The protesters appeared to have a clear objective — the removal of Mubarak’s regime.

The 2011 protests have been the largest demonstrations seen in Egypt since the 1977 Egyptian Bread Riots and “unprecedented” in scope, drawing participants from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and faiths.

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The demonstrations and riots started in the weeks after the Tunisian uprising, with many protesters carrying Tunisian flags as a symbol of their influence.

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Grievances for Egyptian protesters have focused on legal and political issues including police brutality, state of emergency laws, lack of free elections and free speech, and corruption, as well as economic issues including high unemployment,  food price inflation,  and low minimum wages.

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Many opposition groups have given Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a mandate to negotiate a unity government.

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Photo sources: FARS, IRNA, Shabestan

Egypt uprising Facebook pages: APRIL 6 YOUTH MOVEMENT (Arabic), Khaled Said (English), mma qarat (Arabic)

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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The 2010 survey polled more than 2,500 Americans on over one hundred questions on various aspects of U.S. foreign policy, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, China’s rise, the Afghanistan War, and attitudes toward other countries.

Key specific findings include:

* Nine out of ten Americans today think it is more important for the future of the United States to fix pressing problems at home than to address challenges to the United States from abroad. There is a decline in support for U.S. military bases in Japan (-8%), Germany (-7%), Iraq (-7%), Turkey (-7%), and Afghanistan (-5%) compared to 2008.

* Only one-quarter of Americans think the United States plays a more important and powerful role as a world leader today compared to ten years ago, a sharp drop from 2002.

* More than two-thirds of Americans think that as rising countries like Turkey and Brazil become more independent from the United States in the conduct of their foreign policy, it is mostly good because they will be less reliant on the United States.

* There has been a striking overall drop in the percentages of Americans who say that various countries are “very important” to the United States, with thirteen of the fourteen countries asked about in both 2008 and 2010 showing declines. The only country that did not decline in perceived importance is China.

* Americans see few promising policy choices toward Iran if it continues with its nuclear weapons program. A narrow plurality (49% to 45%) believe that the United States cannot contain a nuclear Iran as it contained the Soviet Union. Only 18% say the United States should carry out a military strike against Iran’s nuclear energy facilities under present conditions. Overwhelming majorities believe that a military strike would result in terrorist attacks in the United States and retaliatory strikes against U.S. targets in the Middle East; even so, if all other measures fail to stop Iran’s nuclear program, Americans are almost evenly split (47% in favor and 49% opposed) on whether the U.S. should launch a military strike.

* A majority of Americans think that if Israel were to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iran were to retaliate against Israel, and the two were to go to war, the United States should not bring its military forces into the war on the side of Israel and against Iran.

* Only 51% believe that because most Muslims are like people everywhere, we can find common ground and violent conflict between the civilizations is not inevitable. 45% say that because Muslim religious, social, and political traditions are incompatible with Western ways, violent conflict between the two civilizations is inevitable—up 18 points since 2002.

* In a dramatic reversal from 2006, 67% of Americans now understand that China loans more money to the United States than the United States loans to China. In 2006 when the question was last posed, this percentage was only 24%. 51% of Americans consider this debt to be a critical national security threat. When asked whether U.S. relations with eight other countries and the EU are improving, worsening, or neutral, Americans perceived relations to be on the neutral to good side. The only country with which a sub¬stantial number of Americans perceive relations as “worsening” is Mexico (47%).

_______________________________

The Lessening of U.S. Influence

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Constraints on U.S. Power Abroad

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Tough Economic Times at Home

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Sustained Support for International Engagement Overall

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Acceptance of Less Dominance

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Decline in the Perceived Importance of Other Countries

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Opportunities for Reducing Commitments

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Staying on the Sideline of Conflicts That Are Not Seen As Directly Threatening to the United States

_______________________________

Trust in Government and Who Influences Foreign Policy

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Prioritizing Demands at Home

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Immigration

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Energy Supply

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International Security and Selective Engagement

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Support for Actions against Top Threats

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International Terrorism

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Nuclear Proliferation

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Iran

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Iran

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Energy Dependence

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The Middle East and Nearby Muslim Countries

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Israel and Palestinian

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Source: The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

For further comment contact, Tom Wright, Executive Director of Studies, on 617-447-8302 or twright@thechicagocouncil.org

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922 as The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, is a leading independent, nonpartisan organization committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public learning.

The Chicago Council has been conducting nationwide public opinion surveys on American views on foreign policy since 1974.

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An RFE/RL primer, in the form of mock trading cards, on some key figures within the Green Movement that emerged after Iran’s disputed 2009 election.

Mir-Hossein-Musavi, Bahareh Hedayat, Mehdi-Saharkhiz, Mohammad Shajarian, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Neda Agha-Soltan, Mohammad-Nourizad, Mourning-Mothers, Zahrah Rahnavard, Majid Tavakoli, Mehdi-Karrub

.

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The GPI, which gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society and militarization in 149 countries, registered overall increases in several indicators, including the likelihood of violent demonstrations and perceptions of criminality. In some nations, an intensification of conflicts and growing instability appears to be linked to the global economic downturn in late 2008 and early 2009.

This is the fourth edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI). It has been expanded to rank 149 independent states and updated with the latest-available figures and information for 2008-09. The index is composed of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from respected sources, which combine internal and external factors ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighboring countries and the level of respect for human rights.

Global peace index 2010 world map

The average score for the countries surveyed in the 2010 GPI is 2.02 (based on a 1-5 scale), a slight rise (less at peace) compared with last year, when the average stood at 1.964.

The UN defined a culture of peace as involving values, attitudes and behaviors that:

• Reject violence

• Endeavor to prevent conflicts by addressing root causes

• Aim at solving problems through dialogue and negotiation

Measures of ongoing domestic and international conflict

• Number of external and internal conflicts fought: 2003-08

• Estimated number of deaths from organized conflict (external)

• Number of deaths from organized conflict (internal)

• Level of organized conflict (internal)

• Relations with neighboring countries

Measures of societal safety and security

• Perceptions of criminality in society

• Number of refugees and displaced people as a percentage of the population

• Political instability

• Level of respect for human rights (Political Terror Scale)

• Potential for terrorist acts

• Number of homicides per 100,000 people

• Level of violent crime

• Likelihood of violent demonstrations

• Number of jailed population per 100,000 people

• Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people

Measures of militarization

• Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP

• Number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people

• Volume of transfers (imports) of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people

• Volume of transfers (exports) of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people

• Budget support for UN peacekeeping missions: percentage of outstanding payments versus annual assessment to the budget of the current peacekeeping missions

• Aggregate number of heavy weapons per 100,000 people

• Ease of access to small arms and light weapons

• Military capability/sophistication

Weighting the index

1) a measure of how at peace internally a country is;

2) a measure of how at peace externally a country is (its state of peace beyond its borders).

