May 8, 2010

UPDATE ON IRAN - May 8, 2010

Death row political prisoner (PMOI supporter) under torture in Evin Prison
May 6, 2010
- According to reports, death row political prisoner Jafar Kazemi is under torture and pressure by intelligence agents in ward 209 in Evin Prison to give an interview ('confess') on television.
This 47-year-old prison is a father of two. He has a lithographing company and lithographed all the educational books for Amir Kabir University.
Jafar Kazemi was arrested on September 18, 2009 while in a Taxi to pick up his wife who had gone on a trip. Four cars which belonged to the Intelligence Agency stopped him in 7 Hoze Square and forced him out of the car while beating him. These agents also beat the taxi driver on the street amid protests from Kazemi saying that he was only a taxi driver.
Kazemi was then transferred to cellblock 209 in Evin Prison and was under the most severe psychological and physical torture for the first 3 days of this incarceration. These tortures which went on for 72 hours left scars on his face and body and he also suffered an injury in his nose and jaw. Kazemi also lost a large amount of weight. Interrogators did not give him any treatment even while he was bleeding and continued their tortures. The interrogators then threatened him that if he did not participate in the TV confessions, they would arrest his son and wife and bring them to cellblock 209 to torture them in front of him. But Kazemi still did not give in to their demands. After 74 hours in a solitary cell, he was transferred to cellblock 350.
After widespread protests on Ashura (December 27, 2009) intelligence agents once again put him under pressure to participate in TV interviews and announce that he was arrested on Ashura and repeat the words dictated to him by his interrogators. Otherwise they would arrest and torture his wife and son in front of him.
He was once again tortured for a few hours in which two of his teeth broke and he also suffered severe injuries in his nose and shoulder. Kazemi told his interrogators that they could do whatever they wanted but he will not repeat what they told him to in front of cameras and that he would only speak the truth. He was severely tortured because one of his sons is in camp Ashraf in Iraq and Alavi, the head interrogator, has constantly reminded Kazemi of this.
Kazemi is tortured by an interrogator nicknamed Alavi. Alavi kicked and punched Kazemi in the face and broke his teeth and nose.
Kazemi's case was referred to the 28th branch of the Revolutionary Court which is headed by Moqiseh aka Naserian who was a member of the 'death commission' in charge of killing thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Because there is no evidence of any action carried out by Kazemi, Moqiseh has sentenced him to death on charges like moharebeh (enmity with God), spreading propaganda against the government, acting against national security, organizing Amir Kabir University students and being in contact with former political prisoners and their families. Mohammad Moqiseh despises former political prisoners and has stated this issue a number of times. He has even told them that 'we should have executed you while you were jailed and made a mistake in not doing so'.
Kazemi's death sentence was upheld by Ahmad Zargar, the head of the 36th branch of the Revolutionary Court of Review. Zargar was an interrogator in the 80's and tortured political prisoners. During the recent protests, he gave heavier sentences to prisoners whose cases were referred to him compared to the prisoner's initial sentences.
Death row political prisoner Jafar Kazemi was a political prisoner in the 80's. He was jailed and tortured from 1981 to 1990.

No news on teacher activist since his arrest
May 5, 2010
- According to reports, Mohammad Hashemi, a member of the Teacher's Organization was arrested last Wednesday in his home.
His family has said that they have no information on him since his arrest and are very concerned for his mental and physical state.
Their attempts at finding out where he is being kept have not led to any conclusion. Hashemi was arrested once before in 2006 for participating in a sit in by teachers outside the parliament. 

Prisoner dies in Gohardasht Prison for not receiving treatment
May 6, 2010
- Mehdi Futohi, a prisoner who had injuries from a chemical gas attack in the Iran-Iraq war died yesterday in Gohardasht Prison after not receiving treatment on time.
He died of lung failure in cellblock 3 because prison officials did not take him the prison infirmary on time.
This prisoner had served more than 8 years in prison. He took his last breath while other prisoners were desperately trying to get help from prison officials to save his life.


