NEWS))))))
British MPs asked for guarantee of Ashraf residents’ rights
A number of British MPs from the main three parties in British Parliament asked that the their government to call on the Iraqi and US governments to guarantee Ashraf residents’ rights according to the international law and to look into this issue as fast as possible.Andrew McKinley, Member of the British Parliament from the Labour Party said in his speech: 'Before the war started in Iraq, my friend Lord Corbett gave the coordinates of Camp Ashraf to the British government hoping that Ashraf residents are safe from bombardment, but it is not clear why they bombed Ashraf.'Brian Binley, the conservative MP from the House of Commons, referring to Muwaffaq al-Rubaie’s remarks regarding the limitations he has considered for Ashraf residents, said: ' Muwaffaq al-Rubaie’s remarks are more similar to those of a 20th century dictator and not to the present century’s. In my view, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie should not be in this position; he is more similar to a mullahs’ mercenary”.
ICJDA to Iraqi Prime Minister: Heart of the problem concerning the residents of Ashraf lies in Iraqi government’s commitments to international law and conventions
3/29/2009 12:20:49 PM
International Committee of Jurists in Defence of Ashraf26 March 2009Honourable Nuri al-MalikiPrime MinisterBaghdadRepublic of IraqDear Prime Minister,We write on behalf of 8,500 lawyers and jurists across Europe and North America, the International Committee of Jurists in Defence of Ashraf (ICJDA) who defend the rights of Camp Ashraf residents, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). We wish to bring to your attention some very crucial points about your remarks on Al-Iraqiya TV last night regarding the PMOI.We are quite confident that you have been misinformed. In a letter to you on 10 March, the ICJDA requested you in advance that, “In order to neutralize the plots of the regime against the residents of Ashraf and the Iraqi government, we urge you to order that all reports and information given to the Iraqi government which causes doubts about Ashraf and its residents be verified with the ICJDA or the residents of Ashraf. We also urge you to introduce a representative whom you trust so that the ICJDA or the residents of Ashraf could inform you about these kinds of fabrications or plots via this person.’1- Alleging that the PMOI was involved in “suppression of Friday prayers” in Iraq and “murder of many Kurds and Arabs” are absolutely false and simply sheer lies. The Iranian regime claims that the PMOI massacred 150,000 Shiites in southern Iraq in 1990s or ran over Kurds in Kirkuk and Suleimanieh by their tanks or opened fire on Shiites in Hekmat Mosque of Baghdad. It is worth noting that not a single member of the PMOI has ever been to that mosque in Baghdad. Also please note that the PMOI had no presence what so ever in Kirkuk, Suleimanieh or southern Iraq during the war over Kuwait. The documents and statements regarding the evacuation of PMOI camps and centers in northern and southern Iraq before the war on Kuwait, during and after the war had been provided to international bodies and jurists have sent many of these documents to judicial bodies and criminal courts in Iraq. To this end, I wish to refer you to letters on July 31 and October 14 of 2008 and January 14 of 2009.12,000 Iraqi jurists and lawyers also carried out thorough investigations over the Iranian regime’s claims and its disinformation campaign and published their findings three years ago in January 2006 in a statement signed by Iraqi jurists. They expressed their readines to bear witness in any court of justice (See enclosed New York Times, 21 April 2006).The testimony of the United Intifadieh Movement of Shaabania to the Special representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Iraq, Mr. Ashraf Qazi, on 29 May 2007 rejecting the same allegations is also enclosed.Also please find enclosed letter by H.E. Hushyar Zebari to a Dutch court on July 14, 1999, rejecting suppression of Kurdish population by the PMOI.2- Meanwhile, we informed you in our letter on 10 March 2009 saying, ’As the ICJDA has officially announced in various letters addressed to US officials, including Ambassador Crocker on 24 December 2007, David Sutterfield, the State Department’s senior adviser and coordinator on Iraq, on 7 March 2008, and to Iraqi officials, the PMOI is very happy to appear before any impartial court, including in Europe and the US to answer these charges. On 26 February 2008, Rt. Hon. Lord Slynn of Hadley GBE, a former UK Law Lord and judge at the European Court of Justice, requested on behalf of the residents of Ashraf for the ’International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission’, which is affiliated to the UN, to take up the matter’.3- The report submitted to you claiming that the PMOI is “currently involved in helping terrorist operations and the operations of the opponents” in Iraq is absolutely false and untrue. In response to similar remarks, General Caldwell rejected such a notion on 20 July 2006 and said, “The MEK is out at Ashraf in a secure military facility that the coalition forces, in fact, guard on a 24-by-7 basis. They’re under continuous surveillance and control. Their future status does need to be eventually determined, but currently, they’re not operating within the country of Iraq. They’re in a fenced-in facility,… and there is quite a few coalition forces that are there continuously guarding that facility to make sure they in fact are not allowed access out of it, and if it is, it’s a controlled access, where they are in fact are escorted the entire time.”4- In addition, the ICJDA was informed that on Wednesday morning, 25 March 2009, the residents of Ashraf handed a document to the representative of your government, Mr. Salim, for your personal attention. The document contained a comprehensive solution “to end any tension and crisis over the issue of Ashraf” while “respecting the Iraqi government’s sovereignty.” The document which was prepared before your recent remarks concluded, “Notification: Representative of Ashraf residents insisted that, on behalf of Ashraf residents and their leaders in Ashraf and outside Iraq, be recorded and emphasized in this Memorandum of Understanding their feelings and believes that they considerthemselves beside the government and the people of Iraq in their hardship and joy in the path of a secure, stable, democratic, powerful and independent Iraq, and aligned with the ‘Government of Law’ that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has set before his eyes.”5- But at the heart of the problem concerning the residents of Ashraf lies the Iraqi government’s commitments to international law and conventions. In December 2008, the White House, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. embassy in Baghdad stated that your government had submitted written guarantees to respect the rights of Ashraf residents. But on February 28, in a meeting with the Iraqi President, the religious dictator of Iran called for the implementation of a “bilateral agreement” to expel the PMOI from Iraq and said, “It is expected that you and the Iraqi Prime Minister Mr. al-Maliki seriously pursue the bilateral agreements and understandings ... The bilateral agreement on the expulsion of the Monafeghin [the regime’s slanderous term to describe the PMOI] from Iraq must be implemented and we are awaiting this’. He also described the PMOI as ’a source of trouble and corruption’, and strongly protested the removal of the PMOI from Europe’s terrorist list’.Your Excellency do agree that any bilateral agreement that violates the guarantees given the world community by the Iraqi government is null and void and unlawful. Thus, the ICJDA expects you to endorse in any manner you deem appropriate the status and the legal rights of the Ashraf residents in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention and the International Humanitarian Law.6- We also urge you to call for an end to repeated remarks and statements by the National Security Advisor Mr. Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie on the expulsion and forced displacement of Ashraf residents. Article 7 of the statute of the International Criminal Court of the Hague considers “Deportation or forcible transfer of population” as a “crime against humanity” and reiterates, “Deportation or forcible transfer of population means forced displacement of the persons concerned by expulsion or other coercive acts …… ’7- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in its letter of 20 March 2007; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in a letter on 6 March 2007; and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in the article 45 of its report covering April 1 to June 30 of 2007 state that the residents of Camp Ashraf must not be deported, expelled or repatriated…. Or displaced inside Iraq in violation of the relevant provisions of International Humanitarian Law.8- Repeated emphasis on a terrorist label against the PMOI to justify suppression of Ashraf residents and pressures as well as restrictions against them is an depleted method, lacking legal legitimacy and is unacceptable. The era of using terror label to justify violations of fundamental rights and freedoms and suppression of political opponents has come to its end particularly when six years ago the PMOI voluntarily handed over all their weapons and military equipment to the coalition forces who liberated Iraq (CENTCOM statements on 10 and 17 May of 2003). Seven European court rulings also annulled terrorist designation of the PMOI and the European Union removed the PMOI from its terrorist list last January. It should be noted that the PMOI has never been designated as a terrorist entity by the United Nations and the Security Council resolutions.9- The United States that still maintains the terror designation against the PMOI has a different assessment of Ashraf residents who have all denounced violence and terrorism and have handed over all their military equipment. Following 16 months of screening of every single one of the residents of Ashraf, the U.S. government and the Multi-National Force-Iraq acknowledged their status as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention and senior American officials announced that they found no basis to charge any of them (New York Times, July 27, 2004). Thus, the terror label against Ashrafresidents can no longer be used by the Iraqi government in any way and employing this label is seen by the international community as a means to please the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.10- Protection of Ashraf residents becomes even more obligatory under the RtoP agreement which makes the protection of populations against crimes such as crime against humanity, war crime or genocide, an international duty. In July 2008, the UN Secretary General said, “RtoP is an ally of sovereignty, not an adversary. RtoP seeks to strengthen sovereignty, not weaken it.” This is exactly what we are facing in Iraq. The Iranian regime is trying to eliminate Ashraf residents in a bid to get rid of its opposition on one hand and to undermine the authority of the Iraqi government by increasing meddling in that country on the other.11- In view of the pressures by the Iranian regime on the Iraqi government over the state of the Ashraf residents, the ICJDA as well as the International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ) strongly believe that it would be better if the U.S. forces took over the responsibilty of protection of Ashraf residents like in previous years within the framework of SOFA agreement. In a letter to President Obama, the President of the International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ), which comprises 2,000 Parliamentarians, wrote: ’Consistent with the international obligations of the United States and in the framework of the Right to Protection (RTOP) as well as based on the obligations arising from the agreement between the residents of Ashraf and the U.S. forces, the protection of Ashraf residents is the responsibility of the U.S. forces. I therefore ask you to ensure that the U.S. forces guarantee the protection of Ashraf residents and restore the pre-January 2009 situation, when the U.S. forces were protecting the residents of Ashraf.’(15 March 2009)Dear Prime Minister,If the U.S. forces took over the responsibility of Ashraf protection an imminent human catastrophe could be prevented especially following the February 28 remarks by Khamenei. This would also release your government from pressures by the Iranian regime over Camp Ashraf. No one is seeking to tarnish the image of the new Iraqi government before the eyes of international community over Ashraf crisis.If you do not find the current circumstances appropriate enough to remain committed in practice to the guarantees given to the United States and also to accept the comprehensive solution offered by Ashraf residents to the Iraqi government, we then wish to ask you please hand over the responsibility of Ashraf protection to the U.S. forces.Considering contradictory and confusing remarks by various Iraqi officials, especially by Iraq’s National Security Advisor, we would appreciate very much if you could explicitly announce which Iraqi official represents your government’s position over the issue of Camp Ashraf and whose remarks should be considered credible over this matter by judicial and international authorities.Thank you for your esteemed attention.Yours sincerely,International Committee of Jurists in Defence of AshrafFrançois Serrescc:Hon. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of StateHon. Robert Gates, Secretary of DefenceGen. Raymond T. Odierno, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-IraqHon. Patricia A. Butenis, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, U.S. Embassy, BaghdadHon. Michael Corbin, Minister-Counselor, U.S. Embassy, BaghdadGen. David Quantock, Deputy Commanding General, Multi-National Force-IraqHon. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United NationsHon. Navanethem Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsHon. Antonio Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesHon. Jakob Kellenberger, President, International Committee of the Red CrossHon. Irene Khan, General Secretary, Amnesty InternationalHon. Souhayr Belhassen, President of FIDH
12 women activists arrested in Tehran
Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement on March 27th that on March 26, the mullahs’ suppressive agents arrested 12 women’s rights activists on Sohrevardi Street in Tehran. They were arrested on their way to the homes of some political prisoners as part of Iranian New Year, Nowrouz, traditions. The women activists had plans to visit the mourning mother of Dr. Zahra Bani Yaqoub who was mysteriously murdered by the State Security Forces (SSF)-mullahs’ suppressive police-- while in their custody. The group was transferred to notorious Evin prison. According to the families, the female detainees included, Khadijeh Moqadam, Farkhondeh Ehtesabian, Delaram Ali, Leila Nazari, Mahboubeh Karami, Shahla Forouzanfar, Soraya Yousefi and Bahareh Bahrevan. Male activists who were arrested included, Ali Abdi, Amir Rashidi, Mohammad Shourab, Arash Nasiri Eqbali. Ms. Sarvnaz Chitsaz, Chair of the NCRI’s Women’s Committee, condemned these arrests and said, “The clerical regime in its final stage, feared of the increasing public hatred especially by women, cannot tolerate even the most basic activities such as traditional Nowrouz. The regime is determined to stop the spread of protests at all costs. Ms. Chitsaz called on all human rights organization and in particular the women’s rights groups to adopt urgent measures to free the detainees.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
NEWS))))))
’Friends of a Free Iran’ condemns the abuse of Ashraf residents ordered by Iraq’s National Security Advisor
Press release Brussels,
16 March 2009
Friends of a Free Iran intergroup in the European Parliament (FOFI) strongly condemns the abuse of Ashraf residents ordered by the Iraqi National Security Adviser Mr Mowaffaq al-Rubaie. Ashraf City is the historic home of 3500 members of the main Iranian democratic opposition, PMOI (MEK). On Sunday 15 March 2009, a group of Iraqi forces at the gates of Ashraf, without any justification, attacked two of the residents, Abdol-Ali Mohammadi and Noureddin Navid, with electric batons and attempted to handcuff them, but with the arrival of US forces at the scene, were forced to release them.This is the latest in a spate of occurrences following a week-long trip to Iraq by the regime’s former President and the head of the Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who demanded the expulsion of the PMOI from Iraq and the closure of Camp Ashraf.Following Rafsanjani’s trip, the Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told the regime’s Arabic-language television station al-Alam on 8 March: ’We have a clear and precise policy regarding the expulsion of this terrorist organisation from Iraq and returning the residents of Camp Ashraf to Iran and or a third country. ... These individuals have been brainwashed and we must liberate them from this poison. When we carry out a process of detoxification, if this assumption is correct, this act will at first be painful. There is no alternative than to begin this painful act.” These remarks are an affirmation of a war crime and crimes against humanity which clearly jeopardise the lives of the 3,500 residents of Ashraf. Iraqi forces on 13 March, using force and aggression, surrounded one of the buildings in Ashraf, demanding the evacuation of hundreds of its mainly-female residents. Iraqi forces have openly told the people in Ashraf that even if 40 of the residents are killed, they will take over this building.
Rallies in support of Ashraf residents
Iranians in London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Geneva, Washington and Ottawa staged protests in front of Iraqi embassies condemning the surrounding of Ashraf City, and imposition of restrictions and pressures dictated by the clerical regime in Tehran. Last week in Ottawa tens of Iranians gathered in front of the Iraqi embassy to show their outrage at Iraqi National Security Adviser Mr Mowaffaq al-Rubaie who ordered the attack on the Ashraf residents in Iraq. They chanted Rubaie is a agent of Iran, take him to justice. On Monday the organizers will stage another protest in front of the Iraqi embassy for the second time.
Iran blogger jailed for Khamenei insult dies
A young Iranian blogger jailed in Tehran's notorious Evin prison for insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died, his lawyer told Associated France Press on Thursday. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said that although there is not yet an official report about the death on Wednesday of Omid Mir Sayafi, "officials in the prison said that he committed suicide."He demanded "an immediate inquiry and an autopsy into why he died." The blogger, aged around 25, was sentenced in February to 30 months in jail for insulting Khamenei and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic. Sayafi was first arrested in April last year and released on bail after 41 days before being detained again this year. Iran has launched a crackdown on bloggers and Internet users deemed to be hostile to the authorities and their Islamic values.
’Friends of a Free Iran’ condemns the abuse of Ashraf residents ordered by Iraq’s National Security Advisor
Press release Brussels,
16 March 2009
Friends of a Free Iran intergroup in the European Parliament (FOFI) strongly condemns the abuse of Ashraf residents ordered by the Iraqi National Security Adviser Mr Mowaffaq al-Rubaie. Ashraf City is the historic home of 3500 members of the main Iranian democratic opposition, PMOI (MEK). On Sunday 15 March 2009, a group of Iraqi forces at the gates of Ashraf, without any justification, attacked two of the residents, Abdol-Ali Mohammadi and Noureddin Navid, with electric batons and attempted to handcuff them, but with the arrival of US forces at the scene, were forced to release them.This is the latest in a spate of occurrences following a week-long trip to Iraq by the regime’s former President and the head of the Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who demanded the expulsion of the PMOI from Iraq and the closure of Camp Ashraf.Following Rafsanjani’s trip, the Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told the regime’s Arabic-language television station al-Alam on 8 March: ’We have a clear and precise policy regarding the expulsion of this terrorist organisation from Iraq and returning the residents of Camp Ashraf to Iran and or a third country. ... These individuals have been brainwashed and we must liberate them from this poison. When we carry out a process of detoxification, if this assumption is correct, this act will at first be painful. There is no alternative than to begin this painful act.” These remarks are an affirmation of a war crime and crimes against humanity which clearly jeopardise the lives of the 3,500 residents of Ashraf. Iraqi forces on 13 March, using force and aggression, surrounded one of the buildings in Ashraf, demanding the evacuation of hundreds of its mainly-female residents. Iraqi forces have openly told the people in Ashraf that even if 40 of the residents are killed, they will take over this building.
Rallies in support of Ashraf residents
Iranians in London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Geneva, Washington and Ottawa staged protests in front of Iraqi embassies condemning the surrounding of Ashraf City, and imposition of restrictions and pressures dictated by the clerical regime in Tehran. Last week in Ottawa tens of Iranians gathered in front of the Iraqi embassy to show their outrage at Iraqi National Security Adviser Mr Mowaffaq al-Rubaie who ordered the attack on the Ashraf residents in Iraq. They chanted Rubaie is a agent of Iran, take him to justice. On Monday the organizers will stage another protest in front of the Iraqi embassy for the second time.
