Petya Ilieva: I am impressed by the education and positions of Iranian women in complex engineering fields related to technology

Petya Ilieva (source: Petya Ilieva)

Impressions from the visit to Iran of a Bulgarian visual artist who builds bridges through her art 

Vladimir Mitev

Petya Ilieva holds a PhD with the dissertation “Bulgarian Art and Folklore as International Bridges and Cultural Diplomacy” and an MA in Painting and Aesthetics. Her exhibitions have been shown in a number of galleries in Bulgaria and abroad, on sixt continents – for example at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in London, at the Bulgarian Embassies in Paris and Delhi, at various venues in USA (New York, Washington, Chicago), in Vienna, Brussels, Prague, Bratislava, Valencia, in Japan, Lebanon, Qatar, China,  Sultanate of Oman, Antarctica – Livingston Island. Petya Ilieva is also a restorer of frescoes and author of scientific publications in the field of cultural heritage and art. She is the founder of an annual festival of cultures of nations called Art4Diplomacy and works with all foreign diplomatic missions in Bulgaria.

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Iran as a tourist destination

Persepolis

A brief glance at some of the tourist attractions of Iran

Javad Amini, cultural attache at the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sofia

Unlike what the Western media has always been trying to portray, Iran is one the safest countries in the world for foreign tourists and travelers.

Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, by Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and by the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. It covers an area of 1.64 million square kilometers, making it the 17th largest country in the world, and has a population of 86 million.

Good governance relies on the votes of the majority of the people

Screenshot of the article at Setare Sobh (Morning Star)

Fereydoun Majlessi, an Iranian foreign policy analyst in an interview with Setareh Sobh (Morning Star)

Morning Star, Faezeh Sadr: This year, Student Day is a different experience for the officials who go to the country’s universities as speakers. Because they face serious questions from students. Therefore, the impact of the social atmosphere and recent protests on the officials’ words is evident. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf gave a speech on the occasion of Student’s Day at Tarbiat Modares University. In a part of his speech, the speaker of the parliament mentioned the recent protests and while introducing himself as one of those who contributed to the country’s problems with his mistakes, he said: “…we must prove the effectiveness of religion in the government…” Setareh Sobh made an interview with Fereydoun Majlesi, the analyst, who analyzed the words of the speaker of the parliament, which you can read below:

Buna guvernare se bazează pe voturile majorității populației

Captură de ecran de la articolul lui Luceafărul

Fereydoun Majlessi, un analist iranian de politică externă, într-un interviu acordat lui Setareh Sobh (Luceafărul)

Luceafărul, Faezeh Sadr: Anul acesta, Ziua Studenților este o experiență diferită pentru oficialii care merg în universitățile din țară în calitate de vorbitori. Pentru că se confruntă cu întrebări serioase din partea studenților. Prin urmare, impactul atmosferei sociale și al protestelor recente asupra cuvintelor oficialilor este evident. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf a ținut un discurs cu ocazia Zilei Studentului la Universitatea Tarbiat Modares. Într-o parte a discursului său, președintele parlamentului a menționat protestele recente și, în timp ce se prezenta ca fiind unul dintre cei care au contribuit la problemele țării prin greșelile sale, a spus “…trebuie să dovedim eficiența religiei în guvern…”. Setareh Sobh a realizat un interviu cu analistul Fereydoun Majlesi, care a analizat cuvintele președintelui parlamentului, pe care îl puteți citi mai jos:

The Statement of Iranian Translators in Solidarity with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” Movement

The cover of the declaration (source: telegra.ph)

Republished from their Telegram group 

We translators always translate the stories after their completion. The story written in Iran right now has thousands of authors. As it is written, it is translated into one language: humanity! For this translation, one only needs to know the language’s grammar. Nowadays, each Iranian citizen is the translator of their and others’ words. Like all other Iranian citizens, we translators have used the name of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini and many other Iranian men and women who were brutally murdered during the protests to send our message to the world. We have shouted ‘Life, woman, freedom’, the key slogan of the Iranian movement, in every language we know.

We are standing with millions of Iranians, especially Iranian women who have been harshly oppressed by the regime. We denounce all discriminations and restrictions on freedom imposed by the regime, which have turned Iran into a prison. We stand against the economic corruption that has resulted in poverty and poor living conditions for most Iranians. We condemn all barbaric laws, which have been put in place to cause fear and give the regime the power to control both public and private lives of Iranians. We denounce all the lies told by the regime to the citizens of Iran.

