NEWS)))))))
Workers continue their protest for 5th consecutive days in Southern Iran
A number of fired workers of Iran Sadra Company in Bushehr (southern city of Iran) staged a protesting gathering outside governor’s hall for the fifth consecutive day. The workers asked for returning to their jobs and for employment security. According to the workers, the clerical regime’s agents fired 384 contract workers of Iran Sadra Company on March 19th the last day of Iranian calendar.
Serious human rights violations continue in Iran - UK Annual Report 2007
The British Foreign Office’s Human Rights Annual Report 2007 released on Tuesday that in Iran “serious human rights violations have continued and there has been significant deterioration in some of our main areas of concern, including a worrying and rapid increase in the rate of executions.”“ Amnesty International estimates that Iran executed a total of 177 individuals in 2006, a sharp rise and almost double the previous year’s total of 94. There have been approximately 300 executions in 2007, including the execution of at least four juvenile offenders,” the report said.'There are reports of juveniles being kept in prison until they turn 18, when the sentence can be carried out.'According to the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, over 70 juvenile offenders remain on death row in Iran. 'Iran continues to deny its people the right to express their opinions freely and peacefully, and restrictions have increased over the last 18 months. Censorship of the main media has continued. 'The internet continues to be a target of government restrictions, with access to many websites and blogs (which often provide news and critical commentary) blocked. In early 2007, internet connection speeds were slowed down, probably to restrict access to foreign websites and audio-visual internet services, and an attempt was made to get all website managers and bloggers to register their websites with a government agency. 'There has been an alarming clampdown on any form of organised protest, whether teachers demanding better wages, women’s rights activists campaigning against inequality, or students protesting for the right to freedom of expression. A number of students from Tehran’s Amir Kabir University were arrested in May and June 2007. 'A government social security campaign took place during the summer months. 'Thousands of police warnings were issued and a number of people arrested and charged. Police treatment of offenders was particularly heavy handed. Many saw this as an infringement of individual rights. 'Gender inequality and discrimination are widespread, and are perpetuated by Iran’s constitutional structures. 'Despite being a member of the International Labour Organisation and a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and ICCPR, both of which protect the right to form and join trades unions, Iran’s fledgling labour rights movement has suffered similar restrictions on freedom of expression. 'Independent unions and strike action are not permitted. Between March and May 2007 large numbers of teachers across Iran held nationwide strikes and peaceful demonstrations to support a new pay system which would improve employment security and wages (over half of all teachers live below the poverty line). Hundreds were arrested in Tehran, Ardebil, Hamedan and Kermanshah for participating in these protests. 'Cruel and inhuman criminal punishments such as flogging, stoning and amputation remain on the statute books. Amputation sentences have been carried out on at least seven people found guilty of robbery in Mashhad, Zahedan and Kermanshah.'
People in western Iranian city protested against prolonging prisoner’s term
A number of people in Sanandaj gathered outside prison to protest against the government for not releasing a political prisoner, Mahmoud Salehi, whose term was over. Due to different tortures and the renal disease, Salehi is in crucial physical condition. He should have been released on March 23, but the clerical regime’s executioners avoided releasing him. The people were outraged by this regime’s deed.
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A bus overturned on a highway in southern Iran leaving 27 people dead and 15 others injured, state media reported on Tuesday. The accident occurred on Monday on a stretch of road in the province of Khuzestan, state television said.Iran's highways are considered to be among the most dangerous in the world, with some 100,000 road-accident deaths occurring in the last five years, the equivalent of three deaths an hour.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
March 20, Norouz, Iranian New Year Celebration
Norouz (Persian: نوروز) is the traditional Iranian new year holiday. It is the most cherished of all Iranian festivities. Norouz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian solar calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox (start of spring). The word comes from the Old Persian meaning “new day/daylight”.
What we have today as Norouz goes back to the Sassanid period. They formed the last great Persian Empire before the advent of Islam. Their celebrations would start ten days prior to the New Year. They believed the guardian angels and spirits of the dead would come down to earth within these ten days to visit humans. A major spring-cleaning was carried out to welcome them with feasts and celebrations. Bon fires would be set on rooftops at night to indicate to the spirits and the angels that humans were ready to receive them. This festival was called Suri.The oldest records of Norouz go back to the King Yima of Eastern Persia back as far as 5000 BCE. It later became the national holiday of Arsacid/Parthian Empires who ruled western Iran (247 BCE-224 CE). Norouz was most honored by the early founders of Islam and even the Turkish and Mongol invaders did not attempt to abolish Norouz. However, the clerical fundamentalist regime currently ruling in Iran has tried its best to push traditional Persian celebrations to the sidelines but to no avail; it has been vehemently resisted by the Iranian people, much as the dark ideology and the rule of the mullahs.
The traditional herald of the Norouz season is called Hâjji Fîrûz. He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and reborn at the beginning of the New Year. He usually uses face paint to make his skin black and wears a red costume. Then he sings and dances through the streets with tambourines and trumpets spreading good cheer and heralds the coming of the New Year.On the New Year’s day, families dress in their new garments and gather around the table of Haft Seen and await the exact moment of the arrival of the spring which is usually announced with the thunder of a cannon heard on radio or TV. At this time children receive their gifts which is traditionally brand new paper money and in better to do families gold coins.Shortly afterwards visiting the relatives begins with a visit to the eldest relative, usually the grandparents or at times the great grandparents, and then the rest of the relatives and finally the friends. These are usually short visits and consume the first few days of the New Year. There are twelve days of celebration and on the thirteenth day families leave their homes and picnic outdoors.
A major tradition of Norouz is the preparation of an elaborately prepared spread known as the Haft Seen - the seven ’S’s, seven items starting with letter S or sîn (س) in Persian alphabet, which are seven specific items corresponding to the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them. Today they are changed and modified but some have kept their symbolism. Every family attempts to set as beautiful a Haft Seen table as they can, as it is not only of special spiritual meaning to them, but also is noticed by visitors to their house during Norouzi visitations and is a reflection of their good taste.
