<nettime> Hossein "Hoder" Derakhshan has Been Arrested In Tehran

["Ronda Hauben" <netcolumnist@gmail.com>]

There has been some discussion on another mailing list I am on that  Hossein
"Hoder" Derakhshan has been arrested in Tehran. The news has reported that
he had gone back to Tehran after being in exile for a while and was happy to
be back, but then was arrested.

I wondered if others on this mailing list know any of the details of the
situation or any efforts to support him.

It is disappointing to see the news of  his arrest.

I was at a program at the Columbia Journalism School on the Changing Media
Landscape, that was held just about a year ago where Hossein spoke as part
of a panel. His comments  were very helpful especially when he pointed
out the use of "ambitions" to frame the Iran nuclear issue in the US press.

Here's a short excerpt from my blog about the program(1):


  Hossein pointed to the political use of the term "ambitions" to frame the
Iran nuclear issue, rather than the media offering an   accurate depiction
of Iran's nuclear activity. "Since when has 'ambition' entered politics," he
asked. He noted that with India, and other countries which already have
nuclear weapons, the term "ambition" is not used with regard to them. There
is no evidence that Iran is producing nuclear weapons, and none is provided.
Instead the issue is framed as one of "ambition". In defining censorship,
Hossein explained that for him censorship has to do with the distortion of
reality. On his web site he writes that to "censor is controlling the
reality by constructing various versions of it." The url is:

http://hoder.com/weblog/archives/016591.shtml

It is disconcerting to see the news his arrest, especially as there is a
need for the broadest discussion about the tendency once again for the much
of the US media to be demonizing another country and in that way providing a
pretext for a military attack against that country.

I would concur with those who want to support him in whatever ways possible.

Ronda

(1)
http://blogs.taz.de/netizenblog/2007/11/21/new-news-challenges-false-narratives-of-reality/

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