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MEAN STREETS MEDIA
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Russians Rally in Support of U.S. Teacher Sentenced for Sex With Teens
The sentencing of an American teacher to 22 years in prison for having sex with teenaged students has sparked outrage among Russians adamant that the 30-year-old had "done nothing wrong" by pursuing the amorous affairs.
Shortly after Jennifer Fichter's sentence for bedding three of her 17-year-old students was handed down by a Florida court last Thursday, Russian sympathizers flooded the Internet with calls for her release.
Widespread support for the former English teacher emerged among Russians who champion "traditional values," as well as those who just two months ago were appalled when a 48-year-old policeman took a 17-year-old as his second bride.
'Stop the Legal Tyranny!'
By Monday, two online petitions had been launched by Russian supporters of the woman convicted of having had affairs with three 17-year-old boys.
One petition — launched on popular website Change.org — quickly went viral among Russian social media users, having gathered upward of 41,000 signatures by Monday evening.
"Twenty-two years for a woman who helped three mature male students start their adult lives. Twenty-two years for a woman who wanted to be happy and loved, even if it was by someone younger than herself. Twenty-two years for the fact that these students wanted to be with her, longed for her tenderness and attention," said the petition launched by Russian netizen Denis Shiryaev.
The emotional statement was accompanied by a picture of Fichter with a halo photoshopped around her head, an apparent bid to depict her as a saint.
The petition's author demanded an end to the "United States' legal tyranny" and urged U.S. authorities to overturn Fichter's conviction, set her free and force the sentencing judge to apologize for calling her a "predator."
"Comrades! Sign the petition! Any woman could have ended up in a situation like this. If we let this go, students would be able to frame any loving women, and they are so important to our society," the petition, addressed to the U.S. White House, concluded.
Another petition was launched on the U.S. White House's citizen action website We the People, but by Monday evening it had gathered fewer than 2,000 of the 100,000 signatures necessary to warrant the U.S. presidential administration's consideration.
It was not immediately clear whether the second petition was launched by the same Russian activists, but the text of the petition — written in English, but festooned with grammatical errors — was heavily reminiscent of its Russian counterpart. "In its place could be any, and if we close our eyes to this incident, then after some time, students will be able to put any loving woman, which our society so desperately needs," said the petition, posted to We the People activism site.
Male and Female Sympathies
Fichter's Russian supporters have not limited their activism to online petitions. Men and women alike have written blog articles and social media postings blasting the lengthy sentence, trumpeting the theory that there is nothing wrong with a grown woman having sex with 17-year-old boys.
"Did she really deprave them? Taint their mentality? Traumatize them for life?" prominent Moscow artist Andrei Bilzho wrote in his blog on Snob magazine on Saturday. "A teacher must be a teacher in every sense of the word, and she was," he stoically concluded.
Bilzho followed the blog entry up with a Facebook post on Monday, saying he had since been swamped with allegations that his thoughts on Fichter made him a "maniac" or a "pervert."
"I just feel sorry for her. I don't know much about U.S. law. But I'm not talking about law — I'm talking about fairness," he wrote.
Well-known publicist and blogger Nikolai Podosokorsky wrote on his LiveJournal page Sunday: "I sympathize with her. I don't think isolating her from society will make this society any better."
"Feministki," a feminist community on LiveJournal, also expressed dismay with the length of Fichter's sentence.
"What has she done [to deserve this sentence]? Has she beaten those kids and sold them cocaine? She's basically been given a life sentence, as she won't be able to advance her career by the time she's released," a community member wrote Monday.
Pure Chauvinism
This is a clear example of how chauvinistic Russian society is, Anton Sorin, a children psychologist and the head of the Kvartet ("Quartet") psychological clinic, told The Moscow Times on Monday.
"Russian people see men as being more active in terms of sexual relationships. In their view, it's the man who initiates sexual encounters and men always have a choice," the expert said.
Women, Sorin explained, are generally seen as having a more passive nature, one that is often driven by external circumstances.
"If a man engages in sexual contact with an underaged girl, it's disgusting and appalling in society's opinion. But if a woman does that, she was probably lonely or had some other reasons, and it's always assumed that her male partner didn't mind — that he enjoyed it," Sorin said.
The psychologist asserted that neither gender nor age should matter in cases like this. "The abuser is always responsible for his or her actions, no matter what the age gap between him or her and the victim is," he said.
The fact that Russian people don't acknowledge the illegality of Fichter's actions, opting instead to zero in on whether what she did was good of bad, in Sorin's opinion, is easy to explain.
