Civil Society Watch

August 29, 2011
August 29, 2011
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Karroubi in Danger and Other Stories

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is reporting that opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi has been isolated from family and friends for more than a month now and is being forced to make a false confession.The depletion of Lake Orumieh in Western Iran is causing protest throughout the country. Radio Free Europe reports that over 30 activists have been arrested in Iran.It has been announced that 100 political prisoners will be released in Iran.Vali Nasr warns of the possibility of sectarian violence in his opinion piece If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly.Read more...
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August 19, 2011
August 19, 2011
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Ali Motahari on Freedom of Assembly, Water Fights in Iran, and More…

Iran's parliament member Ali Motahari speaks about the freedom of assembly in an interview with Fars News, translated by TehranBureau. Political prisoners in Evin complain to the Prosecutor General about using their families as pawns. Playful water fights become a new battleground for hardline forces inside the regime, and Iran's image plummets in the Arab World.

Read more on all these stories here.
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August 2, 2011
August 2, 2011
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Online Social Capital?

This week's featured article from Arseh Sevom's Civil Society Zine is Christina Ashtary's piece examining the development of social capital in politically restrictive environments. Can trust be developed between individuals who meet online? By now, most of us know couples who wooed one another online long before they ever met. Why not activists?Ashtary argues that trust and social capital are being created even among those who know each other as bits and bytes, communicating solely (for a time, at least) in the virtual realm. She discusses how the control of public spaces by the regime in Iran has led to a transfer to the virtual sphere, Weblogistan: a digital Iran that transcends geographical borders and oppressive control.Read more...
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July 13, 2011
July 13, 2011
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Round-up of News and Opinion

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center presents a chart of executions in Iran since the 2010, most confirmed by official and semi-official sources.In the Washington Post, Thomas Erdbrink reports on the effects of sanctions after the Obama administration issued a statement tying one of Iran's largest ports to the Revolutionary Guards
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June 28, 2011
June 28, 2011
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Stop the Violence against Women in the Near East

"It is shocking to see the current examples of structural violence against women from our neighbors in the South and the Near East," stated Ursula Plassnik, Special Rapporteur for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Women's Concerns."The murder of women's rights activist Haleh Sahabi, virginity tests for demonstrators arrested in Egypt, and Qadaffi's suspected use of special forces sanctioned to use rape as a weapon must be a wake-up call for the international community to continue pushing for women's rights and human rights in the region," demands Plassnik. "The UN, the EU, and the Arab League must urgently speak out on this matter. The disregard for the most fundamental human and women's rights should not stain the 'Arab Spring'."
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June 1, 2011
June 1, 2011
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Mourning the Death of Ezatollah Sahabi and His Daughter

Women's rights campaigner Haleh Sahabi, died of a heart attack this morning after a scuffle with plainclothes forces during the funeral for her father. Sahabi had been released on furlough in order to attend the funeral. She had been imprisoned since 2009.May 31, 2011 marked the death at 81 of Ezatollah Sahabi, a scholar, democracy activist, and former parliamentarian. Sahabi spent time in prison for his ideas both under the Shah and under the Islamic Regime. He was leader of the opposition party, the Nationalist-Religious Coalition (www.mellimazhabi.org/). The party had its roots in the political ideals of Prime Minister Mossadeq who was ousted by a coup in 1953.
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May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011
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A ‘Halal’ Internet

The Wall Street Journal and other sources are reporting on the government of Iran's plans to create its own internet. The regime already controls the speed of its internet, keeping it artificially low. Since 2005, they have also been planning to create a closed internet, a la China and other repressive governments, with content controlled by various ministries and with separate e-commerce access.Current head of economic affairs in Iran, Ali Aghamohammadi says:“We can describe it as a genuinely ‘halal’ network aimed at Muslims on a ethical and moral level.”Read the full post.
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May 28, 2011
May 28, 2011
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Iranian Women’s Conference to be Held in the Netherlands

by Halleh GhorashiFor years, the Iranian women’s movement has been the subject of my research. During the 1979 revolution, Iranian women flocked to the streets to make their voices heard. It wasn’t too long after the success of the demonstrations that women were asked to go back to the house and play the role of the “good wife.” In spite of this, women in Iran used every possibility to make their demands heard and to create a place for themselves in society. In the 1980s, the ubiquitous oppression meant that their efforts were largely invisible. It wasn’t until the mid-90s that the significance of their efforts became clear: the tireless dedication of women had cleared a path for civil society and dissent.
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