After treatment by Iranian police.
You might have heard about my trip to Iran in June and July 2009 to join the protests against the rigged elections, a trip that ended up in the infamous Evin prison in Tehran, in the captivity of Iran’s Intelligence Service – luckily only for one week, albeit the most intense week of my life.
For your further information, I have tried to list a few sources where you can read more about these events. If you know of any other sources, please add them.
in English:
- www.azarmehr.blogspot.com/2010/01/meeting-andreas-moser.html
- www.azarmehr.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-i-will-join-protests-on-12th-june.html
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=F48SinuEHIk (a TV documentary in which I make an appearance)
- www.seektruthandjustice.blogspot.com/2009/12/arts-united-4-iran-event-london-121209.html (about a United4Iran event in London where I gave a speech)
- www.persia.org/list/ (I am very proud to be listed among these brave people.)
- www.caulleyscorner.com/IranNews/whoswhoiniran2.html
- I also mentioned the episode in a TEDx talk.
in German:
- SPIEGEL-Artikel 29-09 Tage des Aufruhrs (the best article)
- www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,636795,00.html
- www.oberpfalznetz.de/zeitung/1907700-100-pruegel_auf_teherans_strassen,1,0.html
- www.oberpfalznetz.de/zeitung/1910693-100-der_verzweiflung_nahe,1,0.html#top
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htKOeE1hL8 (my speech at a United4Iran concert in Munich)
- www.kanzlei-hoenig.info/teheran-polizei-verpruegelt-und-verhaftet-deutschen-rechtsanwalt
- www.jurablogs.com/de/gefaengnis-statt-revolution-deutscher-anwalt-iran
in Portuguese:
The Happy Hermit 
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Further review of your site which you so shamelessly inserted into a message board that has nothing to do with your story, aside from taking place in the same country, readers discover your lack of forthrightness to leading a life of idiocy and racism makes you so NOT fun! You host some pretty twisted fantasies, most un-fun being that Israel is an honest state. You’re stupid! And not fun! End the genocide, because that’s the fun thing to do. I hope the rest of your life is awesome, if you change your opinions! If you don’t, you will have the worst life any human has ever lived, and God will punish you probably, because God is the most FUN!
Which god?
Epic reply is epic.
What genocide? What racism?
Well, Dante, it seems that the Sifaluth-thing has never answered. Guess why: It just wanted to defame Andreas Moser for to justifying iranian brutality by bashing and demonizing Israel.
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You are my hero! :*
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Hello, you mustn’t have joined the protesters.What are the affairs of my country to you that you joined the protest.It was not related to you.. the protesters didn’t have the permit to protest.Anderas Moser you will end up to prison if you go to any country and do against the law.
If any body wants to travel any country,They must follow the rules of that country.
.Am I right?
Many many people have come to my country and enjoyed.
you didn’t come to enjoy the beauty and wonders of Iran, Indeed you came to interfere in my county affairs.
What about the Iranians who protested? Why were they beaten, arrested, tortured, imprisoned and shot in the streets? (For just one example, see this film: https://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/tv-documentary-for-neda/)
And in other countries, if I am arrested, I will at least be allowed to have contact with my country’s consulate. Not so in Iran. The Iranian Intelligence Service refused me any contact with my consulate or a lawyer for the whole time of my detention.
In case idiots like you don’t realize it — Western intelligence services (CIA, MI6, etc.) try to sow discord in other nations for their own personal gain under empty slogans like “democracy” and “freedom” … it benefits them when people thrash around in the streets and burn buildings down: Go look at Libya, Syria, … and then compare that to the dictators in places where the US has allies like Saudi Arabia or Apartheid countries like Israel (You don’t hear the US complaining about those places). This talk of “democracy” and the like is just rubbish rhetoric … these “protests” always have an agenda, sophisticated military people behind the scenes, and they are not as spontaneous as people try to make them out to be. You are lucky Iran was nice to you: If it had been me, you still would have been sitting in an Iranian prison.
How about the Iranians who want freedom and democracy?
Who put you in charge of determining what “freedom” and “democracy” mean?
Who gave you the legal permission to usher in whatever your conception of “freedom” and “democracy” is in a country that’s not yours?
Freedom to do what? Freedom to send your daughters into porn like you have in the West? Freedom to have a de facto system of segregation as the U.S. does (which stems from an economy built on slavery of Blacks and genocide of Native Americans)?
