BRIEF ON IRAN

Brief

Sanctions Work, 

Despite Iran's Regime Denials

Introduction

Facts throughout last weeks show the effects of sanctions in different cities in Iran.
Due to the corrupt system ruling our country and its policies that work against its own people which can be clearly seen in the economical field, the sanction are swiftly showing its effects.
In this brief we would like to inform you of the facts followed by the positions taken by regime officials against sanctions and their remarks in this regard.

Facts:

Bushehr
Gasoline shortage and the fact that taxi drivers are not able to buy gasoline at a price as high as 400 tomans per liter (almost 30 cents per liter) has left taxi passengers without any kind of transportation. Most of these taxi drivers have brought their vehicles through loans; without being able to work they are not able to even pay their loans back.

Khuzestan Province- Asaluieh
Almost 70,000 workers were fired from Asaluieh Petro-Chemical industry
As the sanctions have taken their toll on this industry, almost 70,000 workers have been ousted from Petro-Chemical industry which is one of the biggest industries of its kind.
Only about 4,000 workers and employees are left in this industry. This shows that claims by regime officials that sanctions have not affected us, is nothing but a lie.

Effects of sanctions on economy; waves of unemployment and lowering of wages - Shiraz

Long working hours and low wagers in Iran Khodro Factory
A student with a high level of education who had applied for a job at Iran Khodro in Shiraz said, "The wage for 14 hours of work from 7am to 9 pm is only 400,000 tomans. Even if they pay the wage on time, considering the expenses in Iran this amount is practically nothing".

Shahre Kord: Factory closed down
A factory in the industrial center of Shahre Kord that made car parts is half closed.
The managers have told the factory's workers not to come for work for the time being.
Apparently the factory has been affected by sanctions imposed on ran by South Korea.

Recession of industry in Charmahale & Bakhtiari
Research by a group of students show that 70 percent of factories in this province are under recession.
"When we referred to most of the factories we saw that they are closed and there is only a guard present who is turn complains that he has not received his wages for the last six months. This led us to interview the owner of the one of the closed factories. Mr. Sh said that in 1999 I represented the plan for the factory and it was endorsed in 2002. I received a loan of 600 million tomans from the Meli Bank and I started the construction of the factory. The first products came out in2008. Some sections of the factory were still under construction but we had to pay back the loans so we started the production.
In less than six months we noticed the produce equals more loss so I closed the factory to at least keep what I owned stable. This is the story of thousands of factories throughout Iran.

Effects of gas sanctions of other issues

Hamedan – people worried over effects that gas price increase has on other goods
Many people believe that as the ration for gasoline decreases and the prices rise it is not possible to work any more.
A truck owner said, “When gasoline was 16 tomans per liter I took a truck full of wheat from Bandar Abbas to Hamedan on a cost of 700,000 tomans for the customer but when gas is 200 tomans per liter, I will not carry that good even for the price of 700,000 tomans”.
“As the price of fuel rises some people raise the price of their goods or services. This will lead to several percent of inflation. Everybody is horrified because of that. If this happens, Iran’s economy is doomed. I was talking to some other people. They all emphasized that when a government is not capable of keeping the price of potato and onion constant throughout fall and winter how can it claim economic programs and speak of managing the world”.

Government projects stopped; effect of sanctions
A constructor said that some projects in regard with the construction of a gym have been stopped due to sanctions. When asking the reason the person responsible for the project said that due to sanctions many projects are in jeopardy and it is possible that they will also be stopped at any moment.

Absurd saying of regime officials at all levels and the positions taken by them in regard with sanctions

The word that comes into ones mind when reading these words is ‘impudence’.
Taking a hollow gesture of power Ahmadinejad addressed those who impose the sanctions and said, “Impose sanctions as much as you wish. Each device and equipment that you don’t sell to us we will produce. Our youths, specialists, managers and craftsmen are ready to build and are capable of it”.
Another good for nothing position by Ahmadinejad: “They say that they will put gasoline in their list of sanctions, this is my wish. We will substitute 17 million liters in two days. Every step is taken for that and its key is in our hands. What even they put in the list of sanctions our specialists will substitute it with a better on in a few months. Do you want to impose sanctions on the faith, will, motives and love of a great nation?”

Regime’s Defense Minister: Our practical answer to sanctions will come on August 12
Resalat daily; Sunday August 1, 2010
The Defense Minister of the Islamic Republic said that important defense projects will start from August 12. He called this the practical answer to sanctions imposed by the west.
Mehr news Agency reporter that Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi the Minister of Defense and Armed Forces has announced, “As August 12 is named ‘the day of the defense industry’ and having in mind the unique and tactical role of the defense and armed forces logistics ministry in the progress of Islamic Republic of Iran’s defense industry the start of tens of important and astonishing defense project on that day will be the practical answer to the enemy’s sanctions and it will be progress of Iran”.
The Defense Minister pointed out that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s industry is at its peak thanks to former defense ministers, great martyrs, such as Chamran Fakoou and Namjou and is Iran’s experienced mangers and specialists and added, “On this day the proud children of the Iranian nation at the Defense Ministry will prove once more that threatening Iran and imposing sanctions on it have no effect and the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its pure existence while it is more experienced and progressive each day.

At the end we tell the heads of the clerical regime, ‘enough of all these hollow claims’.
Wait until the explosive situation the people of Iran pay you back for all the cruelty and injustices that you have committed for 30 years; that day will come soon.



