Nir Boms and Shayan Arya
The Washington Times
The nuclear issue, rising inflation, unemployment and a failing economy ought to occupy the time and energy of the Iranian leadership and the agenda of the Iranian government. Yet, it appears that little is being done to tackle any of these issues. Perhaps this is because other more urgent issues appear to fill the political vacuum. It is not the economy! It is the clothes, stupid!
Some very unfortunate news that came from the growing community of Syrian bloggers. Unfortunately, these brave voices appears to be buried even on the world wide web. This page will do its best to keep at least some of them alive. Nir
Syrian blogger Tariq Baissi will spend the next three years behind bars for posting a six words comment criticizing the Syrian security services on an online forum.
By ALEXANDRA SANDELS
BEIRUT/DAMASCUS, May 16, 2008 (MENASSAT) – On May 5, Tariq Baissi was convicted to three years of prison for “weakening the national feeling and the national ethos.” The State Security Court in Damascus cut Baissi’s sentence in half from the original six years. Baissi’s crime was to have posted six words on the online forum, ‘I am a Muslim,’ in which he criticized Syria’s state security apparatus. Continue reading