Yesterday Sat. Jan. 5, 2019, the Iranian-Canadians
gathered to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Jan.2018 uprising in
Iran, in front of the Parliament Hill and across from PM office. They also
stood in solidarity with the Isfahan farmers who are protesting in order to get
their water rights. Similar gathering was held in Amsterdam as well.
******
Iran’s retirees held a massive protest across from the regime’s
parliament in capital Tehran on Tuesday, January 2, demanding restitution of
their rights. A considerable number of women participated in this massive
protest. Security forces arrested two protesting retirees in
order to control the scene but were confronted by the protesters shouting at
them, “Let them go, let them go.” On the same day, another group of retirees held a
massive protest in Mashhad against the authorities who have not responded to
their demands.
On Wednesday, January 2, also a group of defrauded
clients of Shideh Company held a rally to protest swindling of their
properties. And a group of workers and employees of the Khomeini Hospital in
Karaj held a protest demanding their wage.
The families of the arrested workers of the National
Steel Group of Ahvaz staged a protest and demanded the release of their loved
ones on the same day as well and the families of the farmers in Isfahan joined
the massive protest of the farmers of Varzaneh in a protest demanding their
water rights.
******
Female political prisoner Zeinab Jalalian has been
deprived of her weekly family visits since December 24, 2018. In addition to
the pressure and denial of medical treatment, the prison authorities recently
rejected Zeinab’s request for medical treatment outside of prison. Zeinab
Jalalian is a Kurdish woman sentenced to life imprisonment in Khoy Prison. She
was transferred to the prison’s infirmary last week due to severe kidney pain.
Doctors said she should receive medical treatment outside prison due to a lack
of sufficient medical facilities inside the prison. However, her transfer was
objected by prison authorities. The Kurdish female political prisoner has been
on a medicine strike for a year in protest to the lack of medical treatment in
prison, and is in critical condition. In a call for urgent action on June 15,
2018, Amnesty International said Zeinab Jalalian is being subjected to torture
by blocking her access to medical care in Iranian jail.
******
A bus transporting female gardeners of the Citrus
Gardens in Mazandaran, overturned on Wednesday, December 26 in Galugah- Nokadeh
Rr-North of Iran and all its passengers, including 14 female gardeners and the
driver, were wounded. Last November, 23 women workers were injured in an
accident in northern Iran when the minibus carrying them overturned into a
water canal near the Tabaqdeh
village on the fringe of the Islamabad city in Miandorud, Mazandaran Province.
On April 15, 2018, a Nissan vehicle was overturned on
the Lak Pol area of the Qaemshahr – Babol road. Seven women workers were
injured and transferred to the hospital. (The state-run Salamatnews.com – April
15, 2018)
******
The State Security Force of Hormozgan Province dealt
with 54 young women in the province who worked as professional models. In light of the arrest of 54 young female models,
Azizollah Maleki, Iran’s State Security Forces Commander of Hormozgan Province
said on December 26 that “In an operation with intelligence identification, the
provincial public security police officers have identified a number of young
women models who are in collaboration with some classes, including women’s
hairdressers, studios and ateliers. In this regard, with the coordination of a
judicial authority, 54 young women and girl models were identified and legal
proceedings were taken towards the case.”
Referring to Act 21 on Computer Crimes and Article 638
of the regime’s Islamic Penal Code regarding the arrest of these 54 young
women, Azizollah Maleki stated, “The offender will be decisively dealt with
according to the law.” (The state-run ISNA news agency – December 26, 2018)
This is not the first time that 54 young women are
arrested in Hormozgan on modeling charges. In July 2018, the SSF Commander of Hormozgan Province
Azizollah Maleki announced the arrest of 46 members of a modeling network;
eight women were among the arrested members of the network. He stated, “38
delinquent businesses (photographers, hair dressers, and bridal maisons) and
eight female models were arrested and turned in to judicial authorities to go
through the legal process.” (The state-run Donya-ye Eghtesad website – July 16,
2018)
In Sistan and Baluchestan Province, a woman owning a
hairdresser, had employed two other women as models for ads in social networks
to invite customers to her shop. The agents went to the business, arresting the
three women and sealing the shop. (The state-run ISNA news agency – October 25,
2018)
Two women were also arrested last June in Mashhad for
tattoo training. (The official IRNA news agency – June 1, 2018)
Earlier on August 30, 2016, the Prosecutor of Ardebil
had reported on the arrest of a number of women. He announced that “20 members
of a modelling network have been arrested and four hairdressers and famous
photo ateliers have been sealed.”
On October 21, 2016,
it was announced that modelling was banned in Iran. (Hamid Ghobadi, Secretary
of Fashion working group, interview with Fars news agency, October 21, 2016)
