Security Notebook Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 12:03 a.m. Campus Safety officers and maintenance technicians responded to a report of two bats flying around the atrium of Peters Hall. The officers and maintenance team located and removed one of the bats but were unable to locate the second. 11:35 a.m. Facilities staff reported a strong odor of gas on the eastern exterior side of Fairchild House. Officers and Oberlin Fire Department members responded, and Columbia Gas was also contacted. Generator exhaust caused the odor; Columbia Gas shut down the generator for repairs. The building’s interior was checked and no issues were discovered. 12:48 p.m. A student reported the theft of the catalytic converter from their vehicle while it was parked in the Woodland Street lot sometime during winter break. They reported the theft to the Oberlin Police Department.
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor
Community Gathers for Teach-In on Russian Invasion of Ukraine Isaac Imas Production Editor
Over 250 students, professors, and community members attended yesterday’s Russian and East European Studies teach-in on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began Feb. 24. The event, moderated by Tom Newlin, chair of the Russian department, brought together seven faculty members from several departments on campus to help audience members better understand the history of the Ukraine-Russia crisis, the current violence, and the war’s implications for the international community. Discussing and analyzing the details of the invasion was difficult and emotionally fraught for those on the panel and in the audience with personal ties to Russia and Ukraine. However, Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Vladimir Ivantsov was
heartened by the robust turnout. “The situation is so difficult right now that it’s not about theoretical takeaways,” Ivantsov said after the event. “We need to talk, we need to discuss, and we need to feel ourselves as a sort of joint effort, as a community, because I think maybe some people here don’t really quite understand that it’s a real problem for the whole world now. … It shakes the principles of our existence and coexistence, and the whole idea of peace. So, we need to feel our ties as a community more than ever.” Ivantsov was also glad for the opportunity to speak openly on the subject, though he expressed that mere discussion on the topic does little to ameliorate the crisis. “We perceive this whole thing very personally — it’s very emotional, and it’s a kind of mixture of resentment, sharing some sort of shame that the Russian leaders impose on our
country,” he said. “It’s really difficult just to say something about this, because you feel like whatever you say, it may be weak. … But I do think that the whole conversation allowed us to feel a little bit better, uplifted, and empowered.” Panelist and Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics Amanda Zadorian urged students who attended the teach-in to continue to think critically about the crisis’ unfolding developments. “The war is also one of narrative and disinformation, so paying attention to the sources of information, and also thinking when you’re consuming information about what interests that information is serving, and what stories are being told, is really important,” Zadorian said. Students can support groups in Ukraine by donating to UNHCR, care. org, doctorswithoutborders.org, or directrelief.org.
1:08 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person in Mudd Center on the second floor. The individual was described as 6 feet tall, between 30 and 40 years old, and wearing a dark hoodie. OPD also responded. The non-College individual was located and issued a summons by the police. The individual was then escorted off campus and advised not to return. 3:05 p.m. A student reported the theft of their bicycle from a bike rack near the Baldwin Cottage parking lot. The bicycle was last seen there Feb. 24 and was unlocked at the time. The bike is a women’s 24-speed, gray Trek, valued at approximately $750.
Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 1:07 p.m. Officers arrived at Barrows Hall upon receiving a report of a large hole in the wall on the third floor near the common area. A large ceramic roof tile, which was being used as a doorstop, was collected and a work order was filed for repair of the wall. 6:08 p.m. A student reported being approached by a non-College individual who asked for help. The student ignored the person and contacted Campus Safety. The individual was located and found to be a local panhandler. The individual was on the sidewalk riding their bike.
Community Responds to Allegations Against Mahallati Continued from page 1
Iranian women’s march and will take place close to International Women’s Day, its driving objective is to call attention to the allegations against Mahallati. The march will use the premise of the Islamic Republic’s treatment of women as a catalyst for conversation about the regime’s corruption and injustice, while naming Mahallati as one of the regime’s supporters in his role as an Iranian diplomat in the 1980s. Ray English, Oberlin College director of libraries emeritus and Oberlin City Council member, has been following the story of the allegations against Mahallati since Oct. 19, 2021, when he read an opinion piece written by then-communications director of the Ohio Republican Party, Tricia McLaughlin, published in the Columbus Dispatch. “I was concerned when I received at my home address a well-designed, full-color card that announced the November 2 protest,” English wrote in a message to the Review. “Both the Columbus Dispatch column and the card raised many questions in my mind. I became actively engaged with the issues when I offered a quote about my knowledge of Professor Mahallati to a reporter from the Elyria Chronicle Telegram who was covering the NovemThe Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022
ber 2 demonstration. His story led to conversations and email exchanges with the main parties involved and to my efforts to understand the complexities of the controversy.” English’s efforts have led him to study multiple reports on the 1988 executions in Iran and archived U.N. documents, speak with both Bazargan and Mahallati, and read contextual sources about the historical events involved. Although English said his research is ongoing, his preliminary findings have led him to two central conclusions. “The 1988 executions in Iran were horrendous,” English wrote. “The executions were clear violations [of ] international human rights law. The inhumane treatment of the families of the victims also violated human rights standards. It’s clear that Ambassador Mahallati became aware of allegations about the executions from a U.N. representative who received information about them from Amnesty International. It is also clear that, as Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. who was representing the position of his country, he cast doubt on those allegations. A key question for me is whether he knew about the executions at the time he made various statements about them to the U.N. He con-
tends that he had no such knowledge.” English also highlighted another part of Mahallati’s past, namely that he was imprisoned and tortured by his own regime upon his dismissal from his U.N. position in 1989. “I think the Oberlin community should also know that Professor Mahallati was arrested, imprisoned, and subjected to harsh interrogation when he returned to Iran after being dismissed from his U.N. position,” English wrote. According to an April 10, 1989 Washington Post article based on a leaked CIA report, Jack Anderson and Dale Van Atta outlined how Mahallati was arrested and allegedly tortured by the Iranian regime. “According to the CIA, Montazeri was furious over the arrest of Mohammed Mahallati, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations,” the article reads. “The Pasdaran, Khomeini’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that Mahallati was not faithful to the revolution. They arrested him in Tehran and tortured him until he had a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.” Neither Mahallati nor the College provided comment for this story.
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