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Index Number: MDE
13/018/2008
Date Published: 28 February 2008
Categories: Iran

Women in Iran face widespread discrimination under the law. They do not have equal rights with men in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance, for example. Iranian women’s rights defenders have courageously launched a campaign demanding an end to legal discrimination against women. Amnesty International is publishing this report in solidarity with the efforts of these women to achieve equality before the law and to highlight the repression that they are facing for their peaceful activities.

IRAN WATCH CANADA covers news that are related to the region for everyone to see and to know different point of views.
Raw News: UK marines in Afghanistan
Sky news video shows Royal Marines operation in Helmund province, Afghanistan view
El Baradei and Iran's nuclear issues
Aijaz Ahmad commentary: Western calls for sanctions against Iran ignore IAEA report view
Pakistan elections start of democratic turmoil
Analysis by Aijaz Ahmad: Emerging political forces in Pakistan resist US pressure view

News in brief- Environmental disaster
ISNA
02-26-2008
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-1094070&Lang=P

According to a report by ISNA for the third time a group of dolphin have lost their life near the port of Jask along the shores of Persian Gulf.

"In the 3rd stage of the death of dulphin , the other day five death bodies of dulphin was seen along the shore of "Jask - Mefsa region." reported ISNA .

It is needed to add that this is the 3rd stage of the death of dulphin in the region.
In the first stage on October 2006, 79 dead dulphin was found and in the second stage on November 2007 another 73 dead dulphin was found and in total 152 dolphin has lost their life.
According to the experts the reason for their death was fishing and topographical surveying.But one must add that one of the main reason could be the environmental pollution especially pollution of Persian Gulf water of oil spilling by international oil tankers

We write to let the world know . We write to let the Islamic Republic judiciary officials know , We write to let the UN Human Rights Council know . We ...................

40 days have passed since the suspicious death( Zahra Kazemi style) of Ebrahim Lotfolahi in the dungeon of the Islamic Republic . He was student of law and was in his last year . He was only 27 years old.
The news was short : "Ebrahim Lotfolahi the last year student of Sanandaj University who spent one week in detention at the office of information in the city of Sanandaj , suspiciousely died and his dead body was buried in the city cemetery without informing and the presence of his parents."

Exclusive report-
Translation by :IRAN WATCH CANADA
Selected parts

Annual report of the situation in Iran !
By: Association of Human Rights Defenders in Iran
2007, 12, 27

The Association of Human Rights Defenders in Iran in direction to its national and international duty have prepared this report on violation of human rights for the spring of 2007 and will continue to do monitor violation of social,political,economical and civil rights to its capability and possibilities .
Unfortunately it must be said that the violation of human rights did not stop on political field only but it continued in other fields of the lives of society and brought concern among human rights defenders.

A- Clashes with the protest of Teachers Union in all over the country :

the demands of the teachers in all over the country was : "To eleminate discrimination among government employees and to prepare and execute a comprehensive and coordinated system on government employees salary ". right after that , they staged peaceful and legal gathering in front of the Islamic Legislative Council ( Parliament -IWC) and other government centres in the city's on spring of 2007 which ended with the imprisonment and violent confrontation of some of the element of police and security agents with these gatherings. Several other activists members of teachers union in all over the country were also arrested while teaching in their schools and were sent to prison.

-The imprisonment of many protesters on May 8 , 2007 in "Baharestan" square including Mr. Akbar Raiszadeh , Mr. Mansur Mirezaei, Mr. Mojtaba abtahi , Mr. Mostafa Ghahremangol, Mr. Mansur Abdolhamidi, Mr. Hemat Shabani , Mr. Yusef Gholamrezaei, Mr. Akbar Akbari, Mr. Ahmad Ghanbari, Mr. Saeed Tadayoni, Mr. Gholamreza Shirvani, Mr. Esmail Rasulkhani, Mr. Reza Abdi and Mr. Abas Mosavi .

- The imprisonment of five female teachers including: Ms. Soraya Darabi, Ms. Tayebeh Mirezaei and Ms. Safari

- the imprisonment of several teachers in the city of Mashhad including ; Mr. Najafabadi and Rajabi

- Temporary dismisal of several teachers from their employment and the enternal exile of many teachers from where they were employed .

- The imprisonment of three official members of the teachers union in the city of Kermanshah; Mr. Sadeghi, Mr. Tavakoli and Mr. Heshmati.

- The imprisonment of protesters in front of the Ministry of Education in Tehran including : Mr. Ali-Akbar Baghani, Mr. Mohammad Beheshti-Langrudi, Mr. Alireza Hashemi, Mr. Mohammad Davari, Mr. Ali Poorsoleyman,Mr. Ghashghavi, Mr. Badaghi, Mr. Noorolah Akbari, Mr. Akbar Parvashi, Mr. Mohammad -Reza Khakbazan, Mr. Mohammad Bagheri, Mr. ahmad Barati, Mr. Mohammad Beigi ,Nourouz , Taheri, Ghejavand, and Mr. Sajad Khaksari
Ms. Akram Hasani, Ms. Zahra Shad , Ms. Fereshteh Sabaghi, Ms. Narges Pilehforosh,

- Mr. Latif Rozikhah ( Teacher from the city of Tabriz ) was sentenced to a year in exile.

To be continued in this post .........

News in brief-
asre-nou.net
The appeal court , adopted new sentencing against Iranian writer Mr. Yaghub Yadali !
ISNA reported that, the lawyer of Mr. Yaghub Yadali the Iranian writer said ; The appeal court in the province of "Kohkiluyeh -Buyerahmad" has changed the earlier decision of nine months suspended sentences made by the primary court to one year imprisonment.
Mr. Saleh Nikbakht the lawyer of Mr. Yaghub Yadali in speaking with ISNA have said: His client must spent one year in prison for a book he has written and the book was given permission to publish by the Ministry of Culture and Guidance.
He said : I have recieved the sentencing by the appeal court but this court unfortunately and contrary to the legal procedure which banns the court to increase the sentencing has changed my clients nine months suspended sentencing to a year imprisonment.
Mr. Saleh Nikbakht added :
My client has written a book and in his book some of his characters speak in local dialect or he has chosen this particular place to make his story a reality ( to give realism to the story ), but he has been accued of insulting to the people of this particular place. He said : The characters in his clients novel doesn't have real external existance and he has just imaginary chosen that place and that particular dialect.
Mr. Nikbakht said : Sentencing a writer who did not named and insult anyone in his book doesn't coincide with regular laws and constitutional provisions.