Comparison of Iran, Israel, Iraq and India

A lower score indicates a more peaceful country

Peace, Wealth and Human Potential

The word “Peace” can be seen as a proxy for describing an inter-related set of structures. These structures and attitudes are:

• Well-functioning government

• Sound business environment

• Respectful of human rights and tolerance

• Good relations with neighbouring states

• High levels of freedom of information

• The acceptance of others

• High participation rates in primary and secondary education

• Low levels of corruption

• Equitable sharing of resources

Source:

Vision of Humanity

2010 GPI Results Report in PDF

2010 GPI Discussion Paper in PDF

email info@visionofhumanity.org

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Following the electoral coup d’état and fraudulent results of the Presidential Elections, thousands of Iranians have been subject to state-sponsored violence, torture, rape and execution last year.

12 June Event Finder

See the full list of cities & International support for June 12 HERE
12 June Event Finder: 79 cities & counting!

June 12, 2010 is the first anniversary of the people’s uprising in Iran. A large number of Iranians worldwide will commemorate this day simultaneously.With regard to this occasion, we as “Iranian Progressive Youth” have organized a cycling demo. In order to support the Iranian citizens inside Iran, specially the political prisoners, and raising awareness about the executions that have taken place recently.

Each city adopt some prisoners of conscience to focus on. Amsterdam will focus on: Zeynab Jalalian, Bahareh Hedayat, Majid Dori

Amsterdam, June 12
Route: Spui to Museumplein,13.00 to 15.00 PM
Gathering: Museumplein 15.00 to 17.00 PM (with or without bike)
Among speakers: Mahboobeh Abasgholizadeh, women’s rights defenders. Amin Hosui, student activist. Ali Honai, student activist.

* Click  here for route and its print options and GPS download options !

** You could rent a bike for € 5  at ‘Rent a Bike’, Damstraat 20. (Mention that you are taking part in ‘cycle for free Iran’!) Don’t forget your ID and € 25 deposit.

*** Designed t-shirts

Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event here

“Iranian Progressive Youth”
www.iranpy.net

in collaboration with Persian Dutch Network

به حمایت از فریاد آزادیخواهی مردم ایران برخیزیم
رکابزنی و گردهمائی در آمستردام

تظاهرات جهانی 22 خرداد، برای بزرگداشت سالگرد خیزش آزادیخواهانه مردم ایران، همزمان در بیش از 68 شهر جهان
برای همبستگی با مبارزات مردم ایران برای آزادی، بر علیه اعدام، برای آزادی کلیه زندانیان سیاسی

با حمایت سازمانهای بین المللی مدافع حقوق بشر و سخنرانی
محبوبه عباسقلی زاده فعال حقوق زنان، امین حصوری فعال دانشجوئی و علی هنری فعال دانشجوئی

هر یک از شهرهای شرکت کننده بطور سمبولیک تعدادی از زندانیان سیاسی را برجسته میکنند
آمستردام: زینب جلیلیان، فعال سیاسی کرد، محکوم به اعدام
بهاره هدایت، فعال دانشجوئی و حقوق زنان، محکوم به دهسال حبس
مجید دری، فعال دانشجوئی محروم از تحصیل، محکوم به شش سال حبس

برای علاقمندان به شرکت در اکسیون رکابزنی امکان کرایه دوچرخه ارزان قیمت در محل هماهنگ شده است

شبکه جوانان پیشرو
با همکاری شبکه ایرانیان هلند

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The Persian word for “love” is spelled out in Swarovski crystals and glitter, with a small footnote from the artist: “A picture is worth a thousand words and a word a thousand pictures.” The estimate wasn’t high enough.

When the acrylic painting on canvas sold at Bonhams in Dubai two years ago for a historic $1,048,000, the Iranian creator Farhad Moshiri became the first artist from the region to break the $1 million price barrier at auction.

It was a breakthrough moment — not just for Moshiri, but for Iranian art, which for the last few years has been experiencing what experts say is a “golden age.” Largely attributable to the stabilization of the Dubai art market and strong ties between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, the boom is also being fueled by a younger generation of artists attempting to push the boundaries of freedom of expression.

Farhad Moshiri - Swarovski crystal & gliter on Canvas with acrylic, signed and dates 2007 - 170 x 155 x 8 cm - sold for over $1 Million

Lebanese-Iranian Rose Issa, a gallery owner and art dealer, has spent the last 30 years championing artists from Iran and the Arab world. These days, she says, there’s “a real buzz” in Tehran.

The mass demonstrations that broke out following the disputed reelection of Mahmud Ahmadinejad last June are related to a growing demand for self-expression among Iranians, Issa says. She says it is no coincidence that since the protests “many new galleries have opened” in Tehran, calling them “even trendier” and “more luxurious” than before. These galleries, she says, have started publishing catalogues, something she hasn’t seen “for decades.”

For Iranian artists, the growth of the Dubai art market over the last five years has been a boon. Iranian artists working inside the country now have the ability to network, exhibit, and sell their works in a fine-art market much closer to home. As a result, they have seen the value of their works steadily appreciate.

Sales of Arab and Iranian art in Dubai increased from $2 million in 2006 to $35.7 million in 2008. Iranian artists now represent 74 percent of artwork sales in Christie’s Modern and Contemporary Arab and Iranian auctions and 64 percent of sales at Bonhams.

Edward Lucie-Smith, a curator of Middle Eastern art (a category in which Iranian works are often mistakenly placed), writes in an e-mail interview that currently Iran boasts “more artists [and] bigger talents, many [of them] still firmly rooted in Tehran despite the current political situation.”

Dubai’s high prices for contemporary Iranian art “obviously find an echo in Europe,” Lucie-Smith writes, “not least because collectors feel that there is now an established market if they need to sell,” but also because “Iran has the richest contemporary visual-arts culture in the region.”

Forty-six new galleries have opened in Iran over the last two years — 26 of them in Tehran, says Mahmud Shaloie, the director of the office of visual arts for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. There are about 300 art galleries in all of Iran.

Postwar Generation
Some of the artists now achieving success are part of Iran’s burgeoning younger generation born after the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Many of these young artists came of age under the 1997-2005 presidency of Mohammad Khatami, a relatively moderate leader who allowed greater freedom of expression and promoted cultural and artistic dialogue between Iran and the West.

Nikoo Tarkhani From the series This is not a woman, oil on canvas, 120cm x 100cm, 2008

Ramin Haerizadeh Men of Allah C-Print, 100cm x 150cm, Ed.10, 2008

Hamid Dabashi, a culture critic and award-winning author who was born in Iran, says the young generation of artists is bringing something new to the contemporary art scene.

“The impact of the revolution, eight years of war, and the subsequent theocracy is the political and social context in which the current generation of Iranian artists define their own particular mode of artistic expression,” Dabashi explains.

Compared with the previous generation of Iranian artists, the works coming out of Tehran today “have aspirations, they have frivolity, playfulness,” he says. He also sees a new trend in their work: disillusionment with ideology. “Ideology is no longer as valid, significant, as it used to be,” he says. Among young Iranians, “ideological differences have come to a dead end.”

