My friend Kianoosh Sanjari, the head of the organization of Iranian political prisoners, has made it to Norway, where he has been granted political asylum. This report from the Oslo chapter of Amnesty International gives a summary of what is going on in Iran. You will not hear about it from the MSM or from the pretend leaders of this administration, who talk about the nobility of the cause of the Iranian people, but do nothing to advance it.

Someone should show this to Secretary Rice, who wrongly compares the Palestinians to black Americans during slavery and segregation, and moves heaven and earth to help them. Maybe she’ll find the comparison with the Iranians even more compelling (it is). Today is MLK’s day; a good day to join the fight for freedom in Iran.

On January 12, 2008, human right activists demonstrated against the rising number of hangings in Iran. The Iranian regime has escalated hangings in 2008 and the demonstration was to condemn human right violations in Iran. 19 people have been hanged in the first 9 days of the New Year. Dissidents are suppressed violently. Political activist are harassed and most are arrested for ambiguous reasons and are tortured in prisons. Tens of student activists have been arrested in the recent government crack-down.
25 year old Iranian activist, Kianoosh Sanjari, who was recently granted political asylum with the help of Amnesty International, spearheaded the recent protest in Oslo.
Kianoosh, who served as an active spokesperson and representative of a secular student group in Iran, was forced to escape the country due to repeated arrests, lengthy prison terms, and continued threats.
In his speech before the protesters on Saturday, Kianoosh expressed deep concern about the escalating and grave violations of human rights in Iran. Calling for an end to such violations, Kianoosh appealed for active participation by all concerned entities. “It is so important that the Iranian people are not left alone in this struggle!” he told the crowd.
Mrs. Bente Erischsen, AI representative in the gathering, said that Iran is on top of the list of the worst violators of human rights in the world. Erischen went on to emphasize that AI has condemned the use of torture as a method to obtain confessions and damage government opponents. She emphasized that we should continue the struggle against the Iranian regime. At first glance, it might seem that it is useless to try, but this is a mistake, it is imperative to continue our human right activities in this relation. In fact this is what the Iranian regime is trying to do. They are pretending that any effort to improve human rights conditions would be a waste in an effort to discourage all efforts. If this happens, it will serve as a significant advantage for a regime that claims that it has won already.
Approximately 50 Iranians participated in the protest, despite inclement weather conditions. The human rights organization of Norway thanked the protestors and organizers for their efforts.

And a thought for Norman Podhoretz, whose faith in President Bush leads him to continue his calls for a military attack on Iran: these guys aren’t going to do anything for the Iranians, but a call from you on behalf of freedom in Iran would be important. It’s time. And it’s right.