Link to this news in Farsi:
http://asre-nou.net/1386/esfand/6/m-yadali.html

News in brief-
asre-nou.net

Women protest on government new policy over female quota on entering universities!
The related government agency announced that from coming year the female quota for enterance examination for university and colleges would be 30% and this brought protest by women. The government agency as well indicated that the quota for male is also 30%.
The previous reports showed that, the female students in Iranian universities were 65 % comparing to male students.
The whole scenario shows that the government adopted this policy because of increasing number of students in Iranian universities. They are afraid that increasing number of students mean uncontrolable student movement .
Despite of all these measures by the government , the student movement as strong as before continues to cry for freedom in Iran.

Link to this news in Farsi:
http://asre-nou.net/

News in brief-
Roozonline-
2008,02,26


The life of three Iranian Kurdish in danger!
they need our help and support!
According to a report by Roozonline a court in Tehran sentenced three Kurdish activists to death.

the names of these three Kurdish youth are :

Mr. Farzad Kamangar is a teacher in the city of Kamiaran and board member of the teachers union in that city and is a civil rights activist .
Mr. Ali Heydarian was member of an opposition party to Islamic Republic
Mr. Farhad Vakili was deputy of the " Jahad sazandegi - The battle of construction" in the city of Sanandaj.

They are allegedly charged with :
1-"action against national security"
2- "Fighting by planning to do bombing"

On Monday the judge of the division number 30 of the court of revolution sentenced the three individual to death.
They were arrested by the security agents in Tehran and have been in prison since then for 17 months now.They spent time in security detention centres of Sanandaj, Kermanshah, Tehran and now in "Rejaei Shahr" prison in Karaj City and went under intense and long interrogations.

Link to this news in Farsi:
http://www.roozonline.com/archives/2008/02/post_6357.php

For Immediate Release
Iran: Halt Execution of Juvenile Offender
(New York, February 22, 2008) – The head of Iran’s judiciary, Ayatollah Shahrudi, should immediately order a stay of execution for Mohammad Reza Haddadi, who was sentenced to death for a crime that he allegedly committed at the age of 15, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch has learned that Haddadi is at risk of execution in the province of Fars.
Judicial authorities should investigate defense claims that Haddadi did not commit the crime with which he was charged. They must also look into claims that his co-defendants pressured and bribed Haddadi to confess. Whatever the outcome of such an investigation, Haddadi’s death sentence should be quashed as being a violation of Iran’s human rights obligations not to execute juvenile offenders.
“Executing someone for a crime committed as a child is always wrong, but the flawed trial in this case compounds the injustice,” said Clarisa Bencomo, Middle East children’s rights researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The head of Iran’s judiciary should halt the execution and order a full investigation into the case.”
Haddadi was sentenced to death in 2004 after being convicted on the basis of his confession and statements from his co-defenders. However, he retracted his confession prior to the conclusion of his trial, and his co-defendants also subsequently withdrew their statements implicating him.
Human Rights Watch also called on the Iranian government to immediately and effectively ban the death penalty in all cases of persons under 18 at the time of the alleged offense. Iran leads the world in executing juvenile offenders – persons under 18 at the time of the crime – and is known to have executed at least six juvenile offenders in 2007. According to Amnesty International, as of January 2008 at least 86 juvenile offenders were awaiting execution in Iran.
The Criminal Court in Kazeroon sentenced Haddadi to death on January 6, 2004, for the August 2003 kidnapping and murder of taxi driver Mohammad Bagher Rahmat. Mohammad Reza’s co-defendants in the case, all over 18 at the time of the crime, received lesser sentences despite testimony directly implicating them in the murder. Haddadi had confessed to the crime but retracted his confession in a letter to the court, claiming that his co-defendants tricked him into taking the blame by falsely promising to provide his family with money and other benefits if he did so.
According to Mohammad Reza’s Haddadi’s lawyer, the first suspect arrested in the case, a relative named Karim Haddadi told investigators in October 2003 that he, Mehdi Sassani, Taghi Haddadi, and Mohammad Ghorbani assaulted the driver and that Sassani, Taghi Haddadi, and Ghorbani then beat and strangled him to death. Mohammed Reza Haddadi was not implicated in the murder by any of these suspects until later in the investigation (following which he was arrested by the police.)
According to his lawyer, when Mohammad Reza Haddadi learned that his mother had not received money from the co-defendants, he wrote to the court on November 4, 2003, retracting his confession. Despite his withdrawal of his confession, the court proceeded to sentence him to death for the murder, as well as to 15 years in prison for kidnapping and one year in prison for hiding the body.
Branch 42 of the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence on July 3, 2005, despite the fact that Haddadi’s appeal papers included statements in which his co-defendants withdrew their earlier testimony that had implicated him in the murder. Mohammad Reza Haddadi is currently held in Adel Abad jail in the city of Shiraz, and could be executed at any time.
Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all circumstances because of its cruel and inhumane nature. In particular, in imposing death sentences on people for crimes committed before the age of 18, Iran flouts clear and specific human rights obligations. The imposition of the death penalty for such offenses is prohibited under two key human rights treaties that Iran has ratified: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These provisions reflect the reality that children are different from adults. They lack the experience, judgment, maturity, and restraint of an adult.
Iranian officials claim that legislation pending in parliament since July 2006 would end executions of juvenile offenders. In fact, the legislation would only offer the possibility of reduced sentences in a small minority of cases.

Brief news -

Five internet website has been filtered in Iran !

The news agencies in Iran did not name the websites which has been filtered , but reported about the "Nou Sazi" website which is a radical and supporter of Ahmadinejad government policy which has been also filtered.

All has been charged with " election violation" .

