hell.
The devil sees their faces and asks: 'why are you so depressed?'
Bush says 'I left USA so fast, I did not have time to kiss my family and say good bye, I wish I could call the States'. The devil gives him a phone, Bush calls home, talks with his family, gives a couple of instructions to Condie Rice... When he's finished, the devil asks for 2 million USD, Bush says: 'What? 2 million bucks? I only spoke for 10 minutes that's insane'. The devil answers 'but you are in hell man, that's some distance call!'
Chirac then tells the devil: if Bush could call the USA, I want to call France ! and so he did. when he is finished, devil asks for 3 million Euros. Chirac is shocked: 'what? 3 million Euros for 15 minutes talk?', 'well you call from hell...' answers the devil.
Finally Ahmadinejad asks for the telephone to call Iran , he starts to speak and speak and speak for 5 hours. When he is finished, he asks: 'how much do I pay?' Devil says '5 Touman'. 'Only five Touman for 5 hours?' protest Bush and Chirac.
'Well'... says the Devil, 'that's local call...
hehe :) not that far from the truth :D although USA is not that far from the hell too but these are two totally different hells.
Khadije Moghaddam was arrested yesterday. I'm copy/pasting the email I've got
Change for Equality: On the morning of April 8th, security police forcibly entered the home of Khadijeh Moghaddam, women's rights activist and member of the One Million Signatures Campaign and arrested her. Khadijeh Moghaddam who is a member of the Mother's Committee of the Campaign was transferred to Eshrat Abad Security Police, where she was interrogated for several hours, and then transferred to the Revolutionary Courts, where she was interrogated by the Mr. Sobhani the Investigative Judge in charge of her case and charged. A temporary arrest order was issued and a bail amount of 100 Million Tomans (roughly $110,000) was set as a condition for her release. Moghaddam was then transferred to Vozara Detention Center.
Khadijeh Moghaddam's friends and family members had an opportunity to visit with her while she awaited the processing of her arrest order. During this time, Khadijeh spoke of the poor treatment she received from the Security Police officers who had come to her home to arrest her. "They rang the bell to our apartment at 11:00 am. I was home alone and speaking on the phone with my sister. I was still wearing my pajamas. I looked through the peep hole and saw that there was a woman behind the door. I opened the door slightly. The woman announced that she was a police officer. I asked her for identification and a court order to enter my home. But instead of presenting identification, the woman and two men, pushed the door open and entered my home forcibly. They entered with such force that I was unable to resist. Apparently they had entered our building through the parking garage! My sister, who was still on the phone, had heard my exchange with the intruders, and she quickly came to our home. The Security Police treated me in a despicable manner and after 20 minutes of arguing with them and objecting to their treatment of me, they finally agreed to show me their court order. They told me that they had come to our house on 5 different occasions over the past month, but that I had not been home. They claimed this, despite the fact that I had been home for the past couple of months, because my husband has been ill and I have caring for him. I told them that until I have the chance to speak to the prosecutor I would not leave with them. I was yelling so that the neighbors could hear that they were taking me from my home by force. Finally they allowed me to make a call."
In relation to the reason for her arrest, Khadijeh Moghaddam explained that: "they were objecting to the fact that I had hosted meetings in my home, to which I replied that I have the right to hold meetings and parties and weddings and memorial services in my home, my private residence…the investigative judge at the Revolutionary Courts asked that I identify 7 or 8 members of the Campaign who had participated in the gatherings in my home. I refused to do so, and explained that I do not believe providing such information to be ethical. I also explained that we are not engaged in any sort of covert activity and that the security officials know the identities of Campaign members." Moghaddam explained further that the charges against her were: "spreading of propaganda against the state; disruption of public opinion; and actions against national security and that an order for bail amount of 100 Million Tomans was issued for my release (roughly $110,000). I explained that I am unable to provide such a heavy bail amount for my release, and the investigative judge told me that I will be transferred to prison for a week, after which I will provide the names of Campaign members and also the bail amount. When asked to provide my last defense, I explained that my way of life is my defense and also told the investigative judge that it is in fact the security authorities with their actions who are endangering national security."
I've got this by email today. I can not read the signature so I don't know the original artist but I've decided to share anyway.
Right now each USD is 9350 Iranian Rials. It used to be 70 IRRs (Iranisn Rials) before the 1977 revolution. This year the minimum monthly salary is around 2'300'000 IRRs.
You should be able to read the numbers, The first digit is 1 (۱) and those dot's are 0s ( ۰). In the middle it's written Many Thousand Rials.
As you may be aware, US intelligence agencies just concluded that Iran is still making enriched uranium, but that it does not have a specific nuclear weapons program right now. Ahmadinejad has called the report a "declaration of surrender" on behalf of the United States. What do ordinary Iranians such as yourself think of the report? How is it being talked about?
I can not tell about others but I will write my own opinions regarding this issue. I believe that the Islamic Regime (and nowadays Ahmadinejad) has a long plan to make nuclear weapons and use it for it's survival (kind of a new cold war). I do not call the US intelligence's report a "declaration of surrender" but a "we will be able to tolerate Iran for more years" and "Iran is not a emergency case".
