In recent years, some Iranian bloggers have been sent to jail and many have had their sites filtered. If the Iranian parliament approves this draft bill, bloggers fear they could be legally executed as criminals. No one has defined what it means to “disturb mental security in society”.

Such discussion concerning blogs has not been unique to Iran. It shows that many authorities do not only wish to filter blogs, but also to eliminate bloggers!

A state policy to control blogs

About a year and a half ago, the Iranian government demanded that bloggers should register and provide their names and addresses on a site called Samandehi. Many people believed such a process would facilitate legal action against them.

Bloggers resisted and many published an “I do not register my blog/site” banner on their blogs. The Government then realised it cannot have real control of the situation, or force bloggers to register.

In the footsteps of Yemen?

Unfortunately, the Iranian case is not unique to the Middle East and to the world. In April, MidEastYouth talked about new repressive measures adopted by Yemen, quoting Walid Al-Saqaf, YemenPortal.net's administrator:

“This week, the government’s Minister of Information threatened to file lawsuits against news websites on the justification of ‘inciting hatred’ or ‘harming national interests’ and the other usual excuse they often use to prosecute journalists. The threat is even more severe for websites because the government would use the penal code instead of the press law. This means that website owners could receive even death penalties.”

“Don’t be upset, we'll execute you legally”

Nikahang, a leading Iranian online cartoonist and blogger, says [Fa]:

if this draft bill becomes law, everything will be based on interpretation and a simple blogger will be considered a center to destroy people’s religion! What can I say? Only people who disturb people’s mental security could support such a thing.

Mirza Kasra Bakhtyari writes [Fa] that Ali Larijani, the Iranian Parliament's President, supported discussing this draft bill and added that they have talked for hours with the Judiciary about it.

Ghomarashegahneh says [Fa]:

Mentioning ‘blogging' among crimes such as kidnapping, raping, armed robbery makes accusing bloggers easier than before… Such a law will harm the mental security of society more than the poor bloggers, who do not know what awaits them.

The blogger adds that the real causes of mental security problems are the economic crisis and repressive government policies.

Bazri warns [Fa]: “We should do our best to stop members of parliament from approving this draft bill. Tomorrow it will be too late. It is easy to accuse a blogger of apostasy and corruption. Let's tell the Parliament that to think differently is not a crime that should be punishable by death.”

Balocuh has published a cartoon where a cleric tells a woman about to be executed: “Don’t be upset, we'll execute you legally.”

Students at other Iranian universities including Kirmanshah University have previously made allegations of sexual harassment from officials, without consequences. In this case, the evidence of citizen media was clear: students protested for one week, before the vice president was finally suspended. The President of the University apologized and thanked students.

Here is the video showing a very confused university vice president listening to the orders of the students who filmed him. This film has been watched more than 67,000 times in less than 10 days.

Iranian blogger, Asmoun Abi writes [fa]:

I am living in a country where the only thing I get is a veil. I am living in a country where you look at me as somebody to sleep with. I am living in a country where in its most secure and cultured place, a woman gets violated.

The blog, Zanjan1387 was launched by students in Zanjan University to keep readers updated about their protest movement. In this blog we read [fa] that more than 1500 students signed a petition asking the Minister of Science to fire the President of Zanjan University. The blog has also published several photos and videos from different protests.

Sano claims [fa] that the vice president put pressure on this girl to have sex with him and wanted a 7 month “temporary marriage”. The blogger adds that before this incident there were other cases too.

Tourjan says [fa] that the interesting point is that Madadi, the vice president who has acted in a very immoral way, a few weeks ago told the Association of Islamic Students that they would be shut down for doing immoral things!

He offered details of many illegal business deals and criminal offences, and accused several of Iran's leading political figures, including influential Ayatollahs, such as former president and chairman of the Assembly of Experts, Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Interim Friday Prayer Leader of Tehran, Emami Kashani, and the head of the Imam Reza Shrine Foundation, Ayatollah Vaez Tabbasi, of illegally accumulating hundreds of millions of dollars.

Several Iranian bloggers published parts of his speech and shared their opinions on this exceptional event in the Islamic Republic. After the controversial speech, the university's Islamic Society of Students was allegedly shut down.

