World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (May 27, 2011)

The Washington Post reports that five prisoners have been hanged in public, including a convicted serial killer in Iran. The others had been found guilty of rape and armed robbery. International rights groups have criticized Iran for the growing pace of hangings. Crimes punishable with death sentences also include kidnapping and drug trafficking.

The Los Angeles Times published an article headlined “Georgian police crush antigovernment protest.” It comments on the developments in Tbilisi which took place at night of May 25. It says that Georgian police early Thursday violently dispersed an antigovernment rally in Tbilisi, crushing protesters' attempts to prevent a military parade marking the country's 20 years of independence since the breakup of the Soviet Union. At least two people were killed and dozens injured or arrested in the capital's downtown as police broke up a rally also calling for President Mikheil Saakashvili's resignation. The Russian government, itself known for forcefully dispersing demonstrations in Moscow, also criticized Saakashvili's regime and Georgia's excessive use of force.

The New York Times reports that even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was praising the United States in a speech for imposing tougher sanctions on Iran for its nuclear activities, the State Department announced that it was imposing sanctions on a leading Israeli company, Ofer Brothers Group, for activities supporting Iran’s energy sector. The awkward fact remains that a corporation owned by one of Israel’s most prominent business families has been blacklisted for dealings, however indirect, with Iran.

“Armenia to release political prisoners” is an article published by the Turkish information agency Hurriyet. It says that Armenia’s parliament approved an amnesty Thursday to free hundreds of inmates, including 15 political activists jailed for their involvement in post-election violence in 2008, fulfilling a key opposition demand. Lawmakers in parliament voted in favor of the plan to release nearly 400 inmates in an amnesty marking 20 years since Armenia gained independence in the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The Iranian information agency Press TV published the article subtitled “Iran oil exports safe from US sanctions.” A top Iranian energy official says the US is not able to directly impose sanctions on Iran's oil exports due to the country's “huge oil and gas resources.” Oil production of Iran accounted for five percent of the total global oil output, he said. Iran exports about 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. Given that Iran's huge oil and gas resources and the sensibility of its oil in the world, the US is not capable to impose sanctions on Iran's oil exports directly.