Iran: explanation

Dozens of Sufis got wounded or arrested Saturday, when the police and special forces stormed a Sufi- house after a clash between Sufis and members of a nearby Shiite mosque. This all happened in Boroujerd, Lorestan province.
Reports from the event differ.
A local journalist said that the violence began Saturday morning when Sufis attacked a nearby mosque, injuring several Shiite Muslim clerics who had previously urged their followers to shut down the Sufi temple because it was "illegitimate."
According to the town governor were some 80 people injured and a part of the Sufis' temple was destroyed during the clashes.180 Sufi members were arrested.
The independent news website Advarnews said some 100 Sufis were injured and another 500 arrested after an unidentified group captured the lodge and setting fire to it.
Although Sufism as part of the Islamic religion is tolerated in Iran, Sufis have had increasingly uneasy relations with Iran's clerical regime in recent years.


The lawyer of Delaram Ali says the country's judiciary has temporarily suspended her sentence for two weeks.
This is because the judiciary decided whether to review the case.
The lawyer hopes that in the next two weeks during which the implementation has been postponed, there will be a reconsideration and she will be found not guilty



In a interview on the site we-change has Ayatollah Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi,the General Secretary of the Organization of Researchers and Scholars of Qom Seminary claimed that the women's protest on 12th of June, 2006 was legal and according to the law.
Also he said that discriminatory laws against women can be reformed, and he has condemned the sentence issued in the case of Delaram Ali.
Furthermore he claimed that the charge of "actions against national security" is a political strategy intended to discredit people. Governments cannot charge citizens with this crime for the simple act of political and social activism.
The original interview in Farsi is here.


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

Iran: unauthorized

In the city of Zahedan, Sistan-e-Baluchestan province is a man hanged.
The man, Nader Kalbali , a drugstrafficker, was convicted for carrying 2 kilograms of heroin.



The Iranian Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence against Kurdish journalist Adnan Hasanpour, 27.
Hasanpour is sentenced to death for taking up arms against the ruling Islamic establishment, having unauthorized contacts with foreigners and helping several Iranian dissidents illegally escape abroad.
Hasanpour worked as a journalist for the Kurdish magazine Asou, until it was banned in 2005.
He also worked for foreign news media including Voice of America and Radio Farda.

French-Iranian filmmaker Mehrnoushe Solouki is being hold in Iran for almost a year. She came to Iran to shoot a documentary about the burial rites of Iran's religious minorities.
She says the authorities were told in advance of the locations where she wanted to film, and that they were aware that the subject dealt with the cemeteries of Iranian minorities.
When she came on an area at the Khavaran Cemetery in Tehran, which appeared to be a mass grave of regime opponents summarily executed in 1988, she was arrested and transported to Evinprison.
She was released after about a month, but authorities confiscated her French passport, withholding her from leaving the country.
November 17 she is due to go before an Iranian court. She faces charges of intending to make antiestablishment propaganda, which she denies.
The proceedings will take place behind closed doors.


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

Iran: freedom of expression

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, called upon the Head of Iran's Judiciary, Ayatollah Shahrudi to suspend the sentence for human rights activist Delaram Ali.
November 4, Branch 36 of the Appeals Court in Tehran sentenced her to two-and-a-half years in prison and a flogging.
It is not clear whether her sentence still includes lashing.
She has been ordered to begin her sentence on Saturday.
In the past month, the authorities have arrested at least two other women's rights campaigners
On September 25, Ronak Safazadeh,and on October 23, Hana Abdi who both were arrested in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province.
These women are also active with the One Million Signatures Campaign for Equality.


Thursday is Ali Nikunesbati, spokesman for the Office for Strengthening Unity (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat) arrested in his fathers house.
Officials did not inform the family why Nikunesbati was arrested or where he was being held.
He is the sixth student activist who was arrested in the past 10 days in Tehran.
Before, another student leader, Ali Azizi was detained on November 4.
Both students have been vocal critics of the government's crackdown on peaceful student activists.
October 16, security forces in the city of Ahwaz arrested five studentjournalists and activists on the campus of Chamran University Roozbeh Karimi, Javad Tavalli, Javad Alikhan, Mehdi Mansouri, and Raee Nikzad.
The deputy of the Prosecutor's Office of the General and Revolutionary Courts in the city of Ahwaz,claimed that the government carried out the arrests to preempt the students from distributing fliers that insulted Islamic sanctities. Article 513 of the Islamic Penal Codes of Iran criminalizes insults to any of the Islamic sanctities.


