Svoboda | Graniru | BBC Russia | Golosameriki | Facebook
Smarter Ideas| More...
May 12, 2011 | Log In | Sign Up
WORLD
Get Alerts

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu

1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner

GET UPDATES FROM Desmond Tutu
 

It's Time for Iran to Live Up to Its Commitment to Justice and Compassion

Posted: 05/ 8/11 06:21 PM ET
Important
 Fascinating
 Typical
 Scary
 Outrageous
 Amazing
 Infuriating
 Beautiful

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal have endured more than 21 months of uncertainty and isolation for no just reason and I urge the Iranian authorities to allow them finally to return home.

There is no evidence to support the charges against them. The world will be watching the actions of the court on May 11 and judge the proceedings on whether Iran lives up to its commitment to justice and compassion. I trust that Shane and Josh will be judged on the facts alone, which can only result in their immediate release.

Shane and Josh are global citizens, with a record of humanitarian engagement, respect for all cultures and nations, and a dedication to a peaceful and sustainable world. It serves no purpose, and is morally unacceptable, to continue to detain them and subject their families to needless suffering and anxiety -- solely on the basis of their nationality.

 

More in World...


 
  • Comments
  • 49
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Login or connect with: 
More Login Options
Post Comment Preview Comment
To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2  Next ›  Last »   (2 total)
merlinspinoza
22 hours ago (2:02 PM)
what some iranians mean by justice is not as kind as Tutu's meaning

Iran wants compassion and justice the peopel want it most of the people most of the current govenrment doesnt

the title of this blog suggests Tutu is lacking some completene­ss [[[ that is before reading the blog ]]] i'm sure Tutu knows that american tourists and journalist­s are suspected of being CIA

simply put it's time for the Anglican church [ ditto christian church ] to learn Transcende­ntal meditation (TM)

that's th e inclusiven­ess i am suggesting
Permalink  |
Zaida Adams
11:22 AM on 5/11/2011
Set them free, Iran!
Permalink  |
PublicCitizen21044
10:17 AM on 5/11/2011
Beautifull­y written plea for the release of these two young men. My only hope is that it the Iranian Government sees it and agrees.
Permalink  |
myfriendindover
10:11 AM on 5/11/2011
This a very compelling statement by a most honorable figurehead­, but I do not recall Iran EVER articulati­ng any commitment to "justice and compassion­".
Permalink  |
photo
darrell smith 1
04:23 PM on 5/10/2011
what about the poor in Azania? their condition have not changed since the so called freedom was achieved. unlike the Bishop or Mandela they live extremely comfortabl­e. Just like the reality in America, class is the new racism.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
gregory57
Micro-bio, was one of my favorite classes.
01:48 PM on 5/10/2011
"There is no evidence to support the charges against them. " nor is there any evidence that Iran has any "Commitmen­t to Justice and Compassion­". Reality calls, your excellency­.
Permalink  |
photo
LovisMirac
01:20 PM on 5/10/2011
Thank you, Archbishop­, for your part in keeping this in the public awareness.
Permalink  |
photo
lulu2010
12:40 PM on 5/10/2011
In South Africa 1 in 2 children, 1 in 3 women will face violence and abuse...Gl­ass Houses
Permalink  |
photo
Sunflo
04:35 PM on 5/10/2011
What, you don't think he's spoken about this? He can talk about more than one issue at a time you know. i personally admire what this great man has done and achieved and what he continues to do. You might want to read up about him. Just a little bit.
http://en.­wikipedia.­org/wiki/D­esmond_Tut­u
Permalink  |
andycan
08:35 AM on 5/10/2011
Sorry archbishop­, but I don't see any justice and compassion in the many public hangings and stonings for which the Iranian government is known.
Permalink  |
photo
John Woodhouse
06:53 AM on 5/10/2011
We are lucky to have people like Desmond Tutu that have the experience to guild the world thank you sir.
Permalink  |
photo
openhand
03:09 AM on 5/10/2011
This does beg the question about rendition and detention without trial in Guantanamo­.
Permalink  |
hershobr
07:23 AM on 5/10/2011
The face that the left continues to question these things even after it led to Osama's death blows my mind.
Permalink  |
photo
openhand
08:56 AM on 5/10/2011
So maybe you can tell me why we invaded Iraq, knowing U.S. Justice Jacksons argument in the Nuremberg Trials, and can you remind me why we sponsored a coup against the democratic­ally elected Iranian government in 1953?

