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By Mosa Zahed

London, 29 Aug. (MEFD)

Following Maliki’s impending departure, many Iraqis hope that the dawn of a new era has arrived which will end eight years of his dictatorial rule dominated by sectarianism. The Maliki legacy will be one that is characterised by executions, arbitrary detention, torture, rape and other ill treatment of ordinary Iraqi citizens, most of them belonging to minority groups, particularly Sunni Arabs. By appointing thousands of incompetent and corrupt officials during his tenure, Maliki effectively prevented Iraq from becoming a state with functioning institutions, and by simultaneously running a campaign of killing and terror against his critics, he excluded and alienated many from political process.  (more…)

By Dr Hoda Hosseini

London, 08 Mar. (MEFD)

International Women’s Day (IWD) has become an official holiday in 27 countries across the globe. In the past century we have witnessed great improvements in women’s rights in some parts of the world due to a long struggle which started with a movement of 15,000 brave women, who marched through New York City in 1908, demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. It was a movement that would contribute towards significant progress on women’s rights for years to come. (more…)

By Mosa Zahed

LONDON, 23 Jan. (UPI) — Last year I wrote an op-ed on Iran’s bloody “war on drugs,” which has led to hundreds of executions and sent thousands to death row.

I criticized the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime and Western countries as they continued to finance a controversial drug control program in an attempt to tackle illicit drug trade on a key route, which goes through Afghanistan, Iran, the Middle East and Europe. (more…)

LONDON, Dec. 26 (UPI) — Last week a European Parliament delegation returned from a six-day visit to Tehran, the first official visit to Iran in more than six years.

During their Dec. 13-18 visit at least 38 death sentences were carried out official Iranian media sources said. This while many executions in prisons are conducted in secret and news of those is rarely released.The five-member delegation was led by the chairwoman of European Parliament’s friendship delegation with Iran, Tarja Cronberg from Finnish Greens and included Cornelia Ernst, German communist; Isabelle Durant, Belgian Greens; Marietje Schaake, Dutch Liberals; and Josef Weidenholzer, Austrian Social Democrats. (more…)

By Mosa Zahed

This article was originally published on 27 January 2013

Iran’s bloody ‘war on drugs’ has led to hundreds of executions and thousands on death row. Yet the United Nations and the West continue to finance it.

Iran is one of the worst human rights violators in the world. Their inhumane policies are met with worldwide condemnation, as their judiciary ignores international standards and humanitarian law. Yet little attention is paid to the fact that the United Nations and Western governments have helped finance the regimes bloody “war on drugs”, accounting for an untold number of executions in a country which lacks proper rule of law or judicial oversight.

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