The recent boom is also providing Iranian artists who gained notoriety in the 1960s or 1970s, in the years that Iran first opened up to the international art scene, with something of a renaissance. “Finally,” Issa says, “credit is being due to people like [Mohammed] Ehsai, like Monir Farmanfarmaian, who is now in her mid-80s and yet is [still] doing fantastic work that she was doing in the late 1960s and early 1970s.” Issa calls Farmanfarmaian “the Louise Bourgeois of the Mideast.”

Or 73-year-old sculptor Parviz Tanavoli, who made a record-breaking Dubai auction debut in 2008 with the $2.8 million sale of “The Wall (Oh Persepolis)” at Christie’s. There is also renewed interest in 69-year-old Tehran-born abstract expressionist Kamran Katouzian, some of whose paintings are in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Iranian artists of this generation remember the 1977 founding of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art at the initiative of the last empress of Iran, Farah Diba Pahlavi. The museum houses valuable collections of post-Impressionist, and modern and contemporary art — some of the finest outside the West.

n 1979, two years after the museum opened, Iran’s newly installed Islamic leaders said the works of art symbolized the shah’s obsession with the West. The collection has since been opened only rarely to the public.

Click here to view the embedded video.

During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, most galleries and museums closed in Tehran. The art scene turned its attention to “survival,” Issa says, “but the years following the war were highly productive for documentary arts.”

“The film industry moved forward, the photographers moved forward,” she adds, explaining that the emphasis was on loss: Eight years of war cost the country at least 300,000 lives and left some 500,000 injured.

By the mid-1990s, the art scene in Iran was slowly opening up, helped along by a more moderate cultural policy on the part of the government. In 1991, Iran held its first painting biennale since the revolution. Galleries reopened and started holding exhibitions, the private sector started to invest, and artists started to form unions. The Iranian Graphic Designers Society first formed in 1997, and is now known as one of the largest in the region.

Political Dilemma
Life in Iran today is much harder on artists. The government responded to the demonstrations last June with a severe crackdown, and artistic activity is now closely monitored.

The combination of an artistic boom and renewed government interest in the art scene has brought new dilemmas. S.M. is a young artist living in Tehran whose work is frequently exhibited in the city as well as galleries in Europe. (Because her artistic credentials inside Iran prevent her from using her real name, she asked to be referred to by the pseudonym S.M.)

She says many artists in Tehran face hard choices over the best way to remain true to their work, seek international recognition, while still being welcome in Iran.

“The question becomes whether I should do some very simple works — ones that are not socially or politically provocative — and have the advantage of being able to come home to my country,” she says, “or do the works that I want, deeply, to do myself, but be unable to come back home.”

Iranian artists who have produced more socially or politically provocative works while living inside the country face a host of problems. Many are unable to show their work, and some are harassed or even imprisoned. Others resort to smuggling pieces across the border in order to exhibit them in the West.

The authorities typically ban works on subjects the Islamic republic finds offensive — anything from showing kissing or nudity to works treating Islam, or the politics of the Islamic republic, in a critical manner. Despite the restrictions, artists continue producing such work. Often, a gallery will exhibit an artist’s moderate works and keep the more controversial pieces out of sight, to be discreetly shown to interested buyers and collectors.

One prominent Tehran-based artist, who has been politically active since June’s disputed election and who wishes to remain anonymous, says that he perceives art “as a form of resistance.” Now, he says, artists like him are “back to work, holding private gatherings to see what we can achieve [in the country] through art,” since it is a medium that “can suggest and point to overlooked sociopolitical issues.” He says every time he organizes an exhibition in Tehran, it is closed down or some pieces are removed by the government.

But some art critics say artists are producing overtly political works in order to take advantage of the international attention focused on Iran following its internal turmoil last summer.

Culture critic Dabashi warns that Western observers risk overly politicizing or “anthropologizing” the work of Iranian artists. He says their work “is being taken as an indication of social, political, or ideological aspects.” “It is not that their art does not represent those aspects — it does — but…there’s a difference between a work of art and a political manifesto,” he says.

Nasim Manuchehrabadi, a young Iranian artist now working in Berlin, says “the fact that I’m Iranian” makes her works political “whether I like it, or not.” She thinks the work of the younger generation reflects the difficulties it faces in Iranian society, as modern ideals face off with conservative values promoted by the Islamic government.

Iran’s 2,500 years of artistic history does influence her work, Manuchehrabadi says, but “it’s not only [traditional Persian paintings of] flowers that we’ve grown up with,” it’s also the fact that “we are the MTV generation.”

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Iran’s government continued to clamp down on all forms of dissent in the wake of the mass demonstrations following the disputed June 2009 presidential elections. The authorities deployed  the paramilitary Basij and other security forces to prevent protestors gathering, arrested hundreds more political activists, journalists, students and women’s and human rights defenders, and continued to mount grossly unfair “show trials” resulting in long prison terms and, in a few cases, death sentences.

Two men were executed in January in connection with the protests.

The authorities also took severe measures against ethnic minority activists, such as members of the Kurdish minority, whom they often accused of engaging in armed opposition to the state – in several cases, such accused were executed after grossly unfair trials, as the Iranian authorities maintained their record of being one of the top executors in the world, and of executing juvenile offenders.

The Iranian authorities rejected out of hand many key recommendations made by other states to improve respect for human rights in the country, as part of the Universal Periodic Review of Iran by the UN Human Rights Council in February.

Azadi (freedom) Square June 15 2009

Background
International tension persisted over Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. In March the UN Security Council voted to extend economic and political sanctions. In September, the government revealed the existence of a hitherto unknown enrichment facility.

Iran continued to host almost 1 million refugees, mostly from Afghanistan. They had limited access to social services and education.

Presidential election – widespread abuses
The authorities intensified their crackdown on critics and opponents of the government in the months preceding the 12 June presidential election, in which the incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was officially declared the winner. Only three of the 474 other applicants were permitted to stand. Mass protests broke out in response to the official result, declared on 13 June, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets. Security forces, notably the paramilitary Basij, were deployed to suppress the protests by force, particularly after the Supreme Leader ordered an end to demonstrations on 19 June. However, protests continued to the end of the year on significant days such as the religious festival of Ashoura on 27 December.

The authorities disrupted mobile phone and internet communications, including social networking sites, to prevent information circulating. They prevented foreign journalists from covering demonstrations, expelling some, and security officials controlled the content of newspapers. Security forces raided university campuses, injuring students. The authorities accused the US and UK governments of organizing the unrest, which those governments denied.

All three defeated candidates alleged election fraud  and complained to the body responsible for administering the election. It carried out a partial re-count but largely rejected the candidates’ complaints. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term on 5 August.

Unlawful killings
The Basij and other security forces used excessive force against demonstrators, beating them with batons and riding motorcycles into them to cause injury. The authorities said 43 died in the protests but opposition sources said the true total was likely to be over 100. Hundreds were injured.