Students Committee in Iran (Supporters of PMOI) 

UPDATE ON IRAN - Sept. 30, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran

No. 710

Downfall

Atomic bomb -Sanction - Crack within regime

Downfall




Iran tries to prevent Bazaar strike reports in media
Sept. 29, 2010
According to published reports, regime officials have asked state-run media not to cover the strikes of Bazaar merchants in Iran.






Qom gold merchants strike continued until yesterday
Sept. 29, 2010
Qom gold merchants continued their strike until yesterday. This strike started from September 27 on the verge of a visit by Khamenei to this city.

Orumieh gold merchants join strikers
Sept. 29, 2010
Gold merchants and jewelers in Orumieh closed their shops and joined the strike of gold merchants in other Iranian cities. These merchants have gone on strike in protest to a 3 percent tax raise. There strikes are ongoing.

Mullah’s regime reaction against the cancelation of selling s300 missiles
Sept. 28, 2010
Following the speech of Foreign minister of Russian on the refusal of giving S300 missiles to the Iranian regime, Mehmanparast the spokesman of Foreign ministry said: this decision is based on the 1929 resolution which is unlawful and unjust and it has been issued because of our peaceful nuclear activities and they are trying to put political pressures till our people retreat from their rights.
Spokesman added:  Playing in the USA ground does not meet the revenue of the Russian people. USA officials are not after the revenues of the people living in this zone and the Russian will react against this in the future.

Sanction & Economic

Thousands of unfinished industrial plans have been abandoned
Sept. 29, 2010
Thousands of half finished industrial plans have been abandoned and billions of tomans have become useless.
Nineteen thousand and 583 industrial plans have been abandoned in Iran. In addition to this, close to 50 thousand billion tomans (about 50 thousand million dollars) has been abandoned. This amount of money could have created 682 thousand new jobs. These plans have been abandoned in all the cities of Iran. For example, with 2,536 unfinished industrial plans, East Azarbaijan has the most unfinished plans in the country.
Also Mazandaran has the most of unfinished plans among Northern provinces with 1,494 plans; Khuzestan Province has 613 unfinished plans which makes it the highest number among Southern provinces.
Some of these plans have only been carried out up to 20 percent and have then been stopped. The most important element behind this is the fact that investments have been stolen by government officials, investments have altogether decreased and machinery and equipment is not provided to continue these projects. The economical crisis in Iran has also led to a decrease of investments compared to previous years and has added to the problems for these projects.

Giving Loans to regime’s close sides 
Sept. 29, 2010 
About $ 50 Milliard bank loans have been given to the 100 persons of regime’s close sides. This is at a time that there are numbers of growing unemployed and these loans have done nothing in creating jobs in the country.
According to Ilna (state run new agency), Hassan Allahverdinejad, secretary general of RefahEslami party of Iran, has expressed his sorrow of this news and said, even the assurances of these loans which has been given to the bank instead does not meet with the realities of country’s economy. For example the price of a land of $10 Milliard at the time giving assurance it will be estimated as $100 milliard. How that is when a worker or an employee who needs a loan of $500, he has to put forward number of checks, credits and so on. But the banking system of the country without any calculations gives loans of milliards to them.
Hassan Allahverdinejad confirmed that these 100 people who have been given $50 milliard are economic terrorists.
Including to this, judiciary system should instead of being after those who get loans of milliards, should be after managers of these banks. Those who give these high loans to some people should be in jail. But instead unemployed are being put into prisons. He emphasized: I  am sorry to say that one of the manager of these governmental banks have the residential of 3 countries Canada, England and America and his wife and children are all live abroad.

Iran, a country on a sea of oil is suffering from excessive poverty
Sept. 29, 2010
A girl in order to secure her parent’s roof, is selling her kidney and eye
Vatan Emrouz newspaper reported, a girl who had a scorch accident, for her plastic surgery, she asked for financial donation. In that report there was a need for a girl who 14 years ago in an accident and for the surgery she needed 35000 $. On the other hand her parents sold all their belongings for their daughter’s surgery and then the owner of their house threw them out so they sleep in park. This newspaper wrote today, this was only one side of the story, now she doesn’t want to have surgery anymore, now she wants to sell her kidney and eye to buy a roof for her parents and her two sisters. She said that she doesn’t expect support from anybody but she intends to sell her eye and kidney to rescue her family from tearing apart.


Crack within regime


170 MPs give written notice to Ahmadinejad
Sept. 29, 2010
One hundred and seventy members of the Iranian parliament have given written notices to Ahmadinejad who said that the parliament is not on top of all affairs. They asked him to solve the country’s problems instead of bringing up useless issues against the parliament and interfering in the affairs of other institutions in the government.




Cleric demands prosecution of Rafsanjani’s sons
Sept. 29, 2010
Mohammad-Taqi Rahbar, a pro-Khamenei member of the parliament, asked that Rafsanjani’s sons be put on trial. He called his son ‘head seditionist’ and said, “The people want the judiciary to deal seriously with the heads of the sedition which means those who carried out illegal measures in the past elections or did something that was used by the enemies of Islam. The judiciary has to see to the charges of those who have not been prosecuted and those who are undermining the prestige of the government by writing letters and also those who have still not been summoned to court”.
“Mr. Ejeyi announced that Mehdi Hashemi also has issues and that his charges could be seen to in absentia. The people want Mehdi Hashemi to be tried and he has to be prosecuted through Interpol”, he said.

