Jews in Iran

Jews are politically represented in Iran by Maurice Motamed. Check out the story about him at the sister blog, Iran Conflict Watch.

Asylum for Gay Iranians

Iran is a bad place to be if you are gay or a Christian convert (...or a woman). This week, the UK-based gay and lesbian human rights group OutRage! investigated the plight of gays and lesbians in Iran:

the government has been executing gay and bisexual men under the cover of rape and kidnapping charges.... the government has used internet entrapment of gay Iranians using foreign-based online gay dating agencies...evidence of homophobic honour killings, arrests, torture and executions.

The group is working for amnesty of gay and lesbian Iranians in the EU, UK and US. Such amnesty for gays and Christian converst was granted this week in the Netherlands.

Political Speech a Crime

When is political speech actually disorderly conduct? While this does not directly relate to the conflict with Iran, it certainly is an issue because anytime we talk about war and peace, political speech is involved. Dr. Wenyi Wang shouted out to President Bush not to let President Hu continue persecuting Falun Gong/Falun Dafa. Later, she was charged with disorderly conduct, and is awaiting further charges, still in custody. Dr. Wang was clearly not trespassing (she had press credentials), and was clearly exercising political speech. How can she be charged with disorderly conduct for clearly political speech? My guess is that they can charge her with anything they want, but that it won't fly in court. In other words, it is a form of intimidation (one that we hear a lot about) from the executive branch, but the judiciary will come down on the side of free speech, in a case this clear. Still, it would seem it has a chilling effect on free speech. Since when are you arrested and charged in the US for voicing your opinion to a public official? As we gear up for potentially more anti-war protests if the conflict in Iran deepens, this is something for the public to be aware of. Your thoughts on this are appreciated. If Britney Spears can say and do what she wants, why can't Wenyi Wang?