Pilger interviews Assange

John Pilger in conversation with Julian Assange from John Pilger on Vimeo.

Assange. Fresh Air Speech !

Wikirebels - A Documentary

WikiRebels: The Documentary | WikiLeaks & Julian Assange
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

ASSANGE. MAN OF THE DECADE.

Words a Cell Can’t Hold. Poem by Liu Xiabo

Words a Cell Can’t Hold 

Poem by LiuXiabo

from “Experiencing Death” 

I had imagined being there beneath sunlight

with the procession of martyrs

using just the one thin bone

to uphold a true conviction

And yet, the heavenly void

will not plate the sacrificed in gold

A pack of wolves well-fed full of corpses

celebrate in the warm noon air

aflood with joy 

Faraway place

I’ve exiled my life to

this place without sun

to flee the era of Christ’s birth

I cannot face the blinding vision on the cross

From a wisp of smoke to a little heap of ash

I’ve drained the drink of the martyrs, sense spring’s

about to break into the brocade-brilliance of myriad flowers 

Deep in the night, empty road

I’m biking home

I stop at a cigarette stand

A car follows me, crashes over my bicycle

some enormous brutes seize me

I’m handcuffed eyes covered mouth gagged

thrown into a prison van heading nowhere 

A blink, a trembling instant passes

to a flash of awareness: I’m still alive

On Central Television News

my name’s changed to “arrested black hand”

though those nameless white bones of the dead

still stand in the forgetting

I lift up high up the self-invented lie

tell everyone how I’ve experienced death

so that “black hand” becomes a hero’s medal of honor 

Even if I know

death’s a mysterious unknown

being alive, there’s no way to experience death

and once dead

cannot experience death again

yet I’m still

hovering within death

a hovering in drowning

Countless nights behind iron-barred windows

and the graves beneath starlight

have exposed my nightmares 

Besides a lie

I own nothing

“Aung San Suu Kyi’s release offers hope to the people of Burma, who face uncertain times following the 7 November elections. She is a global symbol of moral courage and we wish her strength and health as she makes her own transition from such a long period under house arrest. “We are of course absolutely delighted that she is free, and stand ready to assist her and the people of Burma in any way that we can.” Desmond Tutu

According to a Ninth Century Tibetan prophecy,'When the ironbird flies, the Dharma (Buddhist teachings)will go east, to the land of the Red man.' According to a Hopi prophecy,Phahana, a true spiritual being whose name is derived from salt water, would come from the east. He is the Sun Clan brother, whose return would mark the completion of a millenium-long ritual. The name Dalai Lama means 'teacher who is an ocean of wisdom.'

TIBET...then and now

ALCAZABA

JOSE BERGAMIN

Cuando escucho en tu guitarra

un cante por soleá

oigo en mi alma un silencio

que es música de verdad.

Música tan de verdad

que las estrellas se callan

para poderla escuchar." 

Jose Bergamín.

Bob Dylan. Train Tracks.

Vassilis Tsabropoulos, Anja Lechner & U. T. Gandhi - Tibetan Dance

Snetberger (g)Trio NOMAD/Arild Andersen/Paolo Vinaccia/GOMME

Zig Zag- Egberto Gismonti

Ai Weiwei: 'Life is never guaranteed to be safe'

NERJA BACKYARD

AMAR KANWAR's PERSONAL NEED TO UNDERSTAND

How easy was it for us to forget about the cyclone in Burma? About the Burmese governments’ refusal to accept international aid? About the decade long struggle of the Burmese Democratic Movement against the country’s dictatorial regime?


 In the small booklet accompanying The Torn First Pages, part I, the installation by Indian filmmaker Amar Kanwar at the Stedelijk Museum CS in Amsterdam, states something similar: ‘News photographs gain worldwide visibility for a day and then often disappear from public memory’. There is however also a different question that can be asked: How difficult is it to actually try and understand what really is going in Burma?