Students Commitee in Iran (Supporter of PMOI)

May 7, 2010

Update on Iran - May 7, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran
No.592
           
The Downfall

The reactionary Supreme Leader tasked Judiciary to arrest members of defeated fraction
Tehran, May 5, 2010

Mullah Sajedinia a member of Security Commission of regime’s reactionary parliament and a member of Khamenei fraction in the parliament said that 140 MPs had written a letter to the head of Judiciary to arrest the ‘heads of sedition’.
He added that the MPs belonging to Khamenei’s fraction also had a session with him.
As mullah Sajedinia put it in the meeting the MPs have asked ‘many questions about society’s problems the System is confronting and Khamenei has advised them what to do’.
In the meeting they had discussed about how to confront improper veil in the society.

Infiltrator, Khatami, opposed the march on June 12
Tehran, May 5, 2010

Khatami the former president of the clerical regime opposed Karrobi’s suggestion for calling for a march on June 12 severely and once again showed that he is Khamenei’s infiltrator in the defeated band.
Resalat state-run daily wrote: “confirmed news is that Karrobi’s quest for holding a march on Junde 12 is opposed by Khatami one of the effective personalities of the so-called reform current”.
The daily added: “these days when Karrobi meets with the heads of illegal groups he advises them to ask permission for a march on June 12 but news received from within the reformists show that this bid has no buyer”.
Resalat daily quoting a reformist in regime’s reactionary parliament continued: “Khatami seriously opposes this suggestion because he believes that the march and gatherings will get out of Karrobi’s and Mosavi’s control and ill-fated elements will ruin what is left for the current of reform and they will be introduced as groups of rioters in the society”.

Regime’s Judiciary’s head henchmen threatened the defeated fraction
Tehran, May 6, 2010

As the schism deepens within the heads of the clerical regime, mullah Larijani the head of regime’s Judiciary intends to eliminate the defeated fraction by charging them as Moharebs.
Fars news agency affiliated with RGC quoted Mullah Sadegh Larijani in his trip to Hamedan and meeting with the mullahs of this province as: “during the recent sedition I witnessed words and acts that I didn’t anticipate at all. These people were with Imam (Khomeini) but they have turned to currents which acted worse than Hypocrites (the name regime calls PMOI)”.
Mullah Larijani also expressed his regime’s fear of the continuation of the uprising and called on regime’s elements to continue suppression.
Fars news agency said: “Larijani said that the sedition is not over and added that its time for awareness. ‘We must think about the grass roots and we must think about the goals of Islamic Republic. In this manner we can survive this problem’”.

Khamenei’s band invades all state-run media
Tehran, May 5, 2010

Parliament News belonging to the defeated fraction in regime’s parliament wrote on Wednesday: “in continuation of the pressure for changing the heads of media which are not aligned with the government. It is said that Merh’s executive manager will change soon”.
Mehr belongs to Islamic Propagation Organization.

Resistance


Female students on protest
Tehran, May 5, 2010

Since 10 am on May 5 female students of Tehran University gathered in protest against the new directive saying that all female students must were black Maghnae, they are not allowed to enter the university wearing a shawl or scarf any more.
This directive was written on paper and cloth and was posted all around the university.
According to this directive Harasat prevented students wearing shawl or scarf from entering the university.
Thus more than 2000 female students gathered in protest against this suppressive and reactionary act at the campus of Department of Art and chanted anti regime slogans.
Male students gradually joined them and protested too against this suppressive act.
The gathering and the march following it lasted 4 hours and the female students dragged all the posted placards down and trampled them.
Misogyny is one of the specifications of religious fascism that is used as the main tool of suppression by it in the society.

The protest gathering of families of political prisoners led to freedom of three
Tehran, May 5, 2010

Families of political prisoners gathered in protest for freedom of their beloveds last night in front of Evin Prison.
Hesam a 20 year old political prisoner who was just kept in the prison because he didn’t accept to participate in TV confession shows of the regime was freed at last.
Two other political prisoners freed were a 22 year old man who was imprisoned for 10 months just for carrying a few photos of the protests and a young girl.

Share Kurd Azad University in protest again
Shahre Kurd, May 5, 2010

As the clerical regime prevented Azadandishan Independent Organization of Shahre Kurd’s Azad University for having an election to elect the members of their central council, the members of this organization gathered in protest in front of the bureau of ‘leadership’s organ’ of the university to show their opposition to this decision.


