Ray Hanania show discusses upcoming Iranian elections, recent Arab News exclusive with exiled crown prince

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Updated 05 April 2022
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Ray Hanania show discusses upcoming Iranian elections, recent Arab News exclusive with exiled crown prince

CHICAGO: The leading candidate in Iran’s June 18 elections is a man who has already been sanctioned by both the US and EU for human rights violations and brutality against dissidents, including the torture and killing of children, Ali Safavi, a board member of the world’s leading dissident organization, said on Wednesday.

Appearing on “The Ray Hanania Radio Show” hosted by the US Arab Radio Network and sponsored by Arab News, Safavi urged the West to condemn the elections which he called “a sham,” and end “appeasement” as a strategy to lure Iran away from its nuclear weapons program.

The lead candidate favored by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was Sayyid Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati, known as Ebrahim Raisi, who Khamenei appointed in March 2019 as Iran’s chief justice. Safavi noted that Raisi was dubbed by Iranians as “the henchman of 1988” because of his role in the massacre of more than 30,000 Iranian political prisoners that took place that year.

“Raisi became a prosecutor at the age of 19. He didn’t go to university. He didn’t even finish seminary school. All he has done in 41 years of his adult life has been issuing death sentences for dissidents. He was a key member of the ‘death commission’ in 1988 in Tehran where 30,000 were massacred upon a fatwa by (Ayatollah) Khomeini, the founder of this regime,” Safavi said.

“Khamenei wants to put him (Raisi) in charge precisely because he wants to suppress any form of dissent. The international community has to ask itself, are we going to deal with this man? Are we going to shake his bloodied hands?

“You know that Raisi is in two sanction lists of the treasurer department in the US and the EU list for violations of human rights. That is the key question. I think the Americans and the Europeans have to look themselves in the mirror and basically think about what they are going to do because Iranians reject this regime. They don’t want this regime,” Safavi added.

He said Khamenei was orchestrating Raisi’s rise in the tightly controlled election selection process to be one of the few candidates who could run, adding that this was Khamenei’s second attempt to get Raisi elected as president.

Accused of “many human rights abuses,” Raisi previously ran for president in 2017 but lost to the now outgoing president, Hassan Rouhani, who was first elected as president in 2013.

“Elections in Iran have never been about a democratic process where the people of Iran can express their views freely. It is in one short term, a travesty. It is neither fair nor free,” Safavi said.

“A vetting body, the Guardian Council with 12 members, six of whom are appointed by the Supreme Leader and six others by the judiciary chief who is himself appointed by the Supreme Leader, vet all of the candidates. And of course, whoever becomes a candidate must prove their heartfelt allegiance and practical loyalty to the Supreme Leader.

“This year there was a total of 592 candidates. Out of those 592, the Guardian Council eliminated all but seven,” he added.

The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Raisi and several other members of Iran’s judiciary in March 2019.

According to the OFAC, they oversaw the practice of torture and execution of many dissidents, including children. The practices “involved torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners in Iran, including amputations,” the OFAC report said.

A UN report revealed that Iran’s judiciary sanctioned the execution of a number of child offenders, despite human rights law prohibitions against the death penalty for anyone under the age of 18. There are at least 90 child offenders currently on death row in Iran.

In addition, between September 2018 and July 2019, at least eight prominent lawyers were arrested for defending political prisoners and human rights defenders, many of whom have received lengthy sentences by Iran’s judiciary.

Raisi’s long history of brutality is widely documented. As deputy prosecutor general of Tehran, he participated in a so-called death commission that ordered the extrajudicial executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.

The following year he became the prosecutor general of Tehran serving until 1994. Raisi quickly rose in power, becoming the first deputy head of the judiciary from 2004 to 2014, involved in the brutal crackdown on Iran’s Green Movement protests that followed the chaotic and disorderly 2009 election. He became Iran’s prosecutor general from 2014 to 2016 before heading the judiciary.

Safavi said the responsibility to overthrow the regime rested on the people of Iran, but they needed the support of the West which had to stop its policies of appeasement.

“The task of overthrowing this regime rests singularly on the shoulders of the Iranian people and the organized resistance movement that is growing as we speak. It has gained tremendous traction and appeal within Iranian society. They are quite capable and willing, basically, to provide the kind of sacrifice that is needed to bring down such a murderous regime,” Safavi added.

“That said, I think now is a day of reckoning for the international community. As you know very well, for 40 years Western countries, the US included, has appeased this regime with the false narrative that by offering political and economic concessions they can strengthen the so-called moderates, the illusory moderates within this regime. Now, that game is over.

“So, the world community, Western democracies have to ask themselves a simple question. Are they willing to deal with a regime whose president has done nothing but executions in the past 41 years?”

Safavi described the situation for the Iranian population as dire.

“Iran is a horrible place to live. The economy is bankrupt. About 70 to 80 percent of Iranians live below the poverty line. There is the army of the hungry,” he said, noting some are resorting to extreme measures including selling body parts to help their families survive.

