UPDATE ON IRAN - Sept. 7, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran

No. 697

Downfall

Sanction – Economy - Crack within regime

Study of reason for regime failure on Quds Day 
5 September 2010
The very low turn out on Quds Day and the media boycott of this event has led regime officials to examine the reasons behind this failure on Quds Day.
One example of this evaluation was published by the state-run Farda Website in which Ismail Ahmadi Moqadam, the head of the State Security Forces, said that carrying out security maneuvers before Quds Day was ‘bad taste’. But he claimed that the maneuver was for ‘robbers and other like them’.
Farda wrote: Ismail Ahmad Moqadam implicitly criticized the Prevention Maneuver on Thursday (September 2). This maneuver was to counter armed robbers and other criminals.
The head of the State Security Forces said that carrying out this police maneuver a day before Quds Day was ‘bad taste’.
Ahmadi Moqadam said that the carrying out the Crime Prevention Maneuver one day before Quds might ‘have been because of the bad taste of our colleagues on choosing the day of the maneuver”.
On Thursday, the streets of Tehran were filled with police forces one day before Quds Day. The head of the Tehran Security forces immediately reacted to rumors regarding the heavy police presence and said that it was part of the ‘Prevention’ plan.

Foreign Ministry admits to mullahs’ stalemate 
5 September 2010
The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry admitted to the negative results of international sanctions for the mullah’s dictatorship and said that “if we retreat, we will have nothing left”.
According to the state-run Fars News Agency on September 5, Mehman Parast said, “We do not welcome any sanctions or resolutions, we do not want to go towards a resolution but we are not willing to retreat from our rights because of the pressures… nothing will be left for us”.
Notably, Ahmadinejad had constantly said that ‘we welcome sanctions and sanctions are in our interest according to a program that we had set’.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman also said that a “Special Staff will be created to counter sanctions in the Foreign Ministry” and said that “we do not welcome sanctions and they are not in the interest of the Iranian people”.
Special Staff counter sanctions in Ministry of Foreign Affairs
He referred to the problems after sanctions and said, “For example, there are chemical goods that have a 96 percent non-military use and four percent is only used for military purposes and immediately when a tradesman becomes active on these grounds, they claim that you intend to use these goods for military purposes in Iran. They even claim that cement and iron rods are sensitive goods and that they are used in military fortified sanctuaries or strongholds”.

Regime officials admit to effects of sanctions
September 5, 2010
Hossein Sasani, the Secretary General of the Iranian regime’s Industry Confederation admitted to the effects of the sanctions and said, “Resolution 1929 in the Security Council has targeted and limited bank transactions in addition to limitations for military purchases, activities of economical businesses and ocean transportations”.

Larijani sounds alarm bells on growing threats for the Iranian regime
September 5, 2010
The Iranian regime’s parliamentary speaker has admitted that the regime is facing “difficult threats” in comments that echoed growing fears in the regime over recent domestic and regional developments.
Ali Larijani made the unprecedented remarks during a speech in Qom, according to the state-run Mehr news agency on Friday.
“A quick glimpse at the country’s situation shows that we are facing difficult threats and overcoming them requires a period of resistance. We have to avoid making costly statements.”
“Currently, we are being threatened economically, culturally, politically and regionally. The most important of them are economic threats and the West is trying to impose various sanctions to cause drain the system from within and diminish the political influence of the establishment among people.”
Larijani said in thinly veiled remarks that clearly expressed anxiety, “The enemies are targeting the Islamic Republic’s capabilities in the region. A triangle is currently being formed that consist of the three sides of pressuring Iran, pressuring the Lebanese resistance forces and creating a mild atmosphere for the Palestinians to pursue peace talks.”
Referring to expanding conflicts within the clerical regime, Larijani said talk of issues that might encourage discord should be set aside. “Domestically, the enemies are trying to incite divisions among our internal loyal forces in order to achieve their ends.”

