Radio Farda–the Farsi language service at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty–is increasingly proving a critical source for information about what’s happening inside Iran. Radio Farda’s job is “surrogate broadcasting”–telling the stories that the Iranian press would report, if only they were free to do so. Here’s one such story they are covering today–a fascinating must-read:
Solouki says the Iranian Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance granted her a research license. She says the authorities were told in advance of the locations where she wanted to film, and that they were aware that the subject dealt with the cemeteries of Iranian minorities. The authorities therefore had prior knowledge of her planned activities — they were not taken by surprise. “The bureau in charge of minorities affairs at the Culture Ministry coordinated all this,” Solouki said. “[By that] I mean coordination between the ministry’s press office and its minorities bureau.” But while filming, Solouki says she stumbled on an area at the Khavaran Cemetery on Tehran’s outskirts that caught her attention. She described it as “totally different” from the other parts she had filmed. Asked whether she was referring to a mass grave of people summarily executed in 1988, she said, “Yes.” How many people were buried there has never been established. However, estimates by Iranians and outsiders generally point to more than 2,800 killed, with their bodies buried in different areas around the country, not just the Khavaran Cemetery. Most were opposition leftists and mujahedin members taken from jail and summarily executed. Solouki says the authorities may believe that she intended to make a film critical of the mass executions, which took place in the summer and fall of 1988.
Ms. Solouki–an Iranian/French citizen–goes on trial for stumbling across the mass grave on November 17. A Google News search shows no mention of this travesty of justice in the American press, nor was President Ahmadinejad asked about her at his visit to Columbia. Why is the American media turning a blind eye to this human rights violation, and what will happen to Ms Solouki if the rest of the world ignores her plight? Read more on this at Gateway Pundit.