Suppression

Suppression surges in Tehran
Suppression by SSF

Tehran, May 5, 2010

Two days after the national protest of Labor Day and in the curse of widespread suppression the head of Great Tehran’s SSF, Sajedinia, announced that 400 were arrested under the title of “plan for promotion of social security”.
The arrest of these 400 people in Tehran was announced as the first operational plan for confronting narcotic smugglers in 1389 (2010-2011). (it is to be mentioned that the clerical regime has hanged too many political prisoners under the name of smugglers of narcotics for years).
Sajedinia said: “last night 1500 agents attacked 350 places formerly identified”.

Mohammad Aghaee in critical condition
Tehran, May 5, 2010

ISC reports from Evin Prison that Mr. Mohammad Aghaee political prisoner of decades of 1980s who has been in prison for seven years and was arrested again during Ashura Uprising and then condemned to death is in critical physical condition.
Mr. Aghaee is suffering from acute infection and receives no treatment.

Destroying evidence of crime
Tehran, May 5, 2010

On Monday May 3, families of political prisoners gone for visiting their beloveds were informed by one of the prisoners that the clerical dictatorship is destroying the evidence of its crimes related to year 1360 (1981-1982).(more than 120000 political prisoners were murdered during seven years starting in mass numbers from 1360).
The act is committed because of regime’s fear of downfall. It fears that its crimes against the best children of Iran will be revealed.

Report from clerical regime’s medieval prisons

Savage torture in Gohardasht Prison- Karaj
Tehran, May 5, 2010

Three defenseless prisoners were under vicious torture for long at the prison. The tortures were so harsh that their hands were broken and their bodies were covered with blood and bruises.
At the end of saloon 2 in ward one famous as “dog house” at Gohardasht Prison there is a cell called Hosseinieh which is the house of some inmates.
On May 4 Pasdars of the ward attacke this cell with batons beating the political prisoner there most savagely. This act led to protest of the prisoners and they clashed with Pasdars.
One of the pasdars called Zainali who is a torturer of solitary cells was beaten by the inmates and transferred to the treatment section of the prison. The rest of the Pasdars locked the ward and ran away.
Following the event at 23.30 a great number of prison guards attacked ward one which is the torture chamber of Gohardasht Prison and was then at the hands of prisoners but they were faced with the resistance of the inmates.
To defend themselves the prisoners started burning their blankets.
The guards promised them that if they open the way their problems will be looked into. But when the prisoners did so the suppressive forces led by a man called Aghaee attacked them and grasped three of the prisoners Hassan Sharifi, Bahram Tasviri and Mohammad Mohammadi.
The agents tied their hands, feet and eyes and made them to pass through a tunnel made by guards' prison non-stop. During these passages they were hit by batons from both sides and if they fall they were viciously beaten.
This torture continued till 12.15 midnight.
The cry of these three from pain woke up the prisoners in other saloons and it was even heard in the adjacent ward. Their hands broke and their bodies were covered with blood and bruises. Then they were transferred in that condition to solitary cells.
This was the fourth time that this medieval torture house was in the hands of the political prisoners even if it was for a short time. In some cases they were able to reach to some of their demands.

Henchmen of clerical regime hanged one in Dezful
Dezful, May 5, 2010

Following the widespread suppression after the May Day, on Tuesday morning May 4 an inmate was hanged in Dezful.
The prisoner was called Rahman R.
Iranian regime holds the first stage in execution in the world with regard to its population.
338 have been executed in Iran during last year.

30 students summoned to Intelligence Ministry’s Bureau of Pursuit
Tehran, April 5, 2010

After the students gathered in protest against the unannounced presence of Ahmadinejad at Tehran University, in an illegal act, 30 of them were summoned to Intelligence Ministry’s Bureau of Pursuit.
ISC reported that some of these 30 students were summoned to the bureau on Monday and Tuesday and were interrogated for several hours and some have been summoned on Wednesday.
Formerly on last Saturday Maryam Abassinejad a former member of central council of Islamic Association of Students of Tehran University was summoned by this bureau, detained and transferred to Evin Prison.
Then the interrogators called Mrs. Abbassinejad’s husband and took him away for searching their home without any warrant.
Vast and collective summoning of students of Tehran University occurred once before at the beginning of Fall and before Students Day in last Dec.


