By Irwin Cotler
\nCanadian Jewish News
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On June 22, 2010, in commemoration of the anniversary of the fraudulent June 12, 2009 elections, United Against Nuclear Iran joined the \u201cResponsibility to Prevent\u201d\u009d Coalition, and signed the international petition entitled The Danger of a Nuclear, Genocidal and Rights-Violating Iran: The Responsibility to Prevent Petition.<\/strong> The petition is endorsed by international law scholars, human rights defenders, experts in genocide, and a distinguished group of Iranian scholars, and the objective of the coalition and the petition is to hold Ahmadinejad`s Iran to account for its brutal and illegal actions. Iran o 72+ Protestors Killed (AFP, \u201cIran opposition says 72 killed in vote protests\u201d\u009d) o 2nd in the world<\/strong> in number of annual executions (Amnesty International, \u201cThe Death Penalty in 2009\u201d\u009d) \u201d\u00a2 In an effort to crack down on protestors following the June 12 elections, government forces raid dormitories of universities across Iran. \u201cUnrest in Iran spreads to provinces as students clash with security forces.\u201d\u009d 06\/16\/2009<\/p>\n\n \u201cDeath Toll Apparently Far Exceeds Government Claims,\u201d\u009d 07\/15\/2009<\/p>\n\n \u201d\u00a2 Three American hikers are detained and charged with espionage after accidentally crossing into Iran from Iraq. The Iranian government attempts to leverage the hikers in an exchange for Iranian arms dealers held in the United States, recalling memories of the Iranian Hostage Crisis during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. \u201cU.S. Detainees Reunited With Their Mothers in Tehran,\u201d\u009d 05\/20\/2010<\/p>\n\n \u201d\u00a2 The Iranian government brings protestors, journalists, and other supporters of the opposition to court in what are widely ridiculed as show-trials using forced confessions. \u201cIran resumes mass trial of reformists,\u201d\u009d 08\/25\/2009<\/p>\n\n \u201d\u00a2 Reformist leader Mehdi Karroubi writes a public letter to former President Ayatollah Rafsanjani, alleging that detained protestors were subjected to widespread torture and sexual abuse. A parliamentary committee is set up to investigate these charges, and officially rules that the charges were baseless. \u201cIran – Election Contested, \u201d\u00a2 Iranian security forces confiscate the passports of three prominent journalists: Badrolsadat Mofidi, Farzaneh Roostai, and Zahra Ebrahimi. \u201cIran – Events of 2009,\u201d\u009d 2010<\/p>\n\n \u201d\u00a2 Iran sentences 20-year-old student protestor Mohammad Amin Valian to death for \u201cenmity against God.\u201d\u009d He is denied legal counsel, family visitation, and the right to appeal his case. \u201cRemembering Iran’s Rights Abuses,\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n\n \u201d\u00a2 The funeral of the reformist Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri becomes a catalyst for massive new protests. Cleric’s Funeral Becomes Protest of Iran Leaders,\u201d\u009d 12\/21\/2009 \u201d\u00a2 Government security forces crackdown on protests occurring on the Ashura religious holiday. \u201cHardliners seize Mousavi corpse as Iran regime hits back,\u201d\u009d 12\/29\/2009<\/p>\n\n \u201d\u00a2 Government forces issue a crackdown on protests marking the 31st anniversary of the foundation of the Islamic Republic. \u201cIran marks revolution with protest crackdown,\u201d\u009d 02\/11\/2010<\/p>\n\n \u201d\u00a2 Five political prisoners are executed in Iran`s infamous Evin Prison. One of those executed, teacher and social worker Farzad Kamangar, is found guilty of \u201cenmity against God\u201d\u009d (moharabeh) during a seven minute-long trial. Moharabeh has become a catch-all charge to justify the execution of political prisoners. \u201cPolitical Executions Indication of Government’s Insecurity,\u201d\u009d 05\/09\/2010. \u201cJustice, Iranian Style,\u201d\u009d 05\/10\/2010 The petition is endorsed by international law scholars, human rights defenders, experts in genocide, and a distinguished group of Iranian scholars, and the objective of the coalition and the petition is to hold Ahmadinejad`s Iran to account for its brutal and illegal actions.
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<\/p>\n\nTimeline of Human Rights Abuses in Iran – One Year After the June 12, 2009 Elections<\/h1>\n\n
s June 12, 2009 elections, which gave incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory amid allegations of fraud, were met with the most widespread displays of public discontent seen in Iran since the 1979 Revolution. The protest movement has been violently repressed by the Iranian regime, which has become an enthusiastic violator of its citizen<\/code>s human rights. Press censorship and legal injustice have never been worse in the 31-year history of the Islamic Republic, and the one-year anniversary of the disputed elections offers a welcome opportunity to reflect on the regime`s recent pattern of abuses.