Ahmadinejad looses more supports among Mullahs 
Sept. 29, 2010 
Fars press reported of a meeting of Ahmadinejad with five members of Assembly of Experts and absence of mullahs who supported Ahmadinejad.
In this meeting MesbahYazdi, Jannati and Yazdi did not take part.
Jahan news added: Political and clerical features like Jannati, Yazdi and specially MesbahYazdi, are known features whose absence increases suspicious of separation of more clerical leaders of the country from the government.
Mesbahyazdi in his speech by pointing out to Mashaii’s talks, said: those who introduce shamefully, the academy of Iran instead of Islamic academy, are from us. We have to be very careful.

Issa Saharkiz has been given 3 years imprisonment
Sept. 28, 2010
Following the made up trials to delete the defeated wing of the regime completely, News online site of the regime said that Issa Saharkhiz is given 3 years imprisonment.
News online: Issa Saharkiz journalist and member of central council of defending the freedom of press society was given 3 years imprisonment and 5 years ban and privation  of every political and press activities, one of barred departure. Saharkiz is in the Rajaii Shahr prison in Karaj.


Resistance

Gathering of Lorry drivers in front of parliament
Sept. 29, 2010
Some of the buyers of Chinese Lorries of Dang Fong, gathered in front of parliament. They protested against rooking of one car Producer Company and said: one of car producer companies inside country have taken money from them for Nissan Dissel lorries from Japan but instead drivers have received Chinese Dang Fong which do not have required standards.
Protesters demand to take back the unstandard Lorries of China and give them Japanese Lorries.


Suppression

Iran sentences blogger to 19.5 yrs. of prison
Sep. 28, 2010
The sentence of Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan was announced today to his lawyer.
According to a sentence which was issued today by the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran headed by Judge Salavati, Derakhshan who was arrested in October 2008 was sentenced to 19 and a half years of prison, a five year ban on membership in parties and media activities and returning funds given to him in the amount of 3,750 Euros, 2,900 dollars and 22 British pounds on charges of cooperating with hostile countries, propagating against the Islamic government, advertising for anti-revolutionary grouplets, insulting sanctities and running and managing immoral websites.
Hossein Derakhshan was one of the first to blog in Farsi and wrote about himself, politics and the Iranian culture in both Farsi and English in his weblog called ‘My Own Editor’.

Iran sentences Baha’i woman to two years of prison
Sep. 28, 2010
Lava Khanjani, a Baha’i who has been banned from continuing her education because of her faith and was arrested on January 3, 2010 was sentenced to two years of prison.
According to reports, Khanjani was released on bail from Rajayi Shahr Prison in March 1, 2010. Notably, she is the granddaughter of Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of the seven Baha’i leaders who were recently sentenced to 10 years of prison.


Kurd activist sentenced to 10 years of prison without right to lawyer 
Sep. 28, 2010
A resident of the Salemaneh Village in Marivan was sentenced to 10 years of prison.
Gharib Fatemi, 45, who was arrested nine months ago by security forces, was sentenced to 10 years of prison.
He was charged with cooperating with dissident parties and is currently in the Marivan Central Prison. According to those close to this Kurd activist, he was denied the right to a lawyer in all the stages of his legal procedure.

Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company drivers forced to pledge not to talk to media
Sep. 28, 2010
According to reports, the Protection Department of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company are trying to force the employees of this company to sign pledges that they will not talk to internal or external press about company problems.
In the past few days, under the orders of the Protection Department, it has been announced in all districts that employees in Tehran have to sign a pledge which says that all drivers are committed not to talk about the issues of the company including the condition of detained union activists, the expulsion of employees, not receiving their wages and bonuses, inhumane treatment of the Protection Department with drivers, hard working conditions and other issues.


Students Committee in Iran (Supporters of PMOI)

UPDATE ON IRAN - Sept. 29, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran

No. 709

Downfall

Atomic bomb -Sanction - Crack within regime

Qazvin gold merchants march in protest to raised taxes
Sept. 28, 2010
In solidarity with gold sellers in other Iranian cities, Qazvin gold sellers went on strike in protest to raised taxes. They marched in protest to the Tax Affairs Organization in the province of Qazvin.




Regime thugs attack Tehran Bazaar
Sept. 28, 2010
According to reports from Tehran, a number of pro-regime thugs and Bassij and plainclothes agents entered the gold merchants Bazaar in Tehran to counter the striking merchants. These thugs attacked the closed shutters of a number of shops with metal bars chanting ‘death to the hypocrites’. (The term hypocrite, monafeq in Farsi is used by the Iranian regime to refer to the PMOI)
This attack was met with the reaction of a number of the merchant which led to clashes between the merchants and thugs. According to reports, this clash occurred at 2 pm when a Bassiji who attacked the closed shutters of shop was beaten up by merchants and was then taken to the hospital.
This report also says that the fabric merchants’ bazaar was also half closed and it was announced that other merchants intend to join the strike.

Qom gold merchants go on strike
Sept. 28, 2010
In protest to raised taxes, Qom gold sellers, especially in the Tala Mall, went on strike yesterday and closed their shops and did not open their shops today. This is while Khamenei is to make a trip to Qom next week. There were a large amount of plainclothes agents around the closed shops which made is impossible to take pictures of the strike. According to reports, the gold seller will continue their strike tomorrow.