The Mano Shoma blog recounts [fa] that Abbas Palizdar named several “corrupt influential personalities” in Hamadan:

Ayatollah Emami Kashani came and said he wants to register an institution for handicapped people because he has a handicapped child, and he wants his own child be in this institution. Then he came back and said he needs financial support for this institute, and he wants a stone mine in the Fars province. It is the best mine in the world. Then he came and said that mine is not enough, and he took another one in Zanjan. At present he has four different mines supporting his institute for disabled people.

There were many more examples. Palizar described how Ayatollah Yazdi, the former head of the Judiciary was allowed to purchase the Dena Tyre factory in order to support a new law faculty for women in Qom. The factory was valued at 600 million dollars, but he was allowed to acquire it for only 10 million dollars. The cleric then said he could only pay 20 per cent in cash, and proceeded to sell the factory on the Iranian stock market at a massive profit.

Azarmehr links to a video of Abbas Palizdar delivering the speech on the Internet Archive and translates the key points to English:

During the question time, Palizdar is asked why he has not talked about the corruption by the Rafsnjani clan, is it because he fears the power of Rafsanjanis? Palizar replies that there is so much abuse of power by Rafsnajanis that he would need an entire meeting dedicated to this subject…

According to Palizdar, Ayatollah Rafsanjani has major financial interests in an oil company in Canada, and also the touristic island, Kish. He also said there is video evidence of Rafsanjani's son, Mehdi, sexually exploiting his female employees.

Dilemma of the Islamic Republic

Abdollah Shabazi an Islamist historian says [fa] that “owners of the revolution”, according to the definition of the Islamic Republic leadership, face a dilemma between either:

… the status quo, continuing the present situation and making Iran a second Pakistan, or renewing the Islamic Republic. There is no third option. The choice is either to accept institutionalised corruption, or fight against it to realise the goals of late Ayathollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution.

Why now?

Mahameh Khobim wonders [fa] about the timing of such a surprising revelation. Why? And why now? The blogger speculates that a group of the conservative right must be targeted to be disappeared.

Hassan Agha draws parallels [fa] between what is going on in Iran now and at the end of the Shah's regime: inflation, unemployment and these kinds of political revelations.

Here are some photos of artistic environmental activity to protest against the destruction of nature and hunting of animals.

Art and Environment

Mojgan Jamshidi has published [fa] several photos from a recent art festival in the northern city Noshahr. The photos were taken by Ahmad Nadalyan and Raheleh Zomorodnya:

Some protested against keeping animals in cages:

or hunting them:

Protest

Hamnahad has published [fa] the photos of demonstrators who protested against the presence of an Italian circus in Tehran last January. They carried the photos of several animals in chains with slogans such as “Love us in freedom not in chains” or “Born in captivity has no desire to live.”

Warning

in his blog, Mohammad Darvish has written about [fa] a conference about the construction of big dams, the consequences and alternatives. He was one of the speakers too.

Jamshidi shows [fa] the negative impact of one dam in Iran, where the Urumiyeh lake in the north west has become a salt lake and animals have perished.

Action

Grey Wolf shows [fa] people planting trees together for a better future.

Q: You visited Iran recently after many years. Was it a cultural shock? Was there any difference between what you imagined, and what you came to know about Iran in reality?

A: Iran wasn't a culture shock at all. It was pretty much what I expected, culturally. I did grow up in a half-Iranian family in California, after all. Iranians are terribly hospitable people and always want to be helpful and welcoming to family members like me who have never been to Iran.

Q: You are writing a book on the Internet and its impact on society. One fourth of your book is about Iran. Can you explain this project?

A: I am writing a book about the history and effects of the Internet in four countries around the world, including Estonia, Iran, Senegal and South Korea. It explores how the political and economic histories of these countries intersect with the arrival of the Internet in their countries. It is tentatively titled “The Internet of Elsewhere” and will be published by Rutgers University Press (USA) in late 2009.

Q: Why did you choose these four countries for your book?

A: I chose these countries because they each represent vastly different experiences when it comes to the Internet.