Link to this news:
http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2008/02/14/f4_ban_website_Iran_insult.html

News in brief-
Roozonline
2008.02.20

Closure and suspension of 113 NGO's !
One year record of the government on civil society .
113 NGO's activity licence was cancelled or suspended by the government order on 2006 . Out of these number , 88 organizations received cancellation of their licence and 25 other received suspension.
IWC- This is the record of the 9th government ( Ahmadinejad's government) for a year.
Link to this news in Farsi:
http://www.roozonline.com/archives/2008/02/_113.php

Musharraf, Army, and Islamist parties big losers
Aijaz Ahmad: Rise of secular urban forces in Pakistan; US not controlling the process view

Musharraf's party defeated
Beena Sarwar: Reporting from Pakistan on rout of Musharraf's party view
------------------------------------------

IFEX COMMUNIQUÉ VOL 17 NO 07 19 FEBRUARY 2008

The "IFEX Communiqué" is the weekly newsletter of the International Freedom
of Expression eXchange (IFEX), a global network of 81 organisations working
to defend and promote the right to free expression. IFEX is managed by
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression ( http://www.cjfe.org ).

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
3. ARAB SATELLITE CHARTER MAJOR SETBACK TO PRESS FREEDOM IN REGION, SAY
IFEX MEMBERS
A new Arab "charter" for satellite TV will restrict independent news and
information for people across the Middle East and North Africa, say the
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the Arabic Network for
Human Rights Information (HRInfo), ARTICLE 19 and other IFEX members and
partners.
"Principles for Organising Satellite TV in the Arab World", a non-binding
charter, was adopted last week by all member states of the Arab League with
the exception of Qatar and Lebanon. It requires satellite TV broadcasting
not to offend leaders in the Arab world, damage "social peace and national
unity and public order," or call into question God or the monotheistic
religions.
Programmes should also conform to the religious and ethical values of Arab
society, and protect Arab identity from the harmful effects of
globalisation.
The charter urges member states to introduce all necessary measures in
their national legislations to ensure that the document's principles are
fully implemented. And if media groups do not adhere to the principles,
they can have their licences suspended, withdrawn or not renewed, and even
have their equipment confiscated, say the IFEX members.
"The provisions, if implemented, will inevitably mute and hinder the only
avenue for free expression in the region: satellite TV," says ARTICLE 19,
pointing out that they directly contradict international and regional
covenants that guarantee the right to information and freedom of
expression, including Article 32 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
The meeting was convened in Cairo on 12 February by information ministers
from the different Arab countries, at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia
- countries with grave press freedom situations, CIHRS and HRInfo note.
Lebanon was the only state to oppose the document. Qatar, home of Al
Jazeera, abstained from voting.
--------------------------------------------

News in brief -
Roozonline
Reported by : Kian Ashena

The rough confrontation will lead to the blind movement !


"Committee following the arbitrary arrests " which was formerly known as " Committee working for the release of those who have been arrested arbitrarily because of their political and opinion" has released its 11th communique.

The committee warned the officials about the illegal confrontations by the prison officials particularly inside the border prisons.

The context of the communique is :
The reports about the situation of political prisoners , particularly in the city's shows sign of unjust confrontation and behaviors which are sometimes rough . These arbitrary action can be seen more inside the border prisons. Some of the disturbing reports are as follows:

1- The arrest of Ms. Fatemeh Goftari, the mother of Yaser Goli ( The prisoner from the city of Sanandaj ), Mr. Habibolah Latifi , Mr. Bakhtiar Moradi , Mr. Mozafar Kazemi,Mr. Nazir Shakeri, Mr. Osman Ayubpoor and Mr. Farhad Ayubpoor in the city of Sanandaj - and the threat against some of the defence attorney's in Kurdistan.

2- Taking forced confession from the prisoners for cooperating with secessionist groups ( same reports was heard about Mr. Hana Abdi and Ronak Safarzadeh from Sanandaj).

3- The arrest of Yaser Sotwan ( Teacher from the city of Iranshahr and Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad ( social activist resident of Sistan and Baluchestan province ) - The regime connected them with heavy charges.

4- Pressure on detainee's to confess that they cooperated with America ( similar report was heard about Said Matinpoor and other prisoners in the city of Zanjan).

5- The arrest of Ms. Raheleh Askarizadeh and Nasim Khosravi , two activists of the " Campaign for One Million Signature" in the city of Tehran.

6- The critical physical situation of some of the political prisoners including Doctor Mostafa Alavi in Gohardasht prison, Mr. Mahmoud Salehi the labor activist in Kurdistan and also the grave physical and mental condition of the Sunni clergy ( Mr. Ayub Ganji) , who was kidnapped and is recently released.

7- The arrest of Mr. Salam Nabati and Mr. Jamshid Bahrami in the city of Marivan. After these arrests several others also were arrested in this city and Mr. Farzad Kamangar ( A teacher from the city of Kamiaran) who is under alot of pressure.

8- A lot of families who's childeren are in prison were threatened not to speak to anyone about their situation ( similar report was heard about some of the families of the Kurdish prisoners including the late Ebrahim Lotfolahi and some of the Marxist activists and ethnic minorities ) and in some cases the families of the released prisoners are also don't want to speak about what went on to their childeren while they were in prison.

9-The arrest of Ms. Sanaz Alahyari and Mr. Morteza Eslahchi in the city of Tehran in continuation of the arrest of Marxist students and the arrest of Mr. Soleyman Yazdanpanah in connection to the recent gathering in Tehran University campus.

10-There has been no news for a month about the Turkman prisoners , There has been no news for a month about Mr. Heshmatollah Tabarzadi , issuance of heavy bail up to 500 Million Tuman ( 1000 Tuman = 1 $US ) for many prisoners in the city of Zanjan and Tehran , issuance of heavy sentencing for some of the well known activists but they have announced as suspended sentencing, including Mr. Alireza Hashemi the central council member of the Irans' Teachers organization who was sentenced to three years imprisonment and many other activist teachers who have received one to five years suspended sentences and Mr. Hadi Ghabel a teacher of the Hozeh Elmieh ( The clergy school in the city of Ghom who was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment and is banned not to wear the clergy garment ).