It is this question that seems to have driven Kanwar more than any other during the making of The Torn First Pages. ‘I’m an individual, who is also an artist, who is also a filmmaker. If I think something is happening and I should respond, I do. And if you respond, that means you’re active, but I’m not a professional activist. In the case of Burma, I had many questions. I met some Burmese refugees in New Delhi. When I got to know them better I began to realise, to my shock, how little I knew and what an incredible struggle it was [between the dictatorial regime and the Democracy Movement of Burma ed.] and how many young people, students, generations had gotten involved in it. I was upset about how little I really knew, or understood of one of my neighbouring countries, but was also very much struck by their resilience, by their courage, their sense of humour. So I responded. But it is very difficult to genuinely understand Burma; it’s a highly complicated country, with many ethnic nationalities, each with its own national movements, and a complicated history, which is even difficult to understand for an Indian like me.’

The Torn First Pages, of which only the first part is on view at the Stedelijk, is the result of Anwar's attempt at understanding Burma’s complexities specifically and South Asia’s in general. The title refers to the Burmese bookseller Ko Than Htay who was sentenced to three years in prison for tearing out the first page of every book he sold, thereby removing the mandatory slogans of the military regime printed on this page in every book, magazine and newspaper in the county.

The five channel installation, projected on paper sheets, approaches Burma’s situation from different angles. It changes from cautious (The Bodhi Tree: about the activities of Burmese artist Sitt Nyein Aye), to mocking (The Face: dictator Than Shwe’s throwing of rose petals over Gandhi’s last resting place over and over again) and direct (Ma Win Maw Oo: about the shooting of student protestors in 1988). Kanwar explains: ‘When you are trying to understand something, you don’t necessarily have to go straight into it. You can go around it and around it, and suddenly you understand a little bit more, collecting as you go. In a way I look everywhere, but understand in Burma.’

THE REAL HIKERS

3 American (US) Hikers, Sarah, Shane & Josh, at a wedding in Syria in 2009. 5 days later they were in prison in Iran accused of spying.

Despite a worldwide campaign to prove their innocence, they remain in jail 10 months later.

In this emotive film a close friend, Emily, talks about her Palestinian wedding, which the 3 friends attended, and the shock of their imprisonment a few days later.

In previously unseen footage, we watch Sarah and Shane dancing happily together, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaits them.
Sarah was teaching and working as a volunteer with the Iraqi Student Project in Damascus, where she and Shane were living.

Prayer for The Gulf of Mexico (by Tibetan Rinpoche)

Because we have divided all that we seem to experience
into polar opposites founded on mistaken notions of "them" and "us"
We trade ever-present satisfaction
For temporary dreams
believing in the illusion of happiness and gain.

When, from the lust for independence
in this world of interdependence,
we selfishly cut open the earth's veins
I pray we remember the planet's wounded waters
and how, from ignorance, we injured all beings in and around them

The shores that map our aspiration for water and earth
do not delimit primordial perfection
which is spacious and profound:
by resting in one place
radiant blessings reach beyond the idea of boundaries

It is not for the inhabited waters alone we pray
but for the wild places we do not always remember to see
this great ocean of misery that seems to come and go
when we close our eyes, when we open our eyes
Instantly evaporated when we open our hearts
May mistaken notions be tamed,
May always possible perfection be realized
May peace born within us heal the damage we have done
May life be comfortably sustained for all sentient beings who suffer
By the merit of our clear awakening

By the power of truth, 
May there spontaneously come an end to the disharmony of the elements
in the Gulf of Mexico

BEHROUZ JAVID TEHRANI

Behrouz Javid Tehrani, 

is the only student from the student uprising in july 

1999 who is still in prison!!!

Let us not Forget this brave soul,

 who is still not given up his fight 

for Freedom and Democracy in Iran

A BRIGHT GREEN JUNE

CORPORATE RE-DESIGN

For those who represent a nation- For Farzad, Ali & Farhad

For those who represent a nation- For Farzad, Ali & Farhad

By MAJID TAVAKOLI

They announced that Ali was being sent to ward 209. The phones in the halls were disconnected. I tried to call from the phone in my hall, but that too was disconnected.

When we went upstairs, Farzad said that they had announced that he too will be moved to ward 209, but it turned out to be a lie, as they ended up moving him to ward 240.