Senegal, because it's a Sub-Saharan African country, and yet, relative to many others in the region is politically and economically stable. It should be ripe for greater Internet penetration, and yet, it's not.

Estonia, because of the rapid changes that it has gone through since its emergence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It went from barely any communication with the outside world in 1991 to having more mobile phones than citizens today.

South Korea, because it has the largest rate of Internet penetration in the world and has the highest and cheapest bandwidth in the world. How did this happen?

Iran, for personal reasons but also because it's interesting to watch how the Internet, a disruptive technology in and of itself, intersects with the theocracy and budding democratic thinkers of the early 21st century.

Q: Have you found any commonalities in these countries?

A: I have found common elements in so far as the Internet has had a dramatic effect on the contemporary histories of each country. Even in a country like Senegal, the Internet is cheap enough to the point where even the poorest kids in Dakar can pool their money between three or four of them to share access on a machine in a cybercafe for an hour fairly regularly. Each of these countries would look different without the proliferation of the Internet.

Q: Do you think blogs have any real influence in Iranian media and society?

A: I think that blogs do have an impact on Iran, but I wonder how much of an impact they can have now when so many blogs are filtered, and the bandwidth is slowed. Sure, many Iranians know how to use proxies and other tools to get around the blocks, but the simple fact that many young Iranian thinkers and writers have had to leave since 2001, makes me wonder who are the winners and losers in this case. The answers aren't obvious.

Q: Did you meet any bloggers in Iran? What challenges are there for cyber activists?

A: I didn't meet any bloggers in Iran, but I did meet with Shahram Sharif of ITIran.com and Sina Tabesh of Wikipedia Persian. I have spoken with many bloggers by phone and by IM previously, but unfortunately have not met many of them. It's hard for cyber activists, even those who live outside Iran, to at once speak out against the government and feel safe in what they say, and how they say it.

Q: How was your personal experience surfing and using internet in Iran? Slow, filtered…?

A: I stayed with my grandmother, who, despite living in North Tehran, did not have Internet access at her apartment. During the two weeks I was there, I was only to use the Internet once, from a cyber café in the Hotel Aseman in Esfahan. I was able to make a Skype call to the US with no problem. That being said, I did access a VERY limited version of the Internet on my iPhone — oddly, the only website that I was able to access with any regularity was The New York Times.

How do you evaluate the presence of homosexual blogs in the Iranian blogosphere? Are there many bloggers that talk about their homosexuality?

Yes, we have many Iranian LGBTIQ bloggers, and most of them live inside Iran. They have nicknames and write anonymously, which is safest for their security, but sometimes the government finds them through their IP addresses. But they do exist and are very active.

How do you use the Internet, including blogs and video films, to talk about Iranian homosexuality?

The Internet is one of our most important communication tools. Without the internet our organization could not do many things. We don't have representatives in Iran because we fear for their safety; we don't want to make problems for them. We monitor their weblogs, and it is one of our resources. The Internet is a gift to us.

What about Iranian reactions to your website/blog? Is there any dialogue there between people who are homosexual or defend homosexual rights, and people who consider homosexuality a “sin” or “an immoral act”?

There are different reactions. We receive many hate messages, and also many messages of support. In the Iranian queer weblogs, they have dialogues with other people, and sometimes bloggers address these issues. But in general, people have changed their views in the last few years.

Is there any online forum where Iranian homosexuals exchange their ideas or leave comments?

We have a magazine, Cheraq. And we have a forum for Iranian homosexuals too. It started a few months ago. But weblogs are more common.

How you see the situation of homosexuals in Iran? Are they involved in cyberspace in order to express themselves?

As I said, a lot has changed. I remember a few years ago, nobody talked about our rights, but now you can find thousands of pages online. According to them, they cannot have physical relations freely, but they exist and they try to be active. I think now, Iranian queer issues have become a human rights issue.

When you look at Iranian gay and lesbian blogs. Do they face different kinds of difficulties?

Of course yes, it is totally different. They have different situations. Lesbians are more invisible, and it is because of Iran's general lack of women's rights. We don't have many lesbian blogs, and those that I know, are active in trying to say lesbians exist too. We have an online magazine for lesbians, Hamjens-e man. It is the first magazine for Iranian lesbians.