What went in the meeting of jewelers with tax department?
Sept. 28, 2010
On Saturday there was a meeting between the heads of Gold unions of all the country with tax department authorities. Goal of this meeting was to make an agreement in implementing tax rule on gained profit. But this meeting ended without any results due to continuous protests by union activists and they declared that this rule should not be implemented.
After this unsuccessful meeting this morning, there was going to be another meeting that afternoon in the office of secretary general of tax organization. But two hours to this second meeting, union authorities declared that they are not going to take part in the meeting and they prefer to follow their requests by continuation of closing their shops.  (State run -Tabnak Site)

Assassinated doctor had links to Kahrizak scandal 
Sept. 28, 2010
A website which belongs to the minority faction of the Iranian regime shed light on the fact that Dr. Abdolreza Soudbakhsh who was recently assassinated was linked to the Kahrizak detention center torture case and intended to leave Iran one day before his assassination.
This website wrote: “Dr. Abdolreza Soudbakhsh, a Tehran University assistant professor was one of the doctors seeing to the cases of the Kahrizak Detention Center and prisoners who were suffering from infections in the urinary tract or damaged reproductive systems. Security officials had ordered that he had to officially announce that all the prisoners who came to him for treatment had meningitis”.
According to this website, ‘Abdolreza Soudbakhsh was shot one day before leaving Iran to go abroad’.
In this way, Soudbakhsh was the second medic who was killed over the Kahrizak Prison scandal. Soudbakhsh was informed of the medical files of all those killed in Kahrizak. He was also the specialist who checked all the prisoners who were sexually abused or raped and had special information in this regard.
Soudbakhsh, who had recently felt that he was in danger because of the increased pressure by regime forces, sent his family abroad a few days before his assassination. He had a ticket to leave Iran on September 22. He was fatally shot outside his clinic in the Keshavarz Blvd. in Tehran.
The two main doctors who had checked and treated Kahrizak Prisoners are now dead and there is still no sign of a finalized sentence for those linked to these crimes and the Kahrizak Detention Center culprits. The assassination of Dr. Soudbakhsh shows that the main elements of Kahrizak are still alive and active.

Prison officials make millions from narcotics trade in prison
Sep. 26, 2010
Political prisoner Arjang Davoudi who is detained in Rajayi Shahr (Gohardasht) Prison in Karaj wrote a report on the narcotics gangs in prison and their links to prison officials.
(This letter reads in part):
It has been some time now that the number of prisoners in Rajayi Shahr Prison has passed the line of 5,000 and at least 4,500 of these prisoner use narcotics. If we say that from this number 1,500 are recreational drug users and we will not include them in our calculations, this means that there are at least one thousand professional drug users in this prison.
If we consider that three people only use one gram of narcotics a day this means that at least one thousand grams are used daily in this prison and because crack (kind of chemical narcotic) is used the most because it is cheap, we will use crack in our calculations.
One gram of crack is at most 8,000 tomans outside of prison.
One gram of crack is at least 60,000 tomans inside of prison.
If we say that drug dealers in prison get 12,000 tomans for every gram, every gram of crack will cost at least a total of 20 thousand tomans for those who import the drugs into prison. Therefore the leftovers of this amount will be 40,000 tomans for every gram and because the daily use of crack in prison is 1000 grams, the daily proceeds of narcotics amounts to 40 million tomans (about $40,000). This means that entering only one kilogram of crack in prison amounts to a 1.2 billion toman (about 1.2 million dollar) trade in one month.
The violent and somewhat accurate inspections and body searches of prisoner’s families on visiting days and also the inspections of prisoners who have been sent to court which is carried out in several stages are all to prevent the import of narcotics to prison outside of the narcotics network to keep this million dollar trade under the control and in the grasp (of prison officials) …
The notorious head of Rajayi Shahr Prison, Ali Haji Kazem, is getting the most profits from all of this and after Karaj turns into a province which will see him become the General Manager of the Alborz Province Prisons, he will make even more money because he will get the profits from all other prisons in the province.
Unfortunately, we see that regime elements pocket millions of dollars while many people are desperate for a piece of bread.
Long live freedom, death to the ruling tyranny, Arjang Davoudi


Sanction

Regime’s claim on the sanction of gasoline, Rahimi: one drop of gas have not been imported
Sept. 28, 2010
Mohammad RezaRahimi, first deputy of Ahmadinejad continued: Iran’s government intends to turn away from the sanctions. He pointed that despite sanction nearly $21000 million were invested in south pars and declared that foreign companies went out and were replaced by internal companies. Rahimi by pointing to the $50000 million investment in South Pars, immediately after the sanction of selling gas to Iran, Oil Ministry declared independence.
At the moment we do not import even on drop of gas. (State run -Tabnak Site)


Crack within regime

Regime specialist speculate Ahmadinejad’s useless trip to NY
Sept. 28, 2010
The state-run Mehr News Agency quoted a specialist named Hassan Beheshti over Ahmadinejad’s proposition for the formation of a fact finding committee to see to the September 11 attacks and wrote: “I wish this proposition was not brought up by Ahmadinejad because when such a proposition is submitted by the president of a country, it has a legal meaning for that country”.
On Ahmadinejad’s plan for nuclear disarmament he said, “In my opinion, the proposition of the disarmament of nuclear weapons in New York was an unpractical suggestion because this cannot be done all at once and measures have to be taken before this can be done”.
This regime specialist stressed that Ahmadinejad’s trip was ineffective and said, “For example instead of having 30 visits with other heads of countries, one can have only 3 effective visits that have a positive effect for the national interest of the country”.
A website affiliated with the minority faction of Iran also attacked Ahmadinejad’s proposition regarding 9\11 and wrote, “Instead of September 11, it is better that a fact finding committee be formed for the incidents at the Tehran university dormitories” in 2009.
(Regime elements violently attacked Tehran University dormitories after the 2009 presidential elections and beat university students and ransacked the dorms. This issue was never seen to by the Ahmadinejad administration)


Resistance

Women gather outside Iran’s parliament in protest to polygamy law
Sept. 28, 2010
Yesterday, a group of women gathered outside the Iranian parliament in protest to the polygamy law and demanded that it not be passed by the parliament.