"The way our legal system handles pedophilia is peanuts compared to what other countries do about it," he said, explaining that the sentences handed down to pedophiles in Russia and the West are enormously disparate.
"Moreover, our society often considers rape [by vaginal or anal penetration] to be the only way a person can be sexually abused," Sorin added.
Isolated Case
Prior to Fichter's case, Russian sympathies have rarely lain with adults who had been sexually involved with teenagers or children.
Numerous examples of American families abusing their adopted Russian children contributed to President Vladimir Putin's decision to sign a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens in late 2012.
And just two months ago Russian society was outraged by a marriage carried out in Chechnya, between a middle-aged police chief and his teenaged second bride.
As rumors mounted of the May-December marriage, it was widely speculated that the bride was being forced to marry the older man. Coming out in defense of the marriage, Russia's flamboyant children's ombudsman Pavel Astakhov — the official whose job it is to ensure the safety of children in Russia — explained that marrying underaged girls was normal for Chechnya, a Russia region where, in his view, girls reach puberty earlier than elsewhere.
"In some Russian regions women are shriveled up by age 27," Astakhov said in an interview with radio station Russkaya Sluzhba Novostey.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Education International concerned over Iranian teachers union leader arrest
Esmail Abdi, a leader of the Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, was arrested on 27 June following his attempt to obtain a visa to attend the 7th Education International World Congress in Ottawa, Canada in late July.
After his passport was confiscated at the border, he was ordered to return to Tehran to meet with prosecutors. However, upon reporting to the prosecutors' office he was arrested while more than 70 teachers waited outside in support.
Abdi's arrest comes after nationwide rallies were held earlier this year to protest wages that leave the majority of teachers below the poverty line.
The Education International is deeply concerned about the repression facing representatives of the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers Trade Associations.
EI General Secretary demands Iranian government to release Abdi
"Preventing Esmail Abdi to leave the country to attend EI's 7th World Congress is a serious violation of human rights standards,” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “There is no valid reason for placing him under arrest. This is unacceptable. We are contacting the Iranian authorities demanding his immediate release. We are also requesting the heads of ILO and UNESCO to intervene."
Maryam Rajavi: We seek an end to religious despotism in Iran
NCRI – The Algerian daily El Watan has interviewed Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), on the situation inside Iran and the circumstances of the Iranian regime and its organized Resistance movement.
The Iranian Resistance has for over three decades had a decisive role in combating the ominous phenomenon of Islamic fundamentalism, Maryam Rajavi said, adding that the international community should finally side with the Iranian people and their organized Resistance to bring about genuine change.
The interview was published by El Watan in French. Below is an English translation of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s interview:
Date: 30 June 2015
Source: El-Watan daily – Algeria
El Watan interview with Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance
El Watan interview with Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance
Interviewer: Saïd Rabia
Iran has entered a new era with a new president for international public opinion. How do you evaluate Rouhani’s dossier?
Maryam Rajavi: First of all, I must remind you that the despicable record of the mullahs’ president, Hassan Rouhani, in his nearly two year reign, is not just catastrophic human rights violations in Iran (including more than 1,800 executions).
The number of those hanged in the first 12 days of June went above 100. Under Rouhani’s tenure, poverty, skyrocketing prices, unemployment and inflation has continued, and in many cases the situation has got worse.
One just needs to take this into account that the unemployment level in Iran has reached the horrifying number of 15 million people.
One just needs to take this into account that the unemployment level in Iran has reached the horrifying number of 15 million people.
His foreign policy includes supporting the bloodthirsty Bashar Assad dictatorship. Time and again, including two weeks ago in a meeting with the speaker of Assad’s so-called parliament, he reiterated this support with the strongest tone possible.
This support is not just in words. There is practical and economic support which amounts to billions of dollars. This is taking place at a time when the Iranian people are living in extreme poverty. On the other hand, the regime dispatches numerous units of the Revolutionary Guards and affiliated militias to Syria. Assad owes his very existence to the regime’s supreme leader. Rouhani is actually pursuing [Ali] Khamenei’s policy in Iraq, Yemen and other Arab countries.
Fortunately, however, the regime’s policy of expansionism, exporting fundamentalism and terrorism is failing. Khomeini dubbed this strategy in his will as ‘exporting the revolution’. If the mullahs find the opportunity they will engulf the entire Islamic World, from Sana’a to Riyadh and North Africa, to Afghanistan and Pakistan in bloodbaths.
