Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.
From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for “medical reasons”. The clue to detecting the fake “dissident” is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal “dissident” was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.
One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.
MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.
Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.
Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled “Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?”, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.
Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's “reformed revolutionary”. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the “imam” on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.
He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following “hunger strikes”, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.
http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_27144.shtml
Thanks to Milford421 for this report:
www.jihadwatch.org
In the face of ostracism and death threats -- in accord with
Muhammad's command to kill those who leave Islam. "Muslims converts
face ostracism in France," from ZeeNews, with thanks to Morgaan
Sinclair:
Muslims are converting to Christianity in their thousands in France
but face exclusion from their families and even death threats.
Most Muslims hide their conversion and Protestant ministers do their
utmost to protect new converts. It is estimated that every year in
the world some six million Muslims convert to Christianity.
The Muezzin call to prayer. But here in France it is no longer
reaching all Muslim ears.
Around 15,000 Muslims each year are converting to Christianity -
around 10,000 to Catholicism and 5,000 to Protestantism....
Many Muslims in France hide their conversion but the trend is
continuing. World wide around six million Muslims a year convert to
Christianity.
February 7, 2007 PM Anti-Terrorism News
(Iraq) U.S. helicopter crashes in Iraq; 7 dead and 'The Islamic State
of Iraq' Claims Responsibility for Shooting Down U.S. Helicopter
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070207/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=Av4yM18mBLqjEWgTyNpLm.ms0NUE
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/02/the_islamic_sta.html
(Iraq) U.S. blames Iran for Iraqi arms surge
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/iraq.php
(Russia) Senior local official killed in bomb attack in Russia's
restive Chechnya and Policeman, Militant, Family Member Killed In Chechnya
Shootout
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/07/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-Restive-South.php
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21262892.shtml
(Somalia) Two killed in Mogadishu mortar attacks
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/somaliaunrest;_ylt=AiXpMFxTkoGRLZORfpHjphOQLIUD
Somalia govt. arrests terror suspects - At least five arrested for
explosions in Mogadishu - Ambush attack at Ambassador Hotel in Mogadishu
and Somalia govt. arrests terror suspects (3 others arrested)
http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/7315
http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/7305
(Afghanistan) Canadian troops expect increased Taliban attacks
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070207/wl_nm/afghan_dc_4;_ylt=AnJ37LbAbH1jNt2L7sKFzAvOVooA
(Afghanistan) "No rush" to retake Taliban-held Afghan town, says NATO
force
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070207/wl_asia_afp/afghanistanunrest_070207164015;_ylt=At0cj4c_jY1EKq9vE6s.ZmTOVooA
(Pakistan) Islamabad On Alert After Airport Attack, Bomb Plot Warning
http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_12769-Islamabad-On-Alert-After-Airport-Attack-Bomb-Plot-Warning.html
Pakistan girls pick up guns for mosques
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/pak-girls-pick-up-guns-for-mosques/32902-2.html
(Israel) Aksa Martyrs vow to attack synagogues over Mughrabi
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359801084&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Iran's Khamenei urges Islamic states to retaliate against Israeli work
at Jerusalem holy site
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/07/africa/ME-GEN-Iran-Al-Aqsa-Mosque.php
Swiss bank: We won't freeze all Iranian clients
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359806590&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Egypt: Military Court To Try Muslim Brotherhood Accused
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.384109984&par=0
Egyptian FM says Hamas is a 'fact of life'
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359806859&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Hamas, Fatah begin talks in Saudi Arabia
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/07/hamas.fatah/index.html
(UK) Man charged with terror offenses - Staffordshire
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/news-channels/headline-channel/man-charged-with-terror-offences-$1049949.htm
UK bomb plot suspect (Muktar Said Ibrahim) allegedly into martyr films
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359805747&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Foiled UK Bomber Studied Bin Laden
