Iran: chances

In the prison of Sirjan, Kerman province, is a man hanged.
The man, Reza was convicted for a murder eight years ago.
source: iranhr.net


The recommendation of the head of Iran’s judiciary Shahroudi, to grant amnesty to Ashraf Kalhor who was sentenced to 15 years in prison and stoning of adultery and accessory to murder was rejected by the Judicial Commission for Amnesty and Clemency.
According to this recommendation it was assumed that her stoning sentence had been cancelled. But two years later the Judicial Commission for Amnesty and Clemency decided the implementation of the verdict.
source: Change for Equality



In an interview with the newspaper Hammihan Maryam Behroozi, chairwoman of Zeinab Society,that according to a Parliament approved bill which is currently under review by the State Expediency Council, women can run for office of the president.
Women’s presidential candidature has been forbidden due to a legal interpretation of the term, “rejal,” a qualification for candidacy, as applying to only men.
There has been controversy about the issue in the past.
If the bill is approved women’s human rights will be considered more seriously and they will be treated the same as men.
source: Change for Equality



GlobalVoicesOnline writes that Iran has around 60,000 active blogs and up to 20 million people are connected to the internet.
Iranian authorities filter the access to thousands of sites, worldwide.
Not only pornographic sites, but also political or social blogs and websites.
Iran has no clear red line of what needs to be filtered or not.Also Islamic websitesites are filtered.
In the top filterranking are:
BBC Persian, AmirKabir, a student news publication, and Balatarin, a popular citizen media portal, Women’s rights activists, student movements, anti-government, political, anti-filtering and human rights blogs, Social networkingsites as Flickr and Orkut.
In the last two months Iranians have been able to access Facebook and YouTube, they also can access MySpace and Twitter.
source: GlobalVoicesOnline


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: new year events?

National Council of Resistance of Iran writes that Tehran authorities reported that during
Chahararshanbeh Soori Celebrations in Tehran, more then 750 people were arrested charged with “disrupting peace and creating fear during Fire Festival.”
Many people, mainly young people used the celebrations to protest against the regime.
State Security Forces SSF and Bassij were dispatching forces to disperse the crowds.
In Karaj 120 people were arrested.
source: ncr-iran.org


The father from arrestedreporter Roxana Saberi says that "she is under great psychological pressure and her condition seems to be dangerous now".
While her mother is Japanese, her father wants to write a letter to the Japanese authorities, asking to help with officials in Japan’s embassy in Tehran to free his daughter.
He is concerned that his daughter may remain in prison for at least two more weeks, while the government goes into recess for the Iranian new year, which begins on Friday.
source: Iranvnc.com


Fars newsagency reports that the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei granted amnesty or commuted sentences of 950 Iranian prisoners, convicted at general, revolutionary or military courts. IRNA says that the the pardon was made at the request of Judiciary Chief Hashemi Shahroudi and is on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the prophet, March 15.
Iran usually grants pardon during the Iranian national or religious events.
source: english.farsnews.com


The disciplinary committee of Martyr Beheshti University in Tehran has in spite of the Persian New Year and students are away on holiday, announced the sentences for a number of student activists who held a hunger strike.
Katayoun Rahimi charged with disorderly conduct on the university campus, refusal to observe Islamic dress, and for being an adherent of the banned Baha’i religion: expulsion from university.
Nilofar Sadeghi charged with disorderly conduct on university grounds and calling for other students to join in protest: one-term suspension and loss of privileges.
Bahman Hiochi charged with disorderly conduct on university grounds and calling for other students to join in protest: one-term suspension and loss of privileges.
Saber Bazrafshan, Amir-Reza Mohammadi, Iler Tavasoli, Zahra Karimirad, Nahid Mobayani, Ehsan Malekhusseini, Shahrzad Mohammadian all were issued a written citation, which was recorded in their permanent school files and loss of privileges.
Gholam-Reza Madanian, a lawyer and a candidate for a doctorate degree in law: for contacting other political groups he was temporarily censured from entering the university campus and his case was referred to the central disciplinary committee.
More than 20 other students received oral or written citations.