Where does the Iranian opposition stand inside the country and on the international stage?
Maryam Rajavi: The Resistance’s standing can be understood from the words of its enemy, the mullahs’ regime, since this Resistance is its most important threat, internally and abroad.
From a social point of view, 120,000 martyrs of this Resistance is yet another sign of the expansion and variety of its popular base. To this day, a fraction of these names have been gathered, including 20,000 martyrs, in a book published by the Iranian Resistance. A widespread network of supporters, families of martyrs and political prisoners, former and current prisoners, exists inside and outside of the country.
The Resistance’s networks have played a major role in the protest movements and uprisings in Iran.
This network, infiltrating into the regime’s apparatus, is very effective in obtaining widespread information on the regime’s nuclear, missile and Quds Force activities, along with human rights violations.
With this social base, this movement has been able to reach a status of financial self-sufficiency.
One of the main elements showing the power of this movement is its ability to organize and launch campaigns, especially amongst women and youth. This ability is a very important asset in the context of the political, economic and social crises facing the regime.
To spread the Resistance’s political messages among all the Iranian people on a widespread scale, the Resistance has a media network including a satellite TV station and a social network on the Internet that pursue the Resistance’s objectives.
The systematic demonization campaign that the Iranian regime pursues against the Iranian Resistance is yet another sign. In all diplomatic negotiations and talks, the regime’s first and foremost request from all countries is to limit our movement. Any affiliation with our movement means death.
The mullahs’ widespread propaganda inside Iran against the Resistance, including publishing hundreds of books and holding hundreds of exhibitions are aimed at preventing youths from joining this Resistance.
However, during the 2009 nationwide uprising, the regime admitted to the significant role played by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in many of the demonstrations.
However, to legitimize their rule they deny the Resistance’s social base. We have always said, hold free elections to make it clear who has a social base in Iran. However, free elections are a red line for the mullahs.
In the political scene the Resistance is a credible political alternative with a widespread social and international platform. The Resistance’s parliament in-exile, known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has more than 500 members.
The platform of our Resistance is summarized in freedom, democracy and equality. We are seeking a republic based on separation of church and state, pluralism and equality between men and women, emphasizing on the active and equal participation of women in the political leadership.
From the very beginning of your movement’s foundation in 1965 you started military actions first against the Shah then against the mullahs’ regime. The PMOI was placed on the US list of terrorist organizations before being delisted in 2012. Has the West’s misunderstanding caused any damages for you?
Maryam Rajavi: The main problem in this regard with Western governments is not their misunderstanding. In fact, it is their appeasement vis-Ã -vis the Iranian regime due to diplomatic and business interests.
Based on what has been published in their media, all of them, including the US government and the European Union, blacklisted the PMOI based on a request from the Iranian regime and as a sign of goodwill to the ruling mullahs.
Fortunately our resistance was able to gain constant victories through widespread political and legal campaigns in over 20 courts in the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, France and the United States. We have been able to legitimize our right to rise in resistance and the Iranian people’s right to overthrow the regime.
A French judge in May 2011 in his ruling stipulated that the PMOI operations inside Iran were against military targets, and as a result it was a legitimate resistance. In Camp Ashraf in Iraq their conduct was based on the norms of a classic army and under the framework of international laws, and these actions were never considered terrorism.
However, during the 15 years that this blacklisting continued, this was a treacherous support from Western governments to the mullahs to close all pathsways to change in Iran.
Furthermore, the US government – based on a clear request by the Iranian regime – bombed PMOI bases in Iraq and then disarmed the National Liberation Army of Iran. Afterwards, in 2009 in flagrant violation of international law, Washington transferred control of Camp Ashraf to the government of former Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki, who was the Iranian regime’s puppet in Baghdad. To make things worse, the US remained silent and took no action in the face of six series of massacres and carnages against the residents in Ashraf and then Camp Liberty, all staged by Iraqi forces. All of this provided support to the ruling despots in Iran and inflicted heavy damages to the Iranian people.
In 2009 when the Iranian people staged widespread and long-lasting uprisings to overthrow the mullahs, the US government betrayed the protesters and instead US State Department officials were holding meetings with the envoys of the mullahs’ then president [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad.
Therefore, we have always said that the Iranian people and their Resistance neither want money, nor weapons from the West. We just ask them to be neutral between the Iranian people and the fascist mullahs.
Do you believe the West, neglecting the Iranian Resistance from the beginning, has reached a point today to change this viewpoint? How have these issues affected your movement and events inside Iran? Because Rouhani has depicted himself as a moderate and it appears it has lifted some pressures from the regime.