Airplane Industry University students held protest gathering
Sept. 28, 2010
The students of the Airplane Industry University held a gathering in protest to the lack of dormitories.


Suppression

Iran Judiciary says Ashtiani sentenced to stoning despite Ahmadinejad’s claims in NY
Sep. 27, 2010
In the first news conference of the spokesman of the judiciary, Mohsen Ejeyi answered questions from reporters.
The first question in this news conference was about the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and the spokesman of the judiciary was asked to give more explanations regarding this case and its current state. The reporter asking the question also said that the president said that the issue of stoning was never brought up in this case.
Mohsen Ejeyi stressed on the independence of judges in issuing sentences and said, “We will never back down from Islamic laws and divine values because of the pressure of those who are in the first place for violating human rights today and want us not to implement the law”…
 “In the case of Mrs. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani such a sentence (stoning) has been issued; but it has to go through its procedure. The preceding sentence for this lady is retribution because retribution is the right of the people. This case has to follow its procedures and I stress again that retribution (eye for an eye on charges of murder) comes before Had (stoning on charges of adultery)”. (ISNA state-run news agency – Sep. 27, 2010)

New ways to force prisoners to do repentance in Evin Prison
Sept. 28, 2010
Judiciary and security officials, have increased the project of putting mental pressures on prisoners by diffusing news of  remission and forgiveness among the prisoners, officials and investigators are asking the prisoners to write against the leaders of green revolution and some of political prisoners and gather news for officials, so that they get their possible freedom or remission. One of the requests of investigators from some of the prisoners is to confess that there has not been any cheating in the tenth presidential elections.

Political prisoner beaten on arrival in Ahwaz Prison
Sep. 27, 2010
Zia-Eddin Nabavi, a student activist who was transferred to the Karoun Prison in Ahwaz in the last few days is in an unsuitable condition.
Zia Nabavi was severely beaten on arrival in this prison and was kept in a solitary cell for 48 hours.
According to reports, he is currently in the security cellblock of this prison. The food and hygiene conditions in the Ahwaz Prison are poor.
The spokesman of the Council in Defense of the Right to Education was only given “one breakfast and one dinner and was allowed to use the restroom only once” in the first two days of his incarceration.
There is only “one working bathroom and shower in the security cellblock and the cellblock is extremely hot and lacks ventilation. Prisoners do not have enough water”.
Nabavi who has been expelled from university was arrested on June 15, 2009 and was initially sentenced to 15 years of prison.
A court of review lowered his prison term to 10 years of prison to be served in Izeh Prison which was later changed to the Karoun Prison in Ahwaz.

Jailed lawyer not allowed to attend father’s funeral 
Sep. 27, 2010
Despite efforts by Nasrin Sutodeh’s family for her to attend a mourning ceremony for her father, who passed away two days ago, security and judicial officials seeing to her case refused to grant this lawyer a leave from prison.
Nasrin Sutodeh who has been detained for about a month was also not allowed to attend her father’s funeral and now despite the fact that her family paid the announced amount of bail, made legal follow ups on this issue and talked with security and judicial authorities seeing to her case, in the end she was not granted a leave.

Labor activist laid-off from work
Sep. 27, 2010
Sediq Amjadi, a labor activist in the city of Sanandaj was made unemployed by the public places department in this city.
Amjadi who worked as a taxi driver before being fired was arrested in 2007 for participating in a Labor Day ceremony. He was sentenced to three months of prison and 10 lashes.


Students Committee in Iran (Supporters of PMOI)

UPDATE ON IRAN - Sept. 27, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran

No. 708

Downfall

Sanction - Crack within regime

Downfall

Gold sellers go on strike in Tehran Bazaar
Sept. 26, 2010
According to reports, gold merchants went on a strike on Saturday and closed their shops.
A number of other merchants other than gold sellers also joined this strike.
These merchants have stated the reason for their strike as an increase of value added tax.
According to another report, a shop owner in the Edam Square said, “The malls and stores were blocked with bricks and store owners were not allowed to sell anything. They said they closed the shops because they had not paid their taxes. This measure has angered the merchants”.
This protest gathering in Sabze Maidan horrified regime’s forces because this place and Tehran’s Great Bazaar witness presence of ten thousand people who always refer to these places for shopping and regime is worried about the effect of the strike and the protest gathering on these people.

(Link of film is given: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EJNVruz5DY).

Bazaaris go on strike in Tehran, Mashad, Shiraz, Nayshaboor, Sabzevar and Torbat Haydarieh
Sept. 26, 2010
Reports from Mashad say that gold-sellers’ bazaar in Mashad has been on total strike on Thursday September 23 and on Saturday September 25.
Also on Saturday gold-sellers in Nayshaboor, Sabzevar and Torbat Haydarieh went on strike.
As the strike began in Mashad on Saturday regime’s suppressive security agents called the sellers threatening them to break their strike.
Bazaaris say that the strike will continue until tax law changes.