Other News

The crashed airplane in Mashad Airport 300 at the wake of being fired
Tehran, May 5, 2010

As Russian made Topolof airplanes are banned from flying, 300 employees of an airline are at the wake of being fired.
A well informed source inside regime’s Airplane Organization said that as this organization has ordered Taban Airline to stop flights with Topolof this airline has to fire half of 700 personnel.
This airline has 10 airplanes five of them were rented Topoloves. By this directive a great number of the passengers were at the state of limbo in Iran’s airports and other airports abroad and eventually had to use other airlines and the airline has suffered great financial damage.
At mid January one of these Topoloves crashed while landing in Mashad Airport and 30 passengers were wounded.


Students Committee in Iran (Supporters of PMOI)

May 6, 2010

Update on Iran - May 6, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran
No.591


The Downfall



Regime fears the broadcast of Uprising on May 1

Tehran, May 4, 2010
After scenes of the protest gathering of the laborers of Fars Meat Company were broadcasted the clerical regime has threatened the workers of the company and is looking for the person who has posted the scenes.
One of the workers told ISC: “they have called all the protesting workers and threatened them not to talk with foreign media”.
It is to be mentioned that the workers of this company had daily protest gathering in front of different regime organs protesting against the fact that they have been ousted from the company.

Crises in international scene

Tehran, May 4, 2010
Javad Larijani, a theoretician from Khamenei’s band talking amongst some of the elements of regime’s Judiciary expressed his concern about regime’s crises in international scene and said: “nuclear file and violation of human rights are tough challenges for us. In addition to nuclear file which is a hard task another challenge is the human rights resolutions issued by global human rights organization which is harder than the first challenge”.


Resistance

Call for freedom of detained lawyers, teachers and youths
Tehran, May 4, 2010
On Saturday, May 1, the agents of regime’s Intelligence Ministry summoned Mr. Olyaeefard, a lawyer, to the Prosecutor Office telling him that they want to discuss with him his clients’ files.
But by his reference they arrested him and transferred him to Evin Prison hand-cuffed.
He is the lawyer of detained active workers, activists of children’s rights and some juveniles under execution.
To put pressure on this honorable lawyer regime has charged him with ‘propagation against the state’ and ‘distribution of lies’ and has condemned him to one year in prison during which he will be lashed.
He has once before been arrested on 8th of March and kept in prison for a week.
In another event two youths, Sina, Zoheiri Mesgar and Shayan Sadat Sharif were arrested in Tehran and transferred to unknown location.
On April 27 and 29 Alireza Hashemi, the secretary general of Iran’s Teacher, Ali Akbar Baqhani (deputy secretary general) and Mohammad Beheshti Langroodi (the spokesman of the organ) were arrested.
Mrs Baqhani and Beheshti were transferred to Evin Prison ward 209.
The family of Mr. Hashemi is not aware of why he is arrested and to where he is taken and what his condition is.
Alireza Hashemi was arrested twice before on March 2007 and during the Uprising in which he had been transferred to Evin Prison.
The arbitrary arrests are because the teachers’ organ protests against the deplorable live of the teachers, criminal detentions and decrees in regard with arrested teachers such as Abdolreza Ghanbari, Abdollah Momeni, Hashem Khastar, Mohammad Davari, Farzad Kamangar and Rassol Bodaghi.
Some of the teachers who had gathered by the grave of a slain teacher in Ebne Babooye Cemetery were arrested by elements of regime’s Intelligence Ministry.
Arrest of freedom loving teachers and other scholars was not limited to Tehran.
In Hamedan four teachers; Jalal Naderi, Ali Najafi, Mohmmad Khani and Saeed Jahanara were arrested.
In Hamedan, Tabriz and Kermanshah regime’s intelligence consecutively summoned, interrogated and threatened the heads of Teachers Guild Societies and by issuing decrees of paying fine and being lashed it tried to prevent them of any protest on Teachers Day.
Filtering web logs belonging to this guild was another suppressive measure against them.
Students Committee in Iran calls on International Syndicate of Jurists and Lawyers and international teachers and scholars organs to condemn the suppression of lawyers, teachers, scholars and all political activists by the religious fascism ruling Iran.
We demand immediate action for prevention of arbitrary arrests and for unconditional freedom of all political prisoners.