Ahmadinejad's debt problems spread to other parts of economy
September 5, 2010
While the government of the mullahs’ President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is grappling with a $140 billion debt, various parts of the economy and social services are taking huge blows.
According to a Aftab state-run news agency, 750,000 farmers have lost their jobs during the past five years alone. Aftab said that the latest reports and statistics by the regime show that bank credits to farmers are severely restricted and despite rising inflation, the government buys agricultural products like rice and wheat at cheap prices citing dubious pretexts.
At the same time, other agricultural products, particularly fruits, are being imported in an unbridled fashion, which leads to more unemployment in the industry.
Separately, 120,000 teachers have also lost their jobs, according to Arman newspaper. This week, a number of teachers protested to the decision by gathering in front of the regime’s Majlis (Parliament).
Meanwhile, the regime’s prisons are unprecedentedly overcrowded. Recently, the head of the regime’s Prisons Organization said there are over 205,000 people behind bars in Iran, warning that “if the trend were to continue, a serious human catastrophe will be in the works.”
According to the regime’s Prisons Organization statistics, while the average rate of prisoners in the world is 132 for every 100,000 people, “in Iran, there are 348 inmates for every 100,000 people.”
The Ahmadinejad government has also made a significant calculation mistake in declaring the banking system’s capacity to issue credits. According to the state-run Donyay-e Eqtesad on August 30, although the banks could issue 23 billion dollars in credit, the government declared the amount as 70-80 billion dollars, making a mistake of over 50 billion dollars.

Iranian regime have given Million Dollars to Albaradeii
September 5, 2010
Alyomolsabe newspaper published in Egypt, with a title of “A Judiciary plea, Accused Albaradeii of receiving 7 million Dollars from Iran” exposed one of Mullah’s regime bargains with ex secretary general of International Agency of Nuclear Power.
This newpaper wrote: Dr. Yaser Najib Abdolma’boud, in a plea to Judiciary, accused Mohammad Albaradeii ex secretary general of International Agency of Nuclear Power for receiving 7 million dollars from Iranian regime.
Abdolma’boud in a plea of 15421 said that the leadership of Iran declared his financial support of Albaradeii through and Arab business man living in Europe and this business man gave a check for 7 million dollars for his election propagandas.  Plea emphasizes that the meeting between this arab business man who is close to Albaradeii and the Iranian official took place in a hotel in Romanian Capital. This business man went to Romania in order to finish this deal, and this was after 2 weeks secret communications between both sides which Iranian official asked the business man to inform Albaradiee of their complete support.

Additive crisis between Parliament and Ahmadinejad
September 5, 2010
Despite supreme leader advise to reduce crisis, Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to the head of parliament asking for restoration of his fifth resolution.
The government media called Mehr, wrote: Government representative, to show their protest, they didn’t take part in yesterday’s reconciliation commission. Today, the government had asked for restoration of this issue. During sending this letter to parliament, a delegation consists of parliament representatives led by Mohammad Hassan Abutorabi fard and some other members of the commission had a discussion with the president.
According to mehr media, the representatives including Abutorabi tried to solve the problem, but there is no result from such discussion.

4 air accidents in less than a week in Iran
September 4, 2010
On 31th of August a Topoloph airplane belonging to KishAir airway agency, when it was leaving Mashhad to Tehran, in the airport was stricken by its tire fire and was stopped in the Airport.
A day ago on 30th of August, flight no. 088 of Mahan airplane agency, which was supposed to take the passengers in 2315 o’ clock from Shiraz to Tehran, but after 8 hours delay, the flight was canceled and the passengers were transferred to Tehran by another flight.
4 days before this event, on 26th of August in less than a day, 3 air accidents occurred.
According to reports in 4 years ago, more than 480 people have lost their lives in air accidents in Iran. The aircraft experts say that due to mismanagement and corruption, this regime is preventing maintenance and checking airplanes.
LosAngles Times newspaper wrote: Iran’s Aircraft with 14 deadly military and nonmilitary accidents, since the year 2000, has a history of deadly technical fails, 7 of these 14 accidents has been during Ahmadi nejad’s presidency.