Do you have any project, comment or idea to share with us?

We exist, but we cannot speak out. We should support each other. It is our freedom tax.

Helpless farmers and “careless leaders”

Eghtesaddaneh writes [Fa] that Iranian farmers are unprotected and unrepresented by officials. The blogger adds that:

The Ministry of Agriculture represents the middle class and employees, rather than farmers. The farmers are the silent class. Have you ever heard them protest? Have you ever heard the Minister of Agriculture protest against obstacles to free trade?

He adds that there is “no help for farmers after natural disasters, contrary to in most industrialized and Latin American countries. In my city Kashan, the pomegranate gardens have almost all been destroyed by the cold.”

Athalolah Mohajerani, the former reformist Minister of Culture, says that contrary to what an influential cleric, Mahdavi Kani says, inflation has nothing to do with people's lack of consumption. The blogger writes that the government does not listen to qualified experts, and that its populism and slogan-oriented policies are the reason for inflation.

Soweyda writes [Fa] that Hadad Adel, the President of the Iranian parliament, said there may be inflation in the country, but at least there is security. The blogger speculates that he probably meant that Iran is more safe than its neighbours, but writes that inflation and economic difficulties can also threaten security.

Broken promises

Dehyari says [Fa] that inflation cannot be solved by speeches. The blogger writes:

When Ahmadinejad first denied there was inflation in Iran two years ago, he said it was the lowest in the last 40 years. Then only six months ago he promised a better future, but all these statements were false.

The blogger says society can not tolerate such rising inflation anymore. Dehyari considers that Ahmadinejad’s decisions are not based on expertise nor rationale.

According to [Fa] AmirKhosro 10 MPs warned Ahmadinejad and three ministers about inflation.

The Islamic Association of Shahr Kurd Students blog reports[Fa] that Mehdi Karoubi, the former president of the parliament recently criticized Ahmadinejad, and invited him to think about problems of housing and subsistence, rather than trying to run the world.

Untouchable tomatoes

Azarmoghan says [Fa] with irony that tomato prices are getting so high that we can proudly have our photos taken with them. It has already replaced the banana as the most precious fruit.

Parse dar Bozorgrah writes [Fa] that last year Ahmadinejad said that in his neighbourhood tomato prices are low and people can buy them, but it seems this year everybody accepted the high price. In some sandwiches, tomatoes have disappeared.

Shagard says [Fa] tomatoes cost about 2 Euros per kilogram, while a worker only earns 80 Euros per month!

Photos from Flickr:
* Pomegranate in snowy Iran, by Varahran.
* Tomatoes in a Hamadan market by Mary Loosemore.

Turkey:

Our first stop in in Turkey, where Erkan Saka says Labour Day celebrations were met with excessive force by police. Posting pictures of demonstrators being chased by police, he notes:

Like last year, there was an unproportional use of police power.

He further adds:

[M]ainstream Turkish press has become pro-labor today in order to develop another strike at the government. However, one point is missed: Unions knew that there would be violent scenes and instead of designated areas for demonstrations, they declared days before to send their workers to areas that police would react….

Jordan:

Naseem Tarawnah, from Jordan, too wasn't too optimistic about the day and writes:

I always found labor day in Jordan to be a bit ironic. What’s it really about? A day off? From what? For whom? According to unofficial numbers, unemployment in the country is as high as 30%, and the remaining people who are employed don’t make over 200JD’s (US$280) a month.

Iran:

In Iran, Tabuot [Fa] says that workers have been under a lot of pressure in recent years and several magazines/sites covering workers' news have been filtered and banned in the last few months. According to the blogger, reliable sources report that there are more than 100,000 child workers in Iran, with many of them who could be facing serious health problems. Tabout adds that several workers have been arrested by security forces in the last year. The blogger does not say whether they faced any charges or not.