The committee would like to emphasize and to remind about those events which was reported in the last 10 communique and warn the officials to be aware of these rough tragic events which could lead to unpredictable, blind and uncontrollable reactions which will have heavy price for the country. These kinds of tensions certainly is against the national interest and Iran in its entirety and only world dominators will benefit from it.

Copy of these communiqué was sent to the head of judiciary power , and many other judiciary and human rights offices including in Kurdistan.

-30-


Link to this news :
http://www.roozonline.com/archives/2008/02/post_6230.php

The three imprisoned students of Amirkabir University : Ahmad Ghasaban, Ehsan Mansuri and Majid Tavakoli

Recently they attended to a closed door court hearing. They have come from Evin prison and later returned to.

Their Lawyer Mr. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah have said: The court was held in a closed door and the court ordered not to speak to media about the session.

Release the childeren of Iran !
in solidarity with imprisoned students
Click on this farsi code to watch the video clip - The pictures of the imprisoned students
کدهای کلیپ را جهت قرار دادن در سایت و وبلاگ خود از اینجا دریافت کنید

Opposition promises to remove Musharraf if elected
Pakistani opposition forms coalition for elections view

Welcome to The Syndicate of
Workers of the Tehran and Suburban Bus (Vahed) Company.

Click on this website and read about bus workers in Iran
In Farsi:
http://www.syndicavahed.com/
In English:
http://www.syndicavahed.com/english.htm

Iranian women and campaign for one million signature for equality and social justice.

Happy Valentine !
Despite of the Islamic Republic's cultural policy, today in Iran the lovers buy flower and share the occasion with the rest of the world...

You can listen to Persian HipHop in this website:
http://www.persianhiphop.com/audio/by/artist/sasy_mankan

http://odeo.com/show/17728663/1103785/download/PaaBarJam.mp3

Persian Rap is critical in its origin to the Islamic Republic's cultural policy.
Before revolution the population of Iran was around 34 million and today 29 years after the population is 70 million . Young Iranian are well connected to the world and it would be hard for the Islamic Republic to suppress their feelings , demands, thoughts, expression and fashion.

Video clip
Police force beating university student at Tehrran -Iran... (more)

ALERT - IRAN
13 February 2008
Writer and student leader Amin Ghazaei detained, fears of ill-treatment and
health concerns
SOURCE: Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC), International PEN, London
(WiPC/IFEX) -

The WiPC of International PEN is seriously concerned about
the detention of writer and activist Amin Ghazaei, who has been held
incommunicado without charge since 14 January 2008. He is among scores of
student activists to have been detained in December 2007 and Janaury 2008.
WiPC fears that he may be detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his
right to free expression.
According to PEN's information, Ghazaei, who is also the leader of the
group Students for Freedom and Equality (Daneshjouyan-e Azadi Khah va
Beraber Talab), was arrested in Tehran on 14 January by Intelligence
Ministry officers along with 14 other students at a meeting, in what
appears to be a worrying pattern of recent arrests of student activists. He
is reported to be held without charge in solitary confinement in Section
209 of Evin Prison, and to have been tortured. There is concern for his
health as he reportedly suffers from a peptic ulcer, heart problems, and
asthma.
Ghazaei's home was reportedly searched on 15 January by the police who
confiscated his computer and all of his papers. He has been allowed one
short telephone conversation with his family in the presence of guards, but
otherwise has not been allowed access to his family or a lawyer.
Ghazaei was born in 1979 and is known for his many articles published
on-line on topics such as gender identity. The websites he has written for
include http://www.mindmotor.com and http://www.poetrymag.info . He is the
chief editor of the electronic journal "ArtCult" and has his own web-log (
http://bafandeh.blogfa.com ). He has also translated some banned books into
Farsi, including "Gender Trouble" (Judith Butler), "Seduction" (Jean
Baudrillard), and "Cyborg Manifesto" (Donna Haraway), which have been
published either on the web or by an Iranian publisher in Europe. He has
also published two collections of writings, "Hich Ettefagh" (Nothing
Happening) and "Haghighat" (Truth), and has co-authored the anthology
"Honar-e Mossalah" (Armed Art). None of his works have been submitted for
publication inside Iran.
BACKGROUND:
Amnesty International gives the following background information: "Student
groups have been at the forefront of demands for greater human rights in
Iran in recent years. Since the election of President Ahmadinejad in 2005,
there have been increasing restrictions on civil society in Iran. In April
2007, Minister of Intelligence Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie publicly
accused student activists and campaigners for the rights of women in Iran
of being part of an "enemy conspiracy," though neither he nor other Iranian
authorities have produced evidence to substantiate this charge, which such
activists roundly repudiate."
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send appeals to authorities:
- expressing serious concerns about the detention and well-being of
Ghazaei, and seeking guarantees of his well-being
- demanding that he be given full access to his family, lawyers and all
necessary medical treatment immediately
- calling for his immediate and unconditional release in accordance with
Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to
which Iran is a signatory

APPEALS TO:
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
Leader of the Islamic Republic
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
E-mail: info@leader.ir

Salutation: Your Excellency
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Head of the Judiciary
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
1316814737
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
E-mail: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah
Shahroudi)

Salutation: Your Excellency
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie
Minister of Intelligence
Ministry of Intelligence
Second Negarestan Street, Pasdaran Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Salutation: Your Excellency

COPIES TO:
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: Via Foreign Ministry: +98 21 6 674 790
(mark: "Please forward to H.E. President Ahmadinejad")
E-mail: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
Website: http://www.president.ir/email
If possible, please send a copy of your appeal to the diplomatic
representative for Iran in your country and to the source. Please check
with WiPC if sending appeals after 5 March 2008.
For further information, contact Cathy McCann, Researcher, Asia/Middle
East, WiPC, International PEN, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London,
WC1V 6ER, U.K., tel: +44 20 7405 0338, fax: +44 20 7405 0339, e-mail:
wipc@internationalpen.org.uk, Internet: http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of WiPC.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit WiPC.
-------------
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/

‎11 Kurdish Students Behind Bars‎
With 2 More Kurdish Students Arrested -
2008.02.13
‎Samnak Aghayi