Political prisoner condemned to death demands public trial

Tehran, May 4, 2010
Political prisoner, Mehdi Islamian condemned to death demands a public trial with the presence of human rights lawyers and advocates.
Mehdi was arrested Ordibehesht of 1387 (April-May of 2008) and after suffering medieval tortures in a detention center belonging to Shiraz Intelligence Bureau he was transferred to ward 209 of Evin Prison.
Mr. Islamian was judged by criminal judge Salavati and was condemned to death by him.
Mr. Islamian’s brother was hanged in Shiraz on March 22, 2009 falsely charged with participation in the explosion of a regime’s base called “Rahpoyane vesal”.
Mr. Islamian is currently in prison in Karaj’s Gohardasht Prison ward one.

Families of detainees of May Day Uprising gather in protest in front of Evin

Tehran, May 5, 2010
On Monday May 3 the families of detainees of May Day gathered in protest in front of Evin Prison and demanded immediate freedom of their beloveds.
The gathering started at 9 am and continued till evening.
The families gathered in front of the building were ‘Security Inspectors” are stationed. The door of the building was shut on their faces.
The guards and the inspectors offended the families and thus they verbally clashed. The Pasdars present threatened the families with offensive language and told them: “if you don’t go away we will pour you down”.
During May Day tens have been arrested and transferred to Evin Prison some of them were just passer-byes and those shopping in the stores who were dragged out of them and transferred to Evin.
Some of the detainees were freed due to the protests of their families but most of them are still in the prison.
In one of the intersections of Azadi Street 12 men and women, participants in the gathering were arrested and taken directly to Evin.

Students sat-in
Shahre Kurd, May 4, 2010
Students of Shahre Kurd’s Azad University sat-in in protest against regime’s suppressive measures.
They chanted: ‘zealous student support, support’ and ‘a student will die but will not yield to oppression’.

Kermanshah’s students on hunger strike

Kermanshah, May 4, 2010
On Sunday May 2 students of different universities announced a hunger strike in solidarity with Teachers Day.
To break this strike the government has distributed high quality foods including in Kermanshah’s university were the food was terrible every day before.


Suppression

Increasing pressure on families of residents of Ashraf

Tehran, May 4, 2010
Henchmen in Gohardasht Prison have increased pressure on political prisoners who are families of PMOI members residing in Asharaf City (the resident of PMOI members in Iraq).
ISC reported that it is close to a month that the henchmen of clerical regime have put Mr. Reza Joshan in a cell in ward 6 of this prison and have prevented him from getting out of there or calling his family or visiting them.
Mr. Joshan’s mother, Mrs. Zahara Asadi is also imprisoned in women ward of the prison. She too is deprived of any visit or call to her family for more than a month. She is prohibited from any connection with outside world.


Amnesty International urges action for imminent execution of Jafar Kazemi

May 3, 2010 - Amnesty International has issued an urgent statement about the imminent execution of Jafar Kazemi in the next few days:
"The danger of imminent execution in Iran"
An Iranian, Jafar Kazemi, is in imminent danger of execution for participating in anti-government demonstrations. He has also been accused of collaborating with the MKO (Mujahedeen Khalgh Organization).
Jafar Kazemi was arrested on September 18, 2009 during a demonstration and was transferred to Evin prison. He has been accused of participating in a demonstration where 100,000 others participated and he has not been accused of any violent actions.
He has been sentenced to death for being ‘an enemy of God’ and propaganda against the regime. He was arrested along with at least one other person, Mohammad Ali Aghaii who has been accused of similar charges but Amnesty International has no information whether he has been sentenced to death as well.
According to reports, Jafar Kazemi has been interrogated for months and has been under pressure appear in fake v. confessions but he has refused.
In April 2010 he was informed that his order of execution has been re-confirmed by a court of appeals. His lawyer who has had limited access to his client has asked the Judiciary office to review this case. Unless this request is accepted, then the execution could happen at any moment.
In 1980s and 1990s Jafar Kazemi was arrested for being a member of MKO and for spending time at Ashraf Camp in Iraq. One of his sons is in Iraq.
Others who are in danger of execution for protesting after the election:
Amir Reza Arefi, Mohammad Amin Valian, Motahareh (Simin) Bahrami and her husband Mohsen Daneshpour Moghadam and their son Ahmad Daneshpour, two friends: Hadi Ghaemi and Reyhaneh Ghanbari.