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1586831,00.html
(UK) Muslims leaders fear trouble over anti-terror arrests
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070207/wl_uk_afp/britainattacksarrests_070207163937;_ylt=Ag9AaXxaUIod48Zd2UdzcXUTv5UB
(UK) Muslim anger after release of two held over "beheading plot"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1350403.ece
(UK) Commentary: England: One Law for Muslims, one for the Rest
http://www.americandaily.com/article/17533
(UK) Seven Letter Bombs Sent - seven letter bombs had been received in
the last three weeks
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1250528,00.html
(UK) Warning after new mail bomb blast
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6338829.stm
(UK) Letter bombs "aimed to shock"
http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=4560
(France / Australia) Brigette's Lawyers - Brigitte 'not part of terror
plot'
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21190263-1702,00.html
(France / Australia) Brigitte refuses to testify at terrorism trial
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1842705.htm
Israeli bulldozers searching for bombs - Israeli armored bulldozers
searching for explosives planted by Hezbollah along Lebanon border
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070207/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_lebanon;_ylt=AqkHO9q5QNfAe1PFalKixd2s0NUE
(Indonesia) Australia embassy bombers lose appeal
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21189623-1702,00.html
(Nigeria) Militant leader warns: 'We will destroy lives'
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/02/06/nigeria.hostages/index.html
Other News:
Thailand: Muslim South Seeks Unicef Help for Home Schooling - in a
response to the ongoing insurgency that has often targeted teachers and
schools
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.384113086&par=0
(France) Sarkozy sparks Muslim anger for taking sides in cartoons trial
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=36276
Italy: Leading Clerics Campaigning for Sharia Law Says Report
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Religion&loid=8.0.382208451&par=0
Iranian Cartoon Shows Nazi Swastika Growing Into Jewish Star of David
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250710,00.html
Carter Accuses Simon Wiesenthal Group of "Slander" After Questioning
Controversial Book
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250673,00.html
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=245494&ct=3525205
Telegraph: Litvinenko was a traitor, ex-FSB boss claims
Litvinenko was a traitor, ex-FSB boss claims
By Matthew Moore
The Telegraph, Last Updated: 1:36am GMT 08/02/2007
Alexander Litvinenko's former boss in the Russian security services
has condemned the murdered former spy as a "traitor".
Alexander Litvinenko
Russian agents have been accused killing the ex-spy
Alexander Gusak, once head of the FSB, the successor to the KGB, said
that Mr Litvinenko would have been executed in the Soviet era for
betraying undercover Russian agents to the British.
And he revealed that at least one of the betrayed agents came to him
offering to kill Mr Litvinenko in revenge.
"One of them did say: 'Listen, he's done you so much wrong - shall I
bring you his head?'", Mr Gusak said in an interview with the BBC's
Newsnight programme to be broadcast tonight. He denied encouraging the
agent to commit murder.
Mr Litvinenko, a fierce critic of the Vladimir Putin, the Russian
president, was poisoned with radioactive polonium 210 in London last
year, and died later in hospital.
advertisement
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is currently assessing whether
there is enough evidence to charge anyone with his murder.
One of the men questioned by Scotland Yard detectives in Russia before
Christmas was an ex-KGB bodyguard-turned-businessman, Andrei Lugovoi,
who met Mr Litvinenko on the day he fell ill. He denies any
involvement in the former agent's death.
Mr Gusak, who now works as a lawyer, once ran a secret FSB unit
described by Mr Litvinenko as a "death squad".
In his first interview since the Russian dissident's death, he said he
had been approached by several spies who believed their names had been
leaked to the British by Mr Litvinenko.
"I consider him a direct traitor because he betrayed what is most
sacred for any operative - his operational sources," he said.
"His operational sources came to me and they complained that your
(British) secret service officers had found them, and asked what to do.
"For that - and I speak as a lawyer - what Litvinenko did comes under
article 275 of the criminal code. It's called treason. And there are
sanctions; prescribed punishments."
Mr Gusak also confirmed claims made by Mr Litvinenko that a superior
officer in their secret unit had ordered them to kill Russian oligarch
Boris Berezovsky in 1997, but said that he did not believe the order
was serious.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/
[from group, unknown url]
AP: Russia Complains of Poison Probe Delay
Feb 7, 2:44 PM EST
Russia Complains of Poison Probe Delay
By STEVE GUTTERMAN
Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia complained on Wednesday about a "long delay" in
the British response to its request to send investigators to London
for inquiries into the poisoning of former KGB agent Alexander
Litvinenko.
