Sunday, January 15, 2017

NEWS))))))

According to reports received by the Iranian resistance, on Thursday January 12, the political prisoner, Saeed Shirzad, on his 37th day of hunger strike in Gohardasht prison in Karaj suffered severe drop in blood pressure and lost conscious, when the prison officials were forced to transfer him to the one thousand beds hospital in Tehran. The prison officials had tried to open the sewed lips of this political prisoner but his cellmate did not allow the officials to do so without his consent. Saeed Shirzad sewed his lips on December 7, 2016 and staged hunger strike to protest inhuman treatment of the prisoners and the pressures on them by prison officials. Political prisoner, Saeed Shirzad, 28, was arrested on June 8, 2014 and held in Evin Prison’s ward 209 cells for two months incommunicado. He was later tried in the regime’s so-called courts 15 months after his arrest and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment on the charges of “assembly and collusion against national security.”
In response to the requests by a number of relatives of political prisoners and families of those executed to end his hunger strike, Saeed wrote: “Let me continue this hunger strike and be the voice of imprisoned voiceless.”

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The Iranian regime hanged some 20 prisoners in mass executions On Sat. Jan. 14, in Gohardasht and Ghezel Hesar prisons. Amnesty International and Human rights watch had called for halt of their executions. During Hassan Rouhani's tenure since 2013, close to 3000 people have been executed in Iran.
On January 11 the Iranian regime executed a prisoner in Urmia Prison, northwest Iran. The day before another prisoner was sent to the gallows in Maraghe Prison, northwest Iran. On January 8, two other prisoners were hanged in public on charges of theft in the town of Sarpol Zahab in Kermanshah Province, western Iran.
Three death-row prisoners, including a woman, were transferred to solitary confinement on January 10, in the Orumiyeh Prison, to be prepared for implementation of their verdicts.
During Rouhani's presidency, since 2013, at least 71 women have been hanged and executed in Iran.


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Struan Stevenson the President of the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) wrote in The Hill on Jan. 13, that Unofficial reports in Iran are hinting at the possible appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as the likely successor to the late Hashemi Rafsanjani’s position as head of the Expediency Council, a powerful body, which is intended to resolve disputes between the Iranian parliament and the Guardian Council. Rafsanjani died on Sunday, Jan. 8. Although relatively unknown in the West, the 56-year-old Raisi was a key member of the “Death Commission” that in the summer of 1988, oversaw the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, mostly members of the opposition People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI or MEK). Stevenson continues: When Donald Trump enters the White House later this month, he and his new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson cannot allow this grisly crime to go unpunished, particularly when they know that the murderers are not only still alive, but in positions of power inside Iran. Ruthless killers like Raisi and Pour-Mohammadi must be held to account and indicted for crimes against humanity

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Ms. Massoumeh Zia a member of the Cosmic Mysticism, better known in Iran as Erfan-e Halgheh was transferred to solitary confinement in Ward 209 of the Evin Prison. Massoumeh was arrested at the airport on January 6, upon return to Iran from a family visit abroad. Massoumeh Zia's sister announced on January 12, that her family had learned from Massoumeh's whereabouts when she called her niece and told her where she was.

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According to State-run Jamn-e Jam online Jan. 12, two young women were arrested by the State Security forces in Dezful (southwestern Iran) for riding motorcycles.
Ali Elhami, an SSF commander, said, "Two outlaw girls took advantage of the absence of the State Security Force in the Jungle Park of Dezful and rode a motorcycle contrary to the values and traditions of our society… The State Security Force undertook extensive measures to follow and arrest the girls." he added.

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Because of the performance of female singers in Arak- Iran, all musical concerts were banned until further notice. Mehdi Haghighi, the general director of the Central Province's Department of Guidance, announced this and added that a music hall had been sealed for this reason.
"The Department of Education held a ceremony on December 18, 2016. In a video clip from this ceremony, one can see a woman singing in a long shot," Haghighi said. "I believe this was not a solo singing but two singers were present in this ceremony… Since this has created a major problem for the province, we decided to stop all concerts in the city of Arak." Under Mullahs's rule women are banned from singing in public in Iran.

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In an interview published on January 12, 2017, Behshid Arfania, member of the Lawyers' Guild, explained about institutionalization of discrimination against Iranian women in the law.
She said, "In many laws, women's rights have been violated. The most important of these laws is article 1105 of the Civil Code which says the family is headed by men."
Arfania added, "In fact, women have no respect in family or society even if they have high education or skills. They are always looked upon as second class citizens." (The state-run ILNA news agency, January 12, 2017)

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Two female chess champions announced that they are not going to take part in the 2017 championship competitions in Tehran- Iran.
Irina Krush from the US mentioned lack of security and Mariya Muzychuk from Ukraine mentioned the obligation to wear the veil as their reasons for not participating in the games. (The state-run ISNA and Tasnim news agencies – January 10, 2017)
Irina Krush, 34, is an American chess international grandmaster who has won the US Women's Chess Championship in 1998, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Mariya Muzychuk, 25, is an Ukrainian chess player and Women's World Chess Champion from April 2015 to March 2016. She is also a twice women's champion of Ukraine (2012, 2013), World Team and European Team champion with Ukraine in 2013 and bronze medal winner of the 2012 and 2014 Chess Olympiad with Ukraine.