Nazila Fathi, New York Times. 11/23/2008. San Francisco Chronicle
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/23/MNJB14A9SD.DTL&type=printable)
Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported Saturday.
The agency reported that Ali Ashtari was executed by hanging Monday. It said he was arrested in 2006 and confessed during his trial in June to spying for Israel through security and telecommunication equipment.
Iranian news media reported in June that Ashtari, 45, had received a death sentence for spying. At the time, newspapers said he had been the manager of a company selling communication and security equipment to the Iranian government.
An Israeli official said in June that Israel had no knowledge of his case.
Tension between Iran and Israel has escalated in recent months over Iran's nuclear program. Israel has not ruled out launching a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran does not recognize Israel as a state, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has spoken of Israel with hostility since his election in 2005.
A Web site affiliated with the Iranian Intelligence Ministry has reported that a high-profile blogger, Hossein Derakhshan, was also arrested this month and accused of spying for Israel. Judiciary officials have not confirmed his arrest but the Web site, Jahan News, reported that he had confessed to spying for Israel.
Derakhshan, an Iranian Canadian, had lived in Canada since 2000 but moved back to Tehran a few weeks ago. He traveled to Israel in 2007 and wrote about it on his blog.
Abraham Rabinovich, an Israeli journalist who interviewed Derakhshan in Jerusalem two years ago, described him in an opinion piece for the International Herald Tribune on Friday as an "Iranian patriot" who through his blog "offered the first views of ordinary life in Israel that Iranians had been able to see."
Rabinovich quoted Derakhshan as saying: "I want to humanize Israel for Iranians and tell them it's not what the Islamic propaganda machine is saying, that Israelis are thirsty for Muslim blood. And I want to show Israel that the average Iranian isn't even thinking about doing harm to Israel."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/23/MNJB14A9SD.DTL
This article appeared on page A - 19 of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle Sections
© 2008 Hearst Communications Inc. | Privacy Policy | Feedback | RSS Feeds | FAQ | Site Index | Contact
Jewish and Persian Connections Mission
In response to statements emanating from the Middle East regarding nuclear threat to both the Jewish and Persian peoples, we seek to project an alternative voice on Jewish- Persian relations that disseminates knowledge about the historical and cultural ties between these two peoples, fosters friendship and openings for creative exchange, and contributes to the identity of adults and children of mixed Jewish and Persian ancestry.
Categories
- Being Jewish and Persian
- conferences
- Cultural Stereotypes
- Everyday People Building Peace
- History
- In the Arts: Recommendations
- Iran and Jews
- Iran Israel Relations in the Media
- Iran: Culture
- Jewish and Persian Children
- Jewish Muslim Relations
- Jewish Traditions
- Jewish Voices on Iran
- Legislation
- Mixed Marriages between Jews and Persians of other religions
- Music
- Persian Jews
- Persian Traditions
- Persian Voices
- Personal Vignettes and Stories
- Pictures/Artwork
- Religion
- Travel to Iran
Seeking Your Personal Stories and Intellectual Contributions!
Please submit your personal writings on the following topics:
a) Relationships between Persians and Jews
b) Raising a Persian Jewish child
C) Historical and/or current affairs between Persians and Jews/ Iran and Israel
D) Current Debate: Is the current conflict between Iran and Israel inherently tied into the Israeli- Palestinian conflict?
All submissions welcome including poetry, links and other recommendations. Please email any submissions to tiffanyssf@aol.com. Authors are responsible for providing respectful, factually accurate, and fully citated submissions as a pre-requisite for inclusion. Articles should be a minimum of 2 paragraphs in length up to a maximum of 10 pages. Please use proper citation when referencing another writer or speaker. Assume no specific religious knowledge and explain all references to any religions. Translate all non-English words used, including Farsi, Hebrew, Arabic, Ladino or Yiddish. Writers wishing to anonymously post may use their first name only. Please send all submissions to tiffanyssf@aol.com. All information outside of your submission will remain strictly confidential including your email and contact information. Thank you for your contributions!
a) Relationships between Persians and Jews
b) Raising a Persian Jewish child
C) Historical and/or current affairs between Persians and Jews/ Iran and Israel
D) Current Debate: Is the current conflict between Iran and Israel inherently tied into the Israeli- Palestinian conflict?
All submissions welcome including poetry, links and other recommendations. Please email any submissions to tiffanyssf@aol.com. Authors are responsible for providing respectful, factually accurate, and fully citated submissions as a pre-requisite for inclusion. Articles should be a minimum of 2 paragraphs in length up to a maximum of 10 pages. Please use proper citation when referencing another writer or speaker. Assume no specific religious knowledge and explain all references to any religions. Translate all non-English words used, including Farsi, Hebrew, Arabic, Ladino or Yiddish. Writers wishing to anonymously post may use their first name only. Please send all submissions to tiffanyssf@aol.com. All information outside of your submission will remain strictly confidential including your email and contact information. Thank you for your contributions!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Iran hangs man convicted of spying for Israel
Labels: Historical and Cultural Links, Cultural Stereotypes, People of mixed Jewish Persian Descent, Persian Jews, Activities
Iran Israel Relations in the Media