OMG: Iranian reporter covering nuke talks defects, says US mainly speaking on Iran's behalf to other P 5+1 countries
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
An Iranian reporter covering the nuclear talks in Lausanne, Switzerland has defected, saying that there is no point to practicing his profession in Iran, because he can only write what he is told anyway. The same reporter had some
choice words to describe the United States' role in the talks.
He then appeared on an opposition television channel based in London to
say he no longer saw any “sense” in his profession as a journalist as
he could only write what he was told.
“There are a number of people attending on the Iranian side at the
negotiations who are said to be journalists reporting on the
negotiations,” he told Irane Farda television. “But they are not
journalists and their main job is to make sure that all the news fed
back to Iran goes through their channels.
“My conscience would not allow me to carry out my profession in this
manner any more.” Mr Mottaghi was a journalist and commentator who went
on to use social media successfully to promote Mr Rouhani to a youthful
audience that overwhelmingly elected him to power.
But he was also subject to the bitter internal arguments within the
Iranian regime. One news website claimed he had been forced in to report
to the ministry of intelligence weekly, and that he had been tipped off
that he might be subject to arrest had he returned to Tehran.
He is said to have been a friend of Jason Rezaian, the Iranian-American reporter for the Washington Post who has been detained in Tehran, and to have campaigned privately for his release.
...
In his television interview, Mr Mottaghi also gave succour to western critics of the proposed nuclear deal, which has seen the White House
pursue a more conciliatory line with Tehran than some of America’s
European allies in the negotiating team, comprising the five permanent
members of the UN security council and Germany.
“The US negotiating team are mainly there to speak on Iran’s behalf
with other members of the 5+1 countries and convince them of a deal,” he
said.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration continues its fight for
truth, justice and the American way Islam.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, freedom of the press, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, P 5+1, political asylum, Switzerland
Iranians tried to use fake Israeli passports to emigrate to Canada
This is
not the first time this sort of thing has happened. Seven Iranians have been arrested in Canada for trying to use faked Israeli passports to enter the country.
The family – either a couple or siblings, and five children – were arrested at the Vancouver
International Airport. The Iranian family used the name "Solomons",
while pretending to be an Israeli family supposedly residing in Rehovot.
The family includes the
mother, Mona Solomons, 48, the father or sibling Tomer, 40, and the
children Nadine, 15, Narin, 11, Binyamin, 9, Marin, 6, and Nermin, 5.
All seven suspects came to Canada through a third country and not
through Tehran. Once the immigration authority in Vancouver began
suspecting the family, they sent their passports and information to the
Israeli Immigration and Border Authority (PIBA).
A quick review revealed that the passports in the family's possession
were either stolen or lost in the past to real Israeli citizens, and
fabricated in accordance to the clients' details.
In the past, criminal agents in Iran
made use of Israeli passport and were caught as individuals in
different places in the world. This is the first time an extensive fraud
of Israeli passports is made for an entire family. According to
estimates, the Iranian citizens wished to immigrate to Canada using
their Israeli passports, since Israelis are not required to have permits
for entry, while Iranians cannot enter Canadian borders without visas.
The article goes on to describe how easy Israeli passports are to forge, and concludes that the seven Iranians will likely seek and may be granted political asylum.
Read the whole thing.
Meanwhile, if you are a dual citizen, the Israeli authorities seem more concerned with getting your foreign passport on the record than they are about improving the counterfeitability of Israeli passports.
When I came back to Israel in May, the Israeli airport authorities asked for my US passport for the second time in recent years.
There are two possible explanations for this - neither of which is particularly reassuring. One is that they want to use it the next time they need
passports for the Mossad. The other is that they want to get your foreign passport on file so that you cannot use it to leave the country in the event that the authorities issue an order barring you from leaving the country. In Israel, you don't have to be a criminal to be barred from leaving the country. Owing money to someone is often more than enough.
Labels: Canada, forged passports, Iran, political asylum, US passports
EU asked to grant political asylum to 'Palestinian' expelled from Jerusalem
The European Union has been asked to grant
political asylum to a 'Palestinian' who has been expelled from Jerusalem by Israel.
East Jerusalem activist petitioned the European Union requesting to provide political asylum to the Palestinian activist Adnan Jith, who was expelled recently from Jerusalem by a Israeli military order.
The activists also asked that the EU demand Israel to stop chasing after political activists, send representatives to relevant court discussions and promote an international inquiry into the status of east Jerusalem.
I see the first paragraph as a win-win situation for us. If they don't grant him asylum, the Europeans are shown up as the hypocrites they are. If they do grant him asylum, maybe we can send them a few more.
What could go wrong?
Labels: European Union, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, political asylum
