Iran welcomes Chavez as partner against Western "bullies" [ WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, WORLD NEWS ]:
Related:
Obama: Nuclear Venezuela is OK by him.
Ahmadinejad: "Promise of God is that the enemies of our nations will go one day".

Photo: AFP.

Via.

More information here:

at least eleven protestors have been sentenced to death by the Iranian Judiciary following unfair trials and insufficient evidence justifying any punishment, let alone executions. Seven of the protestors on death row have been identified as: Mohammad Amin Valian, a 20 year student; Abdolreza Ghanbari, a 47 year old teacher; Motahareh Bahrami and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam (husband and wife) and their son, Ahmad Daneshpour, together with two of their close friends, Rayhaneh Haj Ebrahim and Hadi Ghaemi (not related to the Campaign’s executive director of the same name).

After the 12 June 2009 presidential elections, thousands were arrested, hundreds were tortured, and dozens killed. Some authorities bluntly advocated for the use of violence against peaceful protesters and even killing them. Some had command responsibility for those who shot innocent people on the streets. Some had direct responsibility for what happened to dozens of arrested protesters in Kahrizak Detention Center, which resulted in the death of at least four of the detained.

The Campaign appeals to the Iranian authorities, that instead of sending innocent people to death row, they should hold responsible those who perpetuate violence in society–in order to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Until we fully know the role individuals and institutions had in directly or indirectly masterminding and participating in the systematic and deadly crackdown, we cannot ensure that such brutality will not occur again.

Boston.com:

…The atmosphere has only gotten more tense since the arrival in power five years ago of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who famously proclaimed in a 2007 speech at Columbia University that there are no homosexuals in his country. An official memo sent to government departments last year called on employees to either marry or resign — a step seen as aimed at seeking to weed out homosexuals.

Alireza Naimian is one of the lucky ones. After 2 1/2 years in Turkey, he has won acceptance through the U.N. for resettlement in the United States. Sitting in his ground-floor apartment he describes the event that eventually led to his flight: One day in 2007, a group of paramilitary Basijis who noticed his long hair as he traveled in a cab in the northern Iranian town of Roodehen detained him, took him to his home and brutally raped him. 

...Many are placed by the Turkish government in Kayseri and nearby towns, where they form a precarious community, overshadowed by a larger influx of thousands of Iranians fleeing the political crackdown since June's disputed presidential election. In this conservative region of Turkey, they try to lay low, fearing harassment as they wait in hopes of resettlement.

"Police here tells us to stay indoors when we report violence against us," said Roodabeh Parvaresh, a 32-year-old lesbian who has been in Turkey for over two years.

...Another lesbian, Hengameh, who refused to give her full name to avoid publicity, said she was severely beaten by two Turkish youths soon after arriving in the country a year ago.

Still, Turkey provides an escape from their lives in Iran, where homosexuals can face threats from every direction -- from the state, from co-workers or security officials who harass them or try to blackmail them into sexual favors.

There is no authoritative figure for the homosexual population in Iran. However, recently published data based only on psychological reports of recruits for compulsory military service or for sex change operations put the number of gay men at 200,000 in a country of 66 million, Ghahraman said. Sex changes are legal in Iran, and many gays resort to them as the only way to live with their partners or avoid the harsh penalties.

 Via.

What a dreadful photo!!

Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Pentagon's first report to Congress on Tehran's military. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Islamist shock troops deployed around the world to advance Iranian interests, "maintains operational capabilities around the world," the report says, adding that "it is well established in the Middle East and North Africa and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela."

Via.

More here and here.

Related: Ahmadinejad is now in Africa, increasing ties with Zimbabwe and Uganda.

Well, Obama must be absolutely happy for Ahmadinejad wanting public, not private talks. No, seriously:

Speaking at a meeting of medical school deans, Ahmadinejad said Iran "will soon pursue a new round of diplomatic activity" amid a new position of strength for the Iranian government, the Iranian Student News Agency quotes him as saying.
"I will go to the United Nations and will invite Obama to negotiations," Ahmadinejad said, adding that such talks would be "in front of the international media, not a sit-down behind closed doors in order to talk about matters." 

See? Imagine a "sit-down behind close doors" with Ahmadinejad.