Public protests in Zanjan- Iran
On Sunday, 11 August 2013 angry people of
Zanjan staged a demonstration in front of the governorate of the city
protesting against pollution caused by the Lead and Zink factories and their
residues and blocked the street leading to it. The protestors called for stop
of the activities of these factories. The protestors then gathered in front of the office of the Friday prayer leader
of the city. The Friday prayer leader tried to calm the angry protestors with demagoguery
but people chanted "don’t be afraid, we are all together", "honourable
citizen, unity, unity", and "we don’t want Lead and Zink, we want
fresh air." People of Zanjan then moved towards the city
center while chanting slogans. The IRGC affiliated Fars news agency reported: "existence of
more then 70 Lead and Zink factories and production unite near the city of
Zanjan has caused unprecedented increase in cancer and other serious diseases
in the city creating alert among people and city merchants."
In the face of public protest, Raoufi Nejad,
the governor of Zanjan province, ignoring the suffering of people in the city
said: "all activities of these industrial units are under supervision of
environmental and eco-system organization and accordingly this organization is
observing the environment every moment and it will take necessary measures if
pollution exceeds the standard level. Mullah Ali Khatami, leader of Friday prayer IN ZANJAN AND Khamenei’s
representative in this city said with ultimate cruelty, "cancer caused by
the Lead and Zink residues is not yet proven."
The lives of two political prisoners at risk
Iranian resistance
reported on Aug. 9th that Abolfazl Abedini, a political prisoner who has been
on hunger strike since 13 days ago in protest of being exiled to Ahvaz prison, is in dire
condition. He was transferred from Evin prison to Ahvaz prison, a place of exile
with very harsh conditions, after he testified in the court that he had
witnessed signs of torture on the body of Sattar Beheshti and that he had been
in dire condition the night before being killed.
Abedini was arrested in 2010. Also the physical condition of Reza Shahabi, a member of board of directors of Tehran Bus Company, has become dreadful. The regime refrains from taking care of this political prisoner that is not even capable of walking or doing his personal work. The intelligence agents kidnapped Reza Shahabi in his office in June 2010 for his defence of workers’ rights.
Abedini was arrested in 2010. Also the physical condition of Reza Shahabi, a member of board of directors of Tehran Bus Company, has become dreadful. The regime refrains from taking care of this political prisoner that is not even capable of walking or doing his personal work. The intelligence agents kidnapped Reza Shahabi in his office in June 2010 for his defence of workers’ rights.
Rouhani:
Nuclear program is national, nonpartisan, and we will not give it up
Hassan
Rouhani, the new President of the Iranian regime in his first press conference
after taking office, emphasized on the continuation of the regime’s nuclear
program, describing it as a 'national and non-partisan' program. He said the
issue of uranium enrichment is not a matter of negotiations. He described the
international community’s call to halt enrichment as “beyond the law,
unreasonable or expired' demands.
While stressing that “existing principles in this regard will be maintained” and “we will not give it up”, Rouhani repeatedly asked for unilateral concessions from the West with respect to the nuclear program.
On Syria, Rouhani described supporting the Syrian uprising against Bashar Assad as 'encouragement of terrorism' and warned Western countries not to provide any support.
The ministers Rohani has chosen for his cabinet have the highest competence and expertise in the torture, execution, warmongering, the plundering of people’s property, and the destruction of generations of Iranians and the country’s assets.
Pour Mohammadi, candidate for the Justice Department, has been engaged in crimes and massacre for past 34 years. He was a member of three-member “Death Committee” and one of the highest authorities responsible for the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988.
While stressing that “existing principles in this regard will be maintained” and “we will not give it up”, Rouhani repeatedly asked for unilateral concessions from the West with respect to the nuclear program.
On Syria, Rouhani described supporting the Syrian uprising against Bashar Assad as 'encouragement of terrorism' and warned Western countries not to provide any support.
The ministers Rohani has chosen for his cabinet have the highest competence and expertise in the torture, execution, warmongering, the plundering of people’s property, and the destruction of generations of Iranians and the country’s assets.