I think you should get your own house in order before you try to bring your “freedom” and “democracy” to sovereign countries that have more than 7,000 years of history and before you decide that you are the person to tally the votes of the people.
I need neither a legal nor your permission to have an opinion and to talk to others about it, whether in my, your or somebody else’s country. After all, it’s just coincidence where we are born. Most of us didn’t pick our citizenship, and I am sure you yourself are not responsible for “7,000 years of history”.
Serves u…most of the people cannot even visit ur country and u have to participate in protests elsewhere. Champion of freedom, and did i say, Fuck Iranians!!!
This is exactly what characterises a tyranny.
A ‘tyranny’ is an apartheid country like Israel or a nation like the US that is built on chattel slavery. However, every country has time, place, and manner restrictions on speech: Try driving around the neighborhood at 3AM with a sound-truck announcing your views to the world and you will find that out from your local police wherever you live. Also, you can’t conflate people pouring into the streets that disrupted other peoples’ lives, jobs, ability to use the roads, and fire an ambulance service with people who simply disagreed with the results of the election. Iran didn’t arrest people that disagreed; it arrested assholes that were destroying public property, lighting garbage cans on fire, interfering with traffic, and the lives of 80 million others (only a fraction protested). Iran also has national security considerations because of the CIA’s and MI6’s addiction to trying to stick their noses in Iran’s domestic affairs and cause public unrest, so Iran will take precautionary steps. If the reverse was true and you saw Iran trying to foster a violent revolution in the US with billions of dollars and sophisticated media, you would see the U.S. government arresting people also. Slogans only go so far … facts tell the story. Read up the U.S. government causing a coup in Iran in the 1950s to remove the democratically elected leader (same nonsense at that time).
Seemingly this “evil empire” must not be forgotten in any argument. During Apartheid, black South Africans were neither allowed to vote nor to run for alderman or something else. Israeli Arabs may both. Additionally, Israeli Arabs and Jews may marry, if they want to which was absolutely impossible for a black and a white person in Apartheit South Africa.
You seem to be a couple of years behind your time. There is much far from o.k. in the US but slavery is over.
Additionally, what does this say about the circumstands in Iran? Was Stalin a democrat because he was Hitlers enemy? Or vice versa? Ridiculous.
I know about this. During the Cold War, the US governments used to support the worst dictators if they just were anti-communist. Politics is a dirty business.
DANTE: “During Apartheid, black South Africans were neither allowed to vote”
Apartheid South Africa was supported by Israel NOT Iran — I rest my case.
You missed the point. I never blaimed Iran to support former South Africa’s Apartheid regime. I just compared Israel to former South Africa.
I know you didn’t accuse Iran of supporting Apartheid-South-Aftica: Iran openly opposed Apartheid S.A. just as it openly opposes Apartheid Israel. However, our so-called “human rights” activist Andreas Moser doesn’t seem to understand that; perhaps you do.
Then Iran opposes against something inexistent and I compared former S.A. to Israel to show it. In an apartheid country, the unprivileged may neither vote nor run for a political function, nor may they marry anyone of the privileged section of the population. In Israel, in spite of some social discrimination (s)he is confronted with, an Arab may all of this.
Billions of people in every country (including Israel) disagree:
I just read the comments to lose interest.
Wrong video above — here’s the right link (I hope):
Dante: you mentioned the South African apartheid in conjunction brutality and lack of rights for the black population. You also brought Israel in the picture as a democratic country where Arabs can vote, etc.
How much did you read about the South African apartheid? Do you have details about the system that was at work there and who had the power?
Anyways, could you imagine that there was a very strong Jewish (and very Zionist) movement in South African during the apartheid time which has supported the apartheid 100% ?
And when things changed politically in South Africa most of those Zionists have left the country … to Israel, to the US, to Germany, etc.
The history written in some books doesn’t always depict the reality. But if you know the people, who they are, what they did, etc. then you would get a better understanding of the situation.
Wtf man.
^ ur a sad idiot.
why would u do that?
u should know better.
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Despite of a certain understanding of, not to say sympathy for some aspects I agree with Elena – joining the demonstrations was not a smart idea and you bloody well should know better.