Clerical regime desperate in confronting the strikes
Sept. 26, 2010
A site belonging to Mohsen Rezaee the former head of RGC, pointing to the strike of gold-sellers wrote: “Though it was announced from before that the fourth stage of the law of ‘tax on added value’ will be implemented some gold-sellers closed their shops in Tehran refusing to comply”.
The site quoted regime’s Ministry of Economy as: “on the whole we have received 5200 billion Tomans till August 23 this year as taxes taken by this law (Iran’s new year starts from March 21”.
Hussein Adib an economic expert from Khamenei’s band said that there should be no retreat and added: “during the recent strike of Bazaar they were the gold and fabric whole-sellers that had the main role and the common shop owners of Tehran had no role in the strike. We retreated in front of those who managed the main smuggled goods; such a retreat shouldn’t have happened”.
Ali Askari the head of Organization for Tax affairs said: “this is a new method that those groups that must comply with the law of ‘tax on added value’ are hanging to”. He threatened: “gold-sellers must obey this law”.

Ahmadinejad’s interpreter joins his critics
Sept. 26, 2010
The website which belongs to Rezayi, the former head of the RGC forces wrote: “Homan Majd who was the interpreter and consultant of two presidents including Khatami and Ahmadinejad when they went to New York to participate in the UN General Assembly attacked Ahmadinejad’s remarks in his speech at the UN along with western media.
Rajanews wrote: “Majd who was the guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with two members of the CIA in the disarmament Conference in Iran, compared Ahmadinejad’s trip to New York to a circus coming to town.
Majd wrote in his article, “The strange thing is that he asked the UN to appoint a fact finding group for September 11. We have to thank Ahmadinejad for not proposing that he and Chavez lead this group”.

Why did three regime’s diplomat taken refuge; Mehmanparast’s excuse
Sept. 26, 2010
In an interview regime’s spokesman of Foreign Ministry tried to bring excuses for the resignation and request of asylum of three of regime’s diplomats in European countries and added that if they repent they would be in better situation.
In his interview with Khabar On Line on September 26 Mehmanparast absurdly claimed again that the diplomats had resigned because of their children and for their personal benefit and to cover the main reason (regime’s last days) he added: “though there is a claim that this move has been political but our people have this question that how is it that if someone wanted to make a political move and show reaction to some political issues inside the country he is making the move now after 15 months after the election”?
Pointing to one of the diplomats he continued: “I know Mr. Alizadeh. You know that he was studying to become a clergy. He had participated in the war fronts. He didn’t act as such that would make us discontent. But at the end of his mission he had some disputes over his child’s education with the ambassador and the embassy... He became emotional all of a sudden and this made him to think that this (the resignation and requesting for asylum) would be at the interest of himself and his child”.
To provoke these diplomats to return to Iran Mehmanparast promised them a better status in return and said: “if they feel repentant about their wrong doing they can be in a better situation than what they are in now”.

Consequences of purpose- made subsidies
Sept. 26, 2010
Hossein Nejabat, a member of the Energy Commission of the Majlis in Iran said, “To evade mental issues, the government does not inform the people of the method that the purpose- made subsidies plan is to be carried out to prevent long lines or attacks on gas stations”.
He admitted to the Iranian regime’s fears over protests and said, “A delay in reforming subsidies and shortening the time to carry out this law does definitely not benefit the society. It is clear that any decision will have negative and positive consequences therefore the government has decided that it is better for the atmosphere to be unclear for the people than to be clear about this matter”.
Mardom Salarai daily also said in an article titled, ‘the challenges of purpose- made subsidies’, “With the execution of the purpose- made subsidies plan, the Iranian economy is facing one of its biggest tests in the past few decades. This is a plan that has many hidden aspects when being carried out and will be the cause of a challenge for the government and society”.
But more clear than all these remarks are the remarks of Ahmadinejad over the consequences of the purpose- made subsidies plan. He said, “The reason we don’t announce the exact day when this plan is to be carried out, the people should know that when we say that from tomorrow morning the price of gas will be 150 tomans, it is possible that some people will say that we should go and fill two tanks… or there will be lines outside gas stations, some might think that they should take two 20 liter containers to fill to have in the house and… cars will explode and this is dangerous”.

Mullahs show their beast-face to peace trend of Middle – East
Sept. 26, 2010
In its political analyzer this week, Jomhori, state –run daily expressed its discontent of the progress in Palestine's peace plan and attacked the head of this country: "negotiation of reconciliation of Mohmood Abbass…. is a diversion and the new game of the Zionists. The heads of Arabic front have been deceived by the Zionists and have become the tools of this game without thinking.
In this game the Zionists want to show that stopping the construction of the new townships is the main demand of Arabs and if they agree with this they are giving a great privilege to Arabs… but the true and ultimate demand is that the occupying Zionists leave the land of Palestine completely and all Palestinian refugees must come back and the people of Palestine should not demand anything."
The state-run source continued: "so as before it is completely obvious that their round of negotiation is also fruitless.
Mahmood Abbass's fraction, continuing its reconsolidating behavior only adds another black page to its record against Palestinian cause.

