A large group of Iranian bloggers have decided to show their solidarity with tens of Iranian students who are imprisoned by the administration. More information, in Persian, is given in this blog.
This is the statement issued by the organizers (revised by me for grammatical mistakes in the original text),
Solidarity of Bloggers with the Imprisoned Iranian Students
“There is no doubt winter will have an end
And, the post of spring will come to our land
With thousands of flowers in his hand
Certainty it will come,
That other should be passed”
The spring is coming while many Iranian students are still behind the bars. Here is the names of some of them,
- Arash Paknejad (m), Mozandaran University
- Saeid Habibi (m), as member of student’s human rights reporters
- Anoshe Azadbar (f), Tehran University
- Elinaz Jamshidi (f), Azad University of central Tehran student of communication
- Mehdi Gerilo (m), Tehran geophysics center
- Nader Ahseni (m), Mazandaran University
- Behroz karimizade (m), Tehran University
- Nasim Soltan-beigi (f), Alame Communication University
- Ali Sa`lem (m), Polytechnic University, student of Master degree in polymer
- Mohsen Qanim (m), Polytechnic University
- Rozbeh Saf-Shekan (m), Tehran University
- Yaser (Sadra) Pirhaiaty (m), Shahed University
- Saeid Aqam-Ali (m), Yazd University
- Ali Kolaee` (m), Azad University of Shahriar City
- Amir Mehrzad (m), (high School Student)
- Hadi Salary (m), Rajaey University
- Farshid Ahangaran(m), Rajaey University
- Amir Aqai (m), Rajaey University
- Milad Omrani (m), Rajaey University
- Keivan Amir Eliasy (m), Master of industrial engineer
- Soroush Hashem-poor (m), Ahvaz University
- Farshad Doosti-poor (m)
- Sohrab Karimi (m)
- Javad Alizade (m)
- Mohammad Salleh Auman (m)
- Mehdi al-lahyari (m), Sharif industrial University, student of master degree
- Rozbehan Amiri (m), Tehran University, Student of computer sciences
- Bahram Shojaee (m), Tehran-south Azad University, Student of Chemistry engineer
- Saied Aqakhani (m)
- Majid Ashraf Nejad (m)
- Peiman Piran (m), by other student report about him*
- Aabed Tavanche (m), Polytechnic University
- Soroosh Dastestany (m)
- Amin Qazaei (m)
- Bijan Sabaq (m), Mazandaran University
- Anahita hosini (f), Tehran University
- Morteza Khedmatlo (m)
- Mohamad Pour Abdol-lah (m), Tehran University
- Bita Samimi-zad (f), Polytechnic University
- Behzad Baqery (m), Mazandaran University
- Soroosh Sabet (m), Sharif University
- Morteza Eslahchi (m), Allame University
- Mostafa Shirvani (m)
In the past month and half, many students from different cities and universities have been arrested, on charges related to holding peaceful ceremonies for the celebration of the 7th of November, the National Day for Students. They have been behind the bars since. During these days, their families have not been able to visit them and only some of them have been given the chance to have short phone calls with the inmates. This has caused a lot of anxiety and tension for the families and has resulted in their many protests in order to pressure the government to release the students, to no avail.
We honor the freedom-loving students of Iran, some of whom are also bloggers, and thus on January 30th we rename our blogs to “Bloggers’ Solidarity with Imprisoned Iranian Students”.
We wish the release of our friends.
Update: International bloggers who joined in:
Arash jan,
I’m all for solidarity with those who are wrongly imprisoned but I wonder…does solidarity from behind the comfort of a computer screen produce any tangible result? The blogosphere has its awareness raised. It is an echo-chamber for awareness adicts. Those who are educated and tuned-in in Iran, those who live outside of Iran, have made up their mind about the policies of the Islamic Republic. To what end though? Where is the glasnost and perestroika?
Forget the cry for the recognition of human rights within Iran. Where is the call for equality under the law in the Islamic Republic? The courts are neither Islamic nor representative of the will of the people at large.
Rather than reject the system as it is, where are those who live in the system who would change the system from within?
