Iran: burst

Iranian swimmer Mohammad Alirezaei has pulled out Saturday for the beginning of the fourth heat of the men’s 100m breaststroke.
Tehrantimes wrote that he was transferred to a hospital in Beijing.
Various media reported that Alirezaei had pulled out because an Israeli was also racing.
Giselle Davies, director of communications of the IOC said that they have spoken with the Iranian National Olympic Committee and that they have underlined that all athletes compete against athletes of any nationality.
They take both the athlete and the National Olympic Committee at their word on this.



The writer Yusef Azizi has been sentenced to 5 years in prison
He is found guilty of "supporting unrest" during two days of protests in 2005 in Khuzestan province.
He remains free on bail, pending an appeal.




An Iran Air airplane Saturday on the airfield of Jeddah had to abort the start after two rear bands exploded and caught fire.
The Airbus300 was on its way from Jeddah to Tehran with 300 passengers.
No passengers were injured.



The daily Farhange Ashti writes that the chairman of Education and Research Commission from Iranian parliament rebutted rumors on recent forced retirement of university professors on political grounds.
He says that the only criteria for their retirement was the advanced age of the professors.


The daily Etemad Melli reports that former member of parliament Ali-Akbar Mousavi-Khoeini was prevented from departing Imam Khomeini International Airport and his passport is confiscated.
He was leaving with his family on a trip.
He is asked to appear before the Revolutionary Court.



August 8 is Bahram Vahedi, chairman of the Islamic Council of the University of Zanjan, is arrested.
The prosecutor of Zanjan warned already for more possible detentions, related to an assault by the university’s student affairs deputy that caused large protests both inside and outside the university.
Currently, Payam Shakiba, Hasan Jenidi and Arash Lahigi have been in detention for over a month,despite university authorities promised not to interfere and detain students for their activities during te protests.
For the first time, the Zanjan prosecutor spoke about the massive demonstrations in June, at Zanjan university.
He told ISNA among other things that people who were not affiliated with the university have been detained and did not exclude more arrests.
He named a female student who was arrested during these protests, but this name is different from the name of another arrested female student when a number of students announced as they had witnessed the student affairs deputy, identified as Hasan Madadi, forcing a female student to have an affair with him in his office.
In his interview with ISNA, the prosecutor stated that there are two other released convicts, referring to Madadi an the female student, who, according to reports, also was arrested, even though a condition set by students for ending their protest called for not detaining her.
The prosecutor said that during the initial investigation, both convicts stated that the female student had repeated the terms usually recited during the consummation of temporary marriage. He added that regardless the validity, the action itself within the university is immoral and obscene.
He said that and once the final statements are complete, the case will be sent to court for a final decision.



In Iran there are childoffenders, still on death row.

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