The statement was the latest suggestion of tension between Britain and
Russia over the investigation into the death of the fierce Kremlin
critic who succumbed to radioactive polonium-210 in London in November
and blamed President Vladimir Putin for his poisoning.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said the prosecutor
general's office sent a request Jan. 8 asking permission to send
investigators to London, where Russian prosecutors have said they want
to visit several sites and question about 100 people, including
outspoken Putin foe Boris Berezovsky.
"So far, no answer has been received," Kamynin said. "Such a long
delay in considering the Russian request causes regret, especially
against the background of the readiness displayed by the Russian side
for swift and constructive cooperation in this question at the
professional level."
Litvinenko fled to Britain and was granted asylum after accusing his
superiors of ordering him to kill Berezovsky, a Russian tycoon and
one-time Kremlin insider who also has been granted British citizenship.
Litvinenko accused Russian authorities of being behind the deadly 1999
apartment building bombings that stoked support for a renewed
offensive against separatists in Chechnya under Putin, who was prime
minister at the time. Litvinenko died in a London hospital on Nov. 23.
British investigators traveled to Moscow in December and participated
in the questioning of Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, two
businessmen who also were in the Russian security services and who met
with Litvinenko in London on Nov. 1, hours before he said he fell ill.
With Litvinenko's death hurting Russia's image and international
speculation focusing on whether Russian security agencies could have
killed him, with or without Kremlin approval, Russian prosecutors
opened their own investigation into Litvinenko's poisoning and what
they called the attempted murder of Kovtun.
On Sunday, the prosecutor general's office said that it hoped to
receive a positive response from Britain this week on the request to
send investigators. Britain's Home Office confirmed that it had
received a request but has declined to comment on the nature and
timing of a possible response.
In Britain, police said Wednesday they were following the usual
procedure for considering such requests and that there is no deadline
for a decision. "We have to carefully consider the request and go from
there," a spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity.
The Russian statement came amid media speculation about the level of
cooperation that Russia has provided British authorities in their
investigation. The British detectives were not allowed to carry out
their own interviews with Kovtun and Lugovoi, instead sitting in on
questioning conducted by Russian prosecutors.
In an article published late last month in a Russian newspaper,
British Ambassador Anthony Brenton urged full cooperation by Moscow.
Litvinenko's widow, Marina, sent a letter to Putin last week
suggesting that Russia is not cooperating fully with British
authorities.
Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said last month that British
investigators want to return to Russia to continue the inquiry and
hinted they would only be permitted to do so if Russian authorities
were allowed to investigate in Britain.
Berezovsky reiterated Monday that he is willing to meet Russian
officials investigating in the case and said Litvinenko told him in
the hospital that he suspected Lugovoi was involved in his poisoning.
In Russia, pro-Kremlin lawmakers and state-run media have speculated
that Berezovsky could have been behind Litvinenko's death.
[unknown url]
Itar-Tass, Interfax : Senior official injured in blast in Chechnya dies in Khan
Senior official injured in blast in Chechnya
GROZNY, February 7 (Itar-Tass) - An attempt on the deputy head of the
Vedeno regional administration was committed in Chechnya.
``According to the preliminary information, unidentified gunmen called
at the house of deputy head of the Vedeno regional administration
Mairbek Murdagamov, and when he came up to the gate, a self-made
explosive device exploded,'' a source in the Chechen Interior Ministry
told Itar-Tass.
The official remained alive, but his hand was seriously injured in the
blast. Murdagamov was brought to the district hospital.
The Chechen Interior Ministry does not rule out that this attempt is
linked with the occupational activities of the official. A team of
investigators arrived at the scene to investigate all details of the
crime.
IWPR
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
http://www.iwpr.net/
Special Report: Russian Prison Hell for Chechens
Allegations of widespread abuse of Chechens held in Russian prisons,
and claims that many were convicted on false charges.
By Asya Umarova in Grozny (CRS No. 377 07-Feb-07)
On September 15, 2004, Kazbek was arrested in his home city of Grozny
by masked men from the security services. The 23-year-old, who was a
part-time student working as a policeman at the time, was taken away
and later signed a confession under duress.
Kazbek, whose family did not want his surname to be used, was
sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for "membership of an armed
gang", and is currently in a high-security prison in the Sverdlovsk
region in central Russia.
As a result he has never seen his son, the younger of his two children.