Regimes tricks to attract grub forces
Sept. 26 2010
Mullahs regime in order to attract Iran-Iraq prisoners to Basij force, has added this phrase to their salary invoices that “you are a member of Guards Corps and you can go to your own office as a member of Basij.
Mullahs regime by this act is trying to increase the number of armed forces by giving them, food oil and a sack of rice and then to use them in attacking people and repress the uprising.
Mentioning that a few months ago, salary’s of these POW s were reduced and were told that you are one of Army’s forces who instead of fighting, gave up yourselves to enemy and betrayed your country so you have to be trialed. But now that they need forces to suppress people and nobody is around, they are trying to gather these grubs by every sort of tricks.

Crack within regime

Iranian media speak out against Ahmadinejad’s remarks in UN
Sept. 26, 2010
The state-run Mardom Salari daily admitted to the scandal over Ahmadinejad’s speech in the General Assembly and wrote: “I have doubts whether the place for these remarks were chosen correctly or not. Is it not better that in such assemblies, remarks be made in accordance with the orders of the assembly and that a kind of diplomacy be carried out so that the heads of countries do not leave the assembly so that these kinds of marginal things do not prevent the main message from being heard?”
This state run daily said regarding Ahmadinejad’s interviews which has led to scandals for the regime and wrote: “The proper use of the opportunities of interview with various media is positive but it is a known basic principle in journalism that in interviews, the interviewer should not consider the person being interviewed but has to take heed of its viewers or readers and in some cases this important principle was not taken into consideration”.

Wave of attacks against Rafsanjani by the regime’s gangs
Sept. 26, 2010
Regime’s officials have attacked Rafsanjani for his visit to the families of those arrested from the defeated wing of the regime, and wrote: it is better for Rafsanjani to give up his son rather than to this.
Resalat newspaper, without mentioning the titles of Rafsanjani, said only Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and on behalf of him addressing the families of arrested wrote: if I pass your requests to the guards, I am not sure whether I get a right answer, maybe I get opposite answer, but I will follow your request to the leader and I hope I get an answer.
Javad Abtahi, a parliament representative said with irony, it is better for Rafsanjani to give up his son to the judiciary rather than visiting the families of Prisoners.
Fatemeh Alia another member said: it is better for Mr. Rafsanjani to speak about his own political relatives and clear their duty.
Another representative, Qasem Ravanbakhsh, said: he with these meetings is making himself more discredit.
Mentioning that some of the wives and relatives of arrested from the other wing, including wife of Tajzadeh, wife of Aminzadeh and wife of Norizadeh, went to Rafsanjani and asked him to interfere.

Cleric admits to low morale of regime forces
Sept. 26, 2010
Sediqi, the temporary head of Friday Prayers in Tehran admitted to the deep rifts in the Iranian regime and the low morale of their forces and said, “Those who do not change their positions, those who cause rifts, those who cause hopelessness, those who take no heed of the rebounds of the Islamic system which has countered all the crises even during the sedition and after it, take no heed of these miraculous rebounds and say that the revolution is over and according to (Khomeini) those people have actually ended themselves”.
He pointed to Khomeini’s remarks and said, “Imam said that those who say that the revolution has reached a dead end have reached a dead end themselves and think or say that the revolution has reached a dead end”.

Attact of Lrijani to Ahmadinejad
Sept. 25, 2010
Ali Larijani the head of regime’s parliament, once again attacked Ahmadinejad clearly and said, in the country no one can trespass the rules. According to Mehr press, Larijani, in his speech in Qom, by pointing to the unresolved problems in the ruling wing, added: a number of parliament resolutions have been implemented which some of them are not confirmed by parliament and the government but we have to perform them.
He added that in the country no one can disobey the rules and if some cases happen they will be investigated by parliament commissions.

Resistance

Khavar Weaving Factory in Protest
Sept. 26, 2010
300 male and female laborers of the Khavar Weaving Factory, Men and women, gathered on Saturday morning outside of Gilan's Governor Office in protest. These laborers have not received their wages and any bonuses during last seven months.

Suppression

Registering 1952 cases of violation of human rights by the regime of Iran in September
Sept. 25, 2010
Despite a lot of efforts, the present report is only reflecting a small part of violation of human rights in Iran and only in one month of September. In September only, 1952 cases of violations of human rights have been registered. In the last month, more than 686 violations of workers rights, 69 violations of students rights, 291 violations of political and social activists rights for freedom of mind and speech, 24 cases of execution sentences, 329 cases of torture and violation of political prisoners in prisons, 391 cases of civilian arrests by police forces, 41 cases of imprisonment of national minorities, 56 case of arrests and violations of religious minorities.

Construction of four new prisons and torture chambers in Tehran Suburbs
Sept. 26, 2010
Mohmmadreza Mohmoodi a deputy of regime's governor of Tehran announced that four prisons will be built in the suburbs of Tehran.
Pointing to provincial visits of Ahmadinejad he said: "the third round of the president's provincial visits to Tehran necessary budgets for building 4 detention centers in the suburbs of Tehran were approved and the Prison's Organization can officially start the plan."

New disciplinary sentences issued for student activists in Babol; Babol University official bans student association
Sep. 25, 2010
In the beginning of the new academic year, the Disciplinary Committee of the Science and Technology University of Babol has issued sentences for a number of student activists in this university. These sentences were announced to the students without them being summoned to the Disciplinary Committee a few days before universities opened for the new academic year.
According to reports, the Disciplinary Committee suspended five students for one semester and sentenced 12 others to suspended suspensions for one semester or a written reprimand in their files.
Also Dr. Sheikhol Islami, the head of the Science and Technology University of Babol dissolved the Islamic Association of Students in this university according to a new verdict and announced that its activities were illegal.