Kurdish students activists inside and outside prisons in Iran continue to face pressure, ‎intimidation and suffering. In the latest round of such tactics, art student Jamshid ‎Bahrami, and psychology student Salam Nabati were both arrested last Saturday in the ‎early morning hours and taken to a yet-undisclosed location. ‎
Security forces surrounded the houses of the two activists at about 6am and after a ‎detailed inspection of their residence took them away, along with much of their personal ‎belongings. The destination or the reason for their detention were not publicly revealed. ‎Even the family members of the two have not been informed of the whereabouts of these ‎two students. ‎
Jamshid Bahrami is a known writer and theater actor in the cultural and artistic circles of ‎the Kurdish Town of Marivan. The arrest of these two individuals brings the total number ‎of Kurdish student activists in detention to ten.
Hedayat Ghazali,
Sabah Nasri,
Yaser ‎Goli,
Hana Abdi,
Ronak Safarzadeh,
Mohammad Saleh Ayubi,
Sohrab Karimi,
Javad ‎Alizadeh, and
Habibollah Lotfi
are already behind bars for various charges, and their fate ‎has not yet been determined by the authorities.‎
In a related news, two students from Sanandaj, Hedayat Gazali and Sabah Nasri who ‎have been in prison for seven months were transferred to Tehran’s Evin prison for the ‎second time from Sanandaj.‎
Link to this news:
http://www.roozonline.com/english/archives
/2008/02/11_kurdish_students_behind_bar.html

Alert........Alert

The life of a civil rights activist is in danger!
Execution without the approval of the head of judiciary power .
Roozonline -
Report by : Shahram Rafizadeh

A court in the province of "Sistan and Baluchestan " sentenced Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad a student, journalist and the secretary of " The Voice of Justice " to death.

On Monday Feb. 11 , 08 on the anniversary and victory of the Islamic revolution, "a court in the province of "Sistan and Baluchestan " sentenced Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad a student and journalist and the head of the association of " The Voice of Justice " to death.

His family was informed of his death sentence on last Thursday.

Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad was arrested together with his 16 years old brother Mr. Ebrahim Mehrnahad and four other members of the association by the security agents on April 26/07 in the city of Zahedan . Except Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad the rest of the detainee's were released after spending three months prison term. But Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad is still in prison and now awaiting for execution.

Link to this news: Look at his picture here:
http://www.roozonline.com/archives/2008/02/post_6130.php

INTERVIEW: An Iranian journalist speaks out against censorship
Region :NoneCountry :Iran
Topic :Press Freedom
06/02/2008

Things haven’t been easy for Arash Sigarchi. At the age of 27, he was sent to prison for writing articles criticizing the leader of the Islamic Republic and aspects of life in Iran. He was first sentenced to 14 years, charged with "insulting Mr. Khamenei in his writings, collaboration with hostile governments, giving interviews to foreign media, and incitement of the public mind." His sentence was subsequently commuted to 3 years, of which he has served 14 months. During his time in prison, he found a lump in his mouth. It was cancer. He underwent an operation to excise the tumor as a result of which he lost part of his tongue. When he was in prison, his brother, Ashkan was also killed in a car accident while carrying a letter on behalf of Sigarchi to one of his lawyers, Ms. Shirin Ebadi. Ashkan, an accomplished musician, was just 26 years old. It was a terrible tragedy for the entire Sigarchi family.
Even though life has been unfair, Sigarchi never let tragedy get the better of him. He never became bitter or angry. He never stopped having a positive outlook in life. Moreover, he never lost his passion for journalism.
Sigarchi began his career in journalism when he was just 15 years old. A native of the Gilan province of northern Iran, he gained acclaim for his work as editor of Gilan Emrooz, the province’s major newspaper. When he was no longer able to publish the kind of stories he wanted to in the paper, he decided to start a blog called Panjereh Eltehab, which means “window of anxiety.” For his courage and dedication in the field of journalism in Iran, Arash Sigarchi received the Hellman/Hammett award in 2007.
IJNet had a chance to speak with this accomplished journalist about his life and career in Iran.

IJNET: When were you born and where in Iran?

Arash Sigarchi: I was born into a cultured family on October 26, 1978 in Rasht. My family has always been interested in the arts and music. My father was a composer and played traditional Iranian music.

IJNET: When did you first start writing, and when did you become attracted to journalism as a profession?

AS: I started to write very early. My mother taught me to read and write when I was five years old. As a result, my love of writing began much earlier than my contemporaries. But when, at the age of 15, I realized I could work without a salary for a weekly sports magazine, I tried to steer my writing in that direction. It was there that I understood that the writing of a writer is very different from the writing of a reporter because a reporter must always remain neutral.
After that, I began work without a salary as a reporter with Gam newspaper in 1993. After several months, I started to work for the newly established Hamshahri newspaper in Tehran, where I earned a salary as a journalist for the first time. After that, I worked as a paid writer for national newspapers for some time until Seyyed Mohammad Khatami became president and working conditions became more suitable for journalists. Like many other journalists, after June 1997 I worked at newly established newspapers. This did not last long: after the “Black” May of 2000, all such newspapers were shut down.

IJNET: Tell us about the Gilan-e Emrouz newspaper. How many reporters worked there and what kind of topics did the paper cover?

AS: After the closure of the press in the spring of 2000, I returned to Rasht and reached an agreement with the Managing Director of Gilan-e Emrouz—which was about to begin publication—to work with that newspaper. After I had worked as a reporter for a month, he appointed me the supervisor of the newspaper’s writers. Several months later he officially appointed me Editor-in-Chief.
Aside from news about the State of Gilan, our newspaper had pages dedicated to sports, women and the youth, politics, economics, culture, and art. Each of these sections had its own independent reporter and journalists. Unfortunately, after the difficulties that the regime created for me, the newspaper remained in the hands of those who had a self-centered mode of thinking. At this time, only a handful of people work at this newspaper. The majority of those people do not produce news stories but continue to publish the newspaper by copying onto it news from websites. Since people read the news on the Internet, the newspaper’s readership has decreased.

IJNET: How is the present era different from the Khatami era for reporters?