The announcement on Saturday afternoon had worried all of us. They usually announce the executions for political prisoners on Saturdays. An intense sadness took over my body, but Farzad kept saying that nothing was going to happen. He said they were only going to ask him a few questions. He knew what was awaiting him, but as always, he had a positive attitude and tried to make the best of the situation.

It was hard to believe. Until moments before, we were in the library together. Ali had stopped playing volleyball. He had washed his face and was getting ready. It was very difficult and painful. It was around this time every day, after Ali had worked out, that he would come over so we could study physics together. He intended to take the last two exams left so he could receive his diploma in June.

He had such high spirits that no one could ever believe that he was on death row. If you had a hard time believing Ali’s predicament, then it was impossible to fathom Farzad’s. He too was preparing for the university exams. The story of his engagement and wedding were also so heartfelt. It broke my heart when I thought about the courage of the young girl who was so taken by Farzad’s attitude and spirit that she married a person on death row.

It wasn’t the first time that I was witnessing my friends in this state. It was the summer of 2008 and I had met with friends in Evin prison’s ward 209. The first person I saw after my days in solitary confinement was Farhad. He was sharing the drawings of his young child. His incredible determination was a great inspiration to all of us. After a while, I also met Ali and Farzad. Ali always exuded calmness and Farzad was a solid pillar amongst us. He represented an entire nation alone and he stood proud and tall. He was always happy. he laughed and was hopeful, despite the hardships, the humiliation, the physically-grueling interrogations, and the unjust sentences by the Revolutionary Court. I was once again witnessing him in that similar predicament.

It was during the Sanandaj arrests that Farzad was transferred to Evin prison for the second time. He was wearing a neck brace, his shoulder was dislocated, and his teeth were broken, but his determination was stronger than ever.

When they transferred Ali and Farzad from Rajai Shahr prison to Evin’s ward 240 for execution, their presence in section 7 was excuse enough for those of us who were in section 8 to try and visit them regularly.

As they sat in solitary confinement waiting for the arrival of 4:00am, I was weak and on hunger strike. I was fully aware of why they had been transferred and I was unable to do a thing. Farzad kept encouraging me. He would say that everything is going to be okay and Ali continued to be calm, despite all the hardships.

During all the days when I was free, the uplifting meetings with Farzad and listening to his warm voice were a source of strength for my mother. It made me realize that a human being can achieve anything, even in the worst circumstances. But they killed my older brother, a Kurdish brother whom I loved with all my heart. He was my brother and my teacher- a teacher who represented resistance. He was someone who represented all of Iran’s children. I learned from him the ABC’s of resistance against the worst form of torture, deceit, and false accusations against people. I learned the role that faith plays in a person’s life when they face such hardships. I came to the realization that continuous visits to interrogation rooms and the narrow halls of solitary confinement may defeat your body, but they will never make you surrender or take away your soul, your thoughts, and your opinions. He was my teacher. He was a teacher who taught me to always smile and said that regardless of our differences, we can treat everyone humanely with the respect they deserve.

Now he is gone. He was unwilling to say goodbye and kept repeating, “I will see you tomorrow.” He didn’t let me embrace him and kept repeating, “I will see you tomorrow.” I know that he took those courageous steps together with his friends as he approached his final destination. He promised repeatedly to never allow the hatred of tyranny to break his spirits and remove the stool from underneath his feet. He promised to remove the stool from underneath his feet by himself. He never allowed the long reaching arms of tyranny to take his life. I am certain that he kept his promise. I am certain that he also smiled in the face of death – a heroic smile that has left us, but will remain eternal.

He and his innocent friends are gone, but their memories will live on forever. He left knowing that he was a good person and became an eternal teacher- a teacher who now represents resistance in the history books. He is a pillar of hope. He is an ever-lasting encouragement and beacon of light for all those who seek freedom. He is no longer with us, but we can still remember his memory. We will remember the time when the Ministry of Information was forced to kneel in front of the spirit of an entire generation; a Ministry of Information that will finally be forced to confess to its crimes so that when there are arrests after Farzad’s, the summer of 2008 is never repeated in Evin’s ward 209.