Iran blogger jailed for Khamenei insult dies
A young Iranian blogger jailed in Tehran's notorious Evin prison for insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died, his lawyer told Associated France Press on Thursday. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said that although there is not yet an official report about the death on Wednesday of Omid Mir Sayafi, "officials in the prison said that he committed suicide."He demanded "an immediate inquiry and an autopsy into why he died." The blogger, aged around 25, was sentenced in February to 30 months in jail for insulting Khamenei and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic. Sayafi was first arrested in April last year and released on bail after 41 days before being detained again this year. Iran has launched a crackdown on bloggers and Internet users deemed to be hostile to the authorities and their Islamic values.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Happy New Year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IehAzUeOPGQ
NOWROOZ OR IRANIAN NEW YEAR
In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the Iranian New Year Celebration, or Norooz, always begins on the first day of spring. Norooz ceremonies are symbolic representations of two ancient concepts - the End and the Rebirth; or Good and Evil. A few weeks before the New Year, Iranians clean and rearrange their homes. They make new clothes, bake pastries and germinate seeds as sign of renewal. The ceremonial cloth is set up in each household. Troubadours, referred to as Haji Firuz, disguise themselves with makeup and wear brightly colored outfits of satin. These Haji Firuz, singing and dancing, parade as a carnival through the streets with tambourines, kettle drums, and trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming new year. A few days prior to the New Year, a special cover is spread on the Persian carpet or on a table in every Persian household in and outside Iran. This ceremonial table is called cloth of seven dishes, or Haft seen (each one beginning with the Persian letter Sinn or S in English). The number seven has been sacred in Iran since the ancient times, and the seven dishes stand for the seven angelic heralds of life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience, and beauty.The symbolic dishes consist of: -Sabzeh or sprouts, usually wheat or lentil representing rebirth.-Samanu is a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding and represents the ultimate sophistication of Persian cooking.-Seeb or apple and represents health and beauty.-Senjed the sweet dry fruit of the Lotus tree, represents love. It has been said that when lotus tree is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else.-Seer which is garlic in Farsi, represents medicine.-Somaq sumac berries, represent the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil.-Serkeh or vinegar, represents age and patience.To reconfirm all hopes and wishes expressed by the traditional foods, other elements and symbols are also on the sofreh):. a few coins placed on the Sofreh represent prosperity and wealth;. a basket of painted eggs represents fertility.. a Seville orange floating in a bowl of water represents the earth floating in space.. a goldfish in a bowl represents life and the end of astral year-picas; a flask of rose water known for its magical cleansing power, is also included on the tablecloth. Nearby is a brazier for burning wild rue, a sacred herb whose smoldering fumes ward off evil spirits. A pot of flowering hyacinth or narcissus is also set on the sofreh.A mirror which represents the images and reflections of Creation.A book that represents knowledge. For some a Persian poetry and for others Koran, Bible etc inside the book is a few paper money crisp and new to give to children as gifts.On either side of the mirror are two candlesticks holding a flickering candle for each child in the family. The candles represent enlightenment and happiness.This year the Persian New Year falls on Friday March 20, 2007 at exactly 7:43:39am (Ottawa time)
HAPPY NOWROOZ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IehAzUeOPGQ
NOWROOZ OR IRANIAN NEW YEAR
In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the Iranian New Year Celebration, or Norooz, always begins on the first day of spring. Norooz ceremonies are symbolic representations of two ancient concepts - the End and the Rebirth; or Good and Evil. A few weeks before the New Year, Iranians clean and rearrange their homes. They make new clothes, bake pastries and germinate seeds as sign of renewal. The ceremonial cloth is set up in each household. Troubadours, referred to as Haji Firuz, disguise themselves with makeup and wear brightly colored outfits of satin. These Haji Firuz, singing and dancing, parade as a carnival through the streets with tambourines, kettle drums, and trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming new year. A few days prior to the New Year, a special cover is spread on the Persian carpet or on a table in every Persian household in and outside Iran. This ceremonial table is called cloth of seven dishes, or Haft seen (each one beginning with the Persian letter Sinn or S in English). The number seven has been sacred in Iran since the ancient times, and the seven dishes stand for the seven angelic heralds of life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience, and beauty.The symbolic dishes consist of: -Sabzeh or sprouts, usually wheat or lentil representing rebirth.-Samanu is a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding and represents the ultimate sophistication of Persian cooking.-Seeb or apple and represents health and beauty.-Senjed the sweet dry fruit of the Lotus tree, represents love. It has been said that when lotus tree is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else.-Seer which is garlic in Farsi, represents medicine.-Somaq sumac berries, represent the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil.-Serkeh or vinegar, represents age and patience.To reconfirm all hopes and wishes expressed by the traditional foods, other elements and symbols are also on the sofreh):. a few coins placed on the Sofreh represent prosperity and wealth;. a basket of painted eggs represents fertility.. a Seville orange floating in a bowl of water represents the earth floating in space.. a goldfish in a bowl represents life and the end of astral year-picas; a flask of rose water known for its magical cleansing power, is also included on the tablecloth. Nearby is a brazier for burning wild rue, a sacred herb whose smoldering fumes ward off evil spirits. A pot of flowering hyacinth or narcissus is also set on the sofreh.A mirror which represents the images and reflections of Creation.A book that represents knowledge. For some a Persian poetry and for others Koran, Bible etc inside the book is a few paper money crisp and new to give to children as gifts.On either side of the mirror are two candlesticks holding a flickering candle for each child in the family. The candles represent enlightenment and happiness.This year the Persian New Year falls on Friday March 20, 2007 at exactly 7:43:39am (Ottawa time)
HAPPY NOWROOZ
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy charshanbe soori
please watch:
March 18, 2008, the Iranian national celebration of Chahar Shanbeh Suri, last Tuesday of Iranian Calender yearLast 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 Soori 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.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
NEWS))))))
Following remarks by Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, during his meeting with the Iraqi President on February 28 calling for implementation of a bilateral agreement to expel the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) from Iraq, and pursuant to a week-long visit to Iraq by Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Iranian regime’s Expediency Council and a former president, the office of Iraq’s National Security Advisor issued a categorically false and misleading statement last night claiming, “The leaders of Camp Ashraf have refused to allow a committee from the Ministry of Human Rights to conduct its duty to establish the residents’ choice to return to Iran or leave for a third country.” The statement added, “The leaders of the camp also exercised their hegemony and control and deprived the residents of the camp the freedom of returning to Iran or to choose a third country.” The statement said, “The government will not back away from its decision to close the camp.”These entirely false claims are part of a new plot against the residents of Ashraf and at the same time a cover-up for recent unlawful positions and measures by Iraq’s National Security Advisor against Ashraf residents which have aroused widespread protests by the international community. The truth is that the residents of Ashraf and its officials have extended their full cooperation to an Iraqi delegation which apparently wanted to interview the residents. Ashraf camp’s officials prepared buildings and premises for interviews at a location desired by the delegation. On February 25 and 26 the delegation privately interviewed 182 of the residents without the presence of any other members of the PMOI without any problem. US military officers were present in most of the interview sessions. The International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as UNAMI, were also aware of the interviews.But it seems that the Iraqi security official who had been angered by Ashraf residents’ insistence on their legitimate rights, decided to discontinue the interviews without any pre-notification following Khamenei’s February 28 remarks and now the office of the National Security Advisor is distorting the facts to meet with its commitments to the clerical regime in Iran. The American and Iraqi officials stationed in Ashraf and relevant international organizations are aware of continuous inquiries by Ashraf residents about the resumption of the interviews. The Iranian Resistance warns that such actions prepare the grounds for a human tragedy, and calls on all international organizations and specially the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNAMI to be present in Ashraf and to neutralize the conspiracies dictated by the Iranian regime.The Iranian Resistance also calls for the guaranteed protection of Ashraf residents by US forces according to the US Government’s international obligations, and calls for a return to the circumstances prior to January 2009Secretariat of the National.