A detainees of Ashura Uprising was condemned to 6 years imprisonment

Tehran, May 4, 2010
According to reports, Porya Ghorbani a detainee of Ashura Uprising who is kept in ward 350 in Evin Prison is condemned to 6 years imprisonment; four years for acting against ‘national security’, one year for ‘propagating against the state’ and one year for offending Khamenei.

The director of Haft Tapeh’s worker’s syndicate summoned to court at the wake of his freedom
Dezful, May 4, 2010
Ali Nejati the head of Directive Board of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Syndicate who was imprisoned in Dezful Prison for six months because he had defended the rights of the workers is summoned to Shosh’s so-called Revolutionary Court.
Ali Nejati’s term would be over on May 12 and he should be freed but he is summoned officially to court for May 19!
Mr. Nejati and his other colleagues Fraidon Jalil Ahmadi, Ghorban Alipoor and Mohammad Haydari are imprisoned on the regime-made allegation of ‘propagating against the system’ and such other allegations.
Now Nejati must defend himself on the same allegation again which means he has been tried for one allegation twice.

A female student arrested
Tehran, May 4, 2010
Maryam Abbasinejad, a student of Tehran University was arrested on May 2 by regime’s agents.
She was arrested because of her protest against the unannounced presence of Ahmadinejad at the university on May Day.

Provoking climate of fear and horror

Hamedan, May 4, 2010
Regime’s elements in Chamran University of Hamedan ousted 7 students of this university to provoke climate of fear and horror amongst the students.

Baha'i man sentenced to six months of prison

May 4, 2010
Moshfeq Samandari, a Baha'i from Babol, was sentenced to six months of prison.
Samadari, who was arrested last May for 'advertizing Baha'ism', was sentenced to six months of prison by the Mazandaran Review Court.
He introduced himself to court on May 1, 2010 and was arrested and taken to Babol Prison.

Prisoners in Gohardasht Prison group tortured by guards
May 4, 2010 - On the night of May 2, prison guards at Gohardasht Prison in Karaj attacked prisoners who were in a cell called the Hosseinieh. This cell is located at the end of Hall 2 in Cellblock 2 in Gohardasht Prison. The guards beat the prisoner which led to clashes between the prisoners and guards… They then blindfolded and shackled three prisoners by the names of Hassan Sharifi, Bahram Tasviri and Mohammad Mohammadi and forced them to go back and forth through a human tunnel made by the guards. The guards then barraged them with clubs while they were moving through the tunnel. When one of the prisoners fell on the ground, they were attacked and violently beaten.
Other prisoners in the hall woke up from the moaning and sobbing of the prisoners and their cries could even be heard in the next block. These three prisoners who had fractured bones in their hands and black and bloodied bodies were sent to solitary without being treated (for their wounds).


Other News

“God’s Forces” nickname for regime’s meddling in Lebanon’s 33days War

Tehran, May 4, 2010
Larigani regime’s head of parliament conceded that in Lebanon’s 33days War he had met Khamenei holding the war plan in his hands and have asked him how to help Hezbollah.
Larijani said: “when the 33days War started the region was in a harsh condition and US and Israel thought that everything would be over we went to see the honorable leader of revolution with some other officials and showed him the situation on a map”.
Larijani deceptively painted regime’s help to Hezbollah by giving armaments and also financial helps as “God’s army” and added: “he was inspired and in that meeting he changed the destiny of war. The Leader said this war will be won by endurance and it is a divine test if they endure ‘God’s army’ will come to help”.

