Ebadi Addresses Iran's Rights Violations
As the United Nations Human Rights Council prepares to review Iran's human rights record on February 15, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi tells Radio Farda that she has written an open letter to the council on the worsening human rights situation in Iran. Ebadi noted that Iran leads the world in jailing journalists, and students are barred from their studies or imprisoned for making the slightest criticism of the regime. Says Ebadi, "Officially, four political prisoners have been hanged and several others who have been charged with 'enmity with God' are at risk of execution."
Former Consul Says Tension Rising in Iranian Embassies
Former Iranian consul in Oslo Mohammad Reza Heydari, who quit his post over the government's post-election crackdown on dissent, tells Radio Farda that tensions are rising at Iran's embassies. Heydari, who quit his post over the government's post-election crackdown on dissent and has now launched a "Green Embassies Campaign" to promote solidarity between diplomats and the Green Movement, states, "Embassy staffers in Europe have told me that verbal clashes between diplomats and intelligence officials have increased." According to Heydari, embassy staff members are not currently allowed to appear in public, as authorities fear they might participate in opposition rallies coinciding with the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.