Kidnapping Iranian pilgrims, crime against humanity [video]
PressTV
August 8, 2012
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has called on the United Nations to act immediately to secure the release of the Iranian nationals abducted in Syria and Libya.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for the immediate release of its abducted nationals and is of the view that using the hostages as human shields violates… international law and (the) human rights of these innocent civilians,” Salehi said in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday.
“I would like to seek the cooperation and the good offices of Your Excellency for securing the release of these hostages,” he added.
A UN spokesman confirmed that the letter had been received but did not offer an immediate response.
On August 4, 48 Iranians, who were traveling on a bus from Damascus International Airport to the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (AS) on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, were abducted by insurgents. Three of the abductees have reportedly been killed. Insurgents from the self-proclaimed Free Syrian Army have threatened to kill the other abductees.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Mohsen Saleh, professor at the Lebanese University, to further discuss the issue.
Syria reportedly captures foreign military officers, UN chief won’t condemn kidnapping of Iranians
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie

In this Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, Free Syrian Army fighters sit in a house on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria. (Image credit: AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)
As Syrian media is reporting the capture of military officers from foreign nations in Aleppo, the city which has a heavy presence of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorist organization, the Secretary General of the United Nations is refusing to condemn the kidnapping of Iranian pilgrims in Syria.
This just highlights how laughable the United Nations is as an organization. When it suits them, they are suddenly champions of humanitarianism and human rights, just as the United States is.
Then, suddenly, when the position no longer benefits them, they quickly ignore the murder of innocent civilians at the hands of Syrian rebels. Indeed, unconfirmed reports have stated that three of the 48 Iranian pilgrims kidnapped by rebels have been killed, something which the UN doesn’t seem to care about all that much.
Keep in mind, these are the same rebels who recently carried out what is almost certainly a war crime by slaughtering detained Syrian policemen, to just name one incident.
The reports of the capture of several military officers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been relatively few and far between including SINA, Voice of Russia, and Press TV. Unsurprisingly, the Western mainstream media hasn’t been quick to jump on the story.
The arrests of the officers occurred during the clashes in Aleppo and come on the heels of multiple reports from various news agencies on the foreign agents present in the opposition.
For instance, on June 21, 2012, the New York Times reported that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was directly aiding in getting arms into the hands of the terrorists in the Syrian opposition.
Then on June 22, 2012, the British Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia actually plans to fund and arm the Syrian rebels through a command center in Turkey.
On August 2, 2012, Reuters reported that Syria accused Turkey of taking a “fundamental role” in supporting terrorism by allowing insurgents to carry out attacks in Syria, further widening the gap between the two former allies.
Most noteworthy, however, came on July 27, 2012 when none other than Reuters reported that Turkey actually set up a secret base in concert with Saudi Arabia and Qatar in order to aid the opposition forces.
This is quite important because the unnamed “Doha-based source” quoted by Reuters said, “It’s the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main co-ordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom.”
“The Americans are very hands-off on this. U.S. intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes,” the anonymous source added.
The alleged activities of these nations are hardly surprising given the fact that there have long been reports of cross-border operations being run into Syria, Syria allegedly downed a Turkish jet and Qatar was running the rebel operations in Libya.
Of course, the U.S. played the same “hands-off” role in Libya, which involved bombing the country into smithereens.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s refused to outright condemn the kidnapping of Iranian pilgrims, with his spokesman Martin Nesirky saying, “I don’t have anything at the moment.”
When Iran’s Press TV asked Nesirky if Ban might be taking some action in terms of intervening before more hostages are slaughtered, he said, “I think it’s obvious that there are a number of players involved in this already and I don’t think I want to go to any more details at this point.”
The Iranians are clearly taking it much more seriously than the United Nations, with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian making some quite heated statements.
“We hold the Turkish government responsible for giving shelter to these armed groups and also if a criminal act is carried out by these groups, such as kidnapping Iranian citizens,” Abdollahian said, according to Press TV.
“We also hold the Qatari government accountable. It is worth mentioning that the US is openly supporting the armed groups with ammunition,” he added.
It will be quite interesting to see if the United Nations continues to delegitimize itself as an institution by silently watching as the rebels continue to carry out terrorist acts and potential war crimes or if they will step up and protect human life regardless of the politics behind it.
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[hat tip: The Intel Hub]
Turkish General Arrested in Aleppo, Syria; Turkey Denies, Iran Calls for Consequences
by Christof Lehmann
nsnbc
August 6, 2012
Yesterday the Iranian News Agency FARS reported that the Syrian Military had arrested a Turkish General in Aleppo, Syria. (1) Not Surprisingly the Turkish government vehemently denies that Syria should have arrested the General. It also denied that the Phantom F4 fighter jet that was downed by the Syrian military over a months ago had illegally entered Syrian air-space while Turkey admittedly is waging an illegal war on Syria.