He started working for the Chechen police after returning home in
2001. He had been away to avoid the conflict, spending the time
earning a history degree and working on a law degree on a
correspondence course.
His mother said his problems started because he could no longer endure
the operations he was required to take part in as a policeman.
When he came home in low spirits one day, she asked him what was
wrong. "He said, `Mother, when Russian soldiers were kicking mothers
like you with their boots and beating them with their rifle butts
during the clean-up operations, I was standing guard. What kind of a
Chechen am I? I don't need the bread I earn for standing with a gun in
my hands.'"
Kazbek subsequently filed a complaint about such abuses.
Conditions for Chechens held in Russian jails are routinely described
as appalling, and brutality against inmates is reportedly endemic.
According to Kazbek's mother, the Sverdlovsk prison – which she has
visited – is "most terrible". But the inmates do not speak out,
"because they will be beaten to death", she said.
"They've been hurled into the jaws of the Russian soldiers who took
part in so-called `antiterrorism operations'," she said, adding that
these troops themselves are "the victims of political games".
"They got badges and medals for killing their own brothers. Let their
mothers rejoice because they won their medals for killing their
sisters' children," she said.
Senior government officials in Chechnya as well as relatives are
concerned at conditions in Russia's jails, and say they believe a high
proportion of the 12,000 Chechens serving prison sentences in Russia
were convicted unjustly.
Last year, Chechen human rights ombudsman Nurdi Nukhazhiev said he
believe most of these prisoners were innocent." In 2006, Nukhazhiev
received 72 complaints alleging wrongful conviction of family members.
But the relatives have few mechanisms they can pursue to overturn
convictions, and even lawyers are frequently denied access to their
clients.
The issue has become so contentious that the most powerful man in
Chechnya, Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, has chosen to intervene. At
the end of January, he ordered one of his deputy prime ministers, Adam
Delimkhanov, to investigate whether Chechens held both inside Chechnya
and elsewhere in Russia were being detained legally, and promised
greater government support for such individuals.
"Complaints addressed to the ombudsman have started coming in from
residents of Chechnya, and we are handling them jointly," said Ismal
Dadalayev, who heads the office of the deputy prime-minister in charge
of security matters. "If a man is found to have been placed in prison
illegally, we will take action and try to get results.
"For now, the parliament of Chechnya intends to ask the State Duma of
the Russian Federation to amend the current legislation so that
imprisoned Chechens can be transferred back to the republic and serve
their prison terms there."
Hussein Elsunkayev, an official who works for ombudsman Nukhazhiev,
said that his office had compiled evidence of "mass violations of the
rights of Chechen natives, on the grounds of ethnicity and place of
origin."
Elsunkaev concluded that in the ombudsman's view, "A Chechen does not
feel he is a full citizen of the Russian Federation these days."
Human rights activists say that in Chechnya, cases are often
fabricated against people who just happen to be in the wrong place at
the wrong time.
"The classic method of rigging criminal cases goes as follows," said
Yekaterina Sokiryanskaya of the human rights organisation Memorial.
"As a rule, people in masks come and take a man away, showing no
documents and saying nothing to his relatives. Then they use illegal
interrogation methods to force him to confess. They employ torture,
beatings and threats of sexual violence – the latter being especially
effective. After that, people are ready to sign anything and confess
to any crime. Then the charges are put into a legal format in the
investigation cell, and formalised in the pre-trial detention centre."
Sokiryanskaya said interrogators often beat detainees with plastic
bottles filled with water so as to avoid leaving physical traces of
abuse.
"When a man is subjected to unlawful treatment, what's the guarantee
that he is guilty?" asked Sokiryanskaya. "Some human rights
organisations try to help, and there are lawyers who really defend
people, and from time to time good decisions are taken.
"But even when attempts to rig a criminal case are exposed in court,
the policemen involved are never convicted. Criminal cases get
fabricated everywhere in the North Caucasus, but in Chechnya the
practice is especially conspicuous."
"They use all the criminal charges that they can muster," added
Elsunkayev. "These include participation in illegal armed groups,
brigandage, terrorism, the murder of one or more policemen, or illegal
possession of arms. We have files on cases involving young men who
were convicted under all these gruesome articles of Russia's criminal
code."