Н. E. Seyyed Mohammad Javad Rassouli: Protests in Iran were triggered by external forces

Protests of the young people in Iran (source: YouTube)

“Europe’s and the US’ human rights positions are a political joke”

Georgi Markov

This article was published on 26 October 2022 on the website of the BNR Horizon programme.

“The protests, which have grown into riots, were triggered by external forces.” This is what H.E. Seyed Mohammad Javad Rasouli, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Bulgaria.

Protests accompanied by riots continue in Iran. Tensions escalated in September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, three days after she was detained by morality police for improperly wearing a hijab. Protesters blamed law enforcement for her death. The authorities deny these allegations.

“The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes the right to public protest and criticism. Many peaceful gatherings were held and ended even without the presence of police and security forces. At the same time, like any political system in the world, the Iranian Government regards the preservation of territorial integrity, the security of the people and public order as its red line and, from this point of view, distinguishes between ‘protest’ and ‘disorder’.

“What we witnessed after the second day was no longer just a protest but organised disorder and violence. As a result of investigations by the security services, armed terrorist groups were found to be present among the protesters. I ask you, if your security institutions were confronted with actions that violated security and public order, what would they do? According to statistics, last year hundreds of people, including women, were killed as a result of shootings by US police. Have the European Union and European countries taken any action against the United States to uphold and respect human rights? Has the West imposed sanctions on Saudi Arabia because of human rights? In my opinion, the positions of Europe and America regarding human rights are a big political joke. European governments, for their political and economic interests, are acting against the security of Iran, which is the only true democracy in the region’.

E.S. Seyyed Mohammad Javad Rassouli: Protestele din Iran au fost declanșate de forțe externe

Proteste tineretești din Iran (sursă: YouTube)

“Pozițiile Europei și ale SUA privind drepturile omului sunt o glumă politică”

Gheorghi Markov

Acest articol a fost publicat la 26 octombrie 2022 pe site-ul programului Orizont al BNR.

“Protestele, care s-au transformat în revolte, au fost declanșate de forțe externe.” Iată ce a declarat E.S. Seyed Mohammad Javad Rasouli, ambasadorul Republicii Islamice Iran în Bulgaria.

Protestele însoțite de revolte continuă în Iran. Tensiunile au escaladat în septembrie după moartea lui Mahsa Amini, în vârstă de 22 de ani, la trei zile după ce a fost reținută de poliția morală pentru că purta în mod necorespunzător un hijab. Protestatarii au acuzat forțele de ordine pentru moartea ei. Autoritățile neagă aceste acuzații.

“Constituția Republicii Islamice a Iranului recunoaște dreptul la protest public și la critică. Multe adunări pașnice au avut loc și s-au încheiat chiar și fără prezența poliției și a forțelor de securitate. În același timp, la fel ca orice sistem politic din lume, guvernul iranian consideră că păstrarea integrității teritoriale, a securității populației și a ordinii publice reprezintă linia sa roșie și, din acest punct de vedere, face distincție între <<protest>> și <<dezordine>>.

“Ceea ce am văzut după a doua zi nu a mai fost doar un protest, ci dezordine organizată și violență. În urma investigațiilor efectuate de serviciile de securitate, s-a constatat că printre protestatari se aflau grupuri teroriste înarmate. Vă întreb, dacă instituțiile dumneavoastră de securitate ar fi confruntate cu acțiuni care încalcă securitatea și ordinea publică, ce ar face? Potrivit statisticilor, anul trecut sute de persoane, inclusiv femei, au fost ucise în urma împușcăturilor poliției americane. Au întreprins Uniunea Europeană și țările europene acțiuni împotriva Statelor Unite pentru a apăra și respecta drepturile omului? A impus Occidentul sancțiuni împotriva Arabiei Saudite din cauza drepturilor omului? După părerea mea, pozițiile Europei și Americii în ceea ce privește drepturile omului sunt o mare glumă politică. Guvernele europene, în interesul lor politic și economic, acționează împotriva securității Iranului, care este singura democrație adevărată din regiune”.

Rana Soleimani: Iranian female intellectuals have prepared the soil for the ongoing “feminist revolution”

Rana Soleimani (source: Rana Soleimani)

Interview with the Iranian writer, living in Sweden about the current protests in Iran and about the importance of literature and feminism for their resilience

Vladimir Mitev

Mrs. Soleimani, how would you present yourself?

I am Rana Soleimani, a writer living in Stockholm. Since I left Iran in 2014, I have not returned to my country.

Since childhood, I always dreamed of becoming a writer. I studied economics at the university, but later due to my great interest in literature, I was able to become a member of the Iranian Literature Center.