Council of Resistance of IranMarch 14, 2009
Marivan scene of popular unrest
NCRI said in a statement that widespread protests of citizens entered its fourth consecutive day in the north western city of Marivan Thursday. The mullahs’ suppressive security forces tried to quell the popular protests over border crossing for trade purposes. Many local residents trade with merchants on the other side of the border with Iraq’s Kurdistan. Marivan’s bazaar has been closed during protests. Units of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), members of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and other security forces have imposed an undeclared martial law in the city. The security forces attempt to force open the shuttered shops. However, the local shopkeepers resist the move and stay away from their businesses.According to reports at least 15 people have been arrested by the MOIS agents in the city.
Iranian shelling kills Kurdish child on Iraq border: mayor
Iranian shelling of Kurdish border villages in northern Iraq left one child dead, a local official told AFP on Wednesday.’Iranian artillery bombarded border villages on Tuesday evening killing a child and wounding his parents,’ said Azad Wassu, mayor of Zarawa, 100 miles northeast of the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah.’The bombardment lasted nearly two hours... and targeted the villages of Rezka, Mara and Duwu,’ he said.
A man stoned to death in northern Iran
A 30-year-old man identified as Vali Azad was stoned to death in the Lakan prison yard in the northern city of Rasht, according to National Council of Iran Resistance sources. A local judge named Kashani presiding in the 11th branch of the mullahs’ court in Northern Province of Gilan ordered the stoning. The ruling was implemented secretly in a remote area of the prison with presence of a few prison officials. The authorities refuse to turn over the body to the family of the victim.
Five prisoners hanged in Zahedan and Isfahan
Five prisoners were hanged in Isfahan and Zahedan state-run media reports said on Monday. The mullahs’ regime hanged four prisoners without indentifying them in the south eastern city of Zahedan, reported the official news agency IRNA. The other prisoner identified as Mostafa M., 34, was hanged in prison on Sunday in the central city of Isfahan.
700 women celebrated International Women’s Day in Mashhad
700 women gathered outside Melat Park in the city of Mashhad to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday. They chanted slogans in support of freedom of women in the country. The mullahs’ suppressive security forces were dispatched to the Azadi Square across from the Melat Park to disperse the demonstrators. At one point the security forces attacked the women participants and they fought back with bricks and stones. Fifty women were arrested by the mullahs’ police and transferred to an unknown location.
Hundreds rallied in cemetery to protest against 1988 massacre of political prisoners
Hundreds of family members of the 1988 massacred political prisoners by Khomeini’s order gathered in Khavaran Cemetery on occasion of the last Friday of the year (Persian calendar) and while chanting protesting shouting, they rallied and expressed their anger against the clerical regime.This ceremony was held while the State Security Force (SSF) agents and plain clothes agents has surrounded the cemetery.
Shoe thrown at Iranian president
UPI, Urumiye, Iran, March 6, 2009 -- Iranian bloggers report that President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad became the target of a hurled shoe this week as he traveled through the city of Urumiye.While newspapers and broadcasters ignored the story, the word in the photosphere was that the president’s security guards failed to find the shoe-thrower, The Guardian reports. Ahamdinejad was reported to be traveling in an open car to deliver a speech in the northwestern city.Among Muslims, shoe-throwing is considered a deadly insult, and the Iraqi journalist who threw both his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush, who ducked, became a hero in much of the Middle East, including Iran. The practice was also taken up by demonstrators in Iceland and other countries.
Iranians keep rallying outside the White House to defend Ashraf residents’ rights The 41st day of demonstration of Iranians and families of Ashraf residents was held outside the White House in Washington on Thursday, March 12. In this demonstration representatives of the Iranian communities in Europe and the United States participated. The demonstrators rallied and chanted slogans condemning the clerical dictatorship’s pressures on Ashraf and Khamenei’s remarks against Ashraf residents.The solidarity messages of the Iranian Community for Democracy and Freedom in Oslo and the Iranian community in Netherland were read out.In another demonstration outside the White House on Friday, March 12, the Iranians protested against restrictions and limitations imposed on Ashraf residents following brazenly remarks of Khamenei against Ashraf and asked for guaranteed of Ashraf residents’ rights according to international laws and obligations.The solidarity messages of Ashraf residents’ families in the US and the Iranian community in northern Virginia were read out.
Eight prisoners hanged in Zahedan and Shiraz
NCRI - Four prisoners indentified as Noor-Mohammad Ismailzehi, Mujeb-al-Rahman Kurd, Babak Kurd and Mohammad Khan-Hosseini were hanged in the southeastern city of Zahedan, reported the semi-official daily Jomhouri-Islami on March 14. Four other prisoners were hanged without being identified in the southern city of Shiraz, reported the state-run daily Etemaad on Saturday. All the prisoners were men aged between 23 and 26.