The following list is an example of some common Haft Seen items, though there isn’t consensus as to which seven:
• samanu - a sweet pudding made from wheat germ (symbolizing affluence)
• sîr - garlic (medicine)
• somaq - sumac berries (the color of the sunrise)
• sonbol - the fragrant hyacinth flower (the coming of spring)
Other items on the table may include:
·
• lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)
• a mirror (amplifier of light/fire)
• painted eggs, perhaps one for each member of the family (fertility)
• a bowl with two goldfish (life, and the sign of Pisces which the sun is leaving)
• a bowl of water with an orange in it (the earth floating in space)
• a holy book (e.g., the Qur’an, Bible, Torah or the Avesta) or a poetry book (almost always either the Shahnama or Divan of Hafez)
The 13th day of the New Year festival is Sizdah Bedar; a day of festivity in the open, often accompanied by music and dancing and the playing of games and sports. It is a must to spend Sizdah Bedar in nature. It stems from the belief of the ancient Persians that the twelve constellations in the Zodiac controlled the months of the year, and each ruled the earth for a thousand years. At the end of which, the sky and the earth collapsed in chaos. Hence, Norouz lasts twelve days and the thirteenth day represents the time of chaos when families put order aside and avoid the bad luck associated with the number thirteen by going outdoors and having picnics and parties.
Norouz (Persian: نوروز) is the traditional Iranian new year holiday. It is the most cherished of all Iranian festivities. Norouz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian solar calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox (start of spring). The word comes from the Old Persian meaning “new day/daylight”.
What we have today as Norouz goes back to the Sassanid period. They formed the last great Persian Empire before the advent of Islam. Their celebrations would start ten days prior to the New Year. They believed the guardian angels and spirits of the dead would come down to earth within these ten days to visit humans. A major spring-cleaning was carried out to welcome them with feasts and celebrations. Bon fires would be set on rooftops at night to indicate to the spirits and the angels that humans were ready to receive them. This festival was called Suri.The oldest records of Norouz go back to the King Yima of Eastern Persia back as far as 5000 BCE. It later became the national holiday of Arsacid/Parthian Empires who ruled western Iran (247 BCE-224 CE). Norouz was most honored by the early founders of Islam and even the Turkish and Mongol invaders did not attempt to abolish Norouz. However, the clerical fundamentalist regime currently ruling in Iran has tried its best to push traditional Persian celebrations to the sidelines but to no avail; it has been vehemently resisted by the Iranian people, much as the dark ideology and the rule of the mullahs.
The traditional herald of the Norouz season is called Hâjji Fîrûz. He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and reborn at the beginning of the New Year. He usually uses face paint to make his skin black and wears a red costume. Then he sings and dances through the streets with tambourines and trumpets spreading good cheer and heralds the coming of the New Year.On the New Year’s day, families dress in their new garments and gather around the table of Haft Seen and await the exact moment of the arrival of the spring which is usually announced with the thunder of a cannon heard on radio or TV. At this time children receive their gifts which is traditionally brand new paper money and in better to do families gold coins.Shortly afterwards visiting the relatives begins with a visit to the eldest relative, usually the grandparents or at times the great grandparents, and then the rest of the relatives and finally the friends. These are usually short visits and consume the first few days of the New Year. There are twelve days of celebration and on the thirteenth day families leave their homes and picnic outdoors.
A major tradition of Norouz is the preparation of an elaborately prepared spread known as the Haft Seen - the seven ’S’s, seven items starting with letter S or sîn (س) in Persian alphabet, which are seven specific items corresponding to the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them. Today they are changed and modified but some have kept their symbolism. Every family attempts to set as beautiful a Haft Seen table as they can, as it is not only of special spiritual meaning to them, but also is noticed by visitors to their house during Norouzi visitations and is a reflection of their good taste.
The following list is an example of some common Haft Seen items, though there isn’t consensus as to which seven:
• samanu - a sweet pudding made from wheat germ (symbolizing affluence)
• sîr - garlic (medicine)
• somaq - sumac berries (the color of the sunrise)
• sonbol - the fragrant hyacinth flower (the coming of spring)
Other items on the table may include:
·
• lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)
• a mirror (amplifier of light/fire)
• painted eggs, perhaps one for each member of the family (fertility)
• a bowl with two goldfish (life, and the sign of Pisces which the sun is leaving)
• a bowl of water with an orange in it (the earth floating in space)
• a holy book (e.g., the Qur’an, Bible, Torah or the Avesta) or a poetry book (almost always either the Shahnama or Divan of Hafez)
The 13th day of the New Year festival is Sizdah Bedar; a day of festivity in the open, often accompanied by music and dancing and the playing of games and sports. It is a must to spend Sizdah Bedar in nature. It stems from the belief of the ancient Persians that the twelve constellations in the Zodiac controlled the months of the year, and each ruled the earth for a thousand years. At the end of which, the sky and the earth collapsed in chaos. Hence, Norouz lasts twelve days and the thirteenth day represents the time of chaos when families put order aside and avoid the bad luck associated with the number thirteen by going outdoors and having picnics and parties.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
March 18, 2008, the Iranian national celebration of Chahar Shanbeh Suri, last Tuesday of Iranian Calender year
Last Wednesday of the year (Chahar Shanbeh Suri): On the eve of last Wednesday of the year, literally the eve of Red Wednesday or the eve of celebration, bonfires are lit in public places and people leap over the flames, shouting:Give me your beautiful red colorand take back my sickly pallor!With the help of fire and light symbols of good, we hope to see our way through this unlucky night - the end of the year- to the arrival of spring’s longer days. Traditionally, it is believed that the living was visited by the spirits of their ancestors on the last day of the year. Many people especially children, wrap themselves in shrouds symbolically re-enacting the visits. By the light of the bonfire, they run through the streets banging on pots and pans with spoons called Gashog-Zani to beat out the last unlucky Wednesday of the year, while they knock on doors to ask for treats. Indeed, Halloween is a Celtic variation of this night. In order to make wishes come true, it is customary to prepare special foods and distribute them on this night. Noodle Soup a filled Persian delight, and mixture of seven dried nuts and fruits, pistachios, roasted chic peas, almond, hazelnuts, figs, apricots, and raisins.Fal-GushThis is another ritual in which someone makes a wish and stands at the corner of an intersection, or on a terrace or behind a wall. That person will know his fortune when he overhears conversation of a passerby.Since the advent of their reign in Iran, mullahs’ evil rule considered joyous ancient Persian traditions as obstacles to the spread of their religious fascism and Islamic fundamentalism and their hopes to hijack the Iranian nation and its traditions. In this war of ‘Good’ against ‘Evil’, the Iranians used these very traditions as a strong weapon to resist this cultural attack. Mullahs have tried for 29 years to brand these festivities as superstition; however, these traditions grew deeper and stronger. Especially Chahar-Shanbeh Suri has turned into a feast of fire to show people’s hatred for the mullahs. Despite government bans and arrests, millions of people, especially the youth, use bonfires, firecrackers and sound bombs on this night to say a ‘BIG NO’ to the mullahs.