They had removed the airway passages and taken away our mail box. They believed that they could silence our spirits, but Farzad kept smiling in protest, demonstrating that we will stand strong and tall forever.

They took the hostages in order to demonstrate that they are tired of our resolve. But our friends showed that the power of tyranny is nothing in comparison to the strength and resolve of the brave children of Kurdistan. Farzad always stated that his interrogator said, “You are laughing in our faces when you continue to study and plan to marry.”

Farzad, Ali, and Farhad’s fighting spirit was incredible. I sit today in the memory of a few friends who were more than just a few. Farzad was a nation to himself, Ali was a great friend to all, and Farhad was a mountain of strength. Farzad was such an inspiration that when we were feeling depressed and down, even though he was ordered to stay away from other political prisoners, knowing that he was present brought hope to all those in section 7. I would use any excuse to go to the library, even for a few hours, just to be next to Farzad.

Even though Farzad left us hopeful for the future, he was nevertheless disappointed about a few things. He regretted the fact that a group of people want to confiscate everything and arrest everyone. He was writing a letter entitled, “I am an Iranian. I am an Iranian from Kurdistan.” His goal was to express the fact that even though being a Kurd meant being subjected to oppression and deprivation, the plight of the Kurdish people with regards to their ethnicity was an important one. He tried very hard to bring attention to the challenges in Kurdistan and the issues associated with ethnicity and minority rights. He was worried and sad until the last moments, that because of differences in opinion, attention would not be paid to the ethnic and human rights of the Kurdish people.

He was an offspring of the people of Kurdistan and worried about their fate. When he left us, he would have wanted someone to assure him that his ideals and lessons will bear fruit one day. He wanted everyone to know that if the violence, deprivation, and oppression in Kurdistan does not end, many more innocent people will become hostages and be arrested under false accusations, just like he was.

Oh, how evil is tyranny when it is fearful that it will no longer be able to commit crimes- The crimes that lead Farzad to teach us to resist? They feared his smile and perseverance and that is why they disconnected the phones.

It was this fear that led them to cancel any gatherings and distribute sweets and dates. It was this fear that led them to insist that we not talk of him, even though nothing they said stopped us from keeping his memory alive and strong. It was this fear that led them to resort to martial law. It was this fear that led them to shout that they had executed terrorists, when everyone was fully aware that those executed were not terrorists. They are fully aware that there were no bombs involved. They know how they lied to incriminate Farzad. They also know why they sentenced him. Even though they killed him, they were unable to destroy his spirit. Because his death allowed us to realize that tyranny can never take away the children of our nation without paying a price.

Today I went to the library once again. Farzad and Ali were not there. Farzad was not there to tell me about past memories and our friends. He was not there to bring back hope, to sit with me and discuss ways to end this suffering and tyranny. He was no longer there so we could talk about the possibility of a bright future and sing a song of freedom.

Ali was not there to bring calm and serenity to the library as we sat leafing through the books. Even though they were not there, the memories of Farzad, Ali, and Farhad remained strong. I promised Farzad I would not cry as it would only glorify oppression and tyranny. But I want my brother Farzad to know, that like all the other children of this nation, I have made a vow to never forget him and continue his cause for freedom.

Majid Tavakoli

Evin Prison
May 11, 2010

Translation: Negar Irani | Edited by: Maryam NY | Persian2English.com

هرانا؛ برای او که یک ملت بود؛ یادنامه ای برای فرزاد و علی و فرهاد/ مجید توکلی

چهارشنبه 22 ارديبهشت 1389 ساعت 08:13 |

خبرگزاری هرانا – مجید توکلی، فعال دانشجویی دربند با نگاشتن نامه ای از زندان اوین، یاد و خاطره زندانیان عقیدتی اعدام شده، فرزاد کمانگر، علی حیدریان و فرهاد وکیلی را گرامی داشته است، متن این نامه به نقل از خبرگزاری هرانا عیناْ در پی می آید.