Following remarks by Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, during his meeting with the Iraqi President on February 28 calling for implementation of a bilateral agreement to expel the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) from Iraq, and pursuant to a week-long visit to Iraq by Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Iranian regime’s Expediency Council and a former president, the office of Iraq’s National Security Advisor issued a categorically false and misleading statement last night claiming, “The leaders of Camp Ashraf have refused to allow a committee from the Ministry of Human Rights to conduct its duty to establish the residents’ choice to return to Iran or leave for a third country.” The statement added, “The leaders of the camp also exercised their hegemony and control and deprived the residents of the camp the freedom of returning to Iran or to choose a third country.” The statement said, “The government will not back away from its decision to close the camp.”These entirely false claims are part of a new plot against the residents of Ashraf and at the same time a cover-up for recent unlawful positions and measures by Iraq’s National Security Advisor against Ashraf residents which have aroused widespread protests by the international community. The truth is that the residents of Ashraf and its officials have extended their full cooperation to an Iraqi delegation which apparently wanted to interview the residents. Ashraf camp’s officials prepared buildings and premises for interviews at a location desired by the delegation. On February 25 and 26 the delegation privately interviewed 182 of the residents without the presence of any other members of the PMOI without any problem. US military officers were present in most of the interview sessions. The International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as UNAMI, were also aware of the interviews.But it seems that the Iraqi security official who had been angered by Ashraf residents’ insistence on their legitimate rights, decided to discontinue the interviews without any pre-notification following Khamenei’s February 28 remarks and now the office of the National Security Advisor is distorting the facts to meet with its commitments to the clerical regime in Iran. The American and Iraqi officials stationed in Ashraf and relevant international organizations are aware of continuous inquiries by Ashraf residents about the resumption of the interviews. The Iranian Resistance warns that such actions prepare the grounds for a human tragedy, and calls on all international organizations and specially the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNAMI to be present in Ashraf and to neutralize the conspiracies dictated by the Iranian regime.The Iranian Resistance also calls for the guaranteed protection of Ashraf residents by US forces according to the US Government’s international obligations, and calls for a return to the circumstances prior to January 2009Secretariat of the National.
Council of Resistance of IranMarch 14, 2009
Marivan scene of popular unrest
NCRI said in a statement that widespread protests of citizens entered its fourth consecutive day in the north western city of Marivan Thursday. The mullahs’ suppressive security forces tried to quell the popular protests over border crossing for trade purposes. Many local residents trade with merchants on the other side of the border with Iraq’s Kurdistan. Marivan’s bazaar has been closed during protests. Units of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), members of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and other security forces have imposed an undeclared martial law in the city. The security forces attempt to force open the shuttered shops. However, the local shopkeepers resist the move and stay away from their businesses.According to reports at least 15 people have been arrested by the MOIS agents in the city.
Iranian shelling kills Kurdish child on Iraq border: mayor
Iranian shelling of Kurdish border villages in northern Iraq left one child dead, a local official told AFP on Wednesday.’Iranian artillery bombarded border villages on Tuesday evening killing a child and wounding his parents,’ said Azad Wassu, mayor of Zarawa, 100 miles northeast of the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah.’The bombardment lasted nearly two hours... and targeted the villages of Rezka, Mara and Duwu,’ he said.
A man stoned to death in northern Iran
A 30-year-old man identified as Vali Azad was stoned to death in the Lakan prison yard in the northern city of Rasht, according to National Council of Iran Resistance sources. A local judge named Kashani presiding in the 11th branch of the mullahs’ court in Northern Province of Gilan ordered the stoning. The ruling was implemented secretly in a remote area of the prison with presence of a few prison officials. The authorities refuse to turn over the body to the family of the victim.
Five prisoners hanged in Zahedan and Isfahan
Five prisoners were hanged in Isfahan and Zahedan state-run media reports said on Monday. The mullahs’ regime hanged four prisoners without indentifying them in the south eastern city of Zahedan, reported the official news agency IRNA. The other prisoner identified as Mostafa M., 34, was hanged in prison on Sunday in the central city of Isfahan.
700 women celebrated International Women’s Day in Mashhad
700 women gathered outside Melat Park in the city of Mashhad to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday. They chanted slogans in support of freedom of women in the country. The mullahs’ suppressive security forces were dispatched to the Azadi Square across from the Melat Park to disperse the demonstrators. At one point the security forces attacked the women participants and they fought back with bricks and stones. Fifty women were arrested by the mullahs’ police and transferred to an unknown location.
Hundreds rallied in cemetery to protest against 1988 massacre of political prisoners
Hundreds of family members of the 1988 massacred political prisoners by Khomeini’s order gathered in Khavaran Cemetery on occasion of the last Friday of the year (Persian calendar) and while chanting protesting shouting, they rallied and expressed their anger against the clerical regime.This ceremony was held while the State Security Force (SSF) agents and plain clothes agents has surrounded the cemetery.
Shoe thrown at Iranian president
UPI, Urumiye, Iran, March 6, 2009 -- Iranian bloggers report that President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad became the target of a hurled shoe this week as he traveled through the city of Urumiye.While newspapers and broadcasters ignored the story, the word in the photosphere was that the president’s security guards failed to find the shoe-thrower, The Guardian reports. Ahamdinejad was reported to be traveling in an open car to deliver a speech in the northwestern city.Among Muslims, shoe-throwing is considered a deadly insult, and the Iraqi journalist who threw both his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush, who ducked, became a hero in much of the Middle East, including Iran. The practice was also taken up by demonstrators in Iceland and other countries.
Iranians keep rallying outside the White House to defend Ashraf residents’ rights The 41st day of demonstration of Iranians and families of Ashraf residents was held outside the White House in Washington on Thursday, March 12. In this demonstration representatives of the Iranian communities in Europe and the United States participated. The demonstrators rallied and chanted slogans condemning the clerical dictatorship’s pressures on Ashraf and Khamenei’s remarks against Ashraf residents.The solidarity messages of the Iranian Community for Democracy and Freedom in Oslo and the Iranian community in Netherland were read out.In another demonstration outside the White House on Friday, March 12, the Iranians protested against restrictions and limitations imposed on Ashraf residents following brazenly remarks of Khamenei against Ashraf and asked for guaranteed of Ashraf residents’ rights according to international laws and obligations.The solidarity messages of Ashraf residents’ families in the US and the Iranian community in northern Virginia were read out.