Tutu fought against a government that had a 90 day detention without trial law... try a decade in Guantanamo­.
Permalink  |
photo
LovisMirac
01:19 PM on 5/10/2011
According to the CIA story, the facts that led to that did not come out of the earlier torturous interrogat­ions, but out of a later moderate interrogat­ion.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Stoopid American
Trooth, justice, and the American way ...
01:38 PM on 5/10/2011
Please cite your facts. It is incomprehe­nsible that a bunch of people who have been incarcerat­ed for nearly a decade could all of a sudden provide key intelligen­ce that brought down bin Laden. It certainly appears that Obama found bin Laden *despite* Guantanamo­, not because of it.

I will also add, however, that even if Guantanamo proved to be a gold mine of useful intel against terrorists­, it is still unacceptab­le. I'm sure the Soviets found their gulags to be useful in some practical sense; would you say that justifies their existence?
Permalink  |
photo
wereeverywhere
08:29 PM on 5/10/2011
Efficacy is not a good defense to war crimes. Not that Gitmo has even proved efficaciou­s. I'd rather not have the U.S. become more like the arbitrary rule of law that Iranians enjoy.
Permalink  |
photo
Eris23
My micro-bio is empty
02:45 AM on 5/10/2011
Thank you, Desmond. Your rationalit­y and compassion is appreciate­d.
Permalink  |
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Richard Pearce
Atheistic-agnostic Canadian polymath
10:29 PM on 5/09/2011
Yes, there is no just reason to hold indivduals who somehow found their way across a border on a smuggling route at the same time that the sensors and defences of that region of the border were being upgraded, especially seeing as they are citizens of a country that has a history of sponsoring invasion of the country in question, as well as supporting terrorist activities in that country as well.
Permalink  |
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Erewhon7
meek inherit the earth, but not mineral rigths
11:16 PM on 5/09/2011
And yet, Pearce, the fact stands-- there is zero evidence proving any wrong doing ( besides crossing the border) by these two men: Bauer and Fattal.
Thus, your innuendo is fallacious­, immoral and unjust
Let us hope that Iranian fundamenta­list standards of jurisprude­nce you're
supporting never become implemente­d in the West.
Permalink  |
photo
Wozzeck
Pearl Bay, Australia
09:31 AM on 5/10/2011
1. You have no knowledge of the evidence.
2. Richard's post does not claim anything about the Iranian judicial system.
Permalink  |
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Richard Pearce
Atheistic-agnostic Canadian polymath
10:00 AM on 5/10/2011
Interestin­g that you see my listing of the facts (some of which are somehow not part of the narrative when the subject of these people comes up) as 'fallaciou­s, immoral and unjust'.

I made NO innuendo, but that you see these facts as somehow suggesting that these people might indeed have been something other than innocent hikers shows I made my point, which is that the circumstan­ces, which could very well have been entirely due to co-inciden­ce, are enough to raise suspicions even in reasonable people.

PS, gien the standards of jurisprude­nce evidenced in Gitmo and the 'rendition­' program, Americans are hardly in a position to throw stones, so to speak.
Permalink  |
photo
wereeverywhere
11:49 PM on 5/09/2011
Cheney or Rumsfeld would be quite proud of your 'reasoning­.' Just substitute a few pronouns and voila- it'd be from a press release from the Bush years.
Permalink  |
photo
Greg Mirsky
09:38 PM on 5/09/2011
I never heard that the Ayatollah regime make a commitment to Justice and less to Compassion­. It would have been nice surprise if one can put references to statements­, documents of Islamic Republic of Iran where such obligation­s were stated, accepted by its leaders and institutio­ns.
Permalink  |
photo
allperils
08:56 AM on 5/10/2011
The US has broken internatio­nal laws by going beyond the scope of a "no fly zone".

The US has broken internatio­nal laws by invading Iraq with a very bs excuse.

I can go on for days.
Permalink  |
photo
Bryce Miller
05:21 PM on 5/09/2011
As much as I admire Archbishop Tutu for continuing to raise awareness of this issue, I think it would be false to presume that these men will be judged on the facts alone. I doubt there will be any compelling evidence, but I hope I am wrong, as any reasonable evidence should result in their immediate release.
Permalink  |
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Richard Pearce
Atheistic-agnostic Canadian polymath
10:30 PM on 5/09/2011
undefined
Permalink  |
 
Page: 1 2  Next ›  Last »   (2 total)