Security forces beat students at Free Rasht University
Sep. 25, 2010
At the start of the new academic year and on the first day of the opening of the Free Rasht University, the university security prevented male students with t-shirts and female students with what they called unsuitable covering from entering the university without prior notice and beat students who objected and protested this issue on orders of the university Protection Department.
According to student sources, the actions of the university security forces led students to gather outside the entrance of this university I protest but security forces beat them with the intent of dispersing them and prevented them from entering the university.

Political prisoner subjected to brutal torture for over year
Sep. 24, 2010
According to reports, political prisoner Mohammad Nikbakht (PMOI supporter) has been under mental and physical torture for over a year in the A-T Cellblock run by the Ministry of Intelligence in Isfahan Prison.
Nikbakht is serving his fifth year of prison and was transferred from cellblock 3 to Cellblock A-T in last years post election protests on July 20, 2009. He was detained in a solitary cell for six months and was subjected to physical and mental pressure on a daily basis by intelligence interrogators. Some of the tortures he was subjected to were being hanged for a prolonged amount of time to the point where he passed out, being flogged with cables or with lead filled hoses, being tied to metal pole for 4 days without any food or the right to use the bathroom and sleep deprivation. He was also subjected to severe mental torture. He was tortured to be forced into giving a interview in front of the cameras which interrogators could use to charge him with enmity with God which carries the death sentence.
He was transferred to a three person cell after six months of solitary and in this time he was constantly abused and harassed and kept under intolerable conditions in this cellblock.
Nikbakht was banned from calling his family in this time and his family had no information on his condition and where he was detained.
This political prisoner was arrested in June 2004 along with his wife and 3 year old child in Orumieh and was brutally tortured for three months in a solitary cell run by the ministry of intelligence. He was then transferred to cellblock A-T in Isfahan Prison where he was subjected to mental and physical torture for more than six months in a solitary cell. Nikbakht was sentenced to 8 years of prison on orders of intelligence interrogators and some time later he was sentenced to another year of prison for disclosing the crimes and tortures by intelligence interrogators in prison.

Suspicious murder of two physicians in two continuous nights
Sept. 26, 2010
During two continuous nights, two physicians were killed suspiciously by bullet shouts and died.
According to official Medias, Dr. Soudbakhsh, infectious disease specialist and a member of scientific group of medicine department of Tehran, while he was going out of his office on Tuesday night at 9 o’clock, was shout by a motorcyclist, and died before reaching to the hospital.
Last Wednesday also, Gholamreza Sarabi, a heart specialist, after departure from the office, he was shout to his tomb and chest by bullets and died after two days in the hospital on Friday.
Mullahs dictatorship, by publishing this news tried not to relate these two news together and Mehr new agency which belongs to intelligence ministry, published the remarks of head of Tehran’s police and wrote: we hope that these killing are not continuum killings and until now we have not find any sign on this.
Other official Medias also said on behalf the Tehran police that investigations showed that the motivation of Dr. Soudbakhsh killing was for personal reasons.
Shahbeddin Sardr, deputy head of parliament and the head of medicine system of regime, in order to cover the contradiction of these killings, said: it is possible that these terrors are part of a project in order to kill some of the physicians. But till the time that is announced by judiciary sources, nothing is clear.

No news on 15 year old boy one year after arrest
Sep. 25, 2010
One year after the temporary arrest of Mohammad Saber Malek Reiesi, there has been no news of his fate for four months.
According to reports, Mohammad, 15, who is from the town of Sarbaz and was arrested because his brother was charged with having communications and cooperating with the armed Baluch opposition, has not contacted or talked to his family for 4 months.
Mohammad was arrested on September 24, 2009 in Chabahar along with his two brothers and after security and intelligence forces raided his home, they threatened his family that if they did not hand over his third brother, they would execute all three sons.
Four months after their arrest, two of his brothers were released but 15 year old Mohammad was held as a hostage in prison and in telephone call to his family, he was forced to say that he would soon be executed.
His family has gone to the intelligence agency, prison and revolutionary court several times in the last four months but was prevented from visiting their son in prison. This has led to serious concerns over him still being alive.
Mohammad has been subjected to pressure and torture to confess on TV and introduce himself and his brother as members of the Jondollah group.

Jailed teacher in critical condition in prison denied treatment
Sep. 22, 2010
Death row political prisoner Abdolreza Qanbari is suffering from bleeding in his kidney and is in poor physical condition.
Despite his constant moaning at night, prison officials pay no attention to his condition and refuse to give him treatment.
Qanbari was arrested after Ashura events (December 27, 2009) and was sentenced to death on charges of having links to the PMOI by the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court headed by Qazi Salavati. This sentence was upheld by the 36th branch of the court of review headed by Judge Zargar and was announced to the Sentence Implementation Department.
This teacher has said that the charges against him were baseless. His wife who is also a teacher has been constantly threatened by the Ministry of Intelligence that she would be fired. Qanbari is currently in cellblock 350 in Evin Prison. Sahel Qanbari, his daughter is in bad spirits after hearing of her father’s death sentence.
His family did not give any interviews to the media regarding the condition of this political prisoner because of pressures from the Ministry of Intelligence.

Students Committee in Iran (Supporters of PMOI)

Gold sellers strike in Tehran Bazaar- Sept. 25,2010