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: move

March 18, Iranian blogger Omidreza Mirsayafi, 29 died in Evinprison.
He was charged with insulting the authorities and sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
In an interview with International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran he told in December that his blog just was a private blog and was read only by a few of his friends.
He also said that expert testimony by an Intelligence Ministry official during his trial emphasized this point and that he should not receive such a heavy sentence.
Most of the articles on his blog were about traditional Persian music and about culture.
Mirsayafi committed suicide by taking overdose of his medication against his serious depression.
source: iranhumanrights.org


Amnesty International has voiced concerns at the repressive measures against members of Iran's religious and ethnic minority communities, trade unionists, women's rights activists and students.She asks to release the eight arrested students immediately.
In a statement of March 12, the Centre for Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) condemns the arrests and urges to reinstate the banned students.
February 5, four students of Amir Kabir university were arrested: Esmail Salmanpour, Majid Tavakkoli, Hossein Torkashvand en Koroush Daneshyar.
After a demonstration February 24 were detained Mehdi Mashayekhi, Nariman Mostafavi, Ahmad Qasaban en Abbas Hakimzadeh .
Amnesty International has called on the Iranian authorities to ensure that the students detained on 5 February and those arrested on 24 February be protected against torture or other ill-treatment and that they be allowed immediate access to their family and lawyers.
source: Amnesty International



Somali pirates in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland have hijacked an Iranian vessel,on accusation of illegal fishing.
An official at the East African Seafarers Assistance Program told Reuters that it happened Monday.
He said the villagers have taken it because of fishing illegally or for damaging fishing equipment. He told that they usually move when you destroy their nets or boats and hold the ship until they are paid back.
source Press-TV


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: old or new

For the first time Iran gained a slot for the woman's ski tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
One out of present three woman candidates has to qualify in the ski-tournaments which are to be held in December 2009.
85 countries are participating in the 2010 Winter Games in Canada.
source: Fars newsagency


In june 2008, Silva Harotonian, an employee from IREX was arrested and detained by authorities in Tehran, January 19, she was sentenced to a three-year prison term in Iran on charges of trying to soft topple the Iranian government.
Harotonian is an Iranian citizen from Armenian descent and is employed for IREX since 2007 in an exchange programme to enhance cooperation between Iran and the United States.
She works as an administrative support for Maternal and Child Health Education and Exchange Program (MCHEEP), in Yerevan, Armenia.
On the site free Silva is backgroundinformation and a petition.
source: payvand.com


Naser Zarafshan,a member of "Iran writers Association" and " Iran Lawyers Society ", is banned to leave the country and his passport is confiscated. He is as well lawyer for the family's of the victims of "chain murdering" in 1988.
He was invited to European Parliament by the president of all Europe Green Party to discuss on environmental issues in Iran and the future relation of Iran and Europe.
In May 2008 he was stopped at the airport in Tehran and they took his passport under the pretext that he had a case file in court .
source: Iran watch Canada


On the day before the last Wednesday for the end of the Iranian calendaryear, the ChaharShanbeh Soori fest is celebrated in Iran.
People go out and make fires and jump over them. Originally there were seven fires to pretend that the sun will not set.
The tradition dates from the Zoroastrian era. Following this tradition the jumping is to banish misfortune, marking the arrival of spring and the revival of nature.
Also a lot of people and children dress in costumes, make a lot of noise and go from house to house for a treat. These can be nuts, chocolate and candy.
Nowadays the fest is celebrated quite different from what was practiced during ancient times. The explosives are louder and the fires more dangerous and accidents happen.
source: Press-TV
photo's: http://www.payvand.com/news/09/mar/1232.html


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: more

In a statement on yaarinews.com has Mohammad Khatami formally ended his candidacy for the June presidential race.
The main reason behind the withdrawal is that Khatami wishes to prevent dividing of the votes.
After Mir-Hossein Mousavi announcing his candidacy there were speculations about the need to unite and that not both be candidates together.
At the end of last week it was announced that the Principlist reached consensus to support one candidate only.
Although nobody of the Principlist yet announced their candidacy, it is expected that President Ahmadinejad will run for a second term.
source: Press-TV


According to information from Evinprison, the physical condition of Mohammad-Sedigh Kaboodvand is a cause for serious concern.
He is chairman of Kurdistan Human Rights organization an detained for 21 months.
Medical officers of the prison have warned of the criticality of his heart condition, but the deputy prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Intelligence have rejected a relief plea to seek medical treatment outside of the prison. At the same time he was more then twice admitted to the prison hospital.
Kurdistan Human Rights organization has issued statements warning of the extent of Kaboodvand’s health issues and they have identified the deputy of the prosecutor’s office in Tehran and the Ministry of Intelligence as responsible parties.
source: ihrv.org


March 16 is the trial against students from Zanjan University held.
The students Alireza Firoozi, Surna Hashemi, Bahram Vahedi, Payam Shakiba, Arash Rayeji, Hasan Jenidi, Dr. Sarami and Tofighi are charged with holding a demonstration to protest against actions by an university deputy against a female student.
The next court session is scheduled to be held on April 7.
source: ihrv.org

