Monday, July 29, 2013

NEWS))))))



Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird welcomed Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran on July 23rd.
Mr. Shaheed in his 2 week visit to Canada, met with members of the Iranian diaspora, including witnesses and the victims of human rights violations committed by the Iranian regime from July 14 to July 26.
Johb Barid said that Canada is deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Iran. Iran’s government systematically disregards its human rights commitments and obligations.
He added:
Canada has, for the past 10 years, successfully led a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the situation of human rights in Iran. Baird reiterated Canada’s support for the work of the Special Rapporteur and again called upon Iran to grant him access to the country.  Since his appointment by the UN human rights Council in 2011, Mr. Shaheed has been refused entry to Iran in order to conduct his report on the violations of human rights committed by the Iranian regime.

Attacks on Internet Cafes by the Cyber police in Iran increases
The Iranian regime’s Cyber Police have shut down 67 Internet cafes in Tehran in a week as the regime tightens its control over people’s freedom online.
Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia said 352 cafés were inspected in the latest draconian clampdown on the Internet.
He told the state-run news INSA agency: “According to a plan implemented during the past week, agents in charge of supervision of public places in Tehran inspected 352 Internet Cafés and as a result 67 were shut down due to violations by the owners and a number of others received a warnings of closure.
“Many internet cafes are trying to damage young people and families by offering illegal services and it is the responsibility of police to deal with the violators.
Sajedinia did not elaborate on the type of those violations.

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According to the Iranian resistance -NCRI- millions of dollars’ worth of medicine risks expiring and becoming unusable while it is being held in storage by customs in Iran.
The massive stockpile remained locked up due to mismanagement by the regime’s Central Bank, and could leave pharmacies without essential drugs for its customers, the Head of the Medicine Import Union Naser Riyahi said.
Riyahi added: “Presently there are many different kinds of medicines and medical products worth 60 to 70 million dollars stored in internal customs that is not allowed to be released.
“Companies importing medicine have loaned a lot to pharmacies and insurance companies, and since these loans have not been paid on time, importers of medicine are facing a great lack of liquidity.
If the situation continued, the medicines held by customs would eventually decay, Mr Riyahi said, adding: “In previous years the currency for imported medicines was assigned very quickly and swiftly released from customs.
“However, this year restrictions in this area have increased and the Central Bank is not cooperating properly.” 

Thousands of hectares of forests in various parts of Iran burn in fire
According to the state-run medias in Iran, in forest fires that began in the beginning of hot season in vast areas of forests in northern, western and southern Iran, irrecoverable losses were inflicted on Iran’s national assets. Considering the increase of temperature and decrease of humidity, such fires could have been fully predictable, and preventing fires or at least containing them and decreasing losses could have been fully feasible by setting up fire stations, constant patrols and taking necessary measures.
According to state-run newspaper Etemad July 20th,  “During past thirteen days, at least there were 10 widespread fire incidents in different locations in north, west and south of the country and several thousand hectares of pastures and forests of Hirkani, Zagros, Arasbaran and Irani- Torni burnt in fire. Hundreds of hectares of forest lands of the country from Latian Park in Tehran, wildlife conservation in Miankaleh, forests of Noorabad in Mamassani, forests of Pariz in Kerman, Shahanshah land in Khorramabad, forests of Golestan, Sanandaj, Dalahu, Pasargad, Jangal Abr and Arasbaran  and also thousands of hectares of forests in the region of Estahban in Fars province caught fire.
According to local residents though, fires in forests of Nowsoud and Nowdesheh in Kurdistan on July 12 and 13 were lit deliberately by IRGC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. They say such fires have happened repeatedly in farm s and forests of Kurdistan for “military and security” objectives in an attempt to have better control on border areas. Thus, the governor’s office or the fire department don’t do anything to extinguish the fire. Repressive forces even prevent people who try to put out the fire.  
This is when desert and wasteland areas are growing every day and forests are being destroyed increasingly. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “
Iran’s forest areas are 11,075,000 hectares … which is 7% of the total area of Iran” down from 18,000,000 hectares. The clerical regime refrains allocating any budget or providing minimum equipment to deal with these disasters.

Death toll hits 11 in Indonesia boat sinking
Associated Press reported on July 25 that rescuers have recovered the bodies of two more asylum seekers who were aboard a boat that sank off Indonesia, bringing the death toll to 11, police said Thursday.
The bodies of a 5-year-old Sri Lankan girl and a 30-year-old Iranian man were found near Karangpotong beach early Thursday, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of where their overcrowded tugboat sank Tuesday night off the coast of West Java, said Cianjur police spokesman Capt. Ahmad Suprijatna.
Nearly 190 survivors were brought to safety, and hundreds of rescuers and fishermen were continuing to search for others, he added.
Officials have said the group was believed to consist of around 204 migrants from Sri Lanka, Iran and Iraq who were bound for Australia. They left on a smaller boat that started leaking before meeting a larger ship at sea that was supposed to complete their journey.
The incident occurred less than a week after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd changed Australia’s refugee policy so that migrants who arrive by boat will no longer be allowed to settle in the country. Instead, they will be taken to the island nation of Papua New Guinea to be considered for resettlement there.