There is unbridled poverty in Iran, the regime's mullah Makarem Shirazi says
September 4, 2010 
A cleric close to the Iranian regime says poverty in Iran has spun out of control. “On the other hand,” he added, “we see the enormous money provided to some people whose status is well known.”
Mullah Nasser Makarem Shirazi also referred to the hefty financial contracts involving actors and athletes.
He added, “Moreover, a substantial amount of money is spent out of the government budget on individuals who are described as Iranians living abroad.”
There are villages which are deprived of the most basic medical services and residents have to jump into the river to bathe, Shirazi said.
His comments were apparently targeting a state-organized “conference of Iranians abroad,” which took place last month in Tehran for the second consecutive year and was run by a close aide to the mullahs’ President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
People who attended the gathering had their expenses paid in full by the Ahmadinejad government during their three day visit to Iran.
Some observers say the so-called conference was organized by Tehran to dispel its image as an isolated regime and to spur foreign investment.
But, even members of Ahmadinejad’s own faction began to lash out at the decision and even the participants. Some said the attendees did not come to invest but instead were motivated by an all expense paid trip to the country.


Suppression

Man threatened at gun point and arrested for smoking on Ramadan
September 5, 2010
Qazvin- Takistan University
The helper of a bus driver was threatened at gun point by a plainclothes agent and then forced into a white car and taken away.

Death sentence of political prisoner upheld by Supreme Court
Sep. 5, 2010
The death sentence for Kurd political prisoner Habibollah Golparipour was upheld by the Supreme Court.
According to reports, this sentence was announced to Golparipour in the past few days in court. This resident of Sanandaj is currently in Mahabad Prison.
He had been detained for a long time in the Sanandaj and Mahabad Detention Centers and was sentenced to death by the Mahabad Revolutionary Court on charges of waging war with God by membership in a dissident party.


Dissident Iranian cleric denied medical treatment on verge of going blind
Sep. 5, 2010
Despite the critical condition of the eyesight of Ayatollah Hossein Kazemi Borujerdi, officials prevent him from being taken to a hospital outside of prison.
According to reports, in the past four years of his detention he has been suffering from severe problems in his right eye because of mistreatment and being kept in a polluted environment.
Last week a medic in Evin Prison’s infirmary stressed after checking him that he has lost 80 percent of his vision because of a tear in the retina.
The medic also warned that such a tear will not be treated with medicine and the only effective way to treat it is by surgery therefore his condition is considered urgent and he has to be hospitalized in a well- equipped hospital.
The head of the Special Court for Clergy have deprived Borujerdi of treatment and will not even give his medical file to his family. They have recently told those close to Borujerdi that until he stops ‘propagating against the government’ he will be kept in these conditions.

Iran arrests lawyer of political prisoners
Sep. 5, 2010
Nasrin Sutodeh, a well-known lawyer was arrested after being summoned to the Revolutionary Court.
Her lawyer was informed of her arrest after going to the security court on Sunday morning September 5. This is while Nasim Ghanavi was not allowed to see the interrogator on the case and was told that they would call her whenever necessary.
She was also not allowed to participate in the interrogation session with Nasrin Sutodeh. After accepting and registering her power of attorney, judicial officials asked her to leave.
Nasrin Sutodeh is the lawyer of many political prisoners including Esa Saharkhiz and Mohammad Sediq Kaboudvand. She is also following the case of Shirin Ebadi and several other human rights cases. Security forces went to her office and home on August 28 and confiscated her files and other personal items and asked her to come to the court in Evin Prison in one week after which she was arrested.
Nasrin Sutodeh is also active in the One-Million Signature Campaign (advocating for pro-women change in the constitution) and was also given an award by the International Human Rights Organization in 2008. Judicial officials have charged her with conspiring against the security of the country and propagating against the government.