Eight prisoners hanged in Zahedan and Shiraz
NCRI - Four prisoners indentified as Noor-Mohammad Ismailzehi, Mujeb-al-Rahman Kurd, Babak Kurd and Mohammad Khan-Hosseini were hanged in the southeastern city of Zahedan, reported the semi-official daily Jomhouri-Islami on March 14. Four other prisoners were hanged without being identified in the southern city of Shiraz, reported the state-run daily Etemaad on Saturday. All the prisoners were men aged between 23 and 26.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Monday, March 02, 2009
NEWS))))))
The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran on Feb. 27tha stated that the ruling mullahs’ regime has increased its suppression of women in a bid to prevent the rise of protest acts by Iranian women.In the city of Sanandaj, the regime’s agents flogged two female labour activists, identified as Sousan Zazani and Shiva Kheirabadi. They were arrested on allegations of participating in International Labour Day demonstrations. The insolence towards these women has led to widespread anger among the people of Sanandaj against the clerical regime. During the past several days, in the course of the courageous student protests at Tehran’s Polytechnic University, at least 30 female students have been arrested and taken to prison by the regime. There is no information regarding the fate of some of the detainees.Women activists and female students in various Iranian universities, who are at the forefront of anti-government protests, have always been subjected to suppression by the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and other oppressive organs. Over the three decades of the mullahs’ rule, female students have been the subject of suspension from education, expulsion from university, arrest, and pressure and torture in the regime’s dungeons.Mistreatment of and disrespect towards Iranian women under the pretext of “mal-veiling” is also ongoing in various Iranian cities. In Gorgan and Qazvin, the regime’s agents have subjected thousands of women to public interrogations under the pretext of “the Guidance and Warning Scheme.” On February 21, 2009, state-run media outlets reported that the first phase of this suppressive measure has been completed.Ms. Sarvnaz Chitsaz, Chair of the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, condemned the suppression and intimidation of women especially on the brink of the International Women’s Day, and drew the attention of international women’s rights and human rights organizations to the violation of women’s rights in Iran. To that end, she called on all international human rights organizations as well as all international women’s rights organizations and associations to adopt immediate and binding measures aimed at guaranteeing respect for the minimum human rights of Iranian women.
Hundreds of Polytechnic University students protest
National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement on Tuesday that hundreds of Polytechnic University students protested for the second day in row against burying remains of five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) left from 1980-88 war with Iraq on the campus.Students chanted anti-government slogans when they were attacked by the plain-cloths agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and members of paramilitary Bassij students dispatched from other Tehran’s school to help quell the protests. 'Death to dictator,' 'We don’t want a fascist regime' shouted the students when they were beaten by security forces. Twenty-five students were arrested and transferred in police vans to unknown locations despite attempts by their fellow classmates to get them released.Twenty years after the end of the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war the remains of IRGC soldiers are being buried in Iranian universities.NCRI’s statement added: It all began with the notion of preserving the idea of what the mullahs called the 'culture of fighting in fronts' for new generations.On October 26, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s office announced that he will be present at burial site in Teachers Training School in Tehran to witness the burial ceremony for the remains of three fallen IRGC men.
Unprecedented suppressive measures against university students in Tehran During anti-government demonstration of more than 1500 students of Tehran’s Polytechnic University on Monday, the agents of the clerical regime attacked them with knives and knuckle-dusters in the most unprecedented suppressive measures against the students, Amir-Kabir, a student newsletter reported from Iran. More than 60 students were injured and about 20 of them were transferred to hospital; some injured students are in critical condition. During this brutal attack more than 120 students, including 30 female students, were arrested and transferred to prison.According to reports, the agents of Intelligence Ministry (MOIS) attacked brutally the homes of some of the Polytechnic University students and arrested a number of them. Ahmad Qassaban, Nariman Mostafavi, Mehdi Mashayekhi, and Abbas Hakimzadeh are among the detainees; no information is available of the fate of other arrested students.
Iranian Intelligence agents murdered a 16-yr after sever torture
Agents of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MIOS) murdered a 16-yr juvenile after brutal tortures in the city of Maku (north western of Iran) yesterday.The juvenile was named Behzad Golmohammadi who was arrested at Iran-Turkey border area by the MOIS agents without any charge. After brutal tortures on him, the regime’s agents broke his arm and leg and then opened fire at him; they left his body on the snow.When Behzad’s family referred to the Intelligence office, they were machine-gunned by the MOIS agents and two of them were injured. The injured persons were transferred to a hospital in Mahabad.
Iraq’s Tribal Council reject Rafsanjani’s visit to Iraq
Iraq’s Tribal Council announced its opposition to Hashemi Rafsanjani’s visit to Iraq that is to be done next week, reported Asharqiya TV.The Council reiterated in its statement that Rafsanjani is the one who directly conducted the military operations during Iran-Iraq war and has been involved in killing the people of Iraq. Also, during his era, the Iraqi POWs were under systematic torture and Iraqi citizens were murdered, and therefore the social forces and Iraqi nationalist tribes oppose this visit and request not to meet with him during his visit.
Iranian teachers’ widespread strike across the country
The Iranian teachers staged widespread strikes in various provinces of the country including Kermanshah and Fars.In Kermanshah, the teachers of primary, and secondary schools refrained from going to the classes. The high schools Hakim Nezami, Ebne Sina, Javadol-Aemmeh, Shohadaye Enqelab, and Khomeini and the secondary schools of Abbas Yousefi, Motazedi , Bethat, and the primary schools of Dr. Mohammad Kermanshahi, Adab, and Mofid are among the schools whose teachers were on strike.The strike was aimed at protesting delayed responses to the teachers’ demands and their bad livelihood condition.In Shiraz too, the teachers, particularly the high school teachers, refrained from going to classes since Sunday. Some of the striking schools in Shiraz district 1 are Sina, Mulla Sadra, Shahed, Tizhoushan, and Isar.
