Ghoncheh Ghavami, all of 25 years, a British-Iranian young lady and a law graduate, is undergoing a one year sentence in jail. The fact file of her case goes something like this:-
* Arrested on 20 Jun after she tried to enter Teheran's Azadi stadium, along with male fans, to
watch a men's volleyball match between Italy and Iran.
Iran, incidentally, bans women from attending big sporting events with men!
* She'd participated in a protest, in front of the stadium, wearing a white scarf and holding a
placard for being denied entry, demanding equal access to sporting events.
* She was taken into custody and released after a few hours but was rearrested later at a police
station, where she'd gone to collect the items confiscated earlier from her.
* She has been charged for spreading propaganda against the ruling system.
* Initially, on solitary confinement in the dreaded Evin Prison for 41 days, her trial had
commenced, consequent to international pressure.
She's now gone on a 'dry' hunger strike in jail. (I was wondering as to what the term 'dry hunger' was all about. Well, it means that the protagonist shuns both food and water! And all this while, I was under the notion that a hunger strike meant abstaining from both!! Surely, I'm learning!!!)
Her brother has said that she's protesting because the judge hasn't confirmed her sentence as yet!
Human rights organisations have been crying hoarse to get her freed but who, in Iran, is listening? And that's the moot point!!
My take.
It's only against the backdrop of this case that one can understand the tremendous freedom that one has in India. Yet we crib about a whole lot of things and there's a sizeable few who prefer to settle down abroad!
Tailpiece.
The vigilance probe of charges levelled against KM Mani, Kerala's Finance Minister, has begun the 'Quick Verification', says press reports. One always knew that the investigation of cases against people in power took its own sweet time for completion, what with the accused throwing anything and everything to derail its smooth conduct. But this is official confirmation, for the first time, that there's indeed a 'fast track mechanism' too! Cheers!!
* Arrested on 20 Jun after she tried to enter Teheran's Azadi stadium, along with male fans, to
watch a men's volleyball match between Italy and Iran.
Iran, incidentally, bans women from attending big sporting events with men!
* She'd participated in a protest, in front of the stadium, wearing a white scarf and holding a
placard for being denied entry, demanding equal access to sporting events.
* She was taken into custody and released after a few hours but was rearrested later at a police
station, where she'd gone to collect the items confiscated earlier from her.
* She has been charged for spreading propaganda against the ruling system.
* Initially, on solitary confinement in the dreaded Evin Prison for 41 days, her trial had
commenced, consequent to international pressure.
She's now gone on a 'dry' hunger strike in jail. (I was wondering as to what the term 'dry hunger' was all about. Well, it means that the protagonist shuns both food and water! And all this while, I was under the notion that a hunger strike meant abstaining from both!! Surely, I'm learning!!!)
Her brother has said that she's protesting because the judge hasn't confirmed her sentence as yet!
Human rights organisations have been crying hoarse to get her freed but who, in Iran, is listening? And that's the moot point!!
My take.
It's only against the backdrop of this case that one can understand the tremendous freedom that one has in India. Yet we crib about a whole lot of things and there's a sizeable few who prefer to settle down abroad!
Tailpiece.
The vigilance probe of charges levelled against KM Mani, Kerala's Finance Minister, has begun the 'Quick Verification', says press reports. One always knew that the investigation of cases against people in power took its own sweet time for completion, what with the accused throwing anything and everything to derail its smooth conduct. But this is official confirmation, for the first time, that there's indeed a 'fast track mechanism' too! Cheers!!
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