Another human rights activist, Shamil Tangiev of Memorial, said the
Chechen prosecutor's office could not be regarded as independent and
was cooperating with other official bodies.
"We believe the courts, the prosecutor's office, and the investigative
bodies are united in a cover-up," said Tangiev.
IWPR contacted the prosecution service in Chechnya about the
widespread allegations of fabricated criminal cases. The prosecutor's
office asked for written questions, which were submitted a month ago,
but despite further requests, it has failed to provide answers.
The issue of family members detained in Russia touches almost every
community in Chechnya. In the village outside Grozny where Kazbek's
family lives, there are more than 70 mothers waiting from day to day
for their sons to return and saving money so that they can go to see
them in jail.
The mother of another detainee called Aslan said he is routinely
humiliated by his jailers.
"When my son was fasting during the sacred month of Ramadan, they
would give him pork, knowing that he was a Muslim and wouldn't eat
it," she said. "They give him two cups of tea and a slice of bread
every day. He stays in a solitary cell, one metre square with an iron
bed… and no blanket or mattress. The toilet is in the cell."
These mothers hope the Russian government will allow their sons to be
transferred to prisons in Chechnya.
"Nothing lasts forever in this world, and those who are responsible
for this won't escape divine justice. Our innocent children know
what's been done to them but don't know why – and they must be saved,"
said Kazbek's mother. "There must be more than 10,000 mothers of these
poor children, and there are also their wives, children, sisters and
brothers. How can we sleep properly, eat well and call ourselves
proper human beings?"
Asya Umarova is a correspondent for Chechenskoye Obschestvo newspaper.
So, are they using Congress and the Senate as interrogators for their intelligence?
Columnist Hassan Haydar: Iran Spreads a "Culture of Death"
VISIT THE NEW MEMRI BLOG AT www.thememriblog.org
Special Dispatch—Iran
February 8, 2007
No. 1455
Columnist Hassan Haydar: Iran Spreads a "Culture of Death"
To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit:
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD145507 .
In an article published February 1, 2007 in the English edition of the
London
daily Al-Hayat, columnist Hassan Haydar denounced the "culture of
death" that
Iran is spreading in the Arab world by means of the resistance
movements in
Lebanon and in Palestine.
The following are excerpts from the article, as they appeared in
English:(1)
"According to a Reuters news report from Monday, a little Lebanese girl
who
appeared on a... children's show on Al-Manar – Hezbollah's TV channel –
said
that she had often prayed for her father to be martyred in battle with
Israel,
and that she was very proud that he was killed in the war last July,
and that
she was 'very happy for him,' because she felt that God had heard her
prayers.
"The mother of the Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up in
Eilat
three days ago also told Agence France-Presse that she was happy her
son was
martyred. She revealed that she had said goodbye [to him] before he
left for
his mission and had wished him success, and that she was happy that
'God had
heard her prayers.'
"These two examples are no different from the Iranian 'human waves,' in
which
the victims wore keys to Paradise around their necks as they marched
through
Iraqi minefields. They are also no different from the majority of
operations
that have been carried out by the Lebanese and Palestinian Islamic
resistance
movements over the last two decades."
"[The Culture of Death] Reflects a State of Collective Psychological
Detachment, in Which a Child Can Celebrate the Loss of a Father and a
Mother
the Loss of a Son"
"Most important, such examples confirm the growing influence that
Tehran has
today, and the extent to which the culture of death and the
glorification of
martyrdom have proliferated in more than one Arab country. [Tehran
spreads
this culture by] exploiting its sectarian affiliation... with Shi'ites
in Iraq
and Lebanon, and [by means of its support of] the Palestinian Hamas and
the
Islamic Jihad movements.
"The culture [of death] is not limited to local professional fighters
engaged
in armed conflict with an enemy, but has spread to affect entire
communities –
including mothers and children, schools and television, newspapers,
poetry,
art and music. The significance of this [lies] in distorting the
concept of
struggle itself, denying people the right to make rational and mature
choices,
and demeaning everything other than martyrdom, including political and
social
efforts aimed at improving the conditions of these communities and
their
members' living standards.
"It is also a culture that reflects a state of collective psychological
detachment, in which a child can celebrate the loss of a father and a
mother
[can celebrate] the loss of a son, which [goes] against human nature
and
culture.