Iran arrests nephew of executed Kurd political prisoner
Sep. 5, 2010
Azad Kamangar, a student of the Technical and Engineering College of Sanandaj was arrested and taken to an unknown location two days ago after going to college.
According to reports, Azad Kamangar is the nephew of Farzad Kamangar, a Kurd teacher who was executed. He was wanted by the police after a memorial ceremony was held for those executed on May 9, 2010 and attempts for his arrest were futile because he was not in his home at the time.
The family of this student activist was not able to get any news on his whereabouts after going to the Sanandaj Intelligence Agency and Revolutionary Court.

Sakineh Mohammadi sentenced to 99 lashes over a media blunder
Sep. 5, 2010
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani who has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery was sentenced to 99 lashes on the charge of spreading corruption after a picture of a woman without  the (Islamic) veil said to be Ashtiani by a British daily was published.
Her son Sajad Mohammadi Ashtiani said that her lawyer was informed via her recently released cellmates that his client was once again sentenced to lashing.
Times published a picture of a woman on August 28 saying it was Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. A few days later after apologizing from its readers, it said that it was not her picture.


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UPDATE ON IRAN - Sept. 5, 2010

The Beginning of the End of the Clerical Rule in Iran

No. 697

Downfall

False Claims of Manuchehr Mottaki about the executions by German Radio
September 4, 2010
German Radio broad casted the false claims of Manuchehr Mottaki the foreign minister of Islamic Republic in an interview with weekly Eshpigel: Nobody has been executed in Iran because of political reasons.
This June, the country’s supreme bureau, confirmed the execution of Mohammad Ali Haji Aqaii and Jafar Kazemi for cooperation with PMOI. They both were arrested after election. Nasim Naghavi attorney of Mr. Jafar Kazemi said to Dutch Veleh that his client was arrested in September 2009, he was in prison for his political activities for 10 years and he was set free at 1991. Mrs. Ghanavi says that his client’s sentence is due to be implemented and we are expecting his execution.
According to Mrs. Ghanavi, he is sentenced to fight against God through relation with PMOI group and this is the reason for his execution and when we complained to section 28 of the court, they referred the file to section 36 of Tehran’s court which unfortunately the vote was confirmed and now this vote is definite and is going to be implemented imminently.
Farah Vazehan and Mohammad Ali Sarami are two other captives of Ashura Day. They both are sentenced to death, Farah Vazehan mother of two is convicted of taking pictures and films at this day. Her court was in August and in the court she was sentenced to death because of having relation with PMOI.

Installation of a large poster of Sakineh Mohammadi in front of Italian parliament and Mullah’s reaction
September 4, 2010
International campaign against stoning and execution sentence of Sakineh Mohammadi has caused intolerance reactions from the Mullah’s regime. Yesterday a large poster of Sakineh Mohammadi was installed in front of Prime ministry palace and the municipality building in Rome. Italian Prime ministry declared this picture will remain until Sakineh is set free. Mullahs called Italian act as intervention.
One official media called, Ati news wrote: installation of a main Iranian criminal in central city of Italy.
A large picture of an Iranian woman, who killed her husband in cooperation with another man, was installed in Kolona square with western agents of Italy.
A report by an international reporter of Ati news says that a large picture of a woman who is culprit of adultery and murder is installed near Italian prime ministry.
Franko Fratini the foreign Minister and Mar Karfania the equal chances minister are organizers of this interventional act. These two persons are also famous in Europian predicate and political circles for their support of Zionist regime. This photo is installed on the building belonging to Equal Chances ministry. Fratini and Karfania by saying some false claims against the Islamic republic said that this picture will stay there as long as she is safely freed.
Andrea Berdochi one of Florance officials said he had chosen this unusual place on purpose because this place is being visited by Italian and foreign tourists.
Western authorities after their fail in showing nuclear activities of our country, they now want to condemn Islamic republic in violation of human rights.
As a reminder, the attorney of Sakineh Mohammadi and her children said that her claims where all have been taken from her under torture and pressures and they have no value. Sakineh Mohammadi’s son in an interview with foreign Medias has said that the so called mullah’s court had destroyed all the documents of her files that has pointed out the contradictions which was in her file.