Last Wednesday of the year (Chahar Shanbeh Suri): On the eve of last Wednesday of the year, literally the eve of Red Wednesday or the eve of celebration, bonfires are lit in public places and people leap over the flames, shouting:Give me your beautiful red colorand take back my sickly pallor!With the help of fire and light symbols of good, we hope to see our way through this unlucky night - the end of the year- to the arrival of spring’s longer days. Traditionally, it is believed that the living was visited by the spirits of their ancestors on the last day of the year. Many people especially children, wrap themselves in shrouds symbolically re-enacting the visits. By the light of the bonfire, they run through the streets banging on pots and pans with spoons called Gashog-Zani to beat out the last unlucky Wednesday of the year, while they knock on doors to ask for treats. Indeed, Halloween is a Celtic variation of this night. In order to make wishes come true, it is customary to prepare special foods and distribute them on this night. Noodle Soup a filled Persian delight, and mixture of seven dried nuts and fruits, pistachios, roasted chic peas, almond, hazelnuts, figs, apricots, and raisins.Fal-GushThis is another ritual in which someone makes a wish and stands at the corner of an intersection, or on a terrace or behind a wall. That person will know his fortune when he overhears conversation of a passerby.Since the advent of their reign in Iran, mullahs’ evil rule considered joyous ancient Persian traditions as obstacles to the spread of their religious fascism and Islamic fundamentalism and their hopes to hijack the Iranian nation and its traditions. In this war of ‘Good’ against ‘Evil’, the Iranians used these very traditions as a strong weapon to resist this cultural attack. Mullahs have tried for 29 years to brand these festivities as superstition; however, these traditions grew deeper and stronger. Especially Chahar-Shanbeh Suri has turned into a feast of fire to show people’s hatred for the mullahs. Despite government bans and arrests, millions of people, especially the youth, use bonfires, firecrackers and sound bombs on this night to say a ‘BIG NO’ to the mullahs.
NEWS)))))))
Nationwide boycott of Election in Iran Polling stations were deserted on the Election Day
According to reports from Tehran and many other cities, polling stations were deserted and the number of voters hardly reached five in many stations in the first three hours.The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran’s network and social headquarters inside Iran reported from 25,000 polling stations throughout yesterday. There were 45,075 polling stations across Iran. According to reports from Iran, the call by the PMOI to boycott elections was widely supported by people. In a nationwide campaign over the past two months which started by distribution of millions of leaflets and dispatch of emails, a number of supporters of the Iranian Resistance have been arrested. Following are excerpts of reports from Tehran: Reformers purged as Iranians go to polls. Telegraph-13/03/2008--Anyone aspiring to join Iran’s parliament must be screened by the Council of Guardians, a committee of hardline clerics. Few people on the streets of Tehran express any enthusiasm for the election. 'I won’t vote,' said one 25-year-old student at Azad University.'I don’t agree with those who rule this country and I don’t trust them. The situation will get worse and worse no matter who wins the election.' Associated France Press reported on Friday that the US State Department said Friday that 'in essence the results are cooked' in Iran’s elections because voters are not given a full choice. 'It certainly is one that does not give the Iranian people the full slate of choices they deserve,' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters when asked if the election could be fair. 'In essence, the results, whatever they may be, and whatever the processes are, and how they are judged on election day, in essence the results are cooked,' McCormack said. Only a handful of voters showed up at many polling stations in Tehran on Friday in Iran’s parliament elections, a sign of frustration with a vote that hard-liners allied with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are expected to dominate. CNN Reporting from Tehran :The election is expected to secure another victory for conservatives. The battle is among the friends in ruling party. An Iranian man: It is the fight between supporters of Ahmadinejad and opponents of Ahmadinejad within the conservative current. A woman: If we vote or not, the hardliners will be elected. The majority will not vote.
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The Washington Times published an interview with Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) on parliamentary elections in Iran. “The international community has to recognize that this election has no legitimacy whatsoever. The only real long-term hope is democratic change in Iran led by the people and by the resistance to end the mullahs’ regime,” said Mrs. Rajavi in her telephone interview from Paris.The following is the full text of the interview: Source: The Washingtion Times, March 14, 2008. The Washington Times reported asked: How do you see Iran’s parliamentary elections unfolding? Mrs Rajavi replied: [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei very much needs to tighten his grip on power, and he very much needs a parliament subordinate to President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad. That’s why this will be an engineered election, with a plan prepared in advance by Khamenei on who can run, who will be elected, and who will be speaker.Q: How is the regime doing that? A: Through the Ministry of the Interior, the Revolutionary Guard Corps and provincial officials, it has already been determined who can run and who can win. The regime is even using the ID cards of deceased people as one way to claim a falsely high turnout. Q: Are there divisions within the conservative ruling regime? A: The regime is constantly facing internal defections and dissension at all levels. For example, [former top nuclear negotiator] Ali Larijani, who has clashed with the president, was not allowed to run for a seat in Tehran and had to campaign for a seat in Qom. The outcome of the election will be a win for Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, but it will be a more fragile, extremist regime. Q: What should the United States and the West do? A: The international community has to recognize that this election has no legitimacy whatsoever. The only real long-term hope is democratic change in Iran led by the people and by the resistance to end the mullahs’ regime.