<\/p>\n\nElection Aftermath – By The Numbers<\/h1>\n\n
\no 4,000+ Protestors Detained (Human Rights Watch, \u201cThe Islamic Republic at 31\u201d\u009d)
\no 100+ Journalists Detained (Human Rights Watch, \u201cThe Islamic Republic at 31\u201d\u009d)
\no 23 Newspapers Closed (Reporters Without Borders \u201cUsing skillfully devised strategy, regime’s repressive policies succeed\u201d\u009d)
\no 346 Executions in the Past Year (Amnesty International, \u201cHuman Rights in Iran\u201d\u009d)
\no 133 Juveniles on Death Row (Amnesty International, \u201cHuman Rights in Iran)
\no 9 Protestors Facing Execution (Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, \u201cPolitical Executions Indication of Government’s Insecurity\u201d\u009d)
\no 500+ Political Prisoners (Human Rights Watch, \u201cThe Islamic Republic at 31)
\no 11+ Months in Which The American Hikers Have Been Held Captive (Source: Bloomberg\/Business Week,<\/em> \u201cU.S. Detainees Reunited With Their Mothers in Tehran\u201d\u009d)
<\/p>\n\nNotable Rankings<\/h1>\n\n
\no 1 jailer<\/strong> of journalists worldwide (Committee to Protect Journalists, \u201cIran remains world’s worst jailer of journalists\u201d\u009d)
\no Designated \u201cNot Free\u201d\u009d<\/strong> by Freedom House (\u201cMap of Freedom in the World\u201d\u009d)
\no Ranked 172 out of 175<\/strong> countries for press freedom (Reporters Without Borders, \u201cIran\u201d\u009d)
\no Tier 3 of 3<\/strong> (worst rating) on State Department`s human trafficking report (\u201cTrafficking in Persons Report, 2009\u201d\u009d)
\no Ranked 168 of 179<\/strong> countries for economic freedom (Heritage Foundation, \u201c2010 Index of Economic Freedom\u201d\u009d)
\no One of 13 countries<\/strong> cited as a \u201cCountry of Particular Concern\u201d\u009d by the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom (\u201cCountries of Particular Concern\u201d\u009d)<\/p>\n\nJune 14, 2009<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 100 students are arrested and at least one is killed.
\n\u201d\u00a2 At least 34 demonstrators are killed by government forces over the following month.<\/p>\n\nSource: The Guardian<\/h1>\n\n
Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran<\/h1>\n\n
July 31, 2009<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 In May 2010, the hikers` parents are allowed to travel to Iran to meet their children for the first time.<\/p>\n\nSource: Bloomberg\/Business Week<\/h1>\n\n
August 2009<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 Nearly 100 protestors are tried.<\/p>\n\nSource: CNN<\/h1>\n\n
August 10-26, 2009<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 An anonymous member of the committee later leaks that proof was found of rape with batons and bottles.<\/p>\n\nSource: Amnesty International<\/h1>\n\n
Repression Compounded,\u201d\u009d 12\/2009<\/p>\n\nOctober 2009<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 Iran has detained more than 100 journalists and bloggers in the aftermath of the election protests.<\/p>\n\nSource: Human Rights Watch<\/h1>\n\n
December 2009<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 There are currently eight other election protestors awaiting execution. Iran executes more people than any country in the world except China.<\/p>\n\nSource: Human Rights Watch<\/h1>\n\n
December 21, 2009**
<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 Government forces attack opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi`s motorcade as he attempts to leave the funeral.<\/p>\n\nSource: The New York Times<\/h1>\n\n
<\/p>\n\nDecember 27, 2009**<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 Eight are killed and 300 arrested. Among the dead is Seyed Ali Mousavi, the nephew of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. The Iranian government confiscates his corpse.<\/p>\n\nSource: The Times<\/h1>\n\n
11 February, 2010<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi is attacked en route to the protests.
\n\u201d\u00a2 Ahmadinejad uses the opportunity to announce that Iran is now a nuclear state.<\/p>\n\nSource: MSNBC<\/h1>\n\n
9 May, 2010<\/h1>\n\n
\n\u201d\u00a2 On the same day, Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari is sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison, after being jailed for four months on espionage charges.<\/p>\n\nSource: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran<\/h1>\n\n
\nSource: Newsweek<\/strong>
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