Bassijies yell against international sanctions
Tehran, May 4, 2010

At the wake of approval of the resolution of UN’s National Security against regime’s nuclear programs regime has mobilized his mercenaries to provoke unrest in front of the representative office of UN in Tehran.
Fars news agency affiliated with RGC reported: “student unions issued a statement demanding a demonstration ‘against the nuclear file in (UN’s) National Security’”.
This statement issued by Bassiji mercenaries reads in part: “… it is for a while that National Security has started a psychological operation in media to represent our peaceful nuclear activities as a military quest…”.
Predicting the consequences of this resolution and in fear of it the agency adds: “illegitimate international powers are doing their best to use complicated political and propagating tactics to provoke the world against Iranian nation (read regime and its subordinates). By this they intend to make people and the officials of the sacred System of Islamic Republic to retreat and to accept their demands”.

Students Committee in Iran (Supporters of PMOI)

May 4, 2010

Especial report from Evin Prison


Especial report from Evin Prison

ISC reports:
First call of Ayatollah Broojerdi from Evin Prison after several days of Torture in Solitary cells
Tehran, April 27, 2010

Mr. Broojerdi a dissident ayatollah of Khamenei and his regime which is kept in the especial ward for clerics in Evin Prison is threatened that if he talks about the tortures imposed on him his hands will be amputated.

These sentences have been translated from his sound file, the file is at below:

I’ve just come. I said that I should inform you. I was in the Department of Especial Observation of Protection of Information, I’ve just come.
They told me that I had provoked the prison for a riot.
Where I was this was the result: “don’t say anything, if you talk, we will amputee your hands”.
If I was recognized by UN as an independent religious leader they couldn’t bother me so much. I hope that this would be over soon…

First call of Ayatollah Broojerdi from Evin Prison after several days of Torture in Solitary cells Tehran, April 27, 2010

Update on Iran - May 4, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran
No.589


Labor associations banned in Iran
May 1, 2010 - Majid Mohammadi (sociologist)
The main prohibition that Iranian workers have is being deprived of independent labor associations… Many of the problems workers face in Iran has increased in Ahmadinejad's government.
The difference between democratic governments and undemocratic governments is that in democratic regimes, because of the intermediary figure of the government, workers can assemble and convey their voice to others or in some instances get their rights in part by way of strikes or other forms of protests. But workers in undemocratic governments are denied such an instrument and voice. What is the current state of labor associations in Iran?

Syndicates
Syndicates have been and are the most independent of labor unions in Iran and therefore are under the most pressure. All labor syndicates were banned after the rulers of the Islamic Republic consolidated their power in 1981 and were eliminated from the official political and social scene. Members of the syndicates who wanted to continue their activities were prosecuted and some of the most active members like Mansour Osalu, Ibrahim Madadi and Ali Nejati are jailed. Organizations like the Syndicate of the Drivers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, the Syndicate of Workers of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Factory and the Iran Free Labor Union are some of these organizations.

Islamic Labor Councils and Labor House
At the same that syndicates were banned, the Islamic Republic and its supporters created a state-made rival in the labor environment named Islamic Labor Organizations and Labor Houses were tasked with coordinating their activities. The ILNA (Iran Labor News Agency) is the official news agency of these organizations and the only thing it does not do is report and cover the violation of workers' rights by government institutions. The Labor House has branches in provincial capitals and Islamic Labor Organizations are active in provinces. From the very start, the main function of the Islamic Labor Councils was to rob labor organizations of their labor identity and instead give them a religious and ideological identity. 
According to article d and e of law 2 of the creation of Islamic Labor Councils, only those who believe in and are obligated to Islam and the theory of the leadership (Khamenei) and those who have no tendency towards illegal parties, organizations and groups and/or dissident groups of the Islamic Republic will become members of this council. Also, according to a footnote in this law, the determining of the qualification of membership candidates in the Islamic Labor Councils in the framework of the noted conditions in the aforementioned law lies with a group made up of the representative of the Labor Ministry, the representative of the respective ministry and the elected representative of the Employees Assembly. With these two articles and the footnote only (regime) elements can become members of these councils…
Islamic Labor Councils have no direct links to workers' issues and only play the part of a controller in working environments.
The Islamic Republic has created fake instances of (independent) organizations to front independent institutions.
Other than the Islamic Labor Councils made to counter syndicates, there is a long list of such fake state-made institutions created to counter independent institutions: The Islamic Student Society or Islamic Student Associations (with appointed central councils) to counter Islamic Associations or independent student organizations (with elected central councils), the Association of the Moviemakers of the Holy Defense to counter the Cinema House, the Muslim Journalists Association to counter the Journalists Association, the Muslim Publicists Union to counter the Publicists Union and the Pen Association as opposed to the Writers' Center. In many cases the fake institutions have been created with the same name as the independent association or institution to decrease the popularity of the independent association. (Like the Office for Consolidating Unity or the Journalists' Association which have been made by the state to marginalize the independent associations of the same name). In some cases, internationally used names without the Islamic provisions are used to give the state-made institution the appearance of a popular association (such as the Pen Association). 