Workers protests against Iranian regime in Tehran, Qom and Tabas
The workers protested against the regime’s predatory and suppressive policies by staging strikes, sit-in and gatherings in Tehran, Qom and Tabas.In Tehran, the workers of Pars Minoo Industrial Factory went on strike for the second consecutive day and gathered in the factory yard. They asked for payment of their postponed salaries and announced they would continue their strike until they achieve their demands. In Qom, the workers of Hamid Porcelain Factory rallied in street to protest the closure of the factory and not paying their last 6 months salaries. The protesting workers clashed with the suppressive State Security Force (SSF) agents who tried to prevent them from demonstrating. In Tabas, the northeastern Iranian city, the railway workers staged a strike in protest to not receiving their salaries for four months; they said this is the umpteenth time that the rail way workers in Tabas had protested for their unpaid salaries.
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Iranian regime’s “moral enforcer”, who led a crackdown on women failing to adhere to Iran’s strict Islamic dress codes, has been arrested in a Tehran brothel, it was reported last week. The Sunday times reported on Sat. That Brigadier General Ali Reza Zarei, 53, the Tehran police chief and a confidant of the president, was said to have been with six prostitutes when he was detained by members of his own force two weeks ago.He has been removed from his post and put on bail, according to the Iranian Farda website. The site is understood to be close to Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, the former police chief who is now mayor of Tehran and is expected to challenge Ahmadinejad for the presidency next year.There has been no mention of the case in the official Iranian media but a spokesman for the justice department admitted last week that an unnamed senior official had been arrested.The Shahab news site, which is also linked to opponents of Ahmadinejad, said it was believed that up to 60 hours of videotape featuring the general and the prostitutes had been confiscated by his officers.Zarei - who was in charge of the programme for the “moralisation” of women - now faces possible prosecution.
Nationwide boycott of Election in Iran Polling stations were deserted on the Election Day
According to reports from Tehran and many other cities, polling stations were deserted and the number of voters hardly reached five in many stations in the first three hours.The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran’s network and social headquarters inside Iran reported from 25,000 polling stations throughout yesterday. There were 45,075 polling stations across Iran. According to reports from Iran, the call by the PMOI to boycott elections was widely supported by people. In a nationwide campaign over the past two months which started by distribution of millions of leaflets and dispatch of emails, a number of supporters of the Iranian Resistance have been arrested. Following are excerpts of reports from Tehran: Reformers purged as Iranians go to polls. Telegraph-13/03/2008--Anyone aspiring to join Iran’s parliament must be screened by the Council of Guardians, a committee of hardline clerics. Few people on the streets of Tehran express any enthusiasm for the election. 'I won’t vote,' said one 25-year-old student at Azad University.'I don’t agree with those who rule this country and I don’t trust them. The situation will get worse and worse no matter who wins the election.' Associated France Press reported on Friday that the US State Department said Friday that 'in essence the results are cooked' in Iran’s elections because voters are not given a full choice. 'It certainly is one that does not give the Iranian people the full slate of choices they deserve,' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters when asked if the election could be fair. 'In essence, the results, whatever they may be, and whatever the processes are, and how they are judged on election day, in essence the results are cooked,' McCormack said. Only a handful of voters showed up at many polling stations in Tehran on Friday in Iran’s parliament elections, a sign of frustration with a vote that hard-liners allied with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are expected to dominate. CNN Reporting from Tehran :The election is expected to secure another victory for conservatives. The battle is among the friends in ruling party. An Iranian man: It is the fight between supporters of Ahmadinejad and opponents of Ahmadinejad within the conservative current. A woman: If we vote or not, the hardliners will be elected. The majority will not vote.
******
The Washington Times published an interview with Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) on parliamentary elections in Iran. “The international community has to recognize that this election has no legitimacy whatsoever. The only real long-term hope is democratic change in Iran led by the people and by the resistance to end the mullahs’ regime,” said Mrs. Rajavi in her telephone interview from Paris.The following is the full text of the interview: Source: The Washingtion Times, March 14, 2008. The Washington Times reported asked: How do you see Iran’s parliamentary elections unfolding? Mrs Rajavi replied: [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei very much needs to tighten his grip on power, and he very much needs a parliament subordinate to President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad. That’s why this will be an engineered election, with a plan prepared in advance by Khamenei on who can run, who will be elected, and who will be speaker.Q: How is the regime doing that? A: Through the Ministry of the Interior, the Revolutionary Guard Corps and provincial officials, it has already been determined who can run and who can win. The regime is even using the ID cards of deceased people as one way to claim a falsely high turnout. Q: Are there divisions within the conservative ruling regime? A: The regime is constantly facing internal defections and dissension at all levels. For example, [former top nuclear negotiator] Ali Larijani, who has clashed with the president, was not allowed to run for a seat in Tehran and had to campaign for a seat in Qom. The outcome of the election will be a win for Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, but it will be a more fragile, extremist regime. Q: What should the United States and the West do? A: The international community has to recognize that this election has no legitimacy whatsoever. The only real long-term hope is democratic change in Iran led by the people and by the resistance to end the mullahs’ regime.
Workers protests against Iranian regime in Tehran, Qom and Tabas
The workers protested against the regime’s predatory and suppressive policies by staging strikes, sit-in and gatherings in Tehran, Qom and Tabas.In Tehran, the workers of Pars Minoo Industrial Factory went on strike for the second consecutive day and gathered in the factory yard. They asked for payment of their postponed salaries and announced they would continue their strike until they achieve their demands. In Qom, the workers of Hamid Porcelain Factory rallied in street to protest the closure of the factory and not paying their last 6 months salaries. The protesting workers clashed with the suppressive State Security Force (SSF) agents who tried to prevent them from demonstrating. In Tabas, the northeastern Iranian city, the railway workers staged a strike in protest to not receiving their salaries for four months; they said this is the umpteenth time that the rail way workers in Tabas had protested for their unpaid salaries.
******
Iranian regime’s “moral enforcer”, who led a crackdown on women failing to adhere to Iran’s strict Islamic dress codes, has been arrested in a Tehran brothel, it was reported last week. The Sunday times reported on Sat. That Brigadier General Ali Reza Zarei, 53, the Tehran police chief and a confidant of the president, was said to have been with six prostitutes when he was detained by members of his own force two weeks ago.He has been removed from his post and put on bail, according to the Iranian Farda website. The site is understood to be close to Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, the former police chief who is now mayor of Tehran and is expected to challenge Ahmadinejad for the presidency next year.There has been no mention of the case in the official Iranian media but a spokesman for the justice department admitted last week that an unnamed senior official had been arrested.The Shahab news site, which is also linked to opponents of Ahmadinejad, said it was believed that up to 60 hours of videotape featuring the general and the prostitutes had been confiscated by his officers.Zarei - who was in charge of the programme for the “moralisation” of women - now faces possible prosecution.
Monday, March 10, 2008
NEWS))))))
UN Special Rapporteur calls for restoration of water supply destroyed by bomb in Iraq
Media centre, United Nations websiteThe Special Rapporteur on the right to food to the Human Rights Council, Jean Ziegler, issued the following statement today: Geneva, 6 March 2008: -- I am deeply concerned about information I continue to receive concerning the deteriorating situation in Ashraf City/Camp Ashraf (Iraq) and its surrounding area, following an explosion on 8 February 2008 that destroyed the water pumps in Zorganieh, which supply the area. That pumping station provided drinking water and irrigation for Ashraf City and its surrounding area, covering more than 20,000 persons. The explosion has caused water and food shortages for the local population, which relies on local food supplies already severely affected by water scarcity. The situation is made more critical by increasingly hot weather. Some of the reports I have received allege that the explosion may have been intended to increase pressure on over 3,000 members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) confined in Camp Ashraf in Diyala province. The camp remains under the control of the multi-national force under the demobilization agreement the Iraqi authorities signed with the PMOI in May 2003. In July 2004, the United States Government recognized PMOI members as Protected Persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention, meaning that they should not be deported, expelled or repatriated, or displaced inside Iraq. The rights to food and to drinking water are protected by international human rights law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right of everyone ’to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food’, and other international human rights instruments, to which Iraq is a party, further spell out the protection of these rights. The Iraqi authorities have failed to protect the inhabitants of Ashraf City and its surrounding area from the actions of third parties which are impeding enjoyment of the rights to food and water and creating a critical humanitarian situation. The competent authorities must restore urgently the water supply to all the inhabitants of the region affected by the explosion in the water pumping station; the affected population must be protected from violation of their rights by third parties. I call on the Iraqi authorities to take immediate measures to guarantee the rights to food and water of the inhabitants of Ashraf City/Camp Ashraf and its surrounding area.
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The Washington times reported on Friday that the activists of the People's Mujahedin in Iran claim they were involved in a series of student demonstrations that have led to a crackdown by authorities. "Of course we are forced to work as individuals and can’t act under the banner of the organization because that would be costly and many are frightened to do so," said Ali, a member of the organization involved in the protests. Nine consecutive demonstrations at Shiraz University continued yesterday, with more than 3,000 students, Shahin Gobadi, a spokesman for the group, said in a telephone interview from Paris. " We are men and women of fighting, dare to fight and we will fight back, " students chanted at Shiraz University, according to the spokesman. "To the commander of garrison, this is the final warning: The student movement is ready for the uprising." In January, more than 2,000 students in Tehran University demonstrated against the government with chants of "Down with despotism." The Washington times added. Security forces raided the rally, injured 60 students and arrested more than 40. The People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran also has been involved in a nationwide campaign urging Iranians to boycott the upcoming Majlis (parliamentary) elections scheduled to take place next Friday. The latest wave of protests began Dec. 7 when hundreds of students participated in a two-hour demonstration outside Tehran University last year, demanding the freeing of activists jailed by the government in an ongoing crackdown. The students broke one of the gates of the university, but no direct clashes with police were reported. Officers said they had confiscated concussion grenades, illegal books, pamphlets and alcoholic beverages from the detainees, according to Tehran radio. On the day of the protest, activists in the People's Mujahedin, a literal translation of the Iranian name Mujahedin-e-Khalq or MeK, sent updates on the protest to an organizing member in a remote location, who identified herself as Shirin, 24. She then relayed the news in English over e-mail in three updates to an international press list. The next day, two more updates were sent, each containing photographs and video of the march. "My friends undertook these activities under a very high-risk situation when widespread arrests are being made throughout the country, students protesting Ahmadinejad are being identified, harassed and arrested and [MeK] families are in jail under torture," Shirin said in an e-mail interview.
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Iran Focus, an Iranian website in English reported on March 6th that Iran’s police chief has vowed to keep “repeat offenders” in prison throughout the entire Persian New Year period which lasts until April 3 even if their jail terms expire. Brigadier General Ismaeil Ahmadi-Moghaddam, the commander of Iran’s State Security Forces, on Wednesday said, “With the cooperation of the judiciary, repeat offenders who are arrested will be incarcerated until the end of the holiday period”. His remarks were carried by the government-owned news agency Fars. “Among the steps we are taking is increasing police patrols, and arresting and detaining repeat offenders”, said Ahmadi-Moghaddam, who is himself a relative of hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In 2007, the government announced that any individual arrested during the fire festivities which precedes the New Year will languish in jail for the entire holiday period. The Persian New Year which coincides with the arrival of spring is celebrated on March 21. Commenting to reporters with regards to police action on the night before the last Wednesday of the year, when Iranians have traditionally held fire festivals, Ahmadi-Moghaddam said that this year “disturbances, damage, and dangerous activities all count as our red line”, adding that State Security Forces would be vigilant to deal with trouble-makers. Despite a massive crackdown to prevent last year’s “fire festival” from turning into scenes of anti-governments protests, many Iranians took to the streets to defy the government ban and celebrate the last Tuesday of the Persian year with a big bang. During the traditional Persian fire festival, known as ‘chaharshanbeh souri’ – literally, Feast of Wednesday – people jump over bonfires to “drive away evil”. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, however, Iran’s theocratic leaders have made strenuous efforts to stamp out the festivities which date back to over 2,500 years ago, but to no avail. In recent years, there have been extensive clashes between festive crowds and the security forces deployed to prevent street celebrations.
Protests Flare up at 2 Iranian Campuses Students Demand End to Ban on Activists, Ouster of College Head
Washington Post reported from Tehran: Hundreds of students at two Iranian universities have mounted protests in recent days to decry the expulsion of student activists and call for the resignation of a government-appointed campus president. ’The students are against the banning of their friends,’ said Rashid, a 25-year-old graduate student in Tehran who refused to give his family name out of fear he would be arrested. He said he was recently expelled from Allameh Tabatabai and later beaten by security guards when he tried to visit the university. Hundreds of students have also been demonstrating at the main university in Shiraz for more than a week, demanding that the chancellor, Mohammad Hadi Sadeghi, step down. The university head, a former Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, was put in charge after Ahmadinejad in 2006 instigated a nationwide purge of university professors and chancellors considered too liberal or secular. The students, who also call for better food and housing, say Sadeghi was appointed without the consultation of faculty members. Student leaders say other protests have taken place recently in the cities of Kerman, Esfahan and Shahrud. ’There has been a wave of threats by the university security forces and the intelligence ministry against both students and their families by telephone,’ a demonstrator in Shiraz said in a phone interview. She also asked not to be named out of fear of arrest, and said that security forces have tried to intervene with force but that the protests in Shiraz were continuing. During the interview, slogans could be heard. ’We are fighters, men and women,’ students shouted. ’Fight us and we will fight.’ Clips of their protests have been posted on the YouTube Web site.
UN Special Rapporteur calls for restoration of water supply destroyed by bomb in Iraq
Media centre, United Nations websiteThe Special Rapporteur on the right to food to the Human Rights Council, Jean Ziegler, issued the following statement today: Geneva, 6 March 2008: -- I am deeply concerned about information I continue to receive concerning the deteriorating situation in Ashraf City/Camp Ashraf (Iraq) and its surrounding area, following an explosion on 8 February 2008 that destroyed the water pumps in Zorganieh, which supply the area. That pumping station provided drinking water and irrigation for Ashraf City and its surrounding area, covering more than 20,000 persons. The explosion has caused water and food shortages for the local population, which relies on local food supplies already severely affected by water scarcity. The situation is made more critical by increasingly hot weather. Some of the reports I have received allege that the explosion may have been intended to increase pressure on over 3,000 members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) confined in Camp Ashraf in Diyala province. The camp remains under the control of the multi-national force under the demobilization agreement the Iraqi authorities signed with the PMOI in May 2003. In July 2004, the United States Government recognized PMOI members as Protected Persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention, meaning that they should not be deported, expelled or repatriated, or displaced inside Iraq. The rights to food and to drinking water are protected by international human rights law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right of everyone ’to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food’, and other international human rights instruments, to which Iraq is a party, further spell out the protection of these rights. The Iraqi authorities have failed to protect the inhabitants of Ashraf City and its surrounding area from the actions of third parties which are impeding enjoyment of the rights to food and water and creating a critical humanitarian situation. The competent authorities must restore urgently the water supply to all the inhabitants of the region affected by the explosion in the water pumping station; the affected population must be protected from violation of their rights by third parties. I call on the Iraqi authorities to take immediate measures to guarantee the rights to food and water of the inhabitants of Ashraf City/Camp Ashraf and its surrounding area.
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The Washington times reported on Friday that the activists of the People's Mujahedin in Iran claim they were involved in a series of student demonstrations that have led to a crackdown by authorities. "Of course we are forced to work as individuals and can’t act under the banner of the organization because that would be costly and many are frightened to do so," said Ali, a member of the organization involved in the protests. Nine consecutive demonstrations at Shiraz University continued yesterday, with more than 3,000 students, Shahin Gobadi, a spokesman for the group, said in a telephone interview from Paris. " We are men and women of fighting, dare to fight and we will fight back, " students chanted at Shiraz University, according to the spokesman. "To the commander of garrison, this is the final warning: The student movement is ready for the uprising." In January, more than 2,000 students in Tehran University demonstrated against the government with chants of "Down with despotism." The Washington times added. Security forces raided the rally, injured 60 students and arrested more than 40. The People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran also has been involved in a nationwide campaign urging Iranians to boycott the upcoming Majlis (parliamentary) elections scheduled to take place next Friday. The latest wave of protests began Dec. 7 when hundreds of students participated in a two-hour demonstration outside Tehran University last year, demanding the freeing of activists jailed by the government in an ongoing crackdown. The students broke one of the gates of the university, but no direct clashes with police were reported. Officers said they had confiscated concussion grenades, illegal books, pamphlets and alcoholic beverages from the detainees, according to Tehran radio. On the day of the protest, activists in the People's Mujahedin, a literal translation of the Iranian name Mujahedin-e-Khalq or MeK, sent updates on the protest to an organizing member in a remote location, who identified herself as Shirin, 24. She then relayed the news in English over e-mail in three updates to an international press list. The next day, two more updates were sent, each containing photographs and video of the march. "My friends undertook these activities under a very high-risk situation when widespread arrests are being made throughout the country, students protesting Ahmadinejad are being identified, harassed and arrested and [MeK] families are in jail under torture," Shirin said in an e-mail interview.