Lebanon:

From Lebanon, Rami Zurayk analyses news reports on May Day. He writes:

In the economy page, Rasha Abu Zeki nails it again: a great report on the people who actually earn the minimum wage: $200. This is an issue of contention because the hawks in the successive Lebanese governments have always denied the fact that there are people who earn minimum wage in Lebanon, and have hidden behind this argument to refuse to raise the wages. Rasha interviews 3 people from different ages and family conditions, and the stories they tell are dramatic. The main point is: to live in Lebanon, families need closer to $800 a month, so increasing the minimum wage to $260 isn't going to do much. People are supported by the remittances of relatives working abroad. Note that the $60 increase has not been approved by the government in spite of the increase in cost of living.

Still in Lebanon, A Diamond in Sunlight, turns her attention to housemaids. Being a holiday, she spent the day with her in-laws, where she notes:

For the maids of Lebanon, Labor Day probably merely means more family members around to cook for and clean up after.

Razan, meanwhile, was stuck at work on Labour Day. But she makes a point of posting pictures of May Day celebrations from Farah Kubaissi's Flickr account, which can be here here.

Writing on her blog, Farah says:

13 thousands people responded to the call of the LCP (Lebanese Communist Party) and the Leftist Gathering and the National Syndicates Union for a popular demonstration on May 1 in Lebanon.U could c a very big red wave flowing the streets of the city.
let every day, May 1…

Arab Democracy provides more information about the labour struggle in Lebanon.

Palestine:

Palestinian Al Falasteenyia, who lives in the US, caught some action from the May Day rally and shares an encounter she experienced here:

I've been so busy with the situation in Palestine lately i almost forgot- but didnt. got off work today and joined the protest for a bit before heading off to class. as i waited to cross the street to join the crowd, a white man turned to me and said: i'm so not in the mood for this.
not in the mood for worker's rights? not in the mood for rights of immigrants? not in the mood to stand in solidarity with other human beings? not in the mood to take a stand and call for justice?
excuse me, mr. america, when will you be in the mood? let me know, so i can write it down in my calendar and mark it down as:
THE DAY WE GET ALL THE RIGHTS WE DESERVE.

Back in Palestine, Palestine Free Voice provides pictures and an article on a May Day rally in Gaza.

Jordan:

Our last stop is in Jordan again, where Ola Eliwat marks the day with a positive note. She writes:

[W]hether you were the CEO of a multi-national company or just selling newspapers at the traffic lights, for each and everyone of you making this world unstoppingly viable: It’s labour day, and you’ve earned it.

Iranian bloggers have covered this story and shared their ideas on this bloody event and the rumors surrounding it.

Necas says [Fa]:

For me as an Iranian, the censorship of this news in Iranian media is very significant. Until 2am in the morning there was no news about this explosion on Iranian TV. The same station would cover hostage-taking in schools or supermarkets in the USA and start to speculate. Then would say that the USA imposes censorship on its media. In Iran, 12 hours after the explosion, the news is broadcast, and they say the blast was not caused by bomb. They don't call the victims martyrs, but simply dead people.

The video of this explosion has been visited more than 60,000 times on YouTube. A few moments after explosion on the video, a voice asks people to evacuate, and also says, “To become a martyr is our wish…”:

Parcham criticises [Fa] Iranian TV for not mentioning the news regarding explosion. The blogger say you would think Arabs must be the real owners of Iran, since news about Iraq and Palestine are covered immediately, but not ours.

The religious center focused its teaching on Bahi Faith and Wahabism.

Bacheyeh khat writes [Fa] about the Rahpouyan Vesal religious center. The blogger says a young cleric who was wounded in the Iran-Iraq war named Mohmmad Anjavinejad was the founder. Although most of the audience is said to be young people between the ages of 15 and 20, some consider his teaching is outdated, and joke that his followers sleep in empty tombs in graveyards. The blogger adds that members of the religious group ran for office in municipal elections but won only one seat out of 11 on the City Council.

Kosoof, a leading Iranian photoblogger, has published several photos from this demonstration. One of the slogans in the photo above means “If carrying no veil means civilization, then animals are the most civilized.”

Goldokhtar, a female religious student, starts her letter to Jesus by writing “Hello Mr. Jesus Christ”. She continues [Fa]:

“Do you know what I am thinking? When and where did all these these Fitnas start? A few years ago these anti-Islamic films began to be produced. Before the Islamic Revolution, nobody paid attention to Islam and its saints… After the Islamic Revolution other revolutions took off… Then they did not know what to do, and they started doing childish things to hurt Islam's image in the world.”

