Student Activist Commits Suicide in Eastern Iran
Student activist Azita Mizban committed suicide three days ago. She was attending Birjand University (in South Khorasan province in eastern Iran), a member of the Central Islamic Student Council of Birjand, and the executive editor of the Sokoot publication (The student council’s newspaper). According to Daneshjoo News, Azita Mizban committed suicide by consuming poison. Her friends are not aware of the motives behind her act. In recent years, a considerable number of students have committed suicide as a result of social pressures and educational conditions and limitations. An adviser to the Ministry of Advanced Education states in an interview with state media that suicide is the second leading cause of death among students. The number of female students committing suicide is higher than male students. The Secretary for the head of the Ministry of Advanced Education states that out of every 28 cases of student suicides in Iran, seven of the victims are male and 21 are female. In an interview with Iran Student News Agency (ISNA), Mehrdad Dashti, the Vice President of the counselling centre in Esfahan Technical University (ETU), states that eight students commit suicide at ETU each semester.
Rallies for Iranian woman sentenced to death
Rallies were held around the world to highlight the continued imprisonment of an Iranian woman sentenced to death for adultery. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was originally told she would be killed by stoning but the sentence was put on hold following an international outcry. However, her death sentence remains in place. She has already received 99 lashes for what Iranian officials called an illicit relationship outside marriage. Then, following the trial of a man charged with murdering her husband, the 43-year-old mother of two was found guilty of adultery - a crime punishable by death. Earlier this month, officials in East Azerbaijan province said the execution would be 'temporarily halted' pending a decision by Iran’s judiciary chief, Sadeq Larijani. It was announced that the method of execution would not be stoning, but she remains under sentence of death with her case due to be reviewed within a fortnight. Rights groups have warned she could still be hanged. Amnesty International says at least six people have been stoned to death in Iran since 2006. Another 15 people were spared, the human rights group says. On a related note, a group of Georgian women gathered in front of the Iranian embassy in Tiflis and shouted anti regime slogans such as: “TAKE OFF YOUR RELIGIOUS HANDS FROM MY SACRED BODY”, “My body belongs to me”, “Stop killing women”, “My body is not your property”, “Down with dictatorship”, “I was stoned because I had sex with you”, “don’t build up your regime on my stoned body” The Georgian women then symbolically burned their head covers.
EU envoys endorse sanctions against Iran
According to Associated France Press the European Union reached agreement Thursday on a package of sanctions against Iranian regime which targets Tehran’s energy sector over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear work, an EU diplomat said. Ambassadors from the 27 EU member states met in Brussels to endorse the sanctions, which include measures against the oil and gas industry and must be approved at a meeting of foreign ministers on Monday to come into force.
The regime of Iran amputated hands of 5 prisoners in Hamedan prison
The Iranian regime amputated the hands of 5 prisoners inside Hamedan Prison on July 22. The Iranian regime officials also said that the reason they didn’t do this inhumane act in public, was that “The international community would take advantage of this, and claim that Iran commits human right violation”.
Iran Develops Software to Promote Chastity and Hijab
A group of Iranian scholars has developed software to promote chastity and the Hijab, a style of of Islamic dress code. It includes a bonus gallery so women can see what full coverage really means. The software package contains a variety of materials including verses and hadith and more than hundred articles and book. The software package includes a special bonus gallery to focus the attention on women’s full coverage. This software project is part of an ongoing project that started eight years ago with the goal of promoting religious orders in Iran. Earlier on Iran boosted Islamic dress code through free pizza. This is a sign of a defeated regime. The Iranian regime has failed miserably to force Iranian women to cover up “Mullah Style”.
Iranian regime supports three insurgent groups in Iraq
Associated France Press reported on 22 July that Iran is supporting three Shiite extremist groups in Iraq that have been attempting to attack US bases, General Ray Odierno, the top US commander in Iraq, said Wednesday. For the past four years the US military has blamed Iran for supporting violent anti-US groups operating in Iraq, but has been unable to establish a clear link with the government in Tehran. 'The Iranians... continue to fund, train and provide weapons and ammunition to Shiite extremist groups,' Odierno told reporters here. The Iranians have 'gone to a more sophisticated program with a smaller set of extremists' and are now focusing on three groups, which he identified as Ketaib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq(League of the Righteous), and the Promise Day Brigade.