Safavi said that more than 300,000 Iranians had died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the largest per capita death rate in the world, although the regime claims only 80,000 had died.

“On the positive sides, Iranians are determined as never before to bring down this regime. Case in point, you saw the nationwide uprising in December 2017. You saw the uprising in January 2018. And then there was the nationwide uprising in November 2019 in which people rose up in 200 cities and the regime was able to overcome it only by murdering 1,500 protesters in cold blood,” Safavi added.

“But it has been unable to stop the growth and rise of opposition to this regime. And that is precisely why Khamenei had no choice other than to close ranks. He knows an uprising is simmering under the ashes waiting to erupt at any given time.”

Host of Arab News’ “Frankly Speaking” talk show, Frank Kane, also joined “The Ray Hanania Radio Show” to provide insight into his show’s mission and goals, reviewing past broadcasts from the first season and also talking about his latest episode with guest Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran.

The second season of the flagship interview program “Frankly Speaking” launched on Sunday, May 30.

“The Ray Hanania Radio Show” is sponsored by Arab News and broadcast on the US Arab Radio Network in Detroit on WNZK AM 690 radio and in Washington, D.C. on WDMV AM 700 radio. It is streamed live online at ArabRadio.us and on Facebook.com/ArabNews.


Belgian journalists injured in Beirut bombing

Updated 2 min 26 sec ago
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Belgian journalists injured in Beirut bombing

  • Israel has been carrying out a bombing campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon and has also sent its troops across the border
  • The bombardments in Lebanon have cost more than 1,000 lives
Brussels: Two Belgian journalists were injured in Lebanon while reporting on overnight air raids in Beirut, their employer said Thursday, as fighting raged between Israel and Hezbollah.
VTM correspondent Robin Ramaekers suffered facial injuries and cameraman Stijn De Smet was being treated for a leg wound, said a statement by the broadcaster’s parent company, DPG Media.
“Last night there was a bombing in central Beirut. When Robin and Stijn wanted to run a report on that, they got injured,” the firm said, adding the pair were being treated in hospital.
“Both are now in safety and are being cared for.”
The circumstances of the incident were not yet clear, the company said. Belgium’s foreign ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation.
Israel has been carrying out a bombing campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon and has also sent its troops across the border.
On Thursday, the Israeli military pounded Beirut with overnight air raids. A total of 17 strikes had hit the capital by dawn, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
One of the strikes hit a Hezbollah rescue facility, a source close to the group told AFP, killing at least six people, according to a Lebanese health ministry toll.
Israel says it is trying to secure its border with Lebanon so tens of thousands of Israelis displaced by nearly a year of hostilities with Hezbollah can return home.
The bombardments in Lebanon have cost more than 1,000 lives and seen Hezbollah’s long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah killed.
Authorities in Lebanon say that around a million people have been displaced.
Last year, a journalist was killed and six other reporters, including two from AFP, wounded by Israeli shelling while covering the cross-border fighting in southern Lebanon.

Google Doodle celebrates Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup in the UAE

Updated 03 October 2024
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Google Doodle celebrates Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup in the UAE

DUBAI: The latest Google Doodle marks the ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, which is being hosted in the UAE.

Ten teams comprising the world’s top female cricketers are divided into two for the group stages, with the top two from each advancing to the knockout semifinals. The victors will battle it out for the title.

Reigning champions Australia are aiming to add a seventh trophy to their collection, while newcomers Scotland are hoping their first-ever appearance in the tournament will result in them taking home the trophy.

The competition was transferred to the UAE from Bangladesh after the South Asian country was hit by political turmoil and domestic instability just months before the tournament was due to open.

A total of 23 games will be played in Sharjah and Dubai, with the final scheduled for Oct. 20.

Bangladesh, who retain hosting rights, kick off the event on Thursday against Scotland in Sharjah. Pakistan will play Sri Lanka at the same venue in the evening.

Defending champions Australia are in Group A along with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, while Group B features South Africa, England, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Scotland.

Australia, who have twice won three in a row, will be mindful of the threat posed by India

The 2023 semifinalists — they lost to Australia in Cape Town — have improved greatly, thanks in large part to the Indian Women’s Premier League. The league was formed to provide a platform for India’s female cricketers to express themselves and gain in stature.