Neda Agha Soltan, aged 27, was shot dead in a Tehran street on 20 June during a demonstration. Her dying moments were filmed. The perpetrator was identified as a member of the Basij but the authorities claimed that British and US news media had caused her death. Neda Agha Soltan’s family and other mourners were harassed and intimidated by security officials when commemorating her life.

Amnesty International report 2010 on Iran

Arrests and detentions
Well over 5,000 people were detained after the election by the end of the year, including opposition politicians, journalists, academics, students, lawyers, human rights activists and army officers. Those with dual nationality or links to the USA or UK were also targeted. Some were arrested at demonstrations; others at their home or workplace; and some, who were injured, from hospital. Most, if not all, were denied access to legal representation. Many were denied access to their families and to medical care. Hundreds of those arrested were freed within days or weeks, but scores were charged with vaguely worded offences, such as fomenting a “velvet revolution” or committing “acts against national security”, and prosecuted in “show trials”.

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Mohsen Aminzadeh, Said Hajjarian and at least four other political leaders were detained days after the election. All were prisoners of conscience. Said Hajjarian was released on bail in October and Mohammad Ali Abtahi in November. Mohsen Aminzadeh remained in custody at the end of the year.

Rape and other torture
Some detainees were taken to the Kahrizak detention centre, south of Tehran, where they were tortured and otherwise ill-treated. Kahrizak quickly became so notorious for abuse that the Supreme Leader ordered its closure in July. By the end of the year, 12 officials were facing trial before a military court for abuses including three for murder.

Compelling evidence emerged that a number of detainees, both women and men, had been raped and otherwise tortured in detention, but instead of investigating allegations thoroughly, the authorities were quick to deny them and then harassed the victims and closed the offices of a committee collecting victims’ testimonies.

Ebrahim Sharifi, a student aged 24, testified that security officials raped him, beat him severely and subjected him to mock execution in the week following his arrest on 22 June. He tried to file a judicial complaint but went into hiding after he and his family were threatened by security officials. On 13 September a judicial panel dismissed his allegation of rape and accused him of fabricating it for political reasons and he fled Iran.

Mohsen Ruholamini, the son of an aide to presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei, died on 23 July after about two weeks in Kahrizak. A coroner’s report found he had suffered a heart attack and internal bleeding and had been hit repeatedly with a hard
object.

Unfair trials
Mass “show trials” involving scores of detainees were staged in successive sessions beginning in August. The trials were grossly unfair. Most, if not all, defendants were denied access to lawyers. Most had been detained incommunicado for several weeks and many were reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated before being brought to court.

The trials were closed but excerpts broadcast on state television showed defendants making what appeared to be coerced “confessions”. More than 80 were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of up to 15 years; at least six others were sentenced to death.

Human rights defenders
Human rights defenders, including minority and women’s rights activists, lawyers and trade unionists, continued to face arbitrary arrest, harassment, prosecution and unfair trials throughout the year. Some were banned from travelling abroad.

In April, five leaders of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company Trade Union were sentenced to up to six months’ imprisonment for “propaganda against the system” for criticizing conditions at their workplace when they were interviewed by foreign journalists in 2008. They began serving their sentences in November after they were upheld on appeal.

Five members of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters were arrested in December and others were sought by intelligence officials.

Discrimination against women
Women continued to face discrimination in law, despite some minor improvements. Women’s rights campaigners, including those active in the “One Million Signatures” campaign to end legal discrimination, were harassed, detained, prosecuted and banned from travelling for collecting signatures in support of their petition.

On 1 February, Alieh Eghdam-Doust, a member of the Campaign for Equality, began a three-year prison sentence imposed for participating in a peaceful demonstration. She was among many women arrested during a protest in June 2006 against discriminatory laws, and the first to begin serving a prison sentence.

Freedom of expression and association
The authorities blocked websites voicing criticism, notably those of Iranian bloggers, and periodically blocked those of foreign news media reporting on Iran. In April, they warned SMS users that messages were “controlled” by a new “internet crimes” law introduced in January. They also shut down or maintained bans on tens of journals, magazines and other print media, targeted critical journalists and infiltrated and undermined independent civil society groups, such as the Society of Esfahan Human Rights Supporters. Hundreds of students faced education bans for campus activism.

Four students at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University were arrested at their homes on 24 February for participating in a peaceful demonstration the previous day against the government’s decision to bury soldiers’ remains on the campus, and so facilitate unrestricted access to the campus by the Basij and other security forces. Other students were also arrested; all had been released uncharged by July.

Roxana Saberi, a journalist with joint US-Iranian nationality, was convicted of “collaborating with a hostile state” in a closed trial before Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on 18 April following her arrest on 31 January. She was sentenced to eight years in prison, but this was reduced to a suspended two-year term following local and international criticism. She was released on 12 May and allowed to leave the country.

Two brothers, Arash and Kamiar Alaei, both medical doctors active in the field of HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, were sentenced in January to six and three years’ imprisonment respectively for “co-operating with an enemy government”. They had been tried before a closed court on 31 December 2008. They were neither told the charges or evidence against them nor permitted by the court to call or examine witnesses. Both men were prisoners of conscience, imprisoned on account of their medical work with US and other international medical institutions.

Discrimination, Ethnic minorities
Members of Iran’s ethnic minorities continued to face discrimination along with harassment and imprisonment for advocating greater respect for social and cultural rights, including the right to mother tongue education. In June, the government announced that it would allow some higher education in regional languages.

Members of the Ahwazi Arab and Azerbaijani minorities were subject to continuing repression. Members of the small Sunni Azerbaijani minority were arrested in February when they protested against cuts in water supplies. Members of the Kurdish minority suspected of belonging to banned armed opposition groups were arrested and imprisoned. Some were sentenced to death and at least one was executed, possibly in reprisal for a spate of attacks on officials in Kordestan province in September. In Sistan- Baluchistan province, home to the mostly Sunni Muslim Baluch minority, violence intensified amid increasing clashes between the security forces and members of the People’s Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI), an armed political group also known as Jondallah. On 18 October, at least 42 people, including senior Revolutionary Guards officers and civilians, were killed in an attack claimed by the PRMI.

On 30 May, two days after a PRMI bomb attack on a mosque in Zahedan killed at least 25 people, three men were publicly executed near the mosque for allegedly smuggling the explosives into Iran; all three had been in prison accused of other bombings when the attack happened.

Religious minorities
Members of religious minorities, including some not recognized by the government, continued to suffer discrimination, harassment, arbitrary arrest and damage to community property. Among those targeted were Sunni Muslim clerics; Shi’a clerics advocating the separation of the state from religion; members of the Dervish and Ahl-e Haqq communities; members of a philosophical association called Al-e Yasin; Christians; and members of the Baha’i community, who remained unable to access higher education. Converts from Islam were at risk of attack as well as prosecution for “apostasy”, which is punishable by death.

Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, both Christian converts, were arrested on 5 March in Tehran for handing out Bibles and participating in religious gatherings. Both were prisoners of conscience. Released in November after acquittal in October of “acting against state security” by a Revolutionary Court, they continued to face charges of “apostasy” and “proselytizing” in a General Court.

Seven Baha’is, two women and five men, who were arrested in March and May 2008, remained held without trial in Evin Prison in Tehran. All faced charges of spying for Israel and “insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the system”. In May their families were told that they had also been charged with “corruption on earth”, which can be punished by death.

Torture and other ill-treatment
Torture and other ill-treatment in pre-trial detention remained common, facilitated by the routine denial of access to lawyers by detainees and impunity for officials who perpetrate violations. Methods reported included severe beatings; confinement in tiny spaces; deprivation of light, food and water; and systematic denial of medical treatment. At least 12 people were believed to have died in custody in 2009 apparently as a result of ill-treatment or lack of adequate medical care. No investigations into any torture allegations were reported, except at Kahrizak.

Cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments
Sentences of flogging and judicial amputation were imposed and carried out. In February, the Supreme Court upheld a sentence in which acid would be dropped into the eyes of a man who had blinded a woman with the same liquid.

Death penalty
Iran maintained one of the highest rates of execution globally. At least 388 people were executed, including one man who was stoned to death and at least five juvenile offenders sentenced for crimes committed when they were aged under 18. At least 14 were executed in public. The actual totals were believed to be higher.

The rate of reported executions rose sharply during the unrest between the presidential election on 12 June and the inauguration on 5 August – 112 executions were recorded, an average of more than two a day.

The authorities carried out mass executions in January, March, July and August, during which a total of 77 people were executed. At least 11 people sentenced to die by stoning and at least 136 juvenile offenders remained on death row
at the end of the year.

Delara Darabi, a 22-year-old woman convicted of a crime she allegedly committed when aged 17, was executed on 1 May despite a two-month stay ordered by the Head of the Judiciary.

Amnesty International visits/reports
The authorities continued to deny access to Amnesty International. The organization has not been permitted to visit the country to research human rights since shortly after the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

- Iran: Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review (MDE 13/009/2009)
- Human rights in the spotlight on the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution (MDE 13/010/2009)
- Iran: Election amid repression of dissent and unrest (MDE 13/053/2009)
- Iran: Election contested, repression compounded (MDE 13/123/2009)

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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Amnesty International key points on a few other countries

China

Amnesty International report 2010 on China

- Food crisis
- Arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment
- Enforced disappearances
- Death penalty
- Freedom of expression and association
- Constitutional developments
- International scrutiny

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France

Amnesty Internationa Report 2010 France

- Police and security forces
- Migrants’ rights, refugees and asylum-seekers
- Counter-terror and security
- Legal, constitutional or institutional developments

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Iraq

Amnesty International Report 2010 Iraq

- Abuses by armed groups
- Detentions
- Death penalty
- Trials of former officials
- Human rights violations by Iraqi security forces
- Human rights violations by US forces
- Violence against women
- Refugees and internally displaced people
- Camp Ashraf

Kurdistan region

- Arbitrary detention
- Media freedom
- Violence against women

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ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Amnesty International Report 2010 Israel

- Operation ‘Cast Lead’
- Unlawful killings
- Attacks on civilian objects
- Use of civilians as ‘human shields’
- Humanitarian assistance blocked
- Gaza blockade – humanitarian crisis
- Restrictions in the West Bank
- Right to water
- Forced evictions
- Excessive use of force
- Military justice system, Detentions without trial
- Unfair trials
- Prison conditions – denial of family visits
- Torture and other ill-treatment
- Impunity
- Prisoners of conscience – Israeli conscientious objectors

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PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

Amnesty International Report 2010 PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

- Unlawful killings
- Abuses by armed groups
- Justice system
- Arbitrary arrests and detentions
- Torture and other ill-treatment
- Deaths in custody
- Freedom of expression
- Violence against women and girls
- Death penalty

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Amnesty International Report 2010 United States America

- Counter-terror and justice, Detentions at Guantánamo
- Military commissions
- Transfers to federal court
- Habeas corpus proceedings for Guantánamo detainees
- Detentions in Bagram, Afghanistan
- CIA secret detention programme
- Detainee interrogation and transfer policy
- Impunity and lack of remedy
- Torture and other ill-treatment – electro-shock weapons
- Prison conditions
- Migrants and asylum-seekers
- Health and reproductive rights
- Right to health – maternal mortality
- Trade embargo against Cuba
- Conscientious objectors
- Unfair trials
- Death penalty

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Source: thereport.amnesty.org

Follow Amnesty International on Twitter

Donate to Amnesty International

Related Posts:

1. Human Rights World Report 2010: Iran Targets Human Rights Messengers
2. UN’s Human Development Report 2010 – Iran Ranks 70 out of 169

12Petals as a community-production based media group with an emphasis on the “culture of human rights” philosophy strives to be a union of interdependent visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, cinematographers, playwrights, socials entrepreneurs and more…

All coming together to produce pieces that promote and encourage respect for those rights protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And, our most recent production is ready for view. This production is part of the 12Petals’s Culture of Human Rights and Responsibilities Advocacy Production Series.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Culture of Human Rights  فرهنگ  حقوق بشر  by 12Petals Media Group

Producer …………….. Majid Baradar
Art Direction/Art Production ………………. Ardalan Payvar & Shadi Yousefian

For a culture of human rights outreach goal, our wish is heartfelt participation by all communities to circulate this work to family and friends. It is empowering to believe in what binds us together is much greater than what sets us apart.

Now, more than ever, it is the responsibility of every person to bring the culture of human rights into his or her life, home, and daily relationships with family, friends and neighbors—while perceiving that those friends and neighbors span the globe.

Culture of human rights should be cherished and upheld as a way of life.

Related Posts:

1. Human Rights World Report 2010: Iran Targets Human Rights Messengers
2. Artists for Iran, a Celebration of the Arts and Human Rights

Click here to view the embedded video.

Song: Change
Lyrics written by: Michelle Montezeri
Arrangements by: Michelle Montezeri

Michelle-Montezeri

Close your eyes and dream
Go to sleep it is not real
Where will you go
when hope has left
Isnt someone caring
caring

Try to change but youre not strong
Someone tell us whats wrong
Please tell us whats wrong

When you struggle and you fall
Save yourself from it all
Have the strength to still believe
After all your sorrow and grief

Dont give up you get there soon
Youll reach the stars and the moon
Youll do the things you never knew how to do

Reach to me and Ill be there
Dont you worry Ill take care off you

Dont give up you get there soon
Reach the stars and the moon.

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If you like to like to know Michelle Montezeri better, please visit
Website: www.michellemontezeri.com

Related Posts:

1. Iran Regime Change Survey
2. The Golha Project: Digital Archiving of Flowers of Persian Poetry and Song

At this time, Institute’s mission as journalists is to educate parents and those interested in the welfare of children and people in general about health and prevent developmental problems caused by exposure to toxic substances, but also educate the media, policy makers and general public on the fact that environmental health is a key determinant of public health.