******
Iran Focus, an Iranian website in English reported on March 6th that Iran’s police chief has vowed to keep “repeat offenders” in prison throughout the entire Persian New Year period which lasts until April 3 even if their jail terms expire. Brigadier General Ismaeil Ahmadi-Moghaddam, the commander of Iran’s State Security Forces, on Wednesday said, “With the cooperation of the judiciary, repeat offenders who are arrested will be incarcerated until the end of the holiday period”. His remarks were carried by the government-owned news agency Fars. “Among the steps we are taking is increasing police patrols, and arresting and detaining repeat offenders”, said Ahmadi-Moghaddam, who is himself a relative of hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In 2007, the government announced that any individual arrested during the fire festivities which precedes the New Year will languish in jail for the entire holiday period. The Persian New Year which coincides with the arrival of spring is celebrated on March 21. Commenting to reporters with regards to police action on the night before the last Wednesday of the year, when Iranians have traditionally held fire festivals, Ahmadi-Moghaddam said that this year “disturbances, damage, and dangerous activities all count as our red line”, adding that State Security Forces would be vigilant to deal with trouble-makers. Despite a massive crackdown to prevent last year’s “fire festival” from turning into scenes of anti-governments protests, many Iranians took to the streets to defy the government ban and celebrate the last Tuesday of the Persian year with a big bang. During the traditional Persian fire festival, known as ‘chaharshanbeh souri’ – literally, Feast of Wednesday – people jump over bonfires to “drive away evil”. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, however, Iran’s theocratic leaders have made strenuous efforts to stamp out the festivities which date back to over 2,500 years ago, but to no avail. In recent years, there have been extensive clashes between festive crowds and the security forces deployed to prevent street celebrations.
Protests Flare up at 2 Iranian Campuses Students Demand End to Ban on Activists, Ouster of College Head
Washington Post reported from Tehran: Hundreds of students at two Iranian universities have mounted protests in recent days to decry the expulsion of student activists and call for the resignation of a government-appointed campus president. ’The students are against the banning of their friends,’ said Rashid, a 25-year-old graduate student in Tehran who refused to give his family name out of fear he would be arrested. He said he was recently expelled from Allameh Tabatabai and later beaten by security guards when he tried to visit the university. Hundreds of students have also been demonstrating at the main university in Shiraz for more than a week, demanding that the chancellor, Mohammad Hadi Sadeghi, step down. The university head, a former Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, was put in charge after Ahmadinejad in 2006 instigated a nationwide purge of university professors and chancellors considered too liberal or secular. The students, who also call for better food and housing, say Sadeghi was appointed without the consultation of faculty members. Student leaders say other protests have taken place recently in the cities of Kerman, Esfahan and Shahrud. ’There has been a wave of threats by the university security forces and the intelligence ministry against both students and their families by telephone,’ a demonstrator in Shiraz said in a phone interview. She also asked not to be named out of fear of arrest, and said that security forces have tried to intervene with force but that the protests in Shiraz were continuing. During the interview, slogans could be heard. ’We are fighters, men and women,’ students shouted. ’Fight us and we will fight.’ Clips of their protests have been posted on the YouTube Web site.
Monday, March 03, 2008
NEWS))))))
The judiciary of the Iranian regime sentenced two women to death in Tehran, the VOA (Voice of America) news reported on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008. The women are Shahbanoo Nadam who has been in the notorious Evin prison for eleven years and Tayyebeh Hujjati who has been also in Evin prison for eight years.
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Iranian regime hanged a young man named Javad Shojaii in the central city of Isfahan on Tuesday. He was 16 at the time of the alleged crime, state-run daily Etemad reported on Friday. The execution took place while human rights organizations had asked for annulment of his execution, but the clerical regime, heedless of these requests, carried out the execution. Currently there are at least 70 minors on death row in Iran, three of whom in Isfahan Prison, according to international organizations.