AS: The important difference is that Mr. Khatami understood what a newspaper is. However, Mr. Ahmadinejad does not understand this and that is only natural. Mr. Khatami was in charge of the government-run Keyhan newspaper and knows what journalism is. He knows what is appropriate and what is not. Mr. Khatami even knows the mistakes involved in reporting. And Mr. Ahmadinejad? At the suggestion of his advisors, when faced with reporters, he only strikes poses and attitudes. He has heard that he must defend freedom of expression. However, in practice, any one who criticizes the government will be punished severely. At present, many of the local newspapers in the states and provinces in Iran are out of favor, due to their criticism of Ahmadinejad.
The issue is not limited to Mr. Ahmadinejad. When the country’s highest executive does not know how to have a dialogue with reporters, his behavior influences those who work under him. During Mr. Khatami’s presidency, because he considered himself answerable to reporters, the executives who worked under him made an effort to treat reporters in a civil manner. Do you think institutions such as the Council of Guardians or the Judicial Branch had spokespersons—who would communicate with the press regularly and inform them of the latest news--from the very beginning? No, that was not the case. Only the Khatami administration tried to keep reporters abreast of the latest developments in the government. At that time, no institution considered itself accountable to any one regarding any matter. After Khatami, these institutions learned that they can interact with members of the press. Therefore, we must not ignore these differences.

IJNET: What is the state of journalism in Iran? At which stage is it? Where do its difficulties lie?
AS: I prefer to say that Iranian journalism is in a coma. “Being in a coma” means being unconscious and waiting to become conscious. In Iran, various institutions—from the military to the law and order and security apparatuses and even the offices of the clergy—consider it their right to manipulate the media in reliance upon reasons such as “safeguarding national security” and “strengthening the regime.” By citing “prevention of the weakening of the regime” as their excuse, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, forces of law and order, and the government bureaucracy all try to create restrictions for or set limitations on the flow of news. Even the offices of the Supreme Leader’s [Ayatollah Khomeini’s] representatives in various cities and towns try to apply pressure to journalists.
At present, the work atmosphere is so disappointing that most journalists have chosen to remain silent. Press agencies are under strict surveillance and scrutiny by the Public Prosecutor of the Tehran Judiciary. At the same time, we must not forget that, in Iran, censorship is carried out in a completely systematic way. The Supreme Council on National Security regularly issues warnings to newspapers about topics they should not write about. By periodically issuing summons to journalists and interrogating them, the Prosecutor’s Office warns them as well. The Press Supervisory Committee, which has suspended about 17 publications, also sets limitations. This committee’s main responsibility is to analyze the issuance of permits for publications and, it goes without saying that it is also charged with the responsibility to issue a warning to a publication if it has published something contrary to Islam or the regime.
On the other hand, in Iran publications must have a managing director. In recent years, many managing directors themselves have started to create restrictions for, and censor, reporters and journalists.

IJNET: How many bloggers and websites are there in Iran?

AS: No exact numbers exist but, according to government statistics, there are over 16 million Internet users in Iran and we can say that there are about 1.6 to 1.8 million webblogers in Iran. Of course, the number of Iranian webloggers who are abroad should also be added to the above numbers. The number of websites is also significant, especially because--since the last days of the Khatami administration--all governmental apparatuses and officers are duty-bound to set up a website for However, we must still bear in mind that the Internet and its use are still very new in Iran.

IJNET: Why where you imprisoned ?

AS: I believe my efforts to spread the growth of journalism and train journalists, as well as my insistence on defending the freedom of press, were the reasons why the regime confronted me. I believe that news must be published uncensored and, on this basis, when I was pressured not to publish certain articles in the newspaper, I used my own weblog .

IJNET: How do you see the future of journalism in Iran?

AS: I am optimistic. The existence of the Internet and the spread of the media make me optimistic about the future of journalism [in Iran]. On the other hand, 70 percent of the population of Iran is under the age of 40: this means that Iran is a young country and I am hopeful that this youthful energy will free itself from the grips of censorship. I am certain that the Internet and the media will bring about major transformations in this society.
Iranian journalists are not separate from ordinary Iranians. In fact, I am sure that, in the future, many of these youth will learn and understand more about journalism and censorship. When a stream encounters a rock in its path, it does not stand still and turn into a pool of stagnant water but finds its way around the rock!

IJNET: In which areas do Iranian journalists need assistance?

AS: I believe that the most important matter is increasing their level of awareness. You may find it interesting to know that, in Iran, there exist 3,000 active local newspapers and weekly and monthly publications. Of course, most of these publications suffer from lack of knowledge in many areas and do not have trained personnel for specialized reporting. I realized this in a trip I took from state to state in Iran and I am now in the final phases of compiling a book entitled, “Local Journalism.” If this book is completed and made available to my colleagues in local publications, it can create a transformation in journalism in Iran. This book will teach journalists to practice journalism in a more professional way, to increase the sale of their newspapers and to attract readership. I wrote this book on the basis of my own experiences, in the course of which, through the journalism courses I taught, I helped turn many young people—who were interested in but uninformed about journalism—into professional journalists! One day, I would like to put this work online so that all journalists in Iran can use it. I owe it to them.