Here in Iran, people are under the influence of the uni-voice mass Media. Telly tells them what to think and many of them do. I think you will be able to find millions and millions of Iranians who think that having access to the nuclear energy is our first priority and the west world is progressing based on nuclear energy. TV says that the nuclear energy is the cheapest and the cleanest form and energy and the US is trying it's best to prevent us from "inventing" it. On our side, we hear that US is preventing Iran from using nuclear energy.
i am writing because i wonder what you think of the film persepolis after the comics by madam satriapi?
in europe everyone is talking about it at the moment, but i read on one blog that the lady who made the books travels with an iranian diplomatic passport and therefore must be in cahoots with them... that she portrays things way to nicely...
But is Marjan Satrapi defending the Islamic Regime or hiding the truth? I don't think so because she talks about one of most kept secrets in Iran: Mass executions of 1988 (also check the RSFs report: Pour-Mohammadi and the 1988 Prison Massacres). This shows that she is not defending anyone or hiding anything. She is just telling her story which is sad but not a shocking, anti-regime one.
I watched this movie with 4 friend and all of us were telling "wow.. very realistic.", And it was. It showed many of our concerns during our childhood; the war, the anti-party police, the shortages on imported goods, the death of relatives in war or executions, etc. .
I liked the movie, it was not a detailed report about regime and problems and it did not tried to be one. It was great as a movie and we enjoyed it as a movie :) Oh! I have to add that our police never wear those hats. I think she was under influence of the French policemen, drawing those hats. And another point is our police is every sensetive about the Neck Tie. You can not wear one in front of the police (specially when they raid parties or stop&check people or cars at the street). We saw Marjan's father times and times with his tie in front of the police and they never told anything to him regarding this :)
Parvin is a great person. She is my close friend and she is one of the bravest people whom I know. She used to be active for around 15 years despite of her health problems (she has MS).
We are really glad that she've got this prize and to be honest, we believe her prize belongs to all of the active women and in general all of human rights activists in Iran.
We adoer Parvin's courage as much as we adore other human rights activists just as we adore people like "Rahele Askarzade" and "Nasim Khosravi" whom were arrested yesterday while they were talking with people in a park about unequal rights of the women.
You know, I'm not sure if we are able to do a change by all these efforts or not, but at least I'm sure that I will be proud of these activities in the future. Iranians might not be free of unequal rights, but at least will can say that "we did something" :)
Zanan monthly has been published for 16 years in women's field. The magazine has tried to make women aware and informed. Zanan was the most expanded and specialized magazine in women's field in Iran.
The news of canceling Zanan magazine's license has been published on Fars news agency and the head editor has not been informed formally by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
The news is short. "Zanan Magazine is closed". This magazine published for 16 years! Maybe a 16 years magazine should be considered a CHILD but we are in Iran; in a regime in which 12 newspapers was closed in one day and I think the average life of a magazine is no longer than the time required for getting the "publishing licence".
Zanan (means Women) used to be a "moderated" magazine. It never wrote anything extreme to prevent it's closing but now, after 16 years the only Persian Women's Magazine is closed.
This "punishment" is part of Islamic law but as I know they've never done it in recent years. These 5 people's crimes were blocking streets and shooting to police (no one died). The names (Rigi) implies they might be AbdulMalek Rigi's family members.
I agree that they might be a terrorist group or funded by US / al-Qaeda but this does not justifies AMPUTATE. Just like execution, this is inhuman and ... I'm shaking with horror.
OMG! I wanted to write about the SNOW. Tehran is in it's coldest days in 45 years (right now it is -4 centigrade, but it's going to reach -11 tomorrow). We had snow last night and.... amputate :(
Believe it or not, our police is going to have a "winter raid against the boots"! The moral police is going to have "operations" against boots over the trousers and using hats instead of scarfs
Radan (head of the police?) said that they will try to solve the problem in place but people with get arrested if they insist on their bad-hijab behaviour.
He told "People are happy about this operation and we will continue our way"
In Iran if shops will be closed if they let "bad hijab"s to enter their shops. But there is no law to describe bad hijabs. It's funny (and also sad) that wearing a boot is considered (in the eyes of the police) to be bad hijab!
Have a look at these photos and know our brave (women) polices.
Khadijeh Moghaddam's friends and family members had an opportunity to visit with her while she awaited the processing of her arrest order. During this time, Khadijeh spoke of the poor treatment she received from the Security Police officers who had come to her home to arrest her. "They rang the bell to our apartment at 11:00 am. I was home alone and speaking on the phone with my sister. I was still wearing my pajamas. I looked through the peep hole and saw that there was a woman behind the door. I opened the door slightly. The woman announced that she was a police officer. I asked her for identification and a court order to enter my home. But instead of presenting identification, the woman and two men, pushed the door open and entered my home forcibly. They entered with such force that I was unable to resist. Apparently they had entered our building through the parking garage! My sister, who was still on the phone, had heard my exchange with the intruders, and she quickly came to our home. The Security Police treated me in a despicable manner and after 20 minutes of arguing with them and objecting to their treatment of me, they finally agreed to show me their court order. They told me that they had come to our house on 5 different occasions over the past month, but that I had not been home. They claimed this, despite the fact that I had been home for the past couple of months, because my husband has been ill and I have caring for him. I told them that until I have the chance to speak to the prosecutor I would not leave with them. I was yelling so that the neighbors could hear that they were taking me from my home by force. Finally they allowed me to make a call."
People were speaking about it for a week but it announces just before the valentine day: 
