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January 14, 2014
January 14, 2014
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#Iran — Where’s My Gold?

Arseh Sevom – Anyone who has every read Joseph Heller’s classic novel depicting the insanity of war and military life, Catch 22, won’t be surprised by speculations of unscrupulous profiteering in the name of country and honor. Iran’s Babak Zanjani -- deal-maker extraordinaire – seems to have walked right off the pages of Heller’s book. He’s a billionaire many times over thanks to international sanctions against Iran and his clever manipulation of his position as the Islamic Republic’s bagman. Recently he began a new stint as a prisoner in Iran’s Evin Prison.
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January 2, 2014
January 2, 2014
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2013 Year in Review — #Iran and Its Civil Society

They say that an optimist is someone who knows that one step forward and two steps back is a dance, not a defeat. In 2013, those acting for a vibrant civil society in Iran wore out their dancing shoes. This post presents a brief and incomplete overview of the last year of posts from Arseh Sevom.
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December 26, 2013
December 26, 2013
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#Iran: I’m Dreaming of Citizens’ Rights

Arseh Sevom—In this season of celebrations, we begin by wishing all our readers happy holidays. A Citizenship Rights Charter has been presented to the people of Iran. The charter, like the constitution of Iran, guarantees nothing in the end. It’s as substantial as a dream. Meanwhile, the interim nuclear deal seems to be doing little to change the economic reality for Iran’s population. An EU Delegation visited Iran for the first time in six years. Their meetings with Sakharov Prize Honorees Nasrin Sotouden and Jafar Panahi has led to protests from hardline factions.
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November 29, 2013
November 29, 2013
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#Iran — Time for Attention to Human Rights

Arseh Sevom--Trust, but verify: that is the message of the recent nuclear agreement with Iran. The completed agreement sent hopes of better times soaring in Iran where a whole generation has felt itself sacrificed to hardline policies and the results of sanctions. If trust can be built in the wake of these negotiations, there is an opportunity for the international community to engage Iran on its human rights record. That is the next step.
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November 19, 2013
November 19, 2013
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#Iran — Can Activists Return Safely?

Arseh Sevom – It’s been more than 100 days since Hassan Rouhani took office. Despite slow progress on human rights, many exiled activists are planning to return. Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear negotiations are about to restart, and Iran’s top negotiator is working to get his country’s message out via social media. Over 25 NGOs and civil rights organizations wrote a letter asking UN representatives to vote to hold Iran accountable for continuing human rights violations. The message: human rights are not negotiable.
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November 18, 2013
Logos of letter signers
November 18, 2013
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Deepening Human Rights Crisis in Iran

The new administration of President Hassan Rouhani has pledged to tackle a range of human rights issues in Iran, by eliminating discrimination against women and ethnic and religious minorities, and ensuring respect for the right to freedom of expression, among other measures. Despite these welcome signals, human rights abuses are deeply rooted in Iran’s laws and policies, many of which pose a serious barrier to the executive branch’s ability to push through much needed rights reforms.
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November 11, 2013
November 11, 2013
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#Iran — Are We Wrong to Hope?

Arseh Sevom -- Can you excuse us for hoping for change even though we know that political prisoners and prisoners of conscience face malicious neglect and execution to this day? Like many in Iran, we were hoping for a quick positive outcome to the nuclear negotiations. Like others, we are enjoying the fashion spread in Fashionable, Sexy, Haute and Naughty Magazine. We enjoy hearing more of Iran's political figures call for the filtering of social networking to end and look forward to the day that the most interesting news out of Iran is what a friend ate for lunch.
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November 7, 2013
November 7, 2013
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Azerbaijan: Re-establishing Civil Society

Arseh Sevom--In part two of Arturo Desimone's interview with the civil society activist "O" in Azerbaijan, we read about the struggles to create capacity for critically analyzing the actions taken by the government. Education, O, argues is something that cannot be left to the government. "I think we have to start now with realism," O states, "actually depicting the sufferings as they are, in their immense intensity and contrast, in all their extreme dimensions."
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