The exhibition will open on January 25, 2010 in the facilities of the Instituto de Estudios Superiores AC. Following posters are a few of many more Iranian participants.

Morteza Moosavi

Reza Sheri

Elham Toroghi

Alireza Nosrati

Ali Shoghi Benam

Elham Toroghi

Mohsen Rajabi

M Qasim Hussaini

Onish Aminelahi

Onish Aminelahi

Sanaz Arjmand

Source and references

Instituto de Estudios Superiores

More Posters from Iran and other countries
Rene Wanner’s Poster Page

Related Posts:

1. Posters: Students’ Day Nov. 4th 2009
2. Photography Exhibition – Document: Iranian-Americans In Los Angeles

Here is your chance to take the same survey but in English. You ‘ll see the result for both surveys.

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The original survey plan was for 200 males and 200 females to be interviewed, and the final results are for 162 males and 185 females. (53 people declined to be interviewed) The age group was from 20 to 49.

We estimate that Payvand’s female to male visitors are about %45 female to %55 male, and since last election in Iran, the age range greatly widened from 20’s to 70’s.

The sorting order of poll answers for each question is the same for Persian and English (the sorting order of poll results may be different).

It may take up to 30 min. for polls to update.

The survey is closed now, you’ll only see the results

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Link to the complete Persian survey in PDF format

نظرسنجی

Related Posts:

1. Iranian Public Opinion Survey by International Peace Institute
2. Michelle Montezeri’s Freedom For Iran Original Song – Change

Human Rights Watch cited Sudan and China as countries that routinely shut down human rights groups and Iran and Uzbekistan as countries that openly harass and arbitrarily detain human rights workers and other critics.

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In Iran, Human Rights Watch covered the continuing governmental crackdown on peaceful activists following the disputed presidential election of June 2009. Human Rights Watch documented the arrests of thousands of ordinary and high-profile people, providing detailed accounts of state violence against peaceful protesters, arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, and abuse and torture in Iran’s illegal detention centers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Disbarring Lawyers
In June 2009, following the disputed presidential elections, the Iranian government adopted new regulations that severely limit the independence of the Iranian Bar Association, giving the government control over a lawyer’s right to practice. Until then, the Bar Association, which has the exclusive power to grant or deny licenses to practice, had resisted government efforts to rein in lawyers who defend human rights.

Criminal Charges
The Iranian government has arrested scores of NGO activists and sentenced them to prison on the grounds that their work or speech allegedly “harms national security” or that they are “foreign agents.” Members of Kurdish rights organizations have faced even worse, with lengthy prison sentences, including the death penalty, for their work reporting on rights violations affecting the Kurdish community. In 2008, the government sentenced to death Farzad Kamangar, a member of the Organization for the Defense of Human Rights in Kurdistan, claiming without proof that he was a member of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). It also sentenced Sadigh Kaboudvand, who headed the group, to 11 years in prison for his NGO activities, along with prison terms for 12 of his colleagues.

Torture and Ill-Treatment of Political Prisoners
Following the disputed election, both ordinary protestors and prominent opposition figures faced detention without trial, harsh treatment including sexual violence and denial of due process including lack of access to lawyers of their choosing.

Freedom of Expression
Iranian authorities continued to imprison journalists and editors for publishing critical views, and strictly controlled publishing and academic activities.

Freedom of Association
The government increased restrictions on civil society organizations that advocate human rights and freedom of speech. Security forces on December 23, 2008 shut down the Center for Defenders of Human Rights, led by 2003 Noble Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Death Penalty
Iran carries out more executions annually than any other nation except China. These executions frequently occur after unfair or political crimes with inadequate access to legal counsel.

Human Rights Defenders
The government escalated its crackdown on human rights lawyers in 2009, subjecting some to arbitrary detention, travel bans, and harassment.

Treatment of Minorities
The government continues to deny members of the Baha’i faith, Iran’s largest
non-Muslim religious minority, freedom of religion.

See complete report on Iran and a few selected countries by clicking on the following  images.

Iran

Issues: Torture and Ill-Treatment of Political Prisoners, Freedom of Expression , Freedom of Association, Death Penalty, Human Rights Defenders, Treatment of Minorities

Since 2005 the government has prevented independent experts of the United Nations Human Rights Council from visiting to investigate alleged human rights violations.

___________________________

China

Issues: Freedom of Expression, Legal Reform, Human Rights Defenders, Migrant and Labor Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Women’s and Girls’ Rights, HIV/AIDS, Freedom of Religion, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

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European Union

Issues: Counter-terrorism Measures and Human Rights, Common EU Asylum and Migration Policy

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Israel

Issues: Palestinian Armed Groups, Israel Defense Forces, Blockade , Palestinian Authority, Home Demolitions and Evacuations, Freedom of Movement, Arbitrary Detention , Expulsion of Asylum Seekers

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Russia

Issues: Civil Society, The North Caucasus, The Armed Conflict over South Ossetia, Migrant Worker Rights, Health Issues and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic

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Saudi Arabia

Issues: Women’s and Girls’ Rights, Migrant Worker Rights, Criminal Justice, Arbitrary Detention, Torture, and Ill-Treatment, Freedom of Expression , Freedom of Religion

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Turkey

Issues: Freedom of Expression, Assembly, and Association, Human Rights Defenders, Torture, Ill-Treatment, and Killings by Security Forces, Impunity

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United Arab Emirate

Issues: Migrant Worker Rights, Torture , Criminal Justice System, Freedom of Association and Expression

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United States of America

Issues: Death Penalty, Juvenile Life without Parole, Incarceration, Drug Policy, Rights of Non-Citizens, Women’s and Girls’ Rights, Sexual Violence, Children’s Rights, Guantanamo, Indefinite Detention, and Military Commissions , Accounting for Past Abuses, Secrecy, Renditions

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Venezuela

Issues: Independence of the Judiciary, Prosecution of Political Opponents, Media Freedom, Labor Rights, Police Abuses, Prison Conditions

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India

Issues: Justice and Accountability, Conduct of Security Forces, Violence against Minorities, Women’s and Girls’ Rights, Access to Education, and Child Soldiers, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

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Source: HRW

Download the World Report (4MB) (PDF, 3.72 MB)

Purchase a printed copy of this report

Related Posts:

1. Amnesty International report 2010 on Iran
2. UN’s Human Development Report 2010 – Iran Ranks 70 out of 169

Authoritarian states including Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and Vietnam became more repressive. Declines in freedom also occurred in countries that had registered positive trends in previous years, including Bahrain, Jordan, Kenya, and Kyrgyzstan.

“In 2009, we saw a disturbing erosion of some of the most fundamental freedoms—freedom of expression and association—and an increase in attacks on frontline activists in these areas,” said Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director of Freedom House. “From the brutal repression on the streets of Iran, to the sweeping detention of Charter 08 members in China and murders of journalists and human rights activists in Russia, we have seen a worldwide crackdown against individuals asserting their universally accepted rights over the last five years.”