Maryam Rajavi: The changes we are witnessing are not the result of Western government’s policies, but the regime being engulfed in major crises. The main element behind these crises is the escalating social unrest. In recent months we have witnessed protests and strikes staged on nearly a daily basis by workers, teachers, college students, and ethnic groups facing oppression such as the Baluchis, Arabs, Kurds and … In some of these protests, such as those we saw in Mahabad (western Iran) and Iranshahr (eastern Iran), people set government buildings and vehicles ablaze. The mullahs are deeply concerned about uprisings similar to that of 2009 shaping once again. This was the very reason they agreed to nuclear negotiations and the temporary agreement in Geneva limiting uranium enrichment. Otherwise, the mullahs have never forgone their efforts to build nuclear weapons. Fear of uprisings has also made the mullahs extremely vulnerable in the face of international economic sanctions.
The mullahs have also lost Maliki in power in Iraq, as he was their puppet in Baghdad. The genocides carried out by the Quds Force were not able to compensate their lost position in Iraq. In Syria, the status of the mullahs’ ally, Bashar Assad, has become very vulnerable like never before in the past four years. In Yemen, Khamenei made a grave strategic mistake in pushing the Houthis to take over Sana’a and Aden, which led to the formation of an Arab coalition against Tehran. This is the most important confrontation between Arab governments and the Iranian regime in the past 25 years.
Given the enormous threat of ISIS, what is your position and that of the NCRI in the region’s geopolitical chessboard?
Maryam Rajavi: The Iranian Resistance, which for over three decades has been the main force of struggle and perseverance against the velayat-e faqih (absolute clerical rule system) ruling in Iran, represents the solution to this problem.
Although reactionary and diverted perceptions of Islam have always existed in regional countries; it was only after the rise of Khomeini to power and the formation of a model for reactionary currents that “Islamic fundamentalism” with its current identity was formed, which wants to carry out its medieval beliefs under the guise of Islam in other societies.
The mullahs’ regime in Iran, in addition to carrying out this historic role, is a political umbrella, an ideological source and a logistical and financial backer for fundamentalism and terrorism in today’s world and is considered the founder of this ominous phenomenon in the region.
By the same token, the killing of hundreds of thousands of our Syrian sisters and brothers by the Assad dictatorship and the genocide of Sunnis by the Maliki government in Iraq, which were carried out in both countries with the assistance of Iran’s mullahs, had the principal direct role in the growth of ISIS.
The Iranian Resistance movement, with the heavy price it has paid – including the lives of 120,000 of its members – has played a decisive role in its practical struggle against this ominous phenomenon, and it has pioneered this struggle politically and ideologically. This is especially so since the PMOI, the Iranian Resistance’s pivotal force and a true believer in Islam, has defended the mercifulness, freedom and tolerance of Islam’s message and has been able to have a major role in the cultural and social defeat of the ideal of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran.
We invite regional and world countries and governments to support this alternative that represents a democratic Islam and is the anti-thesis of Islamic fundamentalism. This is an alternative that has forced this barbarity in its ideological source into a deadlock, politically aiming to overthrow the religious theocracy in Iran.
With the toppling of the Iranian regime, militias groups under the command of the Quds Force such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ansarallah in Yemen and many other groups in Iraq will be annihilated instantly and the breeding ground for all fundamentalist groups, from Al-Qaida to ISIS, will be eliminated.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Russia -Su-24M flights suspended after crash in Far East — killing both pilots
Russian Air Force commander has ruled to suspend flights of Su-24M bombers after a plane crash in in the Far-eastern Khabarovsk region, the Defence Ministry's press service said on Monday.
A Su-24M bomber crashed earlier on Monday during take-off for a training flight, killing both pilots.
"The flights have been suspended before the causes of the crash are established," the ministry said.
A MiG-29 fighter jet crashed in southern Russia last week but both pilots ejected.
Armenia - Human right's activists question "water cannon,s ".
YEREVAN, July 6. /TASS/. The police actions to disperse the protesters on Marshal Baghramyan Avenue are "disproportionate to the situation", Armenia’s human rights ombudsman Karen Andreasyan said on Monday.
"The use of water cannon and physical strengthen was not determined by an absolute necessity," he said.
On the other hand, Andreasyan appraised the attitude of law enforcers to participants in the protests on other days, pointing to "the observation of law with regard to protesters, non-application of administrative sanctions as well as consistent efforts to ensure the safety of participants in the protests."
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