The blogger adds that several films such as Not without My Daughter and 300 should be countered with films by Muslims.

Mehdi writes [Fa]:

“Christ, I am a Muslim who likes you. Don't be sad about insults to your brother Muhammad, the Prophet. We all know these people are not your followers. They are not the ones who carry the cross, but launch crusades and kill people.”

The blogger questions whether the growing number of cinematic attacks on Muslims are coordinated.

Pangare writes to Jesus [Fa]: “Help us to resist these insults… I know you support us and you can read my heart.”

In addition to these Islamists, several other bloggers have shared their feelings and ideas on the film.

Arsham Parsi, a leading activist for homosexual rights in Iran, says [Fa]: “There are rational ways to express an opinion on something or challenge ideas. I watched this film, and I protest against it too.”

Paroo Zadan writes :

“I watched it and I found it ridiculous. How many Muslims are extremists? I think Muslims should first produce films to counter Fitna's impact, and then try to think what makes people see us like this. Filtering and threatening just strengthens the film. Instead of jihads to kill people, our religious leaders should make jihads to make known to others the good side of Islam.”

Twelve journalists, teachers and writers learned how to start a text blog, a video blog, a photo blog, and useful tips, like how to use RSS feeds.

At the end of the workshop, several blogs were created in Dari, Pashtou and English.

Fekrat said, “I am receiving lots of inquiries from Kabul University students and journalists who want to learn blogging, but financial problems remain a main obstacle.” Fekrat is already thinking of organizing a second workshop because there is more to share and teach.

Nasim Fekrat helps lead the workshop.

Nasim Fekrat says [Fa]:

This experience has been very useful. I learned a lot. Most of the people who participated in this workshop were journalists, academics, writers and others who can help revitalize our culture and intellect in Afghanistan's bored society. Organizing such a workshop has been one of my goals for a long time. Finally, thanks to Geomap and Masoumeh Ebrahimi it became a reality.

More photos can be found on Civil Movement of Afghanistan along with a report.

Manzarra who learned to blog in this workshop writes about using the internet to advance free speech and freedom of the press .

Mokhtar Pedram, a journalist, shares [Fa] his experience with us:

I was scared to come to the world of internet and blogging… Maybe it was a technical barrier. But this one and half day workshop changed my perception… It wouldn't be true to say that all my problems with the internet were solved in these two days, but I did decide to start my blog, which proves just how effective this workshop has been.

Safeh says [Fa] blogging is a new thing in Afghanistan and that academics and teachers have only just discovered it.

Zartosht writes [Fa] that such workshops may be the most important step for journalism in Afghanistan.

Some, like Raze No (meaning “new secret”) added photos of festivities and spring to their blog (as above).

1Pezeshk (meaning “one doctor” in Persian), a creative blogger, asked several bloggers to express themselves on Iranian New Year in a podcast [Fa]. Seven Iranian bloggers and one Afghan blogger answered his call, and the result was a joint podcast.

Khabgard writes [Fa] with irony that the Iranian government, in the final days of last year, gave Iranians another gift: “Nine magazines were shut down!” The blogger adds that the government has delivered so many surprises, that Iranians can no longer predict what the future holds in store for the new year, let alone tomorrow!

Falosofah writes [Fa] about the difficult situation for writers and translators in Iran. He says:

The first idea crossing the mind of writers and translators is the following: “Can I keep living at the same standard as I have in the past 10 years, or will I be forced to move to smaller cities or emigrate? Each time a society faces political and economic troubles, the most affected people are the ones involved with culture and science. If you talk with a publisher or a bookstore owner, they will tell you that the prices of all other goods they sell have increased enormously, while book prices, like for other cultural products, have decreased.

Azadi Barabary blog has published [Fa], a message from Kaveh Abbassian, a left wing student leader. He says that some of his best friends are still in prison, and that students in all universities are under pressure, and freedom of speech and free association are under attack. He adds:

Despite all the pressure we say: We are present! We stand up! We don't negotiate our will to defend freedom and equality. We are stronger and more determined than ever.