I am pretty sure every sensible Iranian, including your trophy girlfriend would have advised you not to go anywhere near them. But then again, you’re a different kind of person and from what we read you seem to like getting out, being in the middle of the action, getting published and feel good about it. Another point I found interesting.. please correct me if I’m wrong… you wrote in some blog that and why you WILL join the demonstrations in Tehran. The “Spiegel”, on the other hand, told their German readers that you “accidentally got into a demonstration”. Interesting.
In my opinion you did not really help anybody with your action trip, nor with going public. But the latter was the whole point it seems..
Do I detect some jealousy about my girlfriend in this comment?
I fully understand Andreas, he has every reason to be proud of his courage. I hope millions from all over the world will go to Iran and kick this regime of thugs, rapists, and psychopaths out of this beautiful country. Its a shame that a great, cultural, tolerant and educated nation is taken hostage by a gang of uneducated, hypocratic and mentally sick despots. All Iranians I know who live abroad are ashamed of the political system in Tehran, and they all love when foreigners are not only interested in the cultural heritage of Hafiz, Omar Khayyum and Firdousi, but get engaged in fighting the mullahs regime. I am also happy that last year two german journalists sneaked into the country to interview the family of political prisoners. And I also think that the two american hitch-hikers did right, when they disrespected the regime.
Andreas action reminded me of Mark Wallenberg, who went in 1944 to Hungary (then ruled by a pro-nazi regime), officially to work there at the Swedish embassy. But secretely he organized the safe emigration of thousands of Jews who were already listed for deportation. Thats how humanity can overcome unjustice. Mark Wallenberg also risked his life for what he did, and he even lost it under the accusation of espionage against the Soviet Union.
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..jealousy? You make me laugh. I believe you advertise her on various websites, hence she’s your trophy. Would be interesting to know what she feels about your wanna be heroic action, i.e. your rather stupid decision to join the demonstrations. If her family is still in Iran you didn’t really help them or her I suppose.
Also interesting how you condemn the Iranian regime who blatantly misinform their people through all media channels yet in your Spiegel article you act no different. But hey, let’s ignore that part.
Not only do you make it much harder for other foreigners to travel in Iran (you have proven to their paranoid system that Western tourists DO have hidden intentions) but as Elena nicely put it you did not visit Iran to enjoy the beautiful sides. In many countries including the US they would deem you to hold the wrong visa as you’re clearly not coming as as tourist for touristy activities. But hey, a good lawyer argues his way around and nicely ignores valid points.
“…but as Elena nicely put it”
@Steve Gillis
You can’t be serious about this. Let’s say that it might not have been the smartest thing for anyone to go to Iran to take part in protests, thus placing oneself literally in harms way. Let us also agree that maybe no one in particular was helped with Andreas attending these protests. But that’s not any of our concern is it? And whether or not Andreas is a glory seeker matters not one iota…because that’s not the point. Did he or did he not suffer at the hands of the Iranian police? Is this sort of treatment acceptable in a democratic society? Now…here is where I just might tickle your fancy somewhat Steve…is Iran a democracy? Because that, my friend, IS the point!
But it does get worse. To say that poster Elena put it nicely when she said that he shouldn’t have ‘interfered’ in the politics of another country, where she almost condoned the violence exacted upon the protesters because they were protesting without a permit is violent in its logic. Since when do we need a permit in order to exercise our universal right of freedom of expression?
I’ll tell you since when Steve. It’s when we don’t live in democratic countries. It’s talk of ‘foreign interference’ which smacks of dictatorial reasoning and which flies back in the face of the one levelling accusations, showing him/her up to be nothing than a state apparatchik. Perhaps Elena could tell us where the protestors would have gone to exactely, to apply for this permit to protest against one of the world’s most notoriously intollerant government. I can imagine it now:
AM: ‘Ah…Excuse me gov’….where do I ‘ave t go to get me a permit so that I can protest what I think – and so does the rest of the civilised world incidentally -are nothing but rigged electoral results? Huh? Where do I go?
Ahmadinejad: ‘You go to nice place called Evin…..er……PALLASS, Room 101. They treat you nicely’
Right.
Now, insofar as Der spiegel is concerned, this translates to The Mirror in English – and in the UK this is not what I would call a serious newspaper, unless you’re interested in the third page of course. But that is a different kettle of fish, so to speak, entirely. On this perhaps Andreas could be invited to shed some more light?
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Sodele, Dein Blog landet in meinem Google Reader :-) Herzliche Grüße, Tom
Das freut mich. Bis auf bald!