My first book was a collection of stories (Lorca on Fereshte Street) was not allowed to be published because there were many problems with censorship and the Ministry of Guidance in Iran. After a period of two years, the book was published by removing many words and concepts from the book. For example, it is forbidden to refer to the sexual relationship between a man and a woman in the story, or to bring the word dog, alcoholic beverages, and also to infinity.

My second book was published in Stockholm and is called You Know, and the other one called Ulysses Syndrome, which is a novel, was published in London. The next book is called Zendebad Zendegi (Viva la Vida), which is the story of four women who are in Evin prison, and each of them is accused of a different crime. They are in prison and all four women are waiting for freedom and the subject of the book was very bitter and dark because it is about execution and women in the Islamic Republic of Iran. And the next book to appear is called One Day with Seven Thousand Elders, which is also about women and immigration.

Rana Soleimani: Intelectualele iraniene au pregătit terenul pentru ”revoluția feministă” în curs de desfășurare

Rana Soleimani (sursă: Rana Soleimani)

Interviu cu o scriitoare iraniană care trăiește în Suedia despre protestele actuale din Iran și despre rolul literaturii și al feminismului în durabilitatea lor

Vladimir Mitev

Doamnă Soleimani, cum vă veți prezenta?

Sunt Rana Soleimani, o scriitoare care locuiește în Stockholm. De când am plecat din Iran, în 2014, nu m-am mai întors în țara mea.

Încă de când eram mică, am visat mereu să devin scriitoare. Am studiat economia la universitate, dar mai târziu, datorită interesului meu deosebit pentru literatură, am reușit să devin membru al Centrului de Literatură Iraniană.

Prima mea carte a fost o colecție de povestiri (“Lorca pe strada Fereshte”). Nu a fost permisă publicarea, deoarece au existat multe probleme cu cenzura și cu Ministerul Orientării Islamice din Iran. După o perioadă de doi ani, cartea a fost publicată, eliminând multe cuvinte și concepte din ea. De exemplu, era interzis să se vorbească despre relația sexuală dintre bărbat și femeie în poveste sau să se folosească cuvântul “câine”, să se scrie despre băuturi alcoolice.

Cea de-a doua carte a mea a fost publicată în Stockholm și se numește You Know, iar cealaltă, intitulată Sindromul Ulise, care este un roman, a fost publicată la Londra. Următoarea carte se numește Viva la Vida (“Trăiască viața”), care este povestea a patru femei care se află în închisoarea Evin și fiecare dintre ele este acuzată de o crimă diferită. Ele sunt în închisoare, iar cele patru femei așteaptă să fie eliberate, dar subiectul cărții era foarte amar și întunecat, deoarece este vorba despre execuții și femei în Republica Islamică Iran. Următoarea carte care va apărea se numește “O zi cu șapte mii de bătrâni”, care este, de asemenea, despre femei și imigrație.

What foreign policy line will Albania follow now that it has severed diplomatic relations with Iran?

The Iranian embassy in Tirana (source: YouTube)

We talk to a Bulgarian Albanologist – Anton Panchev, about the controversy between Albania and Iran and Bulgarian-Albanian relations

Vladimir Mitev

Anton Panchev is a professor of Albanian language, culture and society at Sofia University. He is also one of the editors of the website Obshtestvo.net, which is the de facto Bulgarian media link between the Albanian and Bulgarian-speaking world. 

Mr Panchev, Albania broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after it accused it of a hacking attack on its state institutions. How does this conflict fit into the foreign policy line of Tirana, which is a NATO member and is trying to open negotiations with the EU?

On 15 July 2022, Albania’s e-government systems collapsed (as of 1 May, the whole country went e-government). Prime Minister Edi Rama immediately announced that a “foreign power” was behind the cyber attack, and Iran was subsequently blamed. Iranian officials categorically denied any state involvement, but the authorities in Tirana felt they had evidence of a hostile act and closed the Iranian embassy.

Following the severing of diplomatic relations with Albania, a hacking attack on Albanian border crossings took place on 10 September 2022, with the Albanian border crossings having their systems taken offline for several hours, this time with Iranian hackers claiming responsibility and saying this was “just the beginning”. In the first week of September 2022, hacking attacks were reported on institutions in other Balkan countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro. US officials said they fully support and assist Albania in the investigation and subsequent decision to sever diplomatic relations with Iran. The US has also announced sanctions against Iranian officials in connection with the allegation. Authorities in Tirana said the measures were taken “in coordination with partners” and were supported at NATO level.