Jomhour called [Fa] President Ahmadinejad's message for New Year unrealistic. The Iranian president praised economic, cultural and political achievements in last year. The blogger says the government's mismanagement created high unemployment rates and inflation. He says maybe we should change the meaning of the word ‘achievement' in the dictionary.

Not only are bloggers throughout cyberspace thrilled about the news, but this event also means for them that an international grassroots collective has been able to push for a resolution to what most deemed a stiff sentence to trumped up charges; in short, the Moroccan blogosphere views Fouad's liberation as a step in the right direction towards improvement of personal freedoms in the Kingdom.

Jamal Hafsi behind “Comment vous le dire” blog writes:

Le jeune ingénieur aura ainsi passé 43 jours de détention. Il a été condamnation en première instance à 3 ans de prison ferme et à une amende de 10.000 dhs. Lui était reprochée l'usurpation de l'identité virtuelle du prince Moulay Rachid sur le site Facebook.

Je suis content que cette affaire se termine ainsi. Faut oublier tout ça !

On Blogoma Research, the statement:

J'ai été surprise et ravie d'apprendre que Fouad a été libéré. À mon avis, la Blogoma et la solidarité affichée ont jouées un rôle énorme.

At Myrtus:

Oh my gosh, I'm at a loss of words…..I'm all choked up and teary eyed!
Your highness, I can't even begin to tell you how much this means to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Barakallahu fik!

The blogger at Maroc Culture writes on a celebratory note:

Enfin une bonne nouvelle concernant cet affaire absurde.
Hier soir, le 18 Mars , Fouad a été libéré de la prison Oukacha par une grâce royale.

C'est cool, ça fait plaisir et je suis très heureux pour lui et ses proches!
On va pouvoir recommencer à sourire en pensant au Maroc. ( non ?)

Blogger Larbi writes at greater length in a post entitled “Fouad Libre: Quel Soulagement!” [Fouad Free: What a Relief”] on Comme une bouteille jetée à la mer!, expressing how the Moroccan blogosphere did it's part to keep Fouad at the forefront of public concern, and what remains to be done:

Allez.. il ne sera pas dit qu’on a laissé tombé Fouad. Il ne sera pas dit qu’on a laissé l’arbitraire judiciaire frapper les internautes. Il ne sera pas dit qu’on ne peut pas changer les choses.

Sans jouer le rabat-joie, il existe bien évidemment d’autres Fouad , d’autres anonymes, condamnés pour d’autres motifs arbitraires, dans d’autres circonstances dramatiques. Ils n’ont pas le chance d’avoir des gens qui se mobilisent pour eux. Ils dormiront encore ce soir et les prochains mois dans les prisons du Royaume. Il faut le rappeler , il faut s’en souvenir. Merci à tous ceux qui pourront quelque chose pour eux. Un jour viendra le Maroc grandira et plus personne ne sera victime de tels procès. Ça ne va pas être fait demain ou après-demain, ça ne va pas être facile d’ici qu’on y arrive, mais voilà ne jamais perdre de vue une chose: on peut y arriver ! Nous en avons le devoir ! Et nous en avons le droit !

Ah les braves gens! Quel soulagement et quel bonheur que Fouad M. soit libéré ! Il faut s’en réjouir , et je m’en réjouit. Content pour Fouad . Pour sa Sœur Amina (quelle abnégation et quelle force cette fille !), pour son frère Ilyass , pour ses parents et pour toute sa petite famille. Mais aussi pour toutes celles et tous ceux, du Maroc et de l’étranger, ont soutenu Fouad sans le connaître, et ont formé ces dernières semaines en quelque sorte sa deuxième famille. Et quelle formidable famille !

Astrid Girardeau at Actu4You summarizes statements made by several Moroccan bloggers and noted figures in a post entitled “Fin du cauchemar” [”The Nightmare's End”]

On indiquait à l’époque que la situation, jugée globalement absurde — car sans plaignant — et disproportionnée, mettait mal à l’aise la police et la justice marocaine. La semaine dernière, dans un article de la BBC sur le mouvement pour la liberté de Fouad Mourtada, Khalid Naciri, ministre de la communication et porte-parole du gouvernement marocain confiait : « sur un plan personnel, cette sentence me semble bien lourde. » Alors, Mohammed VI aurait-il flanché face à la pression internationale ? Ce n’est pas l’avis de Rachid Hallaouy du site Yabiladi qui penche plutôt pour « le geste d’un “homme” qui a utilisé son pouvoir pour donner une seconde chance à un jeune citoyen. »

De son côté, Laurent Pervas de Casaweves, estime que cette affaire montre les contradictions du Maroc :« il n’est pas possible de faire cohabiter longtemps corruption et ouverture économique, décisions de justice arbitraires et démocratie. » Pour résumer la situation, il cite l’un des commentaires du blog d’Ibn Kafka : « excellente nouvelle même si j’aurais préféré que la décision émane de la justice — pour que ça fasse jurisprudence… Et non d’une grâce royale qui ne règle rien. Notre pays a pris un sacré coup en terme d’image et ça démontre la déconnexion d’une certaine classe dirigeante avec le progrès technique, technologique et démocratique auquel aspire chaque marocain. »

The Iranian government does not recognise March 8 as International Women's Day and there is no official public celebration.

Despite very difficult circumstances, Iranian women continue their progress in many areas and activists have supported the jailed women activists.

A few months ago, Kosoof, a leading photo blogger, published some photos showing a solidarity action of women for two arrested activists. Several bloggers, women and men, remembered this day and share their thoughts and feelings about women in Iranian society.

Asieh Amini, an activist for women’s equal rights, says[Fa] March 8 is a day of protest against any gender discrimination.

Freekeyboard says March 8 makes him compares [Fa] his dreams to reality. He says:

It is not my March 8. In my March 8 people would be happy and I would dance in the streets. On March 8 there would be no difference between man or woman, all people are equal because all are human beings. In the March 8 that I like, there are no cops to repress. Men and women are happy and dancing. No woman shouts we want equal rights… this March 8 is not here, but only in my mind, and in my dream.

The blogger adds that in his March 8, women aren't sent to jail because they ask people to sign a petition for equal rights between men and women.

The Association of Iranian bloggers, Penlog, says [Fa] in a statement, that Iranian women are considered as second class citizens by the Islamic Republic’s laws. Despite all pressures and discrimination, Iranian women continue their presence in all professional fields.

Z8un has published several photos of working women.

Maryam Majd, blogger and photographer, has also published several photos showing Iranian women involved in different sports. She showed Iranian women's activities and problems in another set of photos here.

Hundreds of students continued a protest at Shiraz University against “gender apartheid” on Tuesday 4th of March. The students want their university to put an end to a policy that began in February of separating men and women into different classrooms.

The students also asked the President of the university to resign and demanded better conditions in their cafeteria and dormitories. They also want to have the right to choose their own delegates. On March 4th, the protest movement entered its 8th day and several bloggers covered the story, while mainstream media in country ignored it.

Here is a video film of one of student protest movements, where the students chant: “It is our final message, student movement is ready for rebellion”.

In a blog that calls itself “Socialist Students of Bahonar department of Shiraz”, we read:

A couple of hundred students chanted slogans such as “Security and peace is our absolute right” (the Iranian government usually uses a nuclear energy is our absolute right slogan). The university is not a military base.

The blogger adds that the university authorities promised protesters they would deal with their demands in the first days of demonstrations. But it seems nothing happened in reality.

The blogger says that the freedom of students has been restricted in the university because of military presence that enforces discrimination against women and girls.

Another blogger, “Socialist students of literature at Shiraz University”, protests [Fa] against the separation of genders in classes, and calls it a crime against humanity. The blogger writes that some students have been mistreated and that the growing military presence is disturbing for students.

Ta Azadi 86 writes [Fa] that the protest movement goes on while the authorities grow. The blogger says:

About 10 students were asked to appear in court. Several university professors were among the students. Basiji forces wanted to disrupt the demonstration but student resistance pushed them away.

AmirKabir Khabarnameh, a leading student information website, writes Fa] that several students' families were contacted by security forces and asked to stop their children from participating in the protest movement.