"But in stark contrast, the media apparatuses of the same
Iran-affiliated
movements express admiration for American anti-war groups and for
mothers of
American soldiers demanding the return of their children, just as they
emphasized last summer's protests by Israeli mothers who opposed the
Israeli
army's involvement in a ground war in Lebanon, praising the influence
of such
actions on society as a whole and on the Israeli decision-making
process.
"In doing this, these media apparatuses essentially condemn the very
same
concepts that they try to advocate, since the American and Israel
anti-war
protests promote the sanctity of life and the desire to protect life in
face
of all the justifications of the American and Israeli governments.
"The validity of the reasons behind the animosity toward Israel cannot
be
disputed, and opposing its repeated aggression often means accepting
the
eventuality of death and destruction. A problem arises, however, when
death
becomes the only weapon and deterrent, and a goal in itself, while [the
taking
of] life should be the last card resorted to, and [should be resorted
to] only
if fighting is the only way to improve the standards of this life.
"We might ask: How will this child, who was raised to exalt and
glamorize
death, be able to conform to the rules of a work place, or comply with
public
law, or harmonize with a civil society later in life?
"How will such a child be able to appreciate the value of a tree, a
house, a
field, a road, a bridge, a public square, or any of the normal
things... that
surrounding him?
"What Lebanon went through last summer and what is currently taking
place in
the heart of Beirut and in its alleys – are these not examples of what
a child
nurtured on the culture of death is capable of doing?"
Endnote:
(1) Al-Hayat, February 1, 2007. The text has been edited for clarity.
Are they using investigations in our legistative bodies as a way to gather intelligence?
Where does the Islamic cleric (who supports hezbollah)who gave the invocation at the Democrat meeting stand?
Croat journalist jailed for contempt of U.N. court
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0758667.htm
Croat journalist jailed for contempt of U.N. court
07 Feb 2007 16:48:58 GMT
Source: Reuters
AMSTERDAM, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The U.N. war crimes tribunal on
Wednesday sentenced a Croatian journalist to three months in prison
after finding him guilty of contempt for revealing the names of
protected witnesses who testified in a war crimes case.
Judges also fined freelance journalist Domagoj Margetic 10,000 euros
($12,990) after concluding that by publishing the names of witnesses
who testified during the trial of Croat militia commander Tihomir
Blaskic, he had put them at risk.
"The trial chamber finds that Margetic has committed contempt of the
tribunal ... by disclosing information in violation of an order and by
interfering with witnesses," judge Alphonsus Orie said.
Prosecutors said Margetic had published a list of witnesses on his
personal website between July 7 and Aug. 2, 2006 despite receiving
explicit warning that the material was confidential.
He also published three articles on the site which contained further
confidential material including witness pseudonyms.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of six months and a 50,000
euro fine.
Judge Orie said Margetic had displayed a "reckless disregard" for the
safety of witnesses, many of whom were protected because of their
vulnerability.
Three witnesses whose names were disclosed would be reluctant to
testify before the tribunal again because of fears for their security,
prosecutors argued during the trial.
"This makes his contemptuous behaviour all the more severe," Orie said.
The Hague-based tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, set up to
investigate wars in the region in the 1990s, sentenced Blaskic to 45
years in prison in 2000 for crimes against humanity, war crimes and
other charges.
His sentence was reduced to nine years on appeal in 2004.
Thanks to Milford421 for these updates:
Update: 2 stories on Middle Eastern Men Att. Entrance to Firearms Plant, TN
Sure...no problem, just businessmen - metal reclamation
business...military ammo plant...sure, no problem here....
http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=2105
Update: Suspicious men at Barrett's identified, deemed no threat
The subjects are legitimate businessmen involved in a metal
reclamation business.
They are Armenian nationals legally in this country and they do not
appear on any Homeland Security watch list.
The group of three men went to another Murfreesboro area metal-
related industry two weeks ago and also sought scrap metal there.
While these men have been identified and cleared of any illicit
purpose, it is a good reminder that anyone who sees suspicious
activity should write down all information available, particularly
car license information, and contact law enforcement immediately.