Mohammad Ehsani, a linguistic student and filmer is named as fourth of a group of people who are charged with a "soft overthrowing" of the Iranian regime.Earlier this year the brothers Alaei and an unknown third person were sentenced to jail for cooperating with USA.
Ehsani was in 2008 invited by the Asian Association of New York and 5 other film centers in five US states, to exhibit his work.
It is said that he was arrested unexpectedly during his wedding ceremony on 6 July 2008 in Tehran and sent to Evin prison where he spent his detention in solitary confinement while his situation was not mentioned by the media.
It is unclear where and when his court has been held and if he was allowed an attorney, however he has been charged with cooperating with the United States.
Last year a film was showed at the inauguration of the Iranian art and culture centre in New York.
Reports indicate that the film was the request of the Iranian Cultural Heritage and tourism and it was confirmed after visit of the Asian Associations delegation and US Metropolitan Museum to Iran.
source: ihrv.org


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: traffic

The director-general of the Office for Coordinating Municipalities' Transportation and Traffic Affairs told Fars newsagency that Iran plans to place new restrictions on car owners in Tehran and other municipal cities to solve the traffic problem.
He pointed that if personal car-use is limited, people will use public transportation .One way is to increase car maintenance costs, fuel prices and parking fee in city centers.
source: english.farsnews.com



Fars newsagency reported that in Shiraz, Fars province, a woman is arrested who promoted the Satanism in her clothesshop.
The chief of provincial police intelligence said that in the shop of the woman, Rezvan H. 387 symbols of Satanism were found.
In Iran heavy metal music and other hard rock attributes are often looked at as satanic.
source: irannewsdaily.com



President Ahmadinejad officially ordered the Oil Ministry to import gasoline for the next three months till mid-June to build enough reserves for next year.
The president had proposed a 20-billion-dollar economic reform plan to redistribute the oilsubsidies as part of the budget bill, but the parliament removed the plan before ratifying the bill.
The head of Iran's National Refinery and Distribution Company said that the Ministry of Oil would use oil revenues for gasoline imports if the budget allocated for the purpose is not enough.
source: Press-TV



264,000 police agents will be on guard since Sunday on behalf of the holidays around the Iranian Newyear (Nowruz), March 21.
They will provide the safety on the roads in the country during the New Years travels.
Driving license of those motorists who drive beyond speed limits or show other dangerous behaviors will be revoked.
source: mehrnews.com

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: implement

The request for appeal from the Kurdish womans right activist Zaynab Bayazidi is denied.
She is member of the OneMillionSignaturecampaign and Kurdistan’s Human Rights Defense organization.
July 9, 2008 she had to appear in the Ministry of Information and was detained.
Within a month her trial was held without the presence of her defense lawyer She received a four-year jail sentence to be served in exile in the city of Zanjan’s central prison.
source: ihrv.org



Reza Abdi, member of the Teachers Union was charged with public disorder by holding an illegal gathering in front of the parliament, to five months imprisonment and 20 lashes, was ordered March 14 to the Revolutionary Court for implementation of the flogging.
He had been detained during teachers protest events of April 2007 and his sentence was issued in September 2008.
source: ihrv.org


12 fired miners of Agh Dareh mine in the city of Tikan Tapeh (Tukab)(Azerbaijan) who had been poisoned severely by inhaling mercury vapors filed a suit.
According to workers, they were not equipped with safety gear at the work site and the factory also lacks proper equipment to trap pollutant materials, adding to the contamination of underground water.
source: ihrv.org


Ali Mihan-Torabi,who is sentenced to death for a murder he committed when he was below the age of 18, has been tortured by the deputy of prison security of Raja’i Shahrprison. Gohardasht.
The reason was contacts with political prisoners in the same prison and because of the multiple protests by the foreign press against the capital punishment.
source: ihrv.org


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: figures

In Adelabad prison in Shiraz are according to daily Etemaad four men opgehangen.
Their names are:
Abolhassan convicted for murder in 1981,
a man, 26, convicted for murder,
a man, convicted for murder,
a man, 23, convicted for rape of two boys (name and age at the time of committing the offence not given).
Sources say also there are several minor offenders on death row in the Adelabad prison of Shiraz.