The Freedom in the World survey provides an annual evaluation of the progress and decline of freedom in 194 countries and 14 select related and disputed territories. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. Each country and territory is rated on a seven-point scale for both political rights and civil liberties, with 1 representing the most free and 7 the least free, and then assigns each country and territory a broad category status of Free (for countries whose ratings average 1.0 to 2.5), Partly Free (3.0 to 5.0), or Not Free (5.5 to 7.0).

Electoral Democracies: The number of electoral democracies dropped by three and stands at 116. Developments in four countries—Honduras, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Niger—disqualified them from the electoral democracy list, while conditions in the Maldives improved enough for it to be added.

Key regional findings include

Middle East and North Africa: Repression in Iran led to score declines, and other countries in the region suffered a number of setbacks. Jordan, Bahrain, and Yemen were all downgraded from Partly Free to Not Free. Declines were also noted in Morocco and the Palestinian Territories. Lebanon and Iraq registered improvements.

Western Europe and North America: A notable challenge faced by the Obama administration in the United States has been balancing security concerns with the promised rollback of controversial antiterrorism policies dating to the Bush administration. Western Europe has struggled to deal with the influx of immigrants from Muslim countries and the rise of anti-immigration policies, which contributed to declines in Switzerland and Malta.

Asia: Successful democratic elections were held in India, Indonesia, and Japan. Improvements were also noted in Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Mongolia. Declines were documented in Afghanistan after a deeply flawed presidential poll, and in the Philippines after the massacre of civilians and members of the press and the subsequent declaration of martial law.

Freedom in the World 2010 Checklist Questions

POLITICAL RIGHTS CHECKLIST

A. ELECTORAL PROCESS

1. Is the head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections?
2. Are the national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections?
3. Are the electoral laws and framework fair?

B. POLITICAL PLURALISM AND PARTICIPATION

1. Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system open to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings?
2. Is there a significant opposition vote and a realistic possibility for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections?
3. Are the people’s political choices free from domination by the military, foreign powers,
totalitarian parties, religious hierarchies, economic oligarchies, or any other powerful group?
4. Do cultural, ethnic, religious, or other minority groups have full political rights and electoral
opportunities?

C. FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT

1. Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government?
2. Is the government free from pervasive corruption?
3. Is the government accountable

CIVIL LIBERTIES CHECKLIST

D. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND BELIEF

1. Are there free and independent media and other forms of cultural expression? (Note: In cases where the media are state-controlled but offer pluralistic points of view, the survey gives the system credit.)
2. Are religious institutions and communities free to practice their faith and express themselves in public and private?
3. Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free of extensive political
indoctrination?
4. Is there open and free private discussion?

E. ASSOCIATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RIGHTS

1. Is there freedom of assembly, demonstration, and open public discussion?
2. Is there freedom for nongovernmental organizations? (Note: This includes civic organizations, interest groups, foundations, etc.)
3. Are there free trade unions and peasant organizations or equivalents, and is there effective collective bargaining? Are there free professional and other private organizations?

F. RULE OF LAW

1. Is there an independent judiciary?
2. Does the rule of law prevail in civil and criminal matters? Are police under direct civilian
control?
3. Is there protection from political terror, unjustified imprisonment, exile, or torture, whether by groups that support or oppose the system? Is there freedom from war and insurgencies?
4. Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population?

G. PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

1. Do citizens enjoy freedom of travel or choice of residence, employment, or institution of higher education?
2. Do citizens have the right to own property and establish private businesses? Is private business activity unduly influenced by government officials, the security forces, political
parties/organizations, or organized crime?
3. Are there personal social freedoms, including gender equality, choice of marriage partners, and size of family?
4. Is there equality of opportunity and the absence of economic exploitation?

Source:  Freedom House

Related Posts:

1. Iran on top of 2009 Global Restriction on Religion Report
2. Human Rights World Report 2010: Iran Targets Human Rights Messengers

Topping the government restrictions index were Saudi Arabia, Iran, Uzbekistan, China, Egypt, Burma, Maldives, Eritrea, Malaysia and Brunei.

At the top of the social hostilities index were Iraq, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Somalia, Israel, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life report found that a minority of countries have high restrictions on religion, but these countries contain most of the world’s population.

Of the world’s 25 most populous countries, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and India have the most restrictions, while Brazil, Japan, the United States, Italy, South Africa and Britain have some of the lowest levels.

The report found that the percentage of the world’s countries with high or very high government restrictions is at about 20 percent, which amounts to 57 percent of the world’s population. These countries include Saudi Arabia, Iran and former communist countries, such as Russia, Belarus and Bulgaria, where state atheism has been replaced by favored religions that are accorded special protections or privileges.

Among the world’s 25 most populous countries, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and India stand out as having the most restrictions when both measures are taken into account, while Brazil, Japan, the United States, Italy, South Africa and the United Kingdom have the least.

Government Restrictions Index (GRI)

The Government Restrictions Index is based on 20 questions used by the Pew Forum to assess whether governments – including at the local or provincial level – restrict religious practices or beliefs.

3 GRI sample questions (see PDF file link at the end of this article for all questions)

A- Does any level of government ask religious groups to register for any reason, including to be eligible for benefits such as tax exemption?

B- Does any level of government formally ban any religious groups?

C- Is religious education required in public schools?

On average, restrictions are highest in the Middle East-North Africa, where the median score for the 20 countries (4.9) is considerably higher than for the 35 countries in the Americas (1.0), the region with the lowest median score.

Social Hostilities Index (SHI)

Restrictions on religion can result not only from the actions of governments but also from acts of violence and intimidation by private individuals, organizations or social groups.

The Social Hostilities Index is based on 13 questions used by the Pew Forum to gauge hostilities both between and within religious groups, including mob or sectarian violence, crimes motivated by religious bias, physical conflict over conversions, harassment over attire for religious reasons, and other religion-related intimidation and violence, including terrorism and war. At the top of the social hostilities index were Iraq, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Somalia, Israel, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

3 SHI sample questions (see PDF file link at the end of this article for all questions)

A- Did violence result from tensions between religious groups?

B- Were there acts of sectarian or communal violence between religious groups?

C- Were there incidents of hostility over conversions from one religion to another?

Israel stands out on the list of countries with high scores on the social hostilities index as most of the other countries are either failed states, highly authoritarian or have recently undergone civil wars. Israel’s score is driven up by security policies that sometimes have the effect of limiting access to religious sites, and by its preferential treatment of Orthodox Jews. The government recognizes only Orthodox Jewish religious authorities in some personal status matters (such as marriage) concerning Jews and devotes the bulk of state funds provided for religion to Orthodox Jews, even though they make up only a small portion of all Jews in Israel.