Comment by Matthew — January 22, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
Mattew, I think was saw an attempted Iranian perestroika when Khatami was president. Today, we live in the reality of the backlash against it.
As for solidarity… Solidarity from behind a computer screen can at least help people feel that they’re not alone. It’s little help in practical terms, but it’s something nontheless.
Comment by Roman Kalik — January 22, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
Mathew
Glaznost and perestroika were results of decisions made by USSR politbiuro, and as a result CCCP broke down. The decisions to change the economy and the soviet policy were not made by people of Russia. People in Russia were against the system but similarly to people of Iran they accommodated system and got used to the system.
You are saying that those who are educated or those who live outside of Iran have made up their mind about the policies of the Islamic Republic, but did they, really? Many of these people support foreign policy of IRI, they only want to change (some) of its economic policies.
Courts of IRI are not Islamic? Courts in Iran are by and large based on sharia. It is true that some of the laws resemble “socialist” laws, but the similarities to these laws are rather superficial.
How can you change the system from within when the head of IRI is also an ayatollah? True, there are other ayatollahs, but I am not sure that the majority of clergy in Iran will go against the Khamenei. I am not sure how religious you are, but even the people who are not really religious will think twice to go against the their clergy. It is much more difficult to change the policies, law and the system from within when the supporters of the system are also the representatives of the religion.
I am also doubtfull that majority of Iranians want a major changes, they prefer stability of the present system to the unknown. As for the changes from above, the rulers of Iran can only look at Russia, at perestroika, to see the results for themselves. And why should they change anything………..it works, the Middle Eastern countries are trying now (according to Abu Advark) to accomodate IRI and IRI is more popular among people of the Middle East than it was couple of years before.
Finally, USSR got broken after more then 50 years, IRI is much younger.
Comment by ella — January 22, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
@Kamangir
Can you provide me more info on this, I would like to read up/comment on it. Having never seen this story before I’m bothered by what I see so far…
Thanks,
Will
http://www.liberatenow.net
Comment by Will Winters — January 22, 2008 @ 5:38 pm
Iran: Blogger für inhaftierte Studenten…
© Farhang Jalali
Aus Solidarität mit iranischen Studenten, die wegen ihrer Teilnahme an Feierlichkeiten zum Nationalen Studententag am 7. November 2007 inhaftiert worden sein sollen, haben einige (mir) namentlich unbekannte Blogger aus dem p…
Trackback by h4Rk — January 22, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
January 30, 2008, count on my help, bringing this injustice to light, on my little bloggie.
The word “injustice” is a too- innocent, benign word, in describing what attrocities occur to students arrested for daring to speak their minds, within Iran.
To Matthew’s question, about whether or not ‘… solidarity from behind the comfort of a computer screen produce(s) any tangible result?’ – It is both the expectation of results, as well as the knowledge that our combined outrage is expanding around the world, and that the expanding awareness will have a positive affect on the Islamic theocracy in Tehran.
I do not expect immediate or dramatic change within Iran… but it is another step toward restoring freedoms there.
Comment by localmalcontent — January 24, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
This campaign has been highlighted by one of Germany’s most-read underground news sites, gulli.com:
http://www.gulli.com/news/blogaktion-f-r-inhaftierte-2008-01-22/
Hope this helps spreading the word.
Comment by Simon Columbus — January 25, 2008 @ 11:18 am
I count 43 people on this list of people in prison. Let’s assume that each of these people has 5 friends and 5 able-bodied family members. And let’s assume that for each person in prison, 5 bloggers stand (more like sit) in solidarity with their plight. That totals 645 people. 645 people is a small army. 645 people is a movement. Get out of the chairs, organize, and go demonstrate. If the government arrests all 645 of these people, I’m sure there’s 15 more people that know each of them or who care about them and who might be able to demonstrate. That makes 9655 people. That really is an army. Even if it’s a peaceful army with no weapons, that’s a physical presence that can be felt. Talking on the internet doesn’t do anything.
Comment by Matthew — January 28, 2008 @ 10:40 am