Farsnews reported that the povertyline for Iranian metropolitan areas has risen with 10% and now is $860.
At a possible inflationrate in next year of 35%, a family of five would be in absolute poverty with a monthly income of under $860.
Also the former Minister of Welfare said that the figure had risen compared to last year. He added however that the increase was not so high as to cause panic.
Universitary studies say that low income groups have spent less while high income groups have spent more.
This means that the poor have become poorer while the rich have spent more.
It is also announced that the minimum wage for Iranian workers was set at a monthly rate of
$ 279.
source: Press-TV



The Iranian parliament ratified after 5 days of lenghty debate, the budget for the next Iranian year, after a $19 billion to redistribute subsidies was cut,to $279 billion.
President Ahmadinejad has proposed a 20-billion-dollar economic reform plan which would entail cutting subsidies for fuel, natural gas and electricity and redistributing hard cash among low-income families to compensate them for the price hike caused by the plan.
The budget needs a yes vote from the 12-member Guardians Council in order to come into effect.
source: Press-TV



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: reasons

In the prison of Sari were March 11 two men hanged.
The men, Ali Asghar F. en Ismaeil A. were according to the site of the police convicted for drugstrafficking.

source: iranhr.net



Jinous Sobhani,who was arrested in Tehran, January 14th, was released on Wednesday after paying a bail from $70,000.
Sobhani, who works on the human rights office of Shirin Ebadi and is of Baha'i faith, is not allowed by the court to get legal assistance nor have they allowed her lawyers access to seeher file.
According to her lawyer, Abdulfatah Soltani, a member of the Center for the Defense of Human Rights, the reason for her arrest is probably her work with the Center for the Defense of Human Rights and also because she is a Baha’i, although neither of these is a crime, and no other charge against her has yet been announced.
source: iranVNC.com



Reporters without Borders has published a report: "Enemies of the Internet" .
In this report they name 12 countries which have transformed their Internet into an Intranet in order to prevent their population from accessing ‘undesirable’ online information.
These countries are: Burma, China, Cuba, Egypte, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The entire report can be read: here (pdf).
source: Reporters without Borders



The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has answered the written questions of Dutch MP's Van Bommel, Peters and Van Dam.
This is in Dutch.
My incomplete and grammatical often wrong translation:
The Minister confirmed that the Iranian government told the Dutch Ambassador in Tehran that Abdullah Al Mansouri is convicted to 30 years in prison.
The Iranian government also told the Ambassador that Al Mansouri can appeal to this sentence.
Whether this was a fair trial is not known, while the Iranian government has not (yet) handed out papers.
Iran will not allow consular assistance, while Al Mansouri in Irans opinion is an Iranian citizen.
For this reason there has been no visit from a Dutch governmental representative to Al Mansouri.
According to Minister Verhagen the Dutch government will do its utmost to ensure Al Mansouri can be visited by Dutch governmental representatives.
source: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs


In Iran there are childoffenders, still on death row.

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

Iran: report

The daily Kayhan writes that Wednesday in the prison of Tabas four men are hanged
The men, Ali Abestan, Ali Dehqani, Ali Damshad, and Mahmoud Moradi were convicted for drugssmuggle. The daily also wrote that they took part in armed clashes with the police two years ago and resisted arrest.

source: IranFocus



Amnesty International published a report called "Challenging Repression: Human Rights Defenders in the Middle East and North Africa" in which she warns for the fact that human rights organizations in Iran face continued repression in governmentrules and other forms of repression.
According to the report human rights defenders are imprisoned on vague charges such as “propaganda against the state”, “insulting others”, and “acting against state security”.
Families of human rights defenders have also been targeted by Iranian authorities.
Woman's rights activists in Iran still face huge challenges and constant state repression, but they continue, to make their voices heard.
Also human rights defenders are persecuted by the state.
Freedom of press is decreasing.
Charges as “insulting the country’s leader” and “making anti-government propaganda”, are punishable by imprisonment.
Workers’ rights are also under attack. Union members are jailed.
source: amnesty international usa

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: official

According to AmirKabir Newsletter is March 5th in Lakanprison in the city of Rasht, Gilan province, a man stoned to death.
The man, Vali Azad, 30, was convicted for adultry.
The report is not confirmed by official sources.
source: iranhr.net



700 women celebrated International Women's Day in Malatpark, Mashhad, Khorasan province.
They chanted slogans in support of freedom of women in the country.
The police were dispatched to the Azadi Square across from the Malat Park to disperse the demonstrators.
50 women were arrested and transferred to a unknown location.
source: ncr-iran.org


Mir-Hossein Moussavi has officially announced his candidacy for the presidential elections in June.
Moussavi is a member of Iran's Expediency Council, runs on the reformist platform and is a member of the National Confidence (Etemad-e-Melli) Party.
Together with Khatami and Karroubi, he is the third reformist cansidate.
soource: press-TV


The secretary of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization said that the nuclear installations in Bushehr during the holidays of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz, March 21) will be opened for tourists.
The aim is to further highlight the peaceful nature of Tehran's atomic work.
source: Press-TV


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