Iran: nominees

Sacha Cohen, better known as Borat Sagdiyev received two nominations for the Golden Globes award for his movie "Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
He said: "I am extremely honoured, I'm very proud as well for my fellow writers as well as our director Larry Charles, and our producer Jay Roach, and am very thankful for the HFPA's (Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. ) belief and acknowledgment of our film."
But then the irrepressible comedian couldn't resist adding,
"I have been trying to let Borat know this great news but for the last four hours both of Kazakhstan's telephones have been engaged. Eventually, Premier Nazarbayev answered and said he would pass on the message as soon as Borat returned from Iran, where he is guest of honor at the Holocaust Denial Conference."



Iranian journalist and human rightsdefender Sherko Jihani was arrested on November 27, 2006 in the city of Mahabad, Kurdistan province. His family was reportedly able to visit him on or around 4 December 2006. He refused to pay a bail of US$ 5,500 and began a hunger strike in protest at his detention on 30 November.
December 6 he was removed from Mahabad Prison and was taken to an unknown location, possibly Oromieh prison.
His family has since been unable to visit him or to confirm his whereabouts.
Amnesty International has started an urgent action .





Today the elections for the Assembly of Experts and the councils are being held in Iran.
Head of the State Inspectorate Organization (SIO), Mohammad Niyazi, said IRNA Friday that massive participation of the Iranian people in the elections would play a significant role in national and international scenes.
The elections started across the country at 09:00 hours local time across the country.
The second by-elections of the 7th Majlis also started in three constituencies of "Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr", "Bam" and "Ahwaz" .

In Ahwaz, elections were accompanied by disturbances.

Writing in the Arabic media, leading Ahwazi journalist Youssef Azizi Bani Torouf has highlighted the regime's ban on Arab candidates, with members of the Ahwaz council prevented from seeking re-election.
In this year's elections, the regime has blocked over 170 Ahwazi Arabs from running for election to the Ahwaz municipal council.
While Ahwaz City is 70 per cent Arab, the vast majority of candidates allowed to stand for election are non-Arabs, including hardliners from the Revolutionary Guards which has conducted ethnic cleansing programmes in the province.



In Iran deathpenalty is in use. Also for child offenders.

Children are being hanged to death.
A child will be hanged to death.
Poster amnesty.nl