Human Rights Watch called on the Iranian government to amend or abolish provisions that impose criminal penalties for the free expression of ideas, such as Article 513 and 514 of the Islamic Penal Codes, as well as vague security laws that unduly restrict the right to peaceful association and assembly, such as Articles 500, 610 and 618.


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

Iran: risk or not

Iranian security forces have killed three Kurdish rebels in Kurdistan province,
The daily Iran reported that members of the PEJAK terrorist group were killed in Kamyaran county,without specifying when the incident took place.





Nine Iranians, including two diplomats jailed since January by American troops in Iraq, are released by USA because "none of them posed a threat to security in Iraq".The names of the diplomats are Hamidreza Askari en Mousa Chegeni.
According to Press-tv the nine are expected to return to Iran later Friday.


31 October is journalist Yaghoub Salaki Nia arrested and transported to Evinprison in Tehran. He is a free-lance journalist who contributed to several banned media, including Shamesse Tabriz, Ahrar, Omid Zanjan.
His house was searched and his work equipment and papers were seized. It is not known what charges he faces.
September 23 the Authorisation and Surveillance Commission of the Press suspended political monthly Dilmaj. No reason was given.
The quarterly Madresseh was suspended on 5 November for “apostasy”. The quarterly had published an interview with an intellectual cleric, Mohammad Mojtahed Shabesstary, who carries out research into the Koran.
Iranian leaders took the view that his remarks were “insulting of sacred texts”.
At the moment there are 10 journalists imprisoned:
Emadoldin Baghi,
Ako Kurdnasab,
Ejlal Ghavami,
Mohammad Sadegh Kaboudvand,
Said Matinpour,
Adnan Hassanpour,
Abdolvahed Botimar,
Kaveh Javanmard and
Mohammad Hassan Fallahieh


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

Iran: sanction

Wednesday are in Saveh, south from Tehran, two Afghans hanged in public.
They were convicted for the rape of a Dutch woman.




Ayatollah Kamenei said Wednesday at a gathering of students of the police-academy in Tehran that security plays a key role in the success and prosperity of Iran.
Also he said that the police has to take a firm stance against those who undermine the country's security.
According to statetelevision he said that the police must strongly press on with the 'social security plan' and avoid seasonal and temporary initiatives.
In the past months during the "crackdown for moral security" thousands of women have been warned for not being dressed properly to the islamic dresscode. Also hundreds of "thugs" were arrested and satellite-dishes were seized.
Some moderates have questioned the need for the moral crackdown but conservatives have applauded police and say its is popular with the public and necessary to improve security in society.


Yahoo! and Microsoft have removed Iran from the country lists of their webmail services.
Google has kept Iran as an option on the Gmail registration page. however.
Yahoo says that as consequence of the new US-sanctions, they cannot accept registrations from countries subject to these restrictions.
Microsoft said it was unable to comment on the issue.
Google insists the sanctions do not preclude it from including Iran in its Gmail country list, and that they are in full compliance with US sanctions.
On 30 October, the correspondent of NRC Handelsblad wrote (in Dutch) that his paid Skype account had been cancelled. Also Voip said its financial services provider had been forced to stop taking payments from Iran.


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

Iran: supportive

One of the students who took part in an anti-government demonstration last week at Tehran’s Allameh University has been arrested.
Ali Azizi, who is a member of studentsassociation Unity Consolidation Bureau, was arrested Sunday and since then no news was heard, his mother told.


Global Voices Online writes that in recent weeks, the Iranian government has stepped up the pressure against human rights and civil society activists.
Some of these activists are in jail and Iranian bloggers write about them.
The blog of the Student Committee for Human Rights Reporters (SCHRR)(farsi) writes that Sepideh PourAghai human rightsactivist and member of SCHRR is being held in isolation on ward 209 of Evinprison for 45 days now.
According to SCHRR 5 more political activists such as Mansour Saraji who were arrested at the same time and are still in prison.
Frontline and the blog FreeSohradRazzaghi report about the arrest of
Sohrab Razzaghi who was arrested October 25.






Inside and outside Iran a growing debate has started whether millions of dollars in U.S. pro-democracy aid to Iranian dissidents is helping to build the foundations of civil society or giving the regime in Tehran an excuse to crack down even harder on dissident students, journalists, and other activists.
The money, a part of which helps fund Radio Free Europe broadcasts to Iran, is not distributed directly to activists, it is channeled to them through third parties, such as European nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that also support Iranian democrats.
Partly, that's done so that Iranian activists, in the eyes of the clerical regime, don't appear "tainted" by direct U.S. support, a perception that some say could not only endanger them personally, but discredit their cause inside Iran as well.
Last month in the United States several organizations signed a statement by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a group that represents the interests of Iranians in the United States that called for the U.S. aid to be cut off precisely because it "taints" dissidents.
About this a widespread discussion followed with important voices staking out diametrically opposed positions.



