Tyranny, Petty and Large

UPDATE: In some good news, the Saudi king pardons the gang-rape victim who had been sentenced to 200 lashes for being in a car with an unrelated male when they were stopped and she was raped. She had been sentenced to extra lashes by judges after speaking with Western media. UPDATE: WaPo story here.

Free speech under assault in Canada. And in Iran, much worse--life itself. David Warren, in an essay that ends with this:

I mentioned last week the case Mohamed Elmasry and the Canadian Islamic Congress have brought against Maclean's magazine for publishing Mark Steyn -- simultaneously before multiple human rights commissions, a tactic that is itself an egregious abuse of process.

Meanwhile, in Iran human rights continue to be redefined: Iran cracks down on internet cafes... and hats. Yahoo:

The cafe crackdown coincides with a winter campaign against women wearing tight trousers tucked into long boots and other "improper dress" such as short overcoats and hats instead of scarves.

And this:

An Iranian court has jailed nine teachers for 91 days on charges of disturbing public opinion by encouraging colleagues to stage illegal protests, an Iranian daily reported on Monday.

More here:

Iran has charged two women's rights activists with taking part in "terrorist" actions and belonging to a militant Kurdish separatist group, an investigating judge said on Sunday.

Ronak Safarzadeh and Hana Abdi were "arrested for acting against national security by taking part in attacks in Sanandaj and for being members of the militant group PJAK," the official IRNA agency quoted the judge as saying.[snip]

The judge, whose name was not reported, said that the two women were using their activities as women's rights activists as cover for their connections to the separatist militants.

"Counter-revolutionary groups use civic groups to carry out terrorist actions," he said.

The two women were part of a nationwide campaign in Iran to collect a million signatures in favour of changing laws in the Islamic republic which are seen as discriminating against women.

In other news, President Ahmadinejad terms the NIE report a "declaration of surrender" by the US and Iranian officials declare they will not stop enriching uranium under any circumstances. Tyranny, both petty and large.

And let's recall this:

In 2005 a Canadian woman journalist died in Iranian custody with marks of rape and torture:

The massive injuries suffered by Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi while in Iranian custody were so disturbing to the doctor who examined her that he felt compelled to flee the country to expose what happened.

"I am a physician who is sworn to save peoples' lives," said Dr. Shahram Azam, through an interpreter at a news conference in Ottawa Thursday. "When I saw with my own eyes someone who has been tortured, without any doubt it affected my mental state."

Azam listed the injuries he discovered on Kazemi:

• A broken nose.
• A large bruise on the right side of her forehead extending to the side of her head.
• A bloody lump on the back of her head.
• Evidence of internal bleeding of the brain.
• A ruptured left ear drum.
• Deep, long scratches on the back of her neck and calves.
• Evidence of broken ribs.
• Bruises on her abdomen and on her knees.
• Evidence of flogging on her back.
• Broken fingers and nails missing.
• A smashed toe.
• Bruised and swollen feet, possibly the result of a flogging.

As a male doctor, he was not allowed to examine her genitals, but a female nurse who did told him of "brutal damage."

Azam said a neurosurgeon said a brain scan showed she had a skull fracture and extensive injuries to her brain tissue.

Doctors were unable to operate because her condition was too unstable. Kazemi had a respiratory arrest the next day and later died.

Related posts: Iran Fallout, Strangled Over a Headscarf, Harsh Sharia, Hate that Hate, Support Human Rights in Iran