Enjoyed reading your blog. There are many members of CS that think it is safe to visit Iran despite experiences like yours. NYCLoftdweller on CS
I actually agree. If you stay out of politics, Iran is a safe (and extremely interesting) country to visit. Despite my own experience there, I still highly recommend it as a destination.
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You have a bruise on your arm? Big deal. There are 1 million people in U.S. prisons, and most are raped. What the hell were you doing in a country that you are not a citizen of trying to shape the political outcome in a place you are not entitled to vote? They would have been completely justified if they tried you and gave you a sentence for espionage.
Why would it be espionage if I go to a public protest?
To shape the political landscape of a country you have no right to vote in? Absolutely, particularly given the bloodshed the CIA and MI6 have caused with these types of so-called “protests” in places like Syria and Libya.
It seems that the bloodshed in Libya and Syria is rather caused by their dictatorships. I am happy that the people there rise up. Sad that Iranians aren’t as courageous.
Actually Iranians are very courageous — they kicked the snot out of Saddam in an 8 year war when they were under a weapons embargo, when the government in Iran was still new and unorganized, and Saddam was given aid, training, and chemical weapons by the U.S. and Europe (and financed by Saudi Arabia). You obviously don’t know much about world history. It took brave men to crush his forces — not some pussy like you who goes into a country with bloated ideas of “freedom” while you live in a segregated society in your native land.
Very courageous. Did you also do that yourself?
Especially the last 6 years of the Iran-Iraq war were very useful. Except for those Iranians who were sent into the minefields by their own crazy leadership.
Oh, so now some pussy showing the world a bruise on his arm is second-guessing what was required for Iran to defend itself from Saddam Hussein’s chemical attacks that were aided by the US and Europe? It’s none of your business if I fought in that war: You can be certain millions of brave Iranians defended their land and didn’t have you and your bruised arm to give them expert military advice. Just keep on showing your bruise to people. And if you wear a pink dress you might get more sympathy that way: it brings out the color in your little bruise and rosy cheeks Mr. cream puff.
Insults are the arguments of people who are’nt right.
Jean Jaques Rousseau
@DANTE: It’s my opinion that anyone putting a picture of bruised arm up for public attention (an arm that looks it belongs to a 13-year old girl nontheless) while criticizing Iranians who had to defend themselves from Saddam’s chemical weapons attacks is a pussy (i.e., a coward). I mean that as statement of fact, not as an insult. He should tie a pink ribbon around his bruise, but clearly he doesn’t have what it takes to defend his country in an 8-year trench war in which the other side is using chemical and biological agents. Like I said: ‘pussy’ … it means something.
Not for disagreeing with their government.
I think it was Werner Finck who said “Ich stehe hinter jeder Regierung, unter der ich nicht sitze, wenn ich nicht hinter ihr stehe”. Of course, this is a German pun whos literal translation “I stand behind any government under which I don’t sit if I don’t stand behind it” makes no sense. By “to stand behind”, “to support” oder “to agree with” is meant, and “to sit” means being imprisoned.
Yes, there are many people in jail in the U.S. for disagreeing with the U.S. government. (Do you expect me to give you a synopsis of each of the 1 million people in US prisons?) And Iran didn’t arrest people that simply disagreed. It arrested people working for foreign governments that were paid to cause havoc; persons damaging property; blocking roads for fire an ambulance services; and nut jobs like the MEK. (If you don’t know who the MEK are, go look it up.)
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One of the basic rules, to keep safe in other countries, is to stay away from local protests.
When I saw your picture, I immediately said:OMG what Iranians did to you? But than I read that you go there to support ”whatever ”.
Well…YOU are responsible from your suffering. I have to mention, that I come from Czech Republic (part of EU) and I am not muslim and not radical.
On other hand, I just spoke on the phone with Iranian ambasy in Madrid, about planing my trip to Teherán. The guy who gives me the information, is becoming very angry after while.
That’s brings me into another point.
HEY IRANIANS. ..WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY?
Even here in the discussion. So many bad words. Why? Are you frustrated?
Anyway it will not stop me from visiting Iran.
And I wish to all Iranians to have more passion and less ignorance(even if think in general, you are not ignorants at all !!!).
If A beats up B, B is never responsible.
But I think you will be positively surprised by Iran. Very friendly, hospitable, educated and good-humored people! And so much to learn, wherever you go, whomever you talk to.
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