Suspicious men sought after trying to enter firearms plant
DNJ staff reports
While police across the state look for a man described as being of
Middle Eastern descent who asked questions at a local firearms
plant, area residents weren't surprised by the news.
"(It's) probably a larger target than Oak Ridge," said Doug Homan, a
roofing contractor, while pumping gas at Danny's Food and Fuel Plaza
on Miller Road, just across the interstate from Barrett
Manufacturing Inc. in south Murfreesboro.
Barrett makes .50-caliber rifles for the U.S. military, which has
used them in combat since the 1991 Gulf war. The powerful gun is
also sold to the general public.
Critics have warned that the rifle could be used by terrorists to
bring down commercial airliners or penetrate rail cars and storage
plants holding hazardous materials.
A statewide bulletin was issued Thursday for police to be on the
lookout for a subject described as being of "Middle Eastern
descent," after he asked questions of an employee and tried to enter
the secure facility the day before, said sheriff's spokesman Dan
Goodwin.
A plant employee was leaving the building about 4 p.m. when he
encountered the man. The subject asked questions about what was
manufactured there, and when refused information by the BFMI
employee, began demanding entry to the building.
The man was asked to leave after he became upset when the employee
began to examine his pickup truck. The white truck was described as
having dual rear tires and towing a white utility trailer. Two other
men were in the truck, and there was luggage in the bed of the
vehicle.
Homan said it was "better to be safe than sorry" about the company's
decision to stop the man from entering the weapons plant.
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office is working with Barrett
Manufacturing and the Department of Homeland Security to stay on top
of the situation. Extra patrols around the facility are under way.
Kathy Jessup, traveling from Atlanta, said she didn't blame the
employee's decision to halt the man from entering the plant.
"As soon as you mentioned a vehicle with trailer at a firearms
place, then (automatically) I would say, inspect them," she said.
Motorcyclist Robert Smith, who was taking a brief rest at Love's
Travel Stop located on Epps Mill Road near the plant, said
terrorists could take many forms.
"Terrorists could look just like you and me, especially a man on a
motorcycle," said Smith.
He said the move for Barrett to stop the trailer and the men from
entering was a good call.
"You wouldn't want anybody coming in there with explosives," he said.
Anyone who may have information about these men is asked to call the
Sheriff's Office at 898-7770.
http://dnj.midsouthnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070127/NEWS01/701270306/1002
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/under-investigation/
* Hamas Digging Tunnels for Next
Battle with Israel *
Hezbollah is planting bombs on the Israeli side of the
border (under the nose of the UNIFIL 'disarmament
force') and Hamas is preparing sophisticated
underground assaults from Gaza:
Hamas is setting up a new military infrastructure for a
serious confrontation with Israel.
It is digging combat tunnels, improving rocket
performance and quantity, and collecting weapons,
mainly antitank and antiaircraft missiles through
smuggling.
The tunnels will allow mobility underground to the
expected points of battle with IDF forces entering
Gaza.
The fighters will be able to surface quickly, launch
missiles or rockets, and disappear, only to surprise
IDF forces at another spot.
The tunnels are also meant to hold explosive devices
that would be detonated when IDF forces try to enter
Gaza.
What is the solution? A leader like Rudy Giuliani who
understands two things:
1. The West does not have the option of 'disengaging'
from the Global Jihad. They are at war with us and we
have only to choose whether to join the battle as
passive victims or as active combatants.
2. In this war, we need to be on offense.
Remember, the complete stories and much more can be
found by visiting the IRIS blog at:
http://www.iris.org.il/blog.html
Iran's Khamenei urges Islamic states to retaliate against Israeli work at Jerusalem holy site
The Associated Press
Published: February 7, 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/07/africa/ME-GEN-Iran-Al-Aqsa-Mosque.php
TEHRAN, Iran: Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday called on Islamic nations to retaliate against Israel for its construction work at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, state television reported.
"The world of Islam should show a serious reaction to the Zionist regime's insult to Al-Aqsa Mosque," the television quoted Khamenei as saying during a meeting with Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, the leader of Islamic Jihad in Palestine, a hardline Palestinian group based in Damascus.
Khamenei did not say what sort of response he intended, but he said the Islamic world should make Israel "regret" what it is doing.