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Judicial Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran announced in a statement on Feb. 28th, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the mullahs’ Judiciary, said on February 27, 2008, “The trend of legal cases in the Judiciary is overwhelming. The creation of eight million judicial cases during the past year signifies a legal and judicial malady as well as a serious harm to society.” He was speaking to a gathering in the southern province of Khuzestan, discussing the problems faced by the institution under his control. Shahroudi described the creation of eight million judicial cases in one year as a “fundamental problem,” and added, “In a country like India, with a population close to one billion, only four million judicial cases are filed annually.” The NCRI added: On December 18, 2007, Shahroudi also said, “It is unfortunate that currently eight million cases enter the judicial system annually, which results from more than 1,500 types of offenses outlined in Iranian legal codes.” Shahroudi stated that, in addition to these eight million cases, “currently, about four million cases are also overseen by councils formed to resolve disputes.” Thus, according to the regime’s head of Judiciary, the number of judicial cases in Iran is close to twelve million. This means that there are 50 times more judicial cases in Iran than in India, taking into consideration differences in population. In view of the fact that every judicial case involves at least two persons, this means that on average, an Iranian adult would face a judicial proceeding every two years. If we also assume that every Iranian family has about four members, then on average, every family is involved in more than one court case annually. The state-run daily, Sharq, quoted Shahroudi on April 24, 2004, as saying, “The head of the Judiciary, specified the number of court cases in the country to be in the range of four to five million annually, which is unprecedented in the world.” In other words, in less than three-and-a-half years (between 2004 and 2008), the number of court cases under the religious fascism’s rule have more than doubled. The creation of this number of cases and the cancerous bloating of the clerical judicial system is, first and foremost, indicative of the extent of the crimes, cruelty and rights abuses committed under the mullahs’ rule. In addition to hanging, stoning, torture, amputation of limbs, and other medieval punishments, the regime has found another way to instill fear in the society by entrapping Iranians in its dreadful judicial system.What is more interesting is Shahroudi’s posture on such an extensive political, social, and humanitarian catastrophe. He refers to them as if anything but the clerical regime and its criminal leaders including him are responsible for them.Previously, in a number of occasions, Shahroudi pretended to be critical of the judicial system. For example, in 2002, he “complained” that every year around 700-to-800-thousand people go to prisons. Moreover, in June 2004, he grumbled at a forty percent rise in the number of cases in the judicial system.In a lame comical performance, on a weekly basis, Shahroudi also personally spoke directly with the people and “looked into” a few cases himself!But, the reality is that Shahroudi has been the head of the mullahs’ judiciary for nearly nine years. Second to Khamenei, he is directly responsible for all the crimes committed by the system against people’s lives, rights, and properties.Last December, when Shahroudi was again talking about the creation of eight million annual judicial cases, he also proposed his solution, which in reality would amount to nothing but further suppression and crackdown. The state-run Fars News Agency reported on December 18, 2007, “Hashemi Shahroudi noted some of the cultural problems and said, ‘Encouraging those who abide by the values and teachings of Islam, such as the Islamic Hijab, at governmental and educational institutions and offices, and depriving those from such arenas that do not consider themselves bound by such values, can be a centralist solution influential for the strengthening commitment to these values.’” The Judicial Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran concluded no doubt, as long as the Iranian regime remains in power, such criminal behaviour would prevail. The only viable solution for the Iranian judicial system would undoubtedly come when this regime is no longer in power. And it would be replaced by a judicial system based on modern democratic and recognizable international principles of human rights and other known civilized norms.
The judiciary of the Iranian regime sentenced two women to death in Tehran, the VOA (Voice of America) news reported on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008. The women are Shahbanoo Nadam who has been in the notorious Evin prison for eleven years and Tayyebeh Hujjati who has been also in Evin prison for eight years.
******
Iranian regime hanged a young man named Javad Shojaii in the central city of Isfahan on Tuesday. He was 16 at the time of the alleged crime, state-run daily Etemad reported on Friday. The execution took place while human rights organizations had asked for annulment of his execution, but the clerical regime, heedless of these requests, carried out the execution. Currently there are at least 70 minors on death row in Iran, three of whom in Isfahan Prison, according to international organizations.
******
Judicial Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran announced in a statement on Feb. 28th, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the mullahs’ Judiciary, said on February 27, 2008, “The trend of legal cases in the Judiciary is overwhelming. The creation of eight million judicial cases during the past year signifies a legal and judicial malady as well as a serious harm to society.” He was speaking to a gathering in the southern province of Khuzestan, discussing the problems faced by the institution under his control. Shahroudi described the creation of eight million judicial cases in one year as a “fundamental problem,” and added, “In a country like India, with a population close to one billion, only four million judicial cases are filed annually.” The NCRI added: On December 18, 2007, Shahroudi also said, “It is unfortunate that currently eight million cases enter the judicial system annually, which results from more than 1,500 types of offenses outlined in Iranian legal codes.” Shahroudi stated that, in addition to these eight million cases, “currently, about four million cases are also overseen by councils formed to resolve disputes.” Thus, according to the regime’s head of Judiciary, the number of judicial cases in Iran is close to twelve million. This means that there are 50 times more judicial cases in Iran than in India, taking into consideration differences in population. In view of the fact that every judicial case involves at least two persons, this means that on average, an Iranian adult would face a judicial proceeding every two years. If we also assume that every Iranian family has about four members, then on average, every family is involved in more than one court case annually. The state-run daily, Sharq, quoted Shahroudi on April 24, 2004, as saying, “The head of the Judiciary, specified the number of court cases in the country to be in the range of four to five million annually, which is unprecedented in the world.” In other words, in less than three-and-a-half years (between 2004 and 2008), the number of court cases under the religious fascism’s rule have more than doubled. The creation of this number of cases and the cancerous bloating of the clerical judicial system is, first and foremost, indicative of the extent of the crimes, cruelty and rights abuses committed under the mullahs’ rule. In addition to hanging, stoning, torture, amputation of limbs, and other medieval punishments, the regime has found another way to instill fear in the society by entrapping Iranians in its dreadful judicial system.What is more interesting is Shahroudi’s posture on such an extensive political, social, and humanitarian catastrophe. He refers to them as if anything but the clerical regime and its criminal leaders including him are responsible for them.Previously, in a number of occasions, Shahroudi pretended to be critical of the judicial system. For example, in 2002, he “complained” that every year around 700-to-800-thousand people go to prisons. Moreover, in June 2004, he grumbled at a forty percent rise in the number of cases in the judicial system.In a lame comical performance, on a weekly basis, Shahroudi also personally spoke directly with the people and “looked into” a few cases himself!But, the reality is that Shahroudi has been the head of the mullahs’ judiciary for nearly nine years. Second to Khamenei, he is directly responsible for all the crimes committed by the system against people’s lives, rights, and properties.Last December, when Shahroudi was again talking about the creation of eight million annual judicial cases, he also proposed his solution, which in reality would amount to nothing but further suppression and crackdown. The state-run Fars News Agency reported on December 18, 2007, “Hashemi Shahroudi noted some of the cultural problems and said, ‘Encouraging those who abide by the values and teachings of Islam, such as the Islamic Hijab, at governmental and educational institutions and offices, and depriving those from such arenas that do not consider themselves bound by such values, can be a centralist solution influential for the strengthening commitment to these values.’” The Judicial Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran concluded no doubt, as long as the Iranian regime remains in power, such criminal behaviour would prevail. The only viable solution for the Iranian judicial system would undoubtedly come when this regime is no longer in power. And it would be replaced by a judicial system based on modern democratic and recognizable international principles of human rights and other known civilized norms.
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