The report has, in spite of Turkish attempts to rebut it, gained in credibility when the Iranian Member of Parliament, Mansour Haghighat-Pour demanded that Ankara should answer for the activities of the Turkish general who had been arrested in Aleppo.
Mansour Haghighat-Pour is the Vice Chairman of the Iranian Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, a position that provides privileged access to information from a usually very well informed Iranian Intelligence Community.
Mansour Haghighat-Pour added, that ” the population of Turkey must not stay indifferent to the ant-Islamic policy of that country. It is hardly probably that Turkey´s population will be silent if it turns out that the Turkish government supplies weapons to terrorists”.
The statement of the Iranian Member of Parliament is sensitive to the fact that the Turkish opposition to the Erdogan led government is increasingly voicing concerns about Turkey´s aggression against Syria. Only recently the Vice Chairman of Turkey´s Labor Party, Hasan Basri Ozbey , stated that the Party has clear evidence for the fact that Turkey´s President Gul incited terrorism in Syria. (2)
A senior Whitehall official stated in June, that the the United Kingdom and other countries, including Turkey, France, and possibly the USA, had deployed Special Forces to Syria. (3)
Taking into account that a successful major military operation inside Syria is bound to fail unless the foreign backed mercenary and terrorist forces and their Special Forces Liaisons succeed in establishing a stronghold in at least one major city before the onset of fall and winter, and that a massive military campaign is being waged to secure the city of Aleppo, is also increasing the likelihood that Turkey would have deployed a high ranking military officer to co-ordinate the military campaign in Aleppo.
After the NATO/GCC/Israeli Alliance has failed to topple the Syrian government and to cast the country into chaos and civil war because China and Russia have drawn a clear line against a repetition of the Libyan scenario, it seems that the “Opposition” is now making a push for the conquering of Aleppo as a basis for the establishment of a proxy government in Aleppo that could officially invite other nations military forces. The model has been used in Libya in 2011, when a transitional government was established in Benghazi.
Today Danish and other European Media proclaim that the Syrian Military uses it´s Air Force in Aleppo. A claim that so far has not been independently verified for nsnbc. It is however, symptomatic for the fact that a strong military push towards the establishment of a proxy government in Aleppo is being conducted to provide a political pretext for a push towards the establishment of a so called No-Fly-Zone.
Unless a statement from the government of Syria declares otherwise, it most likely that the Syrian military has captured a Turkish general or high ranking military officer in Aleppo, who was co-ordinating and supporting the establishment of a stronghold in the city.
The implications of the capture of a high-ranking Turkish-NATO military officer inside Syria are staggering and could warrant Syrian calls for a joint Syrian Iranian response based on the two nations defense contracts.
Christof Lehmann
06.08.2012
1) Syria Arrests Turkish Army General in Aleppo. http://nsnbc.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/syria-arrests-turkish-army-general-in-aleppo/
2) Turkish Labor Party Deputy Chairman: We Have Clear Evidence That Turkish President Incited Terrorism and War on Syria http://nsnbc.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/turkish-labor-party-deputy-chairman-we-have-clear-evidence-that-turkish-president-incited-terrorism-and-war-on-syria/
3) NATO Special Forces in Syria now Official. http://nsnbc.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/nato-special-forces-in-syria-now-official/
RELATED:
Syria Arrests Turkish Army General in Aleppo
Shade The Motion Picture and Updates on Syria [video]
Press For Truth
August 6, 2012
Today I’ve been invited to be a guest on presstv.com to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria. It is an in studio live 10 minute long one on one interview, so today I wanted to prepare for the interview by speaking off the top of my head about all things related to the Syrian conflict.
Watch SHADE the Motion Picture ‘Official Trailer’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVBszxZZAVQ&feature=g-u-u
Get updates like this everyday and support independent media by joining Press For Truth TV:
http://pressfortruth.tv/register/
Stop Imperialism – Episode 32 [audio]
by Eric Draitser
Stop Imperialism
August 1, 2012
- 1. Syria (On the Ground) – Syria conflict: Army steps up attack on rebels in Aleppo
- 2. Syria (Diplomacy) – Russia says US tries to justify terrorism in Syria
- 3. Iran – Panetta says sanctions haven’t yet worked in forcing Iran to give up nuclear ambitions
- 4. SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) – Russia seeks naval bases in Cuba, Vietnam
- 5. Under the Radar – WikiFakes: Whistleblowing giant admits trolling NY Times
Listen Now:
Standard Podcasts [01:47:34m]: | Download | Embeddable Player
Iranian lady – Iran culture and Kurds – Part 2 [video]
108morris108
July 30, 2012
This the second part of yesterday’s interview, we learn a little more …
A Lady in Iran explains Iran’s position [video]
108morris108
July 29, 2012
From Women’s Rights to Military Intervention
There is a second part to this interview.
https://twitter.com/ShahrzadMJ