Workers gathering in Qazvin protest 12-month unpaid wages
September 4, 2010
A group of Qazvin’s Naznakh Spinning Factory staged a gathering outside the plant, protesting over 6 months of delayed and unpaid wages.
“I haven’t paid my mortgage for 4 months, and no one is listening to us,” a protesting worker said. “My children haven’t even seen meat for 8 months.”
Furthermore, 180 workers of Qazvin’s Alborz Porcelain Factory gathered on Tuesday, demanding 12 months of delayed and unpaid wages and protesting an order to close down the factory.
Workers of Shiraz’s Long Distance Telecommunications are continuing their protests over 17 months of unpaid wages.


Resistance

Neda's mother: Her eyes will remain open until she obtains her goal
September 4, 2010
The mother of a young woman whose death last year became a symbol of the anti-regime uprisings in Iran has demanded the trial of her daughter’s murderer by the International Court of Justice at the Hague, the International Human Rights Campaign reported on Monday.
Neda Aqa Soltan was murdered by the Iranian regime’s agents during a peaceful rally on June 20, 2009. Scenes of her death, which were captured by a cell phone and broadcasted all over the world, provoked an international outcry against the clerical regime’s barbaric suppression of the protests. The Iranian regime tried to cover up the crime by producing a number of fabricated footage and outlandish documentaries to silence protests.
However, in reaction to the documentaries broadcasted on state-run TV, Neda’s mother said, “Nobody believes these lies, neither the people of Iran nor the people of the world. I know who the murderer is, but the government doesn’t accept it.”
“When I protested against a documentary that said Neda committed suicide, they replied that I should share my complaint with the media. But, what would I say in a state-run newspaper? … I replied that I know who Neda’s murderer is and that is why I will never appear on state-run TV and radio. … They discredited themselves even more by making such films.”
Ms. Aqa Soltan also recounted scenes of her daughter’s death by saying, “Neda’s eyes were open and they will always remain open until she obtains her goal. … If her eyes were closed perhaps her influence would not have been as much. It was her open eyes that shook Iran and the entire world.”

Slain protester’s widow: those who attacked my husband’s gravesite should know that I have become more intent to speak out

September 2, 2010
Massoumeh Chegini, the wife of slain protester Moharam Chegini said in an interview that in the past two weeks, the gravesite of her husband, who was shot and killed in the June 15, 2009 march in Tehran ,was attacked. She also said that her pursuits of this issue via the authorities of Behesht Zahra Cemetery have had no result.
“The first week they broke all the showcase glasses (next to his grave) and this week when I went to my husband’s gravesite, I saw that they had taken his picture and the Quran in the showcase. They even pulled out a board with his name on it from the ground and took it away with them”, she said.
Mrs. Chegini said that the identity of the culprits is still unknown.
“I initially went up to the head of the Behesht Zahra cemetery with this issue but they tell me that I have to go their offices and from their offices they told me to go somewhere else and in the end they told me to put up another board up next to his grave”.
“Eyewitnesses in Behesht Zahra say that four people attacked my husband’s grave in section 256 and pulled out the board that we had made ourselves for my husband. But the eyewitnesses were not able to distinguish who these people were or why they did this”, she added.
“It is correct that there are no more marches on the streets, it is correct that it seems that the people have been silenced but I think there is something in our hearts that will not be forgotten so easily. Because neither my husband nor other young people who went out on the streets have not gotten their votes back and we have not received any answers on who the murderers of our loved ones are”.
“The blood of all these people cannot be trampled on. People will never forget that protesters were shot and killed right in front of their eyes and that they did not help any of the families afterwards. I hope that one day I find the murderer of my husband so that the blood of my husband and other young people will not be trampled upon and I urge the leaders of the movement and the people not to let us be”.
“My husband was a laborer and made ends meet with much effort. None of the officials who claim justice in an Islamic country asked themselves that when they kill the breadwinner of a household, how is his lonely wife supposed to live under these abhorrent conditions? Have any of the officials asked themselves why they do not even answer to our lawyer?”
“Those who kill young people and then act as if nothing has happened when these slain people have wives and children and that they might live under tough conditions should know that the hope that is flourishing in our hearts and that of the people will one day bring down the murderers. It is true that we are suffering when we see that our wounds are made fresh everyday but with these measures they have led me to become more intent in following the goal in my heart to not let the blood of my husband be trampled on”, Mrs. Chegini concluded.