On Tuesday Israel began building a walkway up to the compound in the Old City where Islamic tradition says the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jews revere the same place as the site of their ancient temples.
Israel says the construction is required to replace a centuries-old earthen ramp that partially collapsed in a snowstorm three years ago. It has promised the work will not harm any Islamic holy sites, but its assurances have not been accepted by Muslims.
Palestinian leaders have condemned the work. Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Tuesday. There were scuffles Wednesday when a hardline Israeli Islamic leader approached the site with his followers.
In Tehran on Wednesday, 206 Iranian legislators issued a statement condemning the construction work, which is expected to last eight months.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB213/index.htm
Charter 77 After 30 Years
Documenting the Landmark Human Rights Declaration
Original Signature Cards, Secret Police Files,
U.S. Intelligence Reports Published for First Time
Charter's Call for Rule of Law Deemed "Sedition," "Subversion," and "Harmful to National Interests Abroad" by Czechoslovak Communist Authorities in 1977
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 213
Edited by Prof. Vilém Preèan (Czechoslovak Documentation Centre),
Dr. Svetlana Savranskaya and Thomas Blanton (National Security Archive)
Translations and editorial assistance by Derek Paton
Scanning and other research assistance by Catherine Nielsen, Maria Lorena Martinez, Dr. Mary E. Curry, and Petr Blažek
Posted - January 6, 2007
I was glad to see Russia listed as a problem, at least one man in Washington, has his eyes and ears working.
I think that even I did not realize how large the problem was, until I started reading several small countries over there, that have tried to fight Russia back and paid the price.
Time has rolled back 20 years, it appears.
Good question, but I don't know the answer.
Nothing surprises me.
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP145607
[photos at link]
February 8, 2007 No.1456
Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 61
Islamic State in Iraq Claims Responsibility for Downing Chinook
On February 7, 2007, the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) posted a communiqué on the Islamist websites in which it claimed responsibility for the downing of a U.S. Chinook helicopter in Iraq on the same day. According to the message, around 10:40 AM an Islamic State in Iraq air defense unit had targeted the helicopter in Al-Karamah, Iraq, destroying it completely.
Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi Calls to Extend Jihad in Iraq, Declares War on "Persians"
On February 3, 2007, Islamist websites posted a 23-minute audio recording by Emir Al-Muaminin (Commander of the Believers) Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi, whom Al-Qaeda has appointed "head of the Islamic State of Iraq." In his address, Al-Baghdadi announces that the arena of the jihad will now be extended beyond the boundaries of Baghdad, calls on Sunni youths to join the war against the "Crusader" forces, and urges mujahideen who have not yet done so to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq. He also declares war on the "Persians," whom he characterizes as an enemy worse than the Christians. He states that the intensive activity of the mujahideen in Iraq has kept the Americans busy, allowing North Korea to conduct successful nuclear experiments, which in turn provided Iran with greater room for maneuvering and prevented the elimination of the Ba'th regime in Syria. Al-Baghdadi ends his address by saying that, in his estimation, America will soon acknowledge its defeat in Iraq and will then turn to carrying out a tactical nuclear attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Below is the banner that accompanies the official announcements of the Islamic State of Iraq.
Suspected suicide attacker killed at Islamabad airport, three police wounded
Published in: Los Angeles Times
February 7, 2007
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan -- Police thwarted a suspected suicide attacker at the airport serving Pakistan's capital today after a shootout and blast that killed the attacker and wounded three security officials, officials said.
The attacker opened fire with a pistol on police who challenged him as he walked in the airport's main entrance, said Moravet Ali Shah, deputy-inspector general of police in Rawalpindi where the airport is located.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-020607pakistan,1,5242040.story?coll=la-headlines-world
Kyrgyz authorities arrest alleged member of al-Qaida linked regional Islamic group
Published in: International Herald Tribune
February 7, 2007
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyz authorities have arrested an alleged member of a regional militant Islamic group linked to al-Qaida, prompting a protest by his supporters, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
Atabek Abdumomunov, 32, a suspected member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who was wanted by the neighboring country's authorities since 2001 for his alleged involvement in bombings, was arrested in his home town of Uzgen by Kyrgyz security officers on Thursday, the ministry's press office said.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/02/asia/AS-GEN-Kyrgyzstan-Extremism.php
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