Pour Mohammadi, candidate for the Justice Department, has been engaged in crimes and massacre for past 34 years. He was a member of three-member “Death Committee” and one of the highest authorities responsible for the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988.
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The Iranian regime is installing
closed-circuit cameras in girls’ schools across the country in the latest wave
of suppressive measures against women in Iran.
The move comes after plans by the Science
Ministry to begin the sex segregation of universities across the country.
The state-run Qanoun newspaper wrote: 'The issue of installing cameras in girls’ schools has been under discussion for several years. 'However, with the new academic year beginning, this plan will be implemented widely, especially in private schools, which has raised objections from parents.
'Installing cameras in girls’ schools has become a pervasive process, and currently many girls’ schools in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Torbat and Haidarieh are monitoring students with these cameras.”
One unnamed student told the paper: 'They control us in almost every part of the school with the cameras, in the cafeteria, the restroom, the hallway and the school yard.'
Meanwhile, the financial and executive deputy of the Science Ministry has announced the creation of 13 segregated universities across the country, ISNA news agency reported.
Ali Akbar Motakan claimed that the establishment of women-only universities was a positive measure of the previous government, adding: 'It is very sad that some people say the policy of the Science Ministry is based on segregation. There are segregated universities all over the world.'
The measures have prompted protests and public attacks on anti-vice police by Iranian women in recent weeks, prompting a special session in the parliament was held to discuss ways to counter the defiance.
The National Security and Foreign Affairs Commission and Cultural Commission as well as Tehran’s police and Basij paramilitary held the urgent meeting on July 23 after three incidents of women defying female officers in public.
The committee said it discussed new ways to protect those who ’promote virtue and prevent vice’ on the streets of Iran.
The state-run Qanoun newspaper wrote: 'The issue of installing cameras in girls’ schools has been under discussion for several years. 'However, with the new academic year beginning, this plan will be implemented widely, especially in private schools, which has raised objections from parents.
'Installing cameras in girls’ schools has become a pervasive process, and currently many girls’ schools in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Torbat and Haidarieh are monitoring students with these cameras.”
One unnamed student told the paper: 'They control us in almost every part of the school with the cameras, in the cafeteria, the restroom, the hallway and the school yard.'
Meanwhile, the financial and executive deputy of the Science Ministry has announced the creation of 13 segregated universities across the country, ISNA news agency reported.
Ali Akbar Motakan claimed that the establishment of women-only universities was a positive measure of the previous government, adding: 'It is very sad that some people say the policy of the Science Ministry is based on segregation. There are segregated universities all over the world.'
The measures have prompted protests and public attacks on anti-vice police by Iranian women in recent weeks, prompting a special session in the parliament was held to discuss ways to counter the defiance.
The National Security and Foreign Affairs Commission and Cultural Commission as well as Tehran’s police and Basij paramilitary held the urgent meeting on July 23 after three incidents of women defying female officers in public.
The committee said it discussed new ways to protect those who ’promote virtue and prevent vice’ on the streets of Iran.
Suppression of religious minorities stepped
up in Iran
According to Iranian resistance the
Iranian regime’s security forces have stepped up their suppression of religious
and ethnic minorities in wake of the June presidential election.
Christians in Isfahan province have been subjected to arbitrary arrests and heavy prison sentences in the week since Hassan Rohani came into office.
Christians in Isfahan province have been subjected to arbitrary arrests and heavy prison sentences in the week since Hassan Rohani came into office.
On August 1, security forces terrified worshipers when they raided and searched a house church in the city of Isfahan, arresting the owners Sediqeh Amirkhani, Mahnaz Rafii and Mohammad Reza Paymani and transferring them to an unknown location.
On June 9, the Revolutionary Court
in Tehran
also sentenced newly converted Christian Mostafa Bordbar, who was arrested in
December 2012, to 10 years imprisonment with physical torture.
The Revolutionary Court in the city of Yazd also sentenced a Baha’i man, Shamim Etehadi, to seven years and three months imprisonment with physical punishment, 75 lashes and 40 million Rials fine for filming a desecrated Baha'i grave and sending the footage a TV channels outside Iran.