Suppression

Urgent call to save life of hunger striking political prisoner in Gohardasht Prison
Sep. 2, 2010
According to reports, the condition of political prisoner Arjang Davoudi is very critical and dangerous on his 51st day of hunger strike.
There is great danger that his health will reach the point of no return. Davoudi has been taken to the prison infirmary several times in the past few days with a stretcher and has been returned every time after a short time…
According to other reports, his wife went to the 15th branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to see Salavati, the judge on his case regarding her husband’s sentence from a trial that has been going on for three years. She was told that the case had been referred to the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court to be seen to and that she has to go to that town to follow up his case. This is while Davoudi is a Tehran resident and is jailed in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj and was arrested by intelligence agents in Tehran. The relevance of his case with the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court is not clear.

Tortured prisoner murdered in prison
Sep. 2, 2010
Mohsen Bikvand, a non-political prisoner in Rajayi Shahr (Gohardasht) in Karaj was murdered in prison on August 31.
According to reports, Mohsen Bikvand was severely tortured several times by prison agents and was murdered in cellblock 6, Hall 16 in this prison.
Bikvand was transferred to solitary in the beginning of June 2010.
Gohardasht Prisoners believe that prison officials ordered his murder and the murder of other dissident prisoners is carried out systematically by prison officials.
The Human Rights Activists in Iran published a film of the tortures of this prisoner and according to this document, both of his feet broke as a result of torture, his hands were made useless and his body was burned.
Direct link of the video: http://hra-news21.info/Video/002.mpg
(Human Rights Activists in Iran)

Prison gang run by prison officials critically wound prisoner in Gohardasht Prison
September 4, 2010
According to reports, in a bloody clash in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, a prisoner who was severely wounded and near death was taken to a hospital outside of prison.
On the morning of September 2 at about 2am, a prison gang in cellblock 6 in Gohardasht Prison which acts on the orders of the heads of prison attacked a prisoner identified as Mohammad-Reza Karimi. This prisoner was stabbed at least six times. He was stabbed in the lungs, next to his heart and his back and he was reportedly severely injured.
This prisoner who was on the verge of death was taken to a hospital outside of prison.
These gangs work on the orders of Ali Mohammadi, the assistant head of prison, Kermani and Faraji, the head and assistant head of the prison’s Intelligence Unit, and the heads of the cellblocks. They play a part in distributing narcotics and suppressing dissident prisoners.
Despite this clash which led to the injury of this prisoner, none of the gang members have been called in by prison officials for questioning.
This clash took place in cellblock 6 where currently 5 Baha’i leaders are jailed. They are Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naiemi, Saied Rezayi, Behrouz Tavakoli and Vahid Tizfahm.

Eyewitness accounts from Gohardasht prison in Iran
September 4, 2010
Prisoners in Gohardasht prison, situated in Karaj, undergo continuous psychological torture, according to eyewitness accounts.
Gangs and drug dealing has become rampant in the prison while food is limited and has extremely low quality. The rice, for example, is served almost uncooked. Some inmates are forced to go hungry because the food ration is not enough.
According to these reports, the prison’s shop is not well stocked. Meat and protein products which were previously sold twice or triple the regular price are now only limited to prison personnel and not the inmates. Long lines for the shop often lead to fights.
According to one of the prisoners, even after all this, the shop sometimes uses various pretexts and closes its doors without serving the prisoners.


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