14 million people under poverty line in Iran
Sarmayeh, Iran’s state- run daily, reported on February 11 that Iran’s Central Bank officially acknowledged that there are 14 million people under poverty line in Iran.The daily added: 'The average monthly expenses in big cities are more than 780,000 Tomans; this is at a condition that more than 30 percent of the country’s population live in the big cities, and 14, 570,000 people are homeless”.The daily added, 'There are 13 million illiterate people in Iran and 20 percent of the society’s population suffer different psychological diseases.
The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran on Feb. 27tha stated that the ruling mullahs’ regime has increased its suppression of women in a bid to prevent the rise of protest acts by Iranian women.In the city of Sanandaj, the regime’s agents flogged two female labour activists, identified as Sousan Zazani and Shiva Kheirabadi. They were arrested on allegations of participating in International Labour Day demonstrations. The insolence towards these women has led to widespread anger among the people of Sanandaj against the clerical regime. During the past several days, in the course of the courageous student protests at Tehran’s Polytechnic University, at least 30 female students have been arrested and taken to prison by the regime. There is no information regarding the fate of some of the detainees.Women activists and female students in various Iranian universities, who are at the forefront of anti-government protests, have always been subjected to suppression by the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and other oppressive organs. Over the three decades of the mullahs’ rule, female students have been the subject of suspension from education, expulsion from university, arrest, and pressure and torture in the regime’s dungeons.Mistreatment of and disrespect towards Iranian women under the pretext of “mal-veiling” is also ongoing in various Iranian cities. In Gorgan and Qazvin, the regime’s agents have subjected thousands of women to public interrogations under the pretext of “the Guidance and Warning Scheme.” On February 21, 2009, state-run media outlets reported that the first phase of this suppressive measure has been completed.Ms. Sarvnaz Chitsaz, Chair of the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, condemned the suppression and intimidation of women especially on the brink of the International Women’s Day, and drew the attention of international women’s rights and human rights organizations to the violation of women’s rights in Iran. To that end, she called on all international human rights organizations as well as all international women’s rights organizations and associations to adopt immediate and binding measures aimed at guaranteeing respect for the minimum human rights of Iranian women.
Hundreds of Polytechnic University students protest
National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement on Tuesday that hundreds of Polytechnic University students protested for the second day in row against burying remains of five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) left from 1980-88 war with Iraq on the campus.Students chanted anti-government slogans when they were attacked by the plain-cloths agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and members of paramilitary Bassij students dispatched from other Tehran’s school to help quell the protests. 'Death to dictator,' 'We don’t want a fascist regime' shouted the students when they were beaten by security forces. Twenty-five students were arrested and transferred in police vans to unknown locations despite attempts by their fellow classmates to get them released.Twenty years after the end of the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war the remains of IRGC soldiers are being buried in Iranian universities.NCRI’s statement added: It all began with the notion of preserving the idea of what the mullahs called the 'culture of fighting in fronts' for new generations.On October 26, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s office announced that he will be present at burial site in Teachers Training School in Tehran to witness the burial ceremony for the remains of three fallen IRGC men.
Unprecedented suppressive measures against university students in Tehran During anti-government demonstration of more than 1500 students of Tehran’s Polytechnic University on Monday, the agents of the clerical regime attacked them with knives and knuckle-dusters in the most unprecedented suppressive measures against the students, Amir-Kabir, a student newsletter reported from Iran. More than 60 students were injured and about 20 of them were transferred to hospital; some injured students are in critical condition. During this brutal attack more than 120 students, including 30 female students, were arrested and transferred to prison.According to reports, the agents of Intelligence Ministry (MOIS) attacked brutally the homes of some of the Polytechnic University students and arrested a number of them. Ahmad Qassaban, Nariman Mostafavi, Mehdi Mashayekhi, and Abbas Hakimzadeh are among the detainees; no information is available of the fate of other arrested students.
Iranian Intelligence agents murdered a 16-yr after sever torture
Agents of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MIOS) murdered a 16-yr juvenile after brutal tortures in the city of Maku (north western of Iran) yesterday.The juvenile was named Behzad Golmohammadi who was arrested at Iran-Turkey border area by the MOIS agents without any charge. After brutal tortures on him, the regime’s agents broke his arm and leg and then opened fire at him; they left his body on the snow.When Behzad’s family referred to the Intelligence office, they were machine-gunned by the MOIS agents and two of them were injured. The injured persons were transferred to a hospital in Mahabad.
Iraq’s Tribal Council reject Rafsanjani’s visit to Iraq
Iraq’s Tribal Council announced its opposition to Hashemi Rafsanjani’s visit to Iraq that is to be done next week, reported Asharqiya TV.The Council reiterated in its statement that Rafsanjani is the one who directly conducted the military operations during Iran-Iraq war and has been involved in killing the people of Iraq. Also, during his era, the Iraqi POWs were under systematic torture and Iraqi citizens were murdered, and therefore the social forces and Iraqi nationalist tribes oppose this visit and request not to meet with him during his visit.
Iranian teachers’ widespread strike across the country
The Iranian teachers staged widespread strikes in various provinces of the country including Kermanshah and Fars.In Kermanshah, the teachers of primary, and secondary schools refrained from going to the classes. The high schools Hakim Nezami, Ebne Sina, Javadol-Aemmeh, Shohadaye Enqelab, and Khomeini and the secondary schools of Abbas Yousefi, Motazedi , Bethat, and the primary schools of Dr. Mohammad Kermanshahi, Adab, and Mofid are among the schools whose teachers were on strike.The strike was aimed at protesting delayed responses to the teachers’ demands and their bad livelihood condition.In Shiraz too, the teachers, particularly the high school teachers, refrained from going to classes since Sunday. Some of the striking schools in Shiraz district 1 are Sina, Mulla Sadra, Shahed, Tizhoushan, and Isar.
14 million people under poverty line in Iran
Sarmayeh, Iran’s state- run daily, reported on February 11 that Iran’s Central Bank officially acknowledged that there are 14 million people under poverty line in Iran.The daily added: 'The average monthly expenses in big cities are more than 780,000 Tomans; this is at a condition that more than 30 percent of the country’s population live in the big cities, and 14, 570,000 people are homeless”.The daily added, 'There are 13 million illiterate people in Iran and 20 percent of the society’s population suffer different psychological diseases.
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