Comparing Government Restrictions and Social Hostilities

Religious Restrictions in the 50 Most Populous Countries

Religious Restrictions in 198 Countries

Information Sources

The Pew Forum identified 16 widely available, frequently cited sources of information on government restrictions and social hostilities involving religion around the world. These sources, which are listed below, include reports from U.S. government agencies, several independent, nongovernmental organizations and a variety of European and United Nations bodies. Although most of these organizations are based in Western countries, many of them depend on local staff to collect information across the globe. As previously noted, the Pew Forum did not use the commentaries, opinions or normative judgments of the sources; the sources were combed only for factual information on specific policies and actions.

1. Country constitutions
2. U.S. State Department annual reports on International Religious Freedom
3. U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom annual reports
4. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief reports (Asma Jahangir)
5. Human Rights First reports
6. Hudson Institute publication: Religious Freedom in the World (Paul Marshall)
7. Human Rights Watch topical reports
8. International Crisis Group country reports
9. United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office annual report on human rights
10. Council of the European Union annual report on human rights
11. Amnesty International reports
12. European Network Against Racism Shadow Reports
13. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports
14. U.S. State Department annual Country Reports on Terrorism
15. Anti-Defamation League reports
16. U.S. State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

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Source: Much more data including complete set of questions, methodology, potential biases, example of data coding, can be found on the report’s PDF file from pewforum.org

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Religious Symbols

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Related Posts:

1. Human Rights World Report 2010: Iran Targets Human Rights Messengers
2. Iran Ranks 99 out of 140 in Global Peace Index 2009

San Francisco City Supervisior Ross Mirkarimi will unveil renown sculptor, Paula Slater’s bronze portrait sculptures of Sohrab ‘Freedom Warrior’ and Neda ‘Angel of Freedom’ on December 12th in San Francisco as part of “Arts United 4 Iran”.

Master sculptor, Paula Slater, who sculpted the much beloved bronze portrait sculptures of Neda ‘Angel of Iran’ and Neda ‘Angel of Freedom’ received many requests for her to also please sculpt a portrait bust of Sohrab Aarabi.  Sohrab was a 19 year old Iranian pro-democracy student who disappeared after his participation in a June 2009 protest against the fraudulent election.  Aarabi’s parents filed a missing person’s report and each day his mother took his photograph to prisons and courts in search of information.

It wasn’t until 26 days after he went missing that the government finally notified his parents of his death.  He had been shot in the heart by pro-regime militia during the demonstration and had died almost a month earlier.  Sohrab’s family was ordered not to have a memorial service for him, but crowds chanted in defiance of the police as they gathered for his funeral.  The name Sohrab means “bright, shining” and is the name of a hero in Perisan history.  Like Neda Agha-Soltan, Sohrab has become a martyr and a powerful symbol of the fight for Freedom in Iran.  (Photos of the beautifully detailed life size clay bust presently being cast in bronze at http://www.paulaslater.com/Slater/Sculptor/WorksInProgre ….)

Asked why she chose to sculpt this third portrait, Ms. Slater explains, “I wanted to sculpt a portrait bust of Sohrab to represent all the brave male freedom fighters who continue to risk their lives daily in their protests for human rights and Democracy in Iran.  Seventy percent of the Iranian population want a free and independent secular Iran. Today’s real green movement protests are composed of Iranian youths, university students, women, human rights and political activists who do not want an Islamic dictatorship.

Life Size Clay Portrait Bust of Sohrab 'Freedom Warrior' by Paula Slater

http://www.paulaslater.com/

As an Iranian woman named Leyla writes, “The Iranian people have had enough of the brutal killing, torturing and imprisonment by this backward theocracy which has devastated the lives of tens of millions of Iranians.  It is so painful to think of the greatness we could have achieved during these last 30 years–Iranians could have lived in prosperity, peace and harmony in their own country–instead 70 million Iranians live in a big third world prison!  For most Iranians this is not about Mousavi vs Ahmadinejad.  This is about Freedom and Democracy vs the “Islamic” republic!   From its damned birth 30 years ago, this Regime has enriched Arab terrorist organizations and has tried to impose Arab-ism on Iran and Iranians.  It wants to replace our rich Persian heritage with a radical Arab culture.  But the people have had enough and that’s why they’re still coming out on the streets to protest–Iranians will not rest until the “Islamic” republic has been totally crushed!”

Ayatollah Khamenei and Ahmadinejad have been kept in power by their Revolutionary Guard, the ruthless Basij militia, and pro-regime vigilante Police who are given carte blanche to kill and beat the Iranian people into submission.  Dozens of protesters have died, and Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have reported 4,000 arrests and Stalinesque mass trials.  As Hillary Clinton recently stated about the rape, torture, executions, imprisonments and disappearances in Iran, “this just shows that the Iranian Government is afraid of its own people.”

“This is a pivoltal moment in history for the Iranian people and thus also for the world,” says Paula. “Artists are supposed to be the visionaries who tell the stories of humankind. The Iranian people have shown me so much gratitude that I must keep telling their story through my art.  Once the clay sculpture of Sohrab is cast in bronze I will find a place to donate it where it will inspire people with the story of his heroic fight for freedom.”

Mona Ameli, with Bay Area Iranian American Democrats, recently wrote to Paula, “Thank you for all your hard work…  I was thinking the other day:  if Neda is the Angel of Freedom, you my dear, are the Angel of Solidarity!

So what is next for this Angel of Solidarity?  ”There is a saying, ‘Bread for the table, flowers for the soul’,” replies Paula.  ”I know I am very blessed to be a professional sculptor and sculpting public commissions puts bread on my table, however sculpting and donating these portraits of Neda and Sohrab have been flowers for my soul.  I will continue to plant my soul garden and do what I can to help keep their memory alive, as I am now designing a Bronze Monument to Neda, Sohrab and the Freedom Fighters.  I also hope to continue being a thorn in the side of the Islamic Regime until their reign of oppression and terror ends.  I believe their karmic day of reckoning is fast approaching, however, bronze lasts for centuries–so these bronze sculptures will last long after the Islamic Regime has turned to dust.  In the meantime, we must all keep the dream of a free Iran alive in our hearts.”  For updates and more information about the Monument as it progresses visit http://www.PaulaSlater.com.

Please click on http://www.NorCal4Iran.com for upcoming details regarding when and where the unveiling of the Sohrab and Neda bronze portraits will take place. On December 12th, United4iran is hosting global events around the world, “Arts United4iran”, in which artists are in some fashion displaying their works to celebrate the civil rights movement in Iran.  December 12th comes six months after the disputed elections in Iran, and coincides with the 61st anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights. For more information about 12/12 events around the world, go to http://www.United4Iran.org.

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Paula Slater Sculpture is owned and operated by Paula B. Slater, M.A. Paula Slater is a full-time professional sculptor and has sculpted many important bronze monuments, portraits and public commissions.
http://www.PaulaSlater.com

Related Posts:

1. Tribute to Iranian poet Sohrab Sepehri 1928-1980
2. Global Erosion of Freedom and Iran’s negative trend