– with AP


X agrees to pay Brazil fines, court orders finances unblocked

Updated 02 October 2024
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X agrees to pay Brazil fines, court orders finances unblocked

  • High-profile judge Moraes has been engaged in a long feud with Tesla and SpaceX owner Musk as part of his drive to crack down on disinformation in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO: A Brazilian judge on Tuesday ordered the unblocking of the bank accounts of Elon Musk’s X in the country after the social media platform agreed to pay more than $5 million in fines.
The ruling by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes paves the way for the suspension of X to be lifted in Brazil, where it has been off-limits to users since August 31 in a standoff over disinformation between the judge and Musk.
Moraes ordered X shut down in Latin America’s biggest country after Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts and then failed to name a new legal representative in the country as ordered.
In his latest decision, the judge ordered Brazil’s central bank to unblock X’s bank accounts so it can receive transfers and “immediately make payment of the fines indicated.”
X had informed the court it would pay fines to the tune of some $5.2 million, according to the ruling.
High-profile judge Moraes has been engaged in a long feud with Tesla and SpaceX owner Musk as part of his drive to crack down on disinformation in Brazil.
The clash between the Brazilian court and the billionaire has morphed into a high-stakes tussle testing the limits of both freedom of expression and corporate responsibility in South America’s largest country.
X had more than 22 million users in Brazil before the ban, which was put into place on August 31.
The company has in the last week started complying with the Brazilian court’s conditions to get reactivated.
Musk has repeatedly hit out at Moraes in social media posts, calling him an “evil dictator” and dubbing him “Voldemort” after the villain from the “Harry Potter” series.


Renowned Syrian journalist Safaa Ahmad killed in Israeli airstrike on Damascus

Updated 01 October 2024
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Renowned Syrian journalist Safaa Ahmad killed in Israeli airstrike on Damascus

  • The Israeli airstrike on Mezzeh, western Damascus, on Tuesday morning killed three civilians and wounded nine others, state news agency says

LONDON: Syria TV anchor Safaa Ahmad was killed on Tuesday morning in an Israeli airstrike on the Mezzeh district in Syria’s capital, Damascus.

State agency SANA said the strike killed three civilians, including Ahmad, and wounded nine others.

The Mezzeh district in western Damascus is home to many residential blocks, local businesses and diplomatic premises, including the Iranian Embassy.

Syria’s state television said in a statement it “mourns anchor Safaa Ahmad, who was martyred in the Israeli aggression on the capital Damascus.”

The Syrian military told SANA that Israel carried out “an air aggression with military aircraft and drones on Tuesday at dawn from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan,” targeting several points in Damascus and its outskirts.

Syria’s air defense said they intercepted and shot down most of the Israeli missiles targeting the capital and its suburbs on Tuesday morning.

Journalist Ahmad, who hails from Homs, joined the state broadcaster Syria TV in 2002 and hosted several cultural talk shows and programs, including the flagship breakfast show “Sabah Al-Kheir.”

Reports of Israel’s strikes on the Syrian capital came as its military launched ground raids in neighboring Lebanon, marking a major escalation of its onslaught, which it claims is targeting the armed group Hezbollah.


‘I pleaded guilty to journalism,’ Wikileaks’ Assange

Updated 01 October 2024
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‘I pleaded guilty to journalism,’ Wikileaks’ Assange

  • The Council of Europe brings together the 46 signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights, with little say over Assange’s legal fate

STRASBOURG: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday said he was released after years of incarceration only because he had pleaded guilty to doing “journalism,” which he described as a pillar of a free society.
Assange spent most of the last 14 years either holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London to avoid arrest, or locked up at Belmarsh Prison in the British capital.
He was released from jail in June, after serving a sentence for publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential US government documents.
“I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism,” Assange told the Council of Europe rights body at its Strasbourg headquarters in his first public comments since his release.
“I eventually chose freedom over unrealisable justice... justice for me is now precluded,” Assange said, noting he had been facing a 175-year jail sentence.
Speaking calmly and flanked by his wife Stella who fought for his release, he added: “Journalism is not a crime, it is a pillar of a free and informed society.”
“The fundamental issue is simple. Journalists should not be prosecuted for doing their jobs,” said Assange.
The trove of confidential documents released by Wikileaks included searingly frank US State Department descriptions of foreign leaders, accounts of extrajudicial killings and intelligence gathering against allies.
Assange argued his case provided an insight into “how powerful intelligence organizations engage in transnational repression” against their foes, adding that this “cannot become the norm here.”

He said that during his incarceration “ground has been lost,” regretting that he now sees “more impunity, more secrecy and more retaliation for telling the truth.”
“Freedom of expression and all that flows from it is at a dark crossroads,” he told the hearing of the legal committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
“Let us all commit to doing our part to ensure the light of freedom never dims and the pursuit of truth will live on and the voices of many are not silenced by the interests of the few,” he said.
Assange’s case remains deeply contentious.
Supporters hail him as a champion of free speech and say he was persecuted by authorities and unfairly imprisoned. Detractors see him as a reckless blogger whose uncensored publication of ultra-sensitive documents put lives at risk and jeopardized US security.
US President Joe Biden, who is likely to issue some pardons before leaving office next January, has previously described Assange as a “terrorist.”
Assange’s timing and his choice of venue have puzzled some observers.
The Council of Europe brings together the 46 signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights, with little say over Assange’s legal fate.
Assange is still campaigning for a US presidential pardon for his conviction under the Espionage Act.