Link to this news:
http://www.ijnet.org/Director.aspx?P=Article&ID=307212&LID=1

For Immediate Release
Iran: Judiciary Must Prevent Imminent Executions by Stoning
Revoke Sentences, End This Cruel and Inhuman Punishment
(New York, February 6, 2008) –
The head of Iran’s Judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahrudi, should immediately revoke the sentences of death by stoning imposed on three persons convicted of adultery, Human Rights Watch said today. In separate cases, two sisters from the town of Shahriar in Tehran Province and a man from the town of Sari in the province of Mazandaran are all at imminent risk of execution.
“The Iranian government is set to execute three of its citizens in a horrendously brutal manner,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The Judiciary must act now to end this inhuman form of punishment once and for all.”
In February 2007, authorities arrested sisters Zohreh Kabiri, 27, and Azar Kabiri, 28, on charges of having “illegal relationships” based on accusations made by one of their husbands. According to Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, “immoral” relationships such as those between men and women who are not married, may be subject to criminal punishment. One month after their arrest, Branch 128 of the General Court of the city of Karaj convicted and sentenced the sisters to 99 lashes.
Six months after officials handed down and executed the sentence, additional accusations by the husband of one of the sisters resulted in a second trial on more serious charges of adultery. Branch 80 of the Karaj Penal Court of the Tehran Province convicted the sisters on these charges and sentenced them to death by stoning. The Supreme Court has approved the ruling and the sentence may be carried out at any time.
The Islamic Penal Code of Iran allows execution as a punishment for adultery, and allows it to be carried out by stoning for this offense. The practice involves throwing stones at the convicted individual, who is buried up to the waist (if he is a man) or up to the chest (if she is a woman), until the individual dies from impact of the blows.
Jabar Solati, the lawyer for the two sisters, told Human Rights Watch that since the sentence has already been approved by the Supreme Court, only intervention by the country’s highest judicial official, Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahrudi, can prevent the stoning from being carried out.
Abdullah Farivar, 49, also faces execution by stoning. In December 2006, authorities in the northern town of Sari arrested Farivar on charges of adultery. A year later, Branch Two of the Penal Court of Sari convicted Farivar and sentenced him to death by stoning. The Supreme Court has approved the sentence. According to statements attributed in the media to Farivar’s family, local authorities informed them last week that the sentence would soon be carried out.
Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all circumstances because of its cruel, inhumane, and irrevocable nature. Iran is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states in Article 6 that “in countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes.” Executions for crimes “beyond intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences” are considered to violate the covenant, and executions for adultery clearly fall into this category. According to Article 7 of the covenant, “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” As a particularly brutal form of execution, death by stoning violates the provisions of this article.
For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on Iran, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=mideast&c=iran
For more information, please contact:
In London, Joe Stork (English): +44-794-395-4633 (mobile)

IRAN WATCH CANADA :
Human rights around the world will benefit if Obama is elected as president of America.
We the Iranian has also special benefit if Obama is elected as president and that is : There won't be war on Iran.

Voters in East LA
From the streets of Los Angeles voters discuss who they will support on Super Tuesday view
Super Tuesday: The race is still on
Aijaz Ahmad says few surprises from the results view

TURKEY:
- Access to YouTube website blocked three times in January over content
"disrespectful of Turkishness" (BIANET)
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/90461/
- Antenna-TR says judges ignorant of Internet not competent to order
YouTube website blocked
http://www.antenna-tr.org/index.asp?lgg=en
TURKEY:
Retired general allegedly behind journalist Hrant Dink’s murder; general
and other ultranationalist arrested for other crimes (BIANET)
http://www.bianet.org/english/news

AZERBAIJAN:
CAPSULE REPORT: "Freedom of expression is in the worst state ever," says
IRFS
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/90458/


----------MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA----------
IRAN:
IFJ condemns closure of women’s magazine
http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?index=5783&Language=EN
IRAN:
Italian journalists’ federation lobbying for release of Kurdish journalist
sentenced to death (IFJ)
http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?index=5788&Language=EN
IRAQ:
Editor of weekly released on bail, trial postponed; five journalists
arrested, one beaten, another mistreated (RSF)
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/90480/
PALESTINE:
Journalist Omar Al-Ghul freed after being held by Hamas for 49 days (RSF)
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/90454/
SAUDI ARABIA:
News channel director fired after airing critical comments; Information
minister bans live programmes on state television (RSF)
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/90445/
SYRIA:
Another detained in crackdown on democracy advocates; at least eight
allegedly beaten, forced to confess (Human Rights Watch)
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/90487/
TUNISIA:
RSF asks Justice Ministry to improve prison conditions of dissident
journalist Slim Boukhdir
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/90450/

Picture: "Rejaei Shahr'" prison in the city of Karaj


There is no God here!
A documentary report of crimes in Gohardasht prison.
A special translation by IRAN WATCH CANADA
Human Rights Activists in Iran reporting:

Mr. Babak Dadbakhsh is a political prisoner in exile to Rejaei Shahr prison (Gohardasht-in the city of Karaj).He has been charged with propaganda and cooperation in doing the research on documents for a book known as " The corruption nest" which was given to inspectors who have visited to the prison. At present he is in Gohardasht prison and his visitation and telephone contact rights has been denied to him. It's been seven days now that In protest to his situation he went to hunger strike by sewing his lips.The prison officials in continues pressure on this political prisoner have transferred him to the most dangerous point of the prison known as "auditorium # 13- counseling section # 5".

This is a collective report of the recent 18 months events in this human slaughterhouse. This report intend to bring the danger which is threatening the life of Mr. Babak Dadbakhsh and other political prisoners . Hunger strike and lack of personal security is threatening his life.

What is coming in the following is the 18 months events in the "auditorium #13-counseling section#5" which has the capacity of only 150 prisoners.Those prisoners who have been killed in clashes during the last 18 months in the "auditorium #13-counseling section# 5" are as follows:

1- Masoud Naghi
2- Saeed Mohammadi
3-Asghar Foghani
4-Hossain Arjomandi
5-Farhad Darvishi
6- Dawood Baghaei
7- Mehran Mohammadi ( He was armed with a knife which was given to him by the prison officials in order to kill a prisoner but other prisoners were intrigued and murdered him with 60 knife strike in a way that he was decapitated. This happened 50 days ago)
8- Mehrdad Sabokdast
9-Gholam Bozorgzadeh
10-Abbas Eskandari
11- Ahmad Nouroozi
12-Haj Abdolreza
13-Ebrahim Golshani

The number of suicides in the "auditorium #13-counseling section # 5" of the "Rejaei Shahr" prison:

1- Mohammad Timsar
2-Seyed Morteza
3-Reza Zandi
4-Seyed Javad
5-Shahbazi
6-Fereidoun Deraz
7-Reza Shah- Hosaini
8-Babak Khansari

Suspicious deaths in the "auditorium #13-counseling section # 5" which was called as suicide by the prison officials:

1-Siamak Bandehlou (was murdered in the prison clinic by an injection of anesthesia)
2-Ali Sharifi (because of insulting the head of the prison and the ex-head of the guards Mr. Khadem he was hanged with his undershirt inside solitary confinement)
3-Mohammad Azimi (hanged inside solitary confinement)
4-Asghar Nasiri (he was murdered by hanging but after he was hanged they gave him mental medication in order to show that he committed suicide)
5-Mansur Ghazvini (hanged inside solitary confinement)
6-Mohammad Ranjbar (hanged inside solitary confinement)
7-Asghar Karami (hanged inside solitary confinement)
8-Mohammad Falah (hanged inside solitary confinement)
9-Hamid Rahimi (during hunger strike he was tortured and as a result he died)
10-Seyed Mohammad Rasuli (as a pretext for carrying narcotic substances he was tortured and as a result of torture his spleen was punctured and his kidneys bleed and he had died . The report by the prison officials said that he died by swallowing the substances.)
11-Morteza Jafari (45 days ago first he was strangled and then he was hanged )
12-Mehdi Naderi (after 11 years in a quarrel inside the clinic in the prison he was wounded and died there)
13-Farhad (he died in prison for lack of proper medical care)

Names of those who’s bones were fractured as a result of torture inside the auditorium #13-counseling section # 5" :
1- Ahad Sekuian ( his ankle and hand was broken by Mohammad Alipoor and Kazem Lankarani)2- Mohammad Alipoor ( his face, cheek and nose bones were broken and then was transferred to Sanandaj city prison)
3- Shahin Taraki ( his hand was broken)
4- Fereidoun Samiei ( his foot was broken)
5- Ahmad Elyasi ( The current head of the prison broke his foreleg by pick’s handle and as a result of complaint by his parents he received blood money )
6- Hamid Alinabi ( while a bullet has injured him yet he was under the torture in a solitary confinement)
7- Seyed Abolfazl Etemadi ( he had personal problem outside the prison with the head of the prison. Without any legal order, he was transferred to counseling section # 5 and he was wounded with knife by other prisoners who were intrigued )
8- Bahman Masumi (he had personal problem outside the prison with the head of the prison. Without any legal order, he was transferred to counseling section # 5 and he was wounded with knife by other prisoners who were intrigued )
9- Javad Soltani ( his hand was broken)
10- Naser Rajabi ( his hand was broken)
11-Hemat Ghanbari ( Mr. Khadem the head of the “ Hefazat” –Guards in English broke his hand and foot and then by striking baton on his head caused him mental problem in a way that he sleeps opposite to the washroom )

Names of those who have been forgotten inside the auditorium #13-counseling section # 5" :
1- Firuz Shahabi – 27 years in prison
2- Yahya Mojavery – 27 years in prison ( is more than 60 years old)
3- Salahodin Ghorbani – 23 years in prison ( is more than 60 years old)
4- Salah Dadkhah - 23 years in prison ( is more than 60 years old)
5- Gholam Jaberi- 18 years in prison
6- Zeidan Veisi - 20 years in prison
7- Nader Sadeghi – 14 years in prison
8- Faramarz Turang – 17 years in prison
9- Majid Katani – 14 years in prison
10- Mahmoud Torabi – 15 years in prison ( only because of his $2000 debt)
11- Baba Arsalan Ghorbani – 23 years in prison( He is more than 70 years old and has spent the time in prison without visitation)
12- Hamid Abolhasani- 20 years in prison
13- Saeed alamdar ( or Elmdar) – 16 years in prison
14- Rahmat Gudarzi – 7 years in prison ( has become mad inside the prison)
15- Reza Sadri – 13 years in prison
16- Abbas Hamedani – 8 years in prison ( he is Electrical Technician , Has become mad inside the prison)
17- Seyed Fakhrodin Sadr- Afshar – 15 years in prison ( Has become mad )
18- Masoud Habibi – 10 years in prison ( just for $10,000 blood money)
19- Rasul Khademi – 6 years in prison (just for $10,000 blood money)

Some tragic events which had happened in the “auditorium #13-counseling section # 5" during the last year:

1- Hasan Taraki ( had become insane and by praying so much he is now calling himself prophet) 2-Ali Fatholahi ( he had almost died in a fight and at night he received 30 strike by knife, as a result his entire body is wounded and his left and right lungs are punctured and all this happened just seven days ago )
3-Behruz Shariati( because he was unable to pay the blood money , the complainant of the case sent him to prison , but the prison officials after receiving the blood money has executed him)
4- Ebrahim Ilamlu (his brother, also a prisoner, was executed before his eyes but the gallows rope snapped and the prisoner fell on the ground. The prisoner then pulled himself to a corner but the prison officials dragged him to the gallows again and executed him , as a result of all these Ebrahim Ilamlu has gone mad )
5-Two prisoner who were waiting for their execution in 2005 were executed, but the prison officials forced other prisoners to get out of their cell and watch the proceeding )
6- A woman was brought to the gallows to be executed, after the execution was carried out, two executioner by the name of Jamshid Malmir and Akbari pulled the feet of the woman in order she would die faster.)
7- Visitation rights and other befit would be given to those prisoners who would follow the order of the prison officials in killing dissident prisoners or spying on other prisoners for the officials and making false evidence benefiting the prison officials and……….

Explanation 1:
Some of these killings have happened with the order of prison officials and it happened in the prison’s compound. The prison officials also change the cameras stationed inside the prison for not documenting the events. These are statistics only from the “auditorium #13-counseling section # 5" in the city of Karaj . The statistics of other auditorium and wards was not covered by this investigation .Except in two cases, the rest of the cases had happened during the last 18 months in the auditorium.

Explanation 2:
“ There is no God here” , the title of this report is taken from a short word used by Mr. Ali Mohammadi the deputy judiciary of the “ Rejaei Shahr “ prison . He uses the following words when new prisoners arrive to the prison :
“ Welcome to the hell from heaven, the God of “Rejaei Shahr” is different from other Gods , There is no God here “

Link to this news:
http://web.peykeiran.com/vs2005/iran_news_body.aspx?ID=46810

The head of the judiciary power Ayatollah Shahrudi: Public execution must take place only by my permission!

Hamshahri online- Mr. Alireza Jamshidi spoksperson for the judiciary power announced: Based on a letter on Jan. 29th by Ayatollah Hashemi Shahrudi , public execution must take place only with a permission from the head of the judiciary power and on social necessities.

From now on publication of pictures on public execution is banned and public prosecutors and court of revolution are to follow the order.

Link to this news:
http://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/news2/15312/