Labor Bassij
In the past two decades, even the Labor House was not always trusted by the leadership and the Ahamdinejad government because of some of its reformist tendencies and the leadership and government started empowering the Labor Bassij. The Labor Bassij has militarized the atmosphere much more than Islamic Labor Councils and only accepts militia and fascist groups as representatives of laborers. The purpose of such organizations is not to demand labor rights for workers (main duty of syndicates) and not even to carry out Islamic rules in working environments (main purpose of the Islamic Labor Councils) but to carry out the demands of the leader. 

The government is the main employer

The reason the government's interference in labor unions is affective is because the Iranian government is actually the biggest employer in Iran. The government in Iran does not stand between the employer and the laborer as a mediator and impartial judge with specific principles which represents the people, but as an employer and wherever it is faced with opposition, it uses its forces to suppress and quell protests.
Iranian factories are directly run by the government (Quds Institutions run by the leader and state-run companies) or are given to semi-government elements that are indirectly under the control of people with close ties to the government (mainly military and security institutions). In such a state, the chances of the growth and fertility of independent labor organizations are very low.

Divine official confronts demands

Khomeini dissolved independent labor organizations with only one sentence: "God is also a worker". The government has given workers the status of God, teachers the status of the prophet and has told women that heaven is under their feet so that they would ignore their rights and not make any demands enabling their rulers to divide the country's resources among themselves and those loyal to them.
The representatives of God on earth play the part of employers and capitalists and rob the people of their wealth and resources while 'peasantry' have to be happy that they have Godly status given to them by the representative of God. If they receive barely enough bread to survive by, it is out of the kindness of their rulers and not because it is their right.



Iran arrests lawyer and defender of death row minors for the second time
May 1, 2010
- Mohammad Oliyayi Fard, jurist and lawyer was arrested in the morning.
According to reports, this lawyer who had gone to the Revolutionary Court in the morning was introduced to the Implementing Sentences Department and was then transferred to prison by the head of the office of the 26th branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
In the past three months, this is the second time that this lawyer was arrested for serving his one year prison term on charges of spreading propaganda against the government by giving interviews (to foreign media).
Oliyayi Fard is the lawyer of a number of minors who have been sentenced to death and political, civil rights and student activists.

Iran arrests May Day protesters
May 2, 2010
- On Saturday May 1, a number of people and those who had participated in May Day protests in different parts of Tehran were arrested and taken to unknown locations. These arrests were made by State Security Forces. There is still no information on how many people were arrested.

Iran arrests teachers on Teacher Day
May 2, 2010
- According to reports, a number of teachers who intended to commemorate Teacher Day were arrested by security and intelligence agents in Babvieh at the gravesite of Dr. Abolhassan Khanali. It is not clear how many people were arrested.

Two protesters sentenced to four years of prison
May 2, 2010
- Two protesters who were arrested in the post-election protests were sentenced to 8 years of prison put together.
According to reports, Saied Hadri and Morteza Layaqi were sentenced to four years of prison each by the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court headed by Salavati. They were transferred to court in the morning and were deprived of lawyers in the whole legal process.


Students Committee in Iran (Supporters of PMOI)