HISTORY REPEATS: IRANIAN CENSORSHIP TIGHTENS ONCE AGAIN

An Iranian woman holds a poster supporting presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaie in

Tehran. PHOTO: Reuters.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

By Spencer Livingstone

On June 12, 2009, incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won his second term in what appeared to be a landslide victory over opponent Mir-Hossein Mousavi in Iran’s presidential elections. With 62.6 percent of the vote, Ahmadinejad easily triumphed over Mousavi’s 33.8 percent. So why then, immediately following the release of the results, did tens of thousands of Iranians take to the streets of Tehran to protest Ahmadinejad’s re-election? The wide margin of Ahmadinejad’s victory defied the expectations of a close race that had preceded the official vote. Although no concrete evidence could be found to confirm government interference with the results, Mousavi declared himself the victim of “fraud” and "manipulation", a complaint that drew agreement from the other opposition candidates. Rallies continued for months following the election, calling for President Ahmadinejad’s removal from office. Although the Green Revolution protests – the popular name for the 2009 demonstrations in reference to Mousavi’s campaign colour – were relatively peaceful, the Iranian government cracked down severely on dissidents. Riot squads attacked and beat protesters, who demanded that, in accordance with democracy, the president elect represent the will of the majority.

At least 30 Iranians were killed, and over 2500 protesters were imprisoned .

In an attempt to quell the growing size of the rallies, the Iranian government sought to end the exchange of information between people. Authorities blocked cell phone transmissions, and heavily intensified their efforts to inhibit public Internet access, slowing Internet speed to less than ten percent of its normal rate and blocking social networks and oppositionist websites altogether. The government also banned public protests and rallies, and made it illegal to outwardly express dissatisfaction with the results of the election. Although Ahmadinejad’s regime was ultimately unable to completely disable communications between people, the fact remains that the Iranian government explicitly tried to eliminate public access to media that would allow the people to unite or express their opposition to the wrongfully claimed presidency.

Four years later, little has changed. The upcoming election scheduled for this Friday, June 14, brings with it levels of public censorship similar to those experienced in the era of the Green Revolution. Public access to information continues to be heavily censored in Iran, an effort led by the Supreme Council of Virtual Space. Created in 2012, the Council has the authority to block text messages and websites that contain targeted words, typically those referencing the names or slogans of certain political candidates. Certain news sites have been taken offline entirely as the election approaches. Thousands of websites are blocked in Iran, including social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, any websites considered to be un-Islamic or politically dissenting, and Internet access slows to approximately five percent of its already sluggish speed while accessing email.

"Freedom to the Internet is a human right, outlined by the UN," says CJFE Board Member Morteza Abdolalian, who currently runs Iran Watch Canada - a daily blog that reports on political issues in Iran. “But in Iran there are obstacles to accessing information. The regime is undemocratic in its entirety.”

To circumvent these restrictions, many people have set up virtual private networks (VPNs) which allow users to hide their IP address and location so that it appears to be a computer operating outside of Iran. Nevertheless, the Council has recently gained control over VPNs , and has shut them down periodically; on the eve of the announcement of the final candidate list for the upcoming election, all VPNs were shut down, likely out of the government’s fear of the public revolting as it did four years ago.

This censorship body of immense influence was created, not by the order of the president, but by Iran’s Supreme Leader, who supersedes the president’s power. Thus, the Council responds directly to the will of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ultimately decides what can be accessed and what must be blocked. So as candidates campaign vigourously for public appeal, Ayatollah Khamenei has the power to allow those that he favours to gain a wider audience than those that he disapproves of.

Widely recognized as Ayatollah Khamenei’s favoured candidate, Saeed Jalili has the best and most comprehensive social media network, including podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ accounts, while other candidates experience tremendous resistance to their Internet networking. Before he was disqualified from his candidacy, Esfaniar Rahim Mashaei had been targeted by the Supreme Council of Virtual Space; they blocked any message or website that used either his name or his slogan, "Spring is arriving" because in 2009 Mashaei was dismissed from his role as First Vice President of Iran by Ayatollah Khamenei for holding dissenting views.

"For free and fair elections, it is necessary for the public to have complete and equal access to information on all candidates," says Abdolalian. "This does not happen in Iran, so it is hard for the Iranian people to make an informed choice." Ayatollah Khamenei possesses the power, by limiting and deciding what information reaches the public through the internet and other mediums, to heavily influence the outcome of the election; by no means do the results of the election rest solely within the hands of the people.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontier.” There are at least 40 journalists currently imprisoned in Iran for their writing – the second highest amount in the world – and the Iranian government continues to take drastic measures towards preventing necessary information regarding the election from reaching the very people who will be casting the votes. With such rampant censorship and explicit limitation throughout Iran at the hands of Ayatollah Khamenei and the Supreme Council of Virtual Space – which Abdolalian refers to as “watch dogs” who create a climate of fear – the Iranian people do not have access to information that is crucial to the voting process, nor do they have the freedom to express their opinions wherever they differ from those held by the regime.

Even if the results of tomorrow’s election appear uncorrupted by the government, the outcome will still be far from a free and democratic representation of the will of the Iranian people.
Link:
http://www.cjfe.org/resources/features/history-repeats-iranian-censorship-tightens-once-again

Political Prisoners in Iran Continue their Hunger Strike against prison condition and their situation !

It's been reported that ,Arash Sadegh is on hunger strike for 25 days now and Arash Mohammadi in its 9th days.Their situation worries human rights organizations.
Arash Sadeghi a student activist at ward 209 of Evin prison went on hunger strike when he was assaulted on June first by prison agents. prison official did not allow his family members and his lawyer to talk to him and to find whether he is ok. Arash Mohammadi is also a student activist from the city of Tabriz and went on hunger strike since June 17 .
Link:
http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/article.jsp?essayId=53743
 

Watch video interviews with 6 journalists forced to flee abroad

http://www.ifex.org/international/2013/06/26/exiled_journalists/

Reporters Without Borders 26 June 2013

To mark World Refugee Day on 20 June 2013, Reporters Without Borders published the accounts of journalists who had to flee abroad to escape threats to their safety. Syrians, Iranians, Eritreans, Somalis and Sri Lankans - they remind us that reporting the news is a dