TEHRAN, Iran, July 31, 2007
Iran Sentences Two Journalists To Death
Officials Refuse To Specify Crimes Of Condemned Members Of Kurdish Minority
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(CBS/AP)
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Fast Facts Iran Learn about the people, economy and history.
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Interactive The Fundamentals Of Islam Learn about the Muslim religion and find out where the largest Muslim populations live in the U.S. and around the world.
"Adnan Hassanpour and Hiva Boutimar have been sentenced to execution on the charge of Moharebeh," the agency quoted Ali Reza Jamshidi, spokesman of judiciary, as saying. Moharebeh, which literally means "fighting" in classical Arabic, is used in Iran's Sharia law to describe a major crime against the religion and the Islamic state.
The official news agency did not specify what crime the two Kurdish journalists were precisely accused of. There was no immediate comment on when or how the sentence could be executed.
The journalists were deemed activists in Sanandaj, the capital of the western Iranian province of Kurdistan, bordering Iraq. They were detained after Kurds protested in Sanandaj in 2005.
At the time, police arrested dozens of people who attended a pro-Kurdish rally after rioters burned cars and smashed shop windows during a protest over the killing of a Kurdish activist by Iranian police.
Clashes with security forces and arrests led to more demonstrations, with shopkeepers partly shuttering their businesses and the government closing down two newspapers and detaining journalists and activists. The unrest also rocked several Kurdish towns in northwestern Iran.
The Kurdish opposition group PEJAK, which stands in Kurdish for the "Party of Free Life of Kurdistan," called on Kurds in western Iran to begin a campaign of civil disobedience. The group has clashed with Iranian security forces.
Tehran accuses the United States of stoking ethnic minority tensions in northwestern Iran's Kurdish regions.
Reporters Without Borders denounced the sentences.
"These death sentences are outrageous and shameful,” the press freedom organization said. “They show how little Iran is bothered by international humanitarian law. They also show how determined it is to use every possible means to silence the most outspoken journalists and human rights activists.”
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 100 CommentsI ask you again what you do?
When USA have a super power and can`t do anything about Iranian dictators ,we should wait for further actions with any dictator in the world that persecute and kill the minorities.
I don`t know what happen ?
Do you know?
+ report abuse
****
they are killing 'freedom of speech' OR YOU REALLY DONT GIVE A SH8T AS LONG AS IT IS NOT YOUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH..
leave it up to a anti-war liberal advocate to make sure the world is free
We have nuclear bombs and execute prisoners too. Why stop them?
Posted by notblue at 10:08 AM : Aug 01, 2007
At least in Iran they got a trial. In America, if a big time journalist really spilled the beans on your wonderful krap hole, they'd get assasinated and you know it.
It's a real shame that an American could stoop so low as to tell the truth.
I noticed you appear to have no problem with the US and Israel supporting terrorists.
Did you ever consider you might have your priorities reversed?
Just wondering. . .
Posted by CBS_Oliver at 09:47 AM : Aug 01, 2007
We already covered this topic.
But, to recap, the US and Israel are currently funding "Kurdish terrorists" in Iran. They are attempting to destabilize the Iranian government.
It appears that these "reporters" were US & Israeli sponsored Kurdish terrorists.
But, that is speculation since there are few facts available.
The elements most appalling in the Iranian state are precisely the things that Bush and his Trotskyite goons are trying to interject into law in the creation of the New World Order police state into which America is rapidly being transformed. By executive order, with the legal OK of his lawless, lying minion--the Attorney General of the United States of America--is rapidly putting the natural rights, acknowledged by the Constitution, into the waste bin of history. Our Enemy is indeed, the State.
So, you never heard of Zionism?
Or, perhaps you are unaware that Zionists, the vast majority of whom are American Christians, claim that the Bible authorizes them to murder anyone who opposes their claims to Jerusalem.
You appear to be very myopic when it comes to current events, or, the involvement of Jews & Christians in those events.
It is not possible to single out Muslim extremism without also denouncing Zionism.
Zionism is no different than Muslim extremism. And, Zionists will murder anyone who opposes them.
It appears the majority of Americans share that myopia. Presumably due to their reliance on Zionist propaganda as their only source for information.
Posted by radiob at 05:59 AM : Aug 01, 2007
You are welcome.
You routinely omit any mention of Jews as it relates to their involvement in terrorism or religious extremism.
There are three major religions that are dragging the world to all out world war. Those religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
It is not possible to have a rational discussion about religious extremism, terrorism and violence unless we include all three factions.
I rarely hear about Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans or any other religious group fighting over possession of Jerusalem, or, any other city.
As I have stated several times, any document/publication that endorses and encourages directly, the death or enslavement of ANY other race or form of belief, it should be done away with. Unless of course modern day society is just peachy-keen with that type of religious law...seems most of the middle east accepts it, whether they directly practice it or not.
Thank you for adding Rabbis to it I forgot,I alos forget monks and probably a few more titles.
Posted by radiob at 10:50 PM : Jul 31, 2007
-That is precisely the beauty of multiplicity of perceptions and interpretation or translation of a perception. It's part of the evolution and its mecanism of Natural Selection. This time it's not physical, it's only religious. The best will survive and convince the others...
Posted by radiob at 09:33 PM : Jul 31, 2007
radio, is this a better method than the battalion of hyper_menopaused women we advocated yesterday? LOL G,Nite friend
I agree with you but you seem to have omitted "rabbis" from your list of people who use religion to further their personal and political goals.
Rabbi Kahane is a well known Jewish extremist whose followers were responsible for murdering people. In the name of religion, of course.
Jerusalem was destroyed in 135 CE due to "Jewish terrorism" against Rome.
Violent religious extremism is not unique to Jews, Christians or Muslims. They all use religion as an excuse to do what would otherwise be considered heinous offenses.
To do bad things, a man needs nothing other than no conscience; to do unspeakable evil, he needs religion.
There are individuals that throughout history have used "religion" as a means to unite and have twisted the meaning of the "religion" to their own desires. They have utilized it to wage war in the name of "God" for their benefit not others. On the Cristian side the most notable are Martin Luther, Adolf Hitler (who was inspired by Luthers words) David Duke and August Krieves on the side of Islam there are Amhajadeen,OBL and others that have done the same thing. No one can translate the Koran into English verbatim and no one has translated the Bible verbatim. Every minister, priest or iman translate it and teach it the way in which they understand it. None of this excuses the barbaric acts that have been commited either in the name of Christianity or Islam. If religion it self did not exist mankind would still as it has since its existence (whether you believe in the bible, koran, or evolution) would find another excuse to kill, steal, plunder and pillage his fellow man.This does not mean that we should ignore evil but instead recognize evil for what it truly is something that rest inside each and every one of us. The difference is that most of us are able to control it .
Posted by NavyRetired2 at 10:17 PM : Jul 31, 2007
Save your energy.
You can post all you want and it will not negate the facts.
Islam is not a monolithich religion. No one speaks for Islam.
Given your rather narrow definition of "true believer" to mean "Muslim extremist," then you will have to concede that extremist Christians and Jews are the only "true believers" in Christianity and Judaism.
If that's your argument, we can agree. Let's work to ban all Bible based religions.
But, let's begin in the United States.
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