Four Years of Pain, Torture, and Separation
Saturday 12 May 07
Siamak Pourzand is under house arrest and banned from leaving Iran. His daughters do not feel safe to go to Iran and visit their father. The picture was taken when Azadeh Purzand, Siamak Pourzand’s younger daughter, visited her father in January 2005. She went to Iran with great fear, and despite facing many difficulties, she successfully saw her father. The picture shows their first encounter, in which pain and grief are easily traceable in Siamak Pourzand’s face...

Please Do Not Reform the Laws!
Saturday 12 May 07
Iranian legal experts have been calling for legal reforms in Iran for many years now. Such reforms are aimed at improving the citizen's legal situation. Some even believe that such reforms will improve Iran's status in international human rights circles. But despite the efforts of professionals, Iran's record in legal reforms is not a bright one, to say the least. Therefore the news about the bill for the "interpretation of political crimes" has mounted the concerns of those following these events...

Another Meeting Without Legal Basis
Saturday 12 May 07
The constitution of the Islamic Republic is a kosher example to demonstrate the lack of people's supervision over government's performance and the absence of legal restrictions. The constitution provides the Expert Assembly (EA) with the maximum tools to supervise the activities of the Leader of the Islamic Republic. This body consists of 12 selected clerics who overview the activities of the Velayat Faghih. The body also has the responsibility of appointing or dismissing the Leader, at least on paper. Also legally, this body is independent from other government agencies and so one may assume that it can act independently. And as a further protection of its independence, its deliberations are to be held publicly so the nation can sense how independent or not it really is. But the appointees are also appointed by the very leader they are supposed to monitor, so here is where the vicious circle begins. This issue has created headaches even among some senior clerics in the Islamic system...

"No Hejab or Bad Hejab"
Saturday 12 May 07
The spokesman for Iran's Judiciary has a definition of Hejab (Islamic dress code) that is only one of its kinds in the world. He says there is no difference between women with bad Hejab and the women who do not have any Hejab at all. And when the appearance of a person is clearly in violation of the law, the crime is evident, and the Islamic police will find authoritative ways to confront her...

Defense Attorney sons Defense Rights
Saturday 12 May 07
Based on a logical principle, the defense of a victim’s rights presume respect for the right of the defense attorney’s rights. A defense attorney can convince judicial authorities to respect the rights of an accused person only if the independence of the defense attorney is recognized and political institutions do not violate this independence...