NEWS))))))

After 49 days on hunger strike, Nasrin Sotoudeh ended her hunger strike on Tuesday, December 4. On his Facebook page, Reza Khandan, the human rights lawyer’s husband, wrote that Sotoudeh “ended her hunger strike when the judicial restriction on Mehraveh was lifted. Since October 17, human rights lawyer and activist Nasrin Sotoudeh was on a hunger strike to protest the travel ban imposed on her 13-year-old daughter, Mehraveh Along with her husband, Reza Khandan. Mehraveh had been served papers indicating that she was banned from leaving the country without any explanations or indication of her charges, solely because of her mother. Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested on September 4, 2010. A lower court sentenced her to 11 years in prison, 20 years’ ban on her legal practice, and 20 years’ ban on foreign travel. An appeals court reduced her sentence to six years in prison and 10 years’ ban on her legal practice. She is still in prison. The Canadian Sentae passed a motion on Dec. 4th and called on the Iranian regime to free Nasrin Sotudeh with no condition.  

Iranian dissident and French lawmakers urge new policy on Iran

According to Reuters, Dec. 5th, French lawmakers invited the head of a previously shunned Iranian dissident group to parliament on Wednesday, aiming to help it gain credibility as a viable opposition to Tehran’s government.
Speaking to members of a parliamentary committee on Iran, Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said it was time her group was taken seriously as a force for democracy in Iran.
‘The biggest political error in the West is to ignore the key movement of change in Iran,’ Rajavi told the conference.
France, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has been one of the most vocal proponents of tougher sanctions against Iran, which it suspects of trying to develop a nuclear bomb.
‘International sanctions are positive steps. But they will only be effective if the West changes its policy vis-a-vis the resistance,’ said Rajavi,

Workers in central Iranian city on strike

Workers of the Panel and Pre-Fabricated Buildings Factory in the city of Saveh, central Iran, staged a gathering protesting the lay-offs of number of company workers. These workers held a protest last Wednesday, extending their measures and going on strike.

 

3 people were executed in Zahedan

The Iranian regime executed 3 prisoners in Zahean yesterday morning. Iraj Mohammadi, 46 and Mahmoud Barahouie 35 were among the victims. Last week Iraj Mohammadi wrote an open letter to the International community and exposed the tortured he endured while in prison.

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Two Baha’i citizens, Zahra Nik-A’in and Taraneh Torabi with their infants in Semnan Prison are in grave danger and need immediate medical care. According to HRANA, Zahra Nik-A’in and Taraneh Torabi, Baha’i citizens who were sentenced to 23 and 20 months in prison, respectively, are serving their sentences at Semnana Prison with their infants. Zahra's son is 11-months old, and Taraneh's son is five-months old. Taraneh's son was born when his mother was 7 months pregnant and he need medical attention. He's very thin and weak. The two infants fathers are also in prison.

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Shabnam and Farzad Madadzadeh, a brother and sister in Evin and Rajaishahr prisons are banned from visiting each other. According to reports it's been one year since Shabnam and Farzad Madadzadeh, have seen each other. According to Iranian prison laws and regulations, jailed family members are allowed to visit each other once a month but the authorities refuse to permit it.

Iranian regime is building two more prisons in Tehran

The Iranian regime is planning to build two more prisons in Tehran, each with 10,000 capacity. Deputy of budget commission in the regime's parliament said: 100% of Prisons’ bureau’s budget will be allocated to this program and we will do our best to provide the necessary budget for building two 10,000 inmate prisons in south of Theran, one of which will replace Evin Prison. We will do our outmost in this regard, state run Asr-e-Iran Daily reported.

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A 5.5 magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Iran on Wednesday, killing eight people and injuring 12 others, Iranian media reported. Iran is criss-crossed by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 which flattened the southeastern city of Bam and killed more than 25,000 people. In August more than 300 people were killed when two quakes struck northwestern Iran. The Lack of management is the main elements when natural disasters hit Iran. Buildings, lack proper foundation and they are not strong enough to endure such a low magnitude and the slow response time by the regime is the main factor behind high casualties.