اعلام کرده بودند که علی اعزام به ۲۰۹ است. تلفن های سالن آن ها قطع بود. رفتم از سالن خودم تماس بگیرم ولی تلفن های آنجا هم قطع بود. بالا که برگشتم فرزاد گفت که اعلام کرده اند او هم اعزام به ۲۰۹ است (و دروغ بود و به ۲۴۰ منتقل شدند).

این اعزام عصر شنبه همه ی ما را نگران کرده بود؛ معمولا اعزام برای اعدام های سیاسی عصر شنبه بوده است. ناراحتی دیوانه کننده ای سراسر وجودمان را فرا گرفته بود ولی فرزاد می گفت چیزی نیست و احتمالا چند سوال می خواهند بپرسند. او می دانست ولی مثل همیشه چنان پرروحیه بود که اصلا به روی خودش نمی آورد. باورکردنی نبود؛ تا چند دقیقه قبل با هم در کتابخانه بودیم. علی هم که والیبال را نیمه کاره رها کرده بود و سر و رویش را شسته بود و داشت آماده می شد. خیلی سخت و دردناک بود؛ معمولا همین ساعت هر روز، علی پس از ورزش می آمد تا با هم فیزیک بخوانیم. می خواست یکی دو درس باقیمانده از دیپلمش را در خرداد امتحان دهد و برای کنکور خودش را آماده کند. با آن روحیه کسی باور نمی کرد که او حکم اعدام داشته باشد. اگر در مورد علی می پذیرفتند، فرزاد به هیچ وجه قابل باور نبود. او هم برای امتحانات دانشگاه خودش را آماده می کرد. ماجرای نامزدی و ازدواجش هم بی نظیر بود. در مقابل این همه روحیه و انرژی آن دختری که ازدواج با یک اعدامی را می پذیرفت، احساس حقارت تمام وجودم را فرا می گیرد.این اولین باری نبود که این چنین دوستان را دیده بودم. تابستان ۸۶ و دیدار با دوستان در بند ۲۰۹ اوین. اولین کسی که بعد از روزهای سخت انفرادی دیدم فرهاد بود که از قندیل می گفت و نقاشی های پسر خردسالش و اراده عزمش، پشتوانه ای برای همه ی ما بود. بعد از چندی علی و فرزاد را هم دیدم؛ علی که آرامش و متانتش آرامش بخش بود و فرزاد که اسطوره ای بود در میان ما. ملتی بود به تنهایی و ایستاده. همیشه خندان و امید بخش در برابر همه ی سختی ها و در لحظه های سخت اشک و خون و بازجویی و احکام ناعادلانه ی دادگاه انقلاب… و باز او را دیدم در روزهای مکرر. آن هنگام که از بازداشتگاه خوفناک سنندج برای دومین بار فرزاد به اوین آمد. گردنش را آتل بسته و کتفش در رفته بود و دندان هایش شکسته بود اما اراده و ایستادگی اش استوار تر شده بود. همان چند روز حضورش در هفت، باعث می شد به بهانه هایی سخت از هشت برای دیدنش با دوستان عازم شویم و سال گذشته نیز هنگامی که علی و فرزاد را از رجایی شهر برای اعدام به ۲۴۰ اوین آوردند. در حالیکه در سلول انفرادی منتظر ساعت ۴ صبح نشسته بودند – و من در حال اعتصاب غذا با توانی کم می دانستم که آن ها را برای چه آورده اند، دستم کوتاه تر از همیشه بود- فرزاد به من روحیه می داد که همه چیز خوب است و علی باز آرامشی بود در برابر همه ی سختی ها.

در همه ی روزهای آزادی ام با تماس های روحیه بخش فرزاد و با صدای گرمش که مادرم را در روزهای انفرادی من تنها نمی گذاشت، دیدم که یک انسان اگر در بدترین شرایط هم باشد می تواند بزرگترن کارها را انجام دهد.