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

Iran: in-print

The daily Kayhan wrote that in the city of Khonooj November 3 a not identified man is hanged.




Tehran police have broken up a ring engaged in fabricating false university degrees.
They were tipped of by officials from Azadi University.
According to the commander of Tehran public security police the detainees did confess to having sold such fake certificates from various Iranian universities for about a year.


The website of the daily Aftabnews writes that the spokesman for the Association of Defending Freedom of the Press, Mashaallah Shamsolvaezin, claims that the press is facing a serious crisis, as severe that investment in publications is not worthwhile and a money-losing endeavor under the prevailing conditions.
Furthermore he said that the current crisis will endure until a new policy on the national media is adopted.




The website of International Journalists Network writes that the Association of Iranian Journalists (AOIJ) says on its site that a letter (farsi) signed by more than 200 young journalists in Iran reproaches media managers and executives for failing to sufficiently protect their rights.
According to AOIJ, the letter complains that some managers, who often are also important political or business people, abuse their position and abandon the rights of their own employees.
The young journalists also say there is very little security for them in Iran, especially for those who work for independent media.


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

Iran: discourage

In Bandar Abbas, Hormuzgan province are 4 men hanged convicted of drug trafficking.
Etemad daily reported that only one of them is identified as F.M.33-year-old.
In the city of Isfahan is Saturday a man named Asghar Gh., 27 hanged convicted for killing another man.


November 4, is womans rights defender Delaram Ali sentenced to 2 years and 6 months and 10 lashing`s in appeals court.
May 29 she was convicted for participating in the June 12, 2006 protest in support of women’s rights in Hafte Tir Square which was violently broken up by police.
Delaram Ali suffered a broken arm as a result of beatings.Complaints were filed against the police for use of excessive force but the judiciary found the police innocent in the case.
In her original trial Delaram was sentenced to 2 years and ten months prison term and 20 lashings.



End October, 14 women Zara Amjadian, Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani, Elnaz Ansari, Shahla Entesari, Nahid Entesari, Niloofar Golkar, Maryam Hosseinkhah, Sarah Imanian, Jelve Javaheri, Sarah Loghmanian, Maryam Mirza, Rezvan Moghadam, Ehteram Shadfar en Sussan Tahmasebi all active in the One Million Signatures Campaign, were summoned to appear in court the coming months.
The women are on trial in relation to their arrest on March 4th at the Revolutionary Court where they had staged a peaceful protest objecting to the trial of five women’s rights activists who were being tried on national security charges.



On October 30 is the mother from Ronak Safarzadeh beaten up by Judiciary Official Agents in Sanandaj. She was trying to find out from judiciary officials why there was no news on the condition of her daughter.
Ronak Savarzadeh was arrested October 9, at home. After spending 18 days in detention without any contact with her family, judiciary officials extended the arrest for one month.
She is probably being held in the detention center within the local office of the Ministry of Information and Security.
She is a womans rights defender and active in the One Million Signature Campaign.
Though collecting signatures for the One Million Signature Campaign is not an illegal activity,she was arrested by nine security agents and there is no information on her whereabouts since her arrest and her family has not been able to contact her or obtain additional information about the charges against her.



The daily Etemad Melli reported that in the cities Shiraz and Isfahan five famous tea houses had been shut down by police.
The newspaper wrote that the the closures were in line with a government drive to discourage all kinds of smoking. Traditional tea houses offer water pipes alongside food.
Police commander Mohammad Ali Najafi said that eateries, tea houses and restaurants are not allowed to provide tobacco even in the traditional form.
The initiative is not limited to Shiraz and Isfahan and will be implemented across Iran.


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

Iran: students

Iranian police said they arrested Thursday in the city of Karai
32 students at a party.
ISNA wrote that the commander of Tehran province’s security police said that "11 girls and 21 boys for drinking alcoholic drinks and being half-naked" were arrested.
He added that the raid came after a tip-off and that the students were celebrating after one of them had won a medal in an international competition.
Less than 2 months ago police arrested 20 young people in a raid on a party in the same city, which was also the site of an illegal rock concert last week when 230 were detained.
Mixed-sex parties are illegal in Iran. It is also forbidden to consume alcohol in public or private and attend gatherings with improperly clad members of the opposite sex. Dancing to Western music is also disapproved.


