Abdolkarim Soroush, Faraj Sarkuhi, Maryam Namazi
Rights Activists of the Year
1997
March 24, 1998
The Iranian
The following, in order, received most votes for their efforts in the areas of human rights, freedom of speech and political rights. And see comments below and related links.
* Abdolkarim Soroush: Reformist Islamic thinker
* Faraj Sarkuhi: Former editor of "Adineh", recently released
after a year in jail.
* Ayatollah Hosseinali Montazeri: Senior cleric and critic of the Islamic
Republic
* The Iranian Human Rights Working Group: Internet-based organization
* Ibrahim Yazdi: Leader of the opposition Freedom Movement of Iran
* Abdolkarim Lahiji: Human rights lawyer/activist
* Hossein Baqer Zadeh: Member of the board, Iranian Human Rights Working
Group
* Elaheh Sharifpour Hicks: Human Rights Watch - Middle East
* Maryam Namazi: Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees
(CHAIR)
* Reza Allamehzadeh: Film-maker on political and human rights issues
* Abolhassan Banisadr: Former president; politician in exile in Paris
Comments on Soroush
Comments on Montazeri
Comment on Yazdi
Comments on Iranian Human Rights Working Group
Comment on Allamehzadeh
Comment on Banisadr
Iranian of the Year 1997 index
Comments on Soroush
What he tries to accomplish
Helped Khatami election
Reformist
What he tries to accomplish
My choice for Man of The Year is: Dr. Abdolkarim Soroush. We have a brilliant philosopher who teaches us how we can approach our issues with care and respect in regard to our heritage. He is not a cold, intelligent processing machine. He suffers among his people, sacrifices if necessary, accepts his fate even if it is death with a smile and love for his enemies. His very REASON ( aghl ) is a product of his emotional and logical intelligence. In one simple word he MEANS what he says. What he says is not as much important as he trying to accomplish.
Saeed Derhami
<dersaeed@cba.attnet.or.jp>
Helped Khatami election
Soroush: Because I belive he idologically an phylosophically broke the backbone of theology system. Without Dr. Soroush's views and teachings, which changed the minds of many educated Iranains -- especially those who were the main supporters of Islamic Republic of Iran from the early days of revelotion -- it was impossible that we would have Khatami as president or have the very encouraging new atmosphere.
Reformist
* Soroush: For his revolutionary and reformist views on Islam.
<simin@tiny.mech.eng.usyd.edu.au>
Comments on Sarkuhi
Risking for freedom
Farzand-e paak-e Iran
Fight for rights
Risking for freedom
* Although many Iranians have strived hard to bring freedom to the Iranian people recently, most notably President Khatami, Faraj Sarkuhi is probably the most well known individual to put his life, as well as the well-being of his family, at great risk for the freedoms which Iranians gave their lives in the Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War.
Mehdi Ghajarnia
<megst20+@pitt.edu>
Farzand-e paak-e Iran
Farzand-e paak-e Iran, Faraj Sarkuhi, dar saali keh gozasht dar nabard ba naamardomi-haa bishtarin shekanjeh-haa raa did.
Karimi
<karimi@agylla.rbi.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de>
Fight for rights
* Faraj Sarkuhi: Because of his fight for the human rights.
Atoosa Bayat
<Atoosa.Bayat@eu.pnu.com>
Comments on Montazeri
Change from within
* Montazeri: Without awarness and criticism from within the system, nothing will ever change!
Kavous Roumina
<roumina@po.lab.ccf.org>
A shaker
* Montazeri: Although his motives are not clear at this time, he is THE man who tried to shake the concept of velAyateh-faghih in Iran's current constitution. Anybody who can stand up against Khamenei, gets my vote.
Pasha
<pasha@tiac.net>
Comments on Iranian Human Rights Working Group
Valuable efforts
Unbiased campaigns
* Iranian Human Rights Working Group: For their limited but valuable efforts to promote basic human rights and defend those individuals whose rights are savagely abused.
Majid Ghoddusi
<vp092327@student.uq.edu.au>
(Back to Iranian Human Rights Working Group index)
Unbiased campaigns
* Iranian Human Rights Working Group: For its unbiased, consistent and persevering campaigns for human rights in Iran and Iranians abraod.
Hossein B. Zadeh
<hzadeh@srd.bt.co.uk>
(Back to Iranian Human Rights Working Group index)
Complete devotion
* Ebrahim Yazdi: Becuase he has showed complete devotion to his country and is willing to put all of the forces necessary to complete his goal.
Rights messenger
Allamehzadeh: The exiled film maker Reza Allamehzadeh is one of Iran's well known directors. He has directed more than ten short and long films about Iran and Iranians, including "chand jomleh sadeh" (A Few Simple Sentences), "mihmanan hotel astoria" (The Guests of Astoria, "shab bad az enghelab" (The Night After Revolution), "Moj va aramesh" (Wave and Tranquillity) an expression of outrage against the violation of human rights in Iran, and my favorite one "Jenayat moghadas" (holy crime) exposes the activities of the Iranian government outside of Iran and sheds light on the massive terror operation worldwide (the Mikonos affair, assassination of opposition figures, etc.)
What impressed me about Mr. Allamehzadeh and his movie, "Jenayat Moghadas", is his objectiveness on condemning the act of terror, and not who the subject of terror is. Although he was imprisoned during Shah's regime (he was one of the people seneteced to life during Golesorkhi's trial), and he is on the current regime's death list, he has managed to stay focused on the subject, and deliver an impressive message.
Mehrdad
<merdud@hotmail.com>
Courage
* Abolhassan Banisadr: For his courage to testify in the Berlin Mykonos Court Trial against the terrorism driven Islamic Republic of Iran
Hossein Pourseifi
<pourseifi_h@Acadmn.Mercer.EDU>
Related links
*
* Abdolkarim
Soroush -- Thoughts, comments, articles, links
* The Sarkuhi
case -- Regular updates about an editor arrested in Iran.
* Nezaarat,
nah dekhaalat -- Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri's controversial
views on velayat-e faqih; speech in Qom, in Persian...
* Iranian Human Rights Working Group
* No
ifs or buts -- Human rights play cardinal roles towards a civil
society. By Hossein B. Zadeh
* Dutch government's
concession on Iranian asylum-seekers -- Committee for Humanitarian
Assistance to Iranian Refugees (CHAIR)
* Helping
the helpless -- Maryam Namazi & CHAIR
* Cover stories
* Who's
who
* Bookstore
Copyright © 1997 Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. May not be duplicated or distributed in any form.
