Iran

My cousin and Iran analyst extraordinaire, Karim Sadjadpour, will be speaking this Thursday on the UC Berkeley campus to discuss: the impact of Iran’s elections on the balance of power within Iran and on its foreign policy. Sadjadpour will also assess the implications of recent events on US policy options. The Travers Lecture Series on US Foreign Policy is co-sponsored by the Institute of International Studies and the Institute of Governmental Studies. Throughout the 2009-2010 academic year, the IIS and…

In honor of His Excellency, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech before the United Nations General Assembly, I hereby propose a drinking game: Now, safety first, kids: no drinking before age 21 (if you’re in the United States), drink responsibly, and if you are drinking under-age or irresponsibly, it’s not my fault. That aside, grab your favorite brew, find some friends, and cozy up to the radio, TV, or this MSNBC webcast sometime around 4 pm…

I have the honor of speaking at the “Emerging Technologies & Media Mythologies” conference at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Tuesday, October 6, 2009. I’ll be the Tuesday lunchtime speaker, where I’ll be talking about the Iranian Internet, before and after the recent election — I’ll be drawing from my forthcoming book, “The Internet of Elsewhere,” (Rutgers University Press, 2011). I’m truly flattered to be invited to take the place of Iranian journalist and human rights activist, Akbar…

Cyrus Farivar | 01 Sep 2009 On June 20, 2009, as she watched demonstrators at an Iranian reformist protest gather on Tehran’s Kargar Avenue, Neda Agha-Soltan, 27, was suddenly shot in the chest and killed, ostensibly by a nearby Basij militiaman. Had this tragic incident taken place just a few years earlier, it might have been lost to history. As it happened, however, two separate amateur videos of Neda’s shooting and subsequent death were quickly posted online, where they spread…

Thanks to all who showed up (and participated online!) at BayFF last night to talk tech, Iran and all kinds of other stuff. It was a pleasure to speak with Danny O’Brien again and meet Jacob Appelbaum of Tor for the first time. Thanks also to David Farris, Alex Farivar and Nate Cardozo for coming and supporting me. Also big ups to Sean Savage (who I’ve written about before, and first met six years ago!) and PariSoMa for organizing this…

If you can, spare a thought for former Iranian vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who I had the pleasure of meeting in November 2007 here in Oakland, as seen above. The Associated Press: BEIRUT (AP) — The wife of a prominent pro-reform Iranian politician said Monday her husband was forced into confessing he helped fuel post-election riots as part of a plot to topple the government and said he appeared drugged days before the trial. The contention by Fahimeh Mousavinejad…

I just penned this for PBS’ MediaShift: by Cyrus Farivar, August 3, 2009 A couple of years ago, while browsing in a Philadelphia bookstore, I found a small red hardback book. Its worn woven cover was used, but in decent condition. The side of the book, in a matching faded red background, had a small vaguely Islamic curved label that reads in gold lettering: Mission for my Country / His Imperial Majesty Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi Shahanshah of Iran. This…

I’m speaking at this event in San Francisco on August 3! August 3, 2009 WHAT: The recent protests over the elections in Iran have shown that social media can be a force for good — and a target for misinformation and censorship. How can technologists build tools for freedom, and defend Net users across the world? WHEN: Monday August 3rd – 7 pm to 9 pm WHO: Danny O’Brien is EFF’s International Outreach Coordinator. He works to help us collaborate…

Late last night, the Senate passed the Victims of Iranian Censorship (VOICE) Act. Nico links to the presser just co-released by a number of senators, including leads McCain, Liberman and Graham, Casey, Kaufman and others. Important bits: • Authorizes $30 million to the Broadcasting Board of Governors to expand Farsi language broadcasting into Iran by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda and the Voice of America’s Persian News Network. The funds may be used to develop additional transmission…

For the uninitiated: Haystack is an awesome, new, anti-filtering software that’s custom-designed for Iran. It’s run out of San Francisco run by my new friend and green hat hacker extraordinaire, Austin Heap. Haystack is moving along quite quickly — heck, they’ve even got a swank new website! — and in addition to donating money, you too can help in a really easy, but meaningful way, too: If you’ve got a spare USB thumb drive (at least 128MB or greater), send…