Thousands of Iranians gathered November 4th to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in 1979 in Tehran by student radicals.
A crowd, composed mainly of schoolchildren bussed in to central Tehran, gathered outside the site of the former US embassy,
In Iran this day is celebrated as National Day against the Global Arrogance. In various cities have rallies taken place with people protesting f.i. against G.W.Bush.



Three students who were detained earlier this week participating in demonstrations at Tehran’s Allameh University have been transferred to Ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Arman Sedaqati, Behnam Sepehrmand, and Maziar Samiee briefly contacted their families by phone late on Wednesday, informing them of their transfer.
It is unclear as of yet what charges they will face.

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

Iran: objection

In Kahnouj, Kerman province, a man was hanged in public.
The not identified man was convicted for killing the brother of his fiancé.



Afghanistan said it had summoned Thursday Iran's representative in Kabul to complain about reports of Afghan minors being sentenced to death for drug smuggling and the forced expulsion of refugees.
AFP reported that the Deputy Foreign Minister also raised concerns about claims that Afghan nationals were beaten up in Tehran.
In October,there was a unconfirmed report of an Afghan human rights group saying a 17-year-old may have been hanged for smuggling 1.5 kilograms (three pounds) of heroin.
It is not unusual in Iran for drug smugglers of Afghan origin to be executed in border provinces.
The Minister said that these children are being misused by drug smugglers and their conviction is contrary to human rights, international standards and the very good relations between two countries.
He also condemned the forced repatriation of Afghans in border areas, especially those with legal documents.
He demanded an explanation for an assault on Afghans in Iran.
A video clip taken by mobile phone is distributed in Tehran, which showed a woman being abused by what were thought to be Afghans but turned out to be Iranians.




The executive director of the committee for the Rumi international congress Mohsen Parviz said in a press release that there is no place for Sufism in the Shia country Iran.
The press release was published after the congress was allegedly criticized for staging performances of Sama, the Sufi practice of gathering to listen to religious poetry that is sung, often accompanied by ecstatic dance or other rituals. The criticism came after broadcast from the IRIB’s TV channels during reports of the congress programs.



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

Iran: to increase

Police in Tehran have recently shut down six bookshop-cafes. Police says the booksellers' union does not allow two separate professions -- namely, selling books and selling refreshments -- to be practiced together.
According to Hafez Mussavi, a writer and publisher in Tehran, the he crackdown is linked to a broader pattern in which Islamic authorities have stepped up efforts to suppress dissent across all segments of society.



National Iranian Oil Company plans to build eight new oil refineries together with private investors.
They are intended to supply domestic market needs, but the surplus will be exported to neighboring countries. The refineries will be built in some cities including Shiraz, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Arak and Neka. When finished, the production will be over 1.4 million barrels of oil per day.Iran has nine oil refineries operational at the moment, these can refine 1.7 million barrels of crude oil per day.



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

Iran: unclear

Statetelevision reported that Sunday two man, named Ali Khorramnejad and Behrouz Zanganeh are hanged in Bushehr.
According to IRNA are Saturday in Mahan, Kerman province, two not identified men hanged.


Roozonline published on her website an interview with the mother of
Yasser Goli, a student marked by the university with a star (this means he or she is a dissident activist) from Sanandaj.
20 days ago he was arrested and has been denied every contact to his relatives since.
His mother told that she went to the court every day to get some news from him but nobody says anything. The authorities even threatened to arrest them.
Her son has a heartproblem and suffers from high blood pressure for years, which has forced him to be hospitalized.
The assistant prosecutor told her that her son has no heart problems and that they are not responsible for his health.If he has a heart attack or commits suicide inside prison, they are not responsible.
His mother is very concerned. "In the courthouse, they make fun of us and the authorities tell the guards to throw us out of the building. I write a letter everyday to the authorities and give it to the court officials when I go there, but they tear up my letters right in front of my eyes"she says.
She hopes that human rights organizations can do something for them and all other prisoners, before something happens to her son.



AFP reports that according to a source in the office of Iran's judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi there has been no verdict issued for Dutch-Iranian Abdullah al-Mansouri.
He added that he has been charged with "acting against national security" and being mohareb.
Mohareb is koranic legal term which describes the grave charge of "being an enemy of God" and can carry the death penalty in Iran.
The source, who wants to be unidentified also said that al-Mansouri during the (1980-1988) Iran-Iraq war collaborated with the intelligence of Iraq.


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