…و برادر بزرگم را کشتند. برادری کرد که او را عاشقانه دوست داشتم. برادر و معلم من. معلمی برای مقاومت و معلمی برای همه ی فرزندان ایران. آن روزها که الفبای ایستادگی در مقابل بدترین شکنجه ها و پرونده سازی ها را از او آموختم؛ آموختم که ایمان و اعتقاد انسان در برابر این مشکلات ارزشمندترین داشته است؛ آموختم می توان بارها در اتاق بازجویی و سلول های تنگ انفرادی جان را تسلیم کرد و عقیده را پاس داشت. او معلم من بود. معلمی که آموخت می توان همیشه لبخند زد و به همه ی انسان ها – فارغ از هر اختلاف و تفاوتی- انسانی نگریست.

حال او رفته است در حالی که حاضر نبود خداحافظی کند و می گفت فردا می بینمت. نگذاشت ببوسمش و در آغوشش بگیرم و گفت فردا می بینمت. می دانم گام های استوارش را با گام های استوار دوستانش برداشته و به میدانگاه نزدیک شده. او بارها قول داده بود که نگذارد قوم پر کینه ی استبداد چهارپایه را از زیر پایش بکشند. او قول داده بود که خودش چهارپایه را خواهد زد. او نمی گذاشت دستان پلید استبداد جان او را بگیرد و من می دانم او به قولش عمل کرده است. من می دانم به مرگ هم لبخند زده است؛ لبخندی که فریاد برآورده اسطوره ای از میان ما رفته تا جاویدان شود.

او و دیگر یاران بی گناهش رفتند و یادشان به نیکی برای همیشه ماند. او خوشنام رفت و معلمی جاودان شد. معلمی جاودان برای همیشه ی تاریخ ایستادگی و مقاومت. اسطوره ای برای امیدواری. نشانه ای برای همیشه ی روحیه بخشی به انسان های آزادی خواه.

او اینک نیست تا با هم از خاطرات خوش گذشته بگوییم. آن هنگام که وزارت اطلاعات در برابر روحیه ی یک نسل زانو زد. وزارتی که عاجزانه لب به اعتراف گشود تا در بازگشت های بعد فرزاد به ۲۰۹ بگوید که دیگر آن تابستان ۸۶ را در ۲۰۹ تکرار نکند. دیوارهای هواخوری را سنگ کرده بودند و آن صندوق پستی ما را برداشته بودند! گویا توانسته بودند پس از آن تابستان سرودهای دسته جمعی را سرکوب کنند اما فرزاد باز هم لبخند زده بود تا بگوید تا همیشه ی همیشه ایستاده ایم.

… و اینک گروگان ها را بردند تا بگویند از ایستادگی چنین زندانیانی خسته شده اند. بگویند قدرت استبداد در برابر عزم و اراده ی فرزندان کردستان هیچ است. بگویند تحمل زنده بودن مظهر شکستشان را ندارند. فرزاد می گفت که بازجویش گفته “شما به ریش ما وزارتی ها می خندید که الان در زندان درس می خوانید و می خواهید ازدواج کنید” این روحیه ی جنگندگی فرزاد و علی و فرهاد بی نظیر بود. امروز در سوگ چند دوست نشسته ام که فقط چند “نفر” نبودند. فرزاد که خود یک ملت بود، علی رفیع و بزرگ و فرهاد چون کوه قندیل استوار و سخت، فرزاد یک ملت بود؛ اینگونه بود که در روزهای ناراحتی با توجه به دستور جدا ماندن از دیگر سیاسیون خبر حضور فرزاد در اندرزگاه هفت برایم امید بخش بود. همان چند ساعت به بهانه ی کتابخانه برای در کنار ملتی بودن کافی بود.

فرزاد اگرچه با امید به آینده از ما جدا شد و رفت اما دلخوری هایی هم داشت؛ از باند بازی هایی که هنوز برچیده نشده. از اینکه عده ای همه کس و همه چیز را می خواهند مصادره کنند. این روزها داشت یادداشتی می نوشت که عنوانش این بود: “من یک ایرانی هستم؛ من یک ایرانی کرد هستم” و می خواست بگوید که هر چند کرد بودن یعنی تحت ظلم و محرومیت اما از سویی قومی کردن مبارزه ی کرد ها نیز ظلم و محرومیتی دیگر است. او همه ی تلاشش را کرد تا نگاه حقوق بشری و نگاه انسانی در مساله ی کرد و اساس حقوق قومیت ها و اقلیت ها حاکم شود. او تا آخربن لحظات ناراحت و نگران بود از این که فارغ از اختلاف و تفاوت، نگاه حقوق بشری به مسائل و مشکلات مردم کرد صورت نگیرد. او فرزند ملت کرد بود و ولی قصه دگرگونه شد تا این بار او که خود یک ملت بود برای مردمش نگران باشد. او می رفت در حالی که دوست داشت کسی به او بگوید مطمئن باشد که آرمان هایش به سرانجام می رسد و درس هایش ثمربخش خواهد بود. او می خواست همه بدانند که اگر قصه ی خشونت و محرومیت و ظلم در کردستان به پایان نرسد هم چنان بی گناهانی چون خود او و دوستانش قربانی پرونده سازی ها و گروگان گیری ها می شوند. او می خواست همه بدانند اگر خشونتی هم در آن دیار است، خشونت آفرینی تنگ نظران و تمامیت خواهی قوم استبداد است.

آه، آه که چه پلید است استبداد که ترسید از اینکه فردا نتواند جنایت کند. ترسید از اینکه جنایت های تا امروزش ایستادگی فرزاد ما را بیش تر کرده است. ترسید از لبخند و ایستادگی او و ترسید که تلفن ها را قطع کرد. ترسید که گرفتن مراسم و خواندن فاتحه و پخش حلوا و خرما را ممنوع کرد. ترسید که بارها ما را احضار کرد که یادی از او نکنیم؛ غافل از اینکه همه از آن ها گفتند و یادشان را گرامی داشتند. ترسید که حکومت نظامی راه انداختند. ترسید که مدام فریاد بلند کرده که تروریست ها را اعدام کرده و حال آنکه همه می دانند تروریستی در کار نبوده. می دانند که بمب و بمب گذاری در کار نبوده. می دانند که چگونه فرزاد را در ان پرونده وارد کردند و به چه علت او را متهم کرده اند. ولی مرگ، او نیز پایان نبود؛ آغازی برای فهم این مسئله که دیگر استبداد نمی تواند فرزندان سرزمینمان را بی بها بر دار برد.

…و امروز باز به کتابخانه رفتم. فرزاد و علی نبودند. فرزاد نبود تا از خاطرات گذشته و دوستانمان بگوییم؛ امید و شادی را بیدار کنیم و به مشورت بنشینیم و چاره ای برای درد استبداد بیابیم. آینده ای روشن ترسیم کنیم و ترانه ای برای آزادی بخوانیم. علی نبود که در میان صفحات کتاب ها آرامش و روحیه را ورق بزنیم. اما یاد فرزاد و علی و فرهاد مانده است. به فرزاد قول داده ام گریه و شکوه نکنم که از استبداد جز بیداد انتظاری نیست. اما برادرم فرزاد بداند که چون همه ی فرزندان این ملت عهدی بسته ام که راهش را فراموش نکنم.

مجید توکلی

زندان اوین

۲۱ اردیبهشت ۱۳۸۹

DEEP DEEP CLEANING

  

Deep Deep Cleaning

The gusher of crude at the bottom of the sea continues to spew toxic black gold from the center of the earth. Man was able to start this disaster but can't seem to stop it. The environmental effects are overwhelming in practice and conceptually. They say we just don't know...

It wasn't the Exxon Valdez captain's driving that caused the Alaskan oil spill. It was yours. ~Greenpeace advertisement, New York Times, 25 February 1990

REMOTE MERMAID by AI WEI WEI

Mermaid Exchange

Ai weiwei


As part of the “Mermaid Exchange” Ai Weiwei’s work “Remote” utilizes modern surveillance technique and the WWW to recreate the image of the missing icon on a LED-screen erected in the little Mermaids' original position in Langelinie/Denmark.


The video transmission is non-stop and in realtime for the full duration of this exhibition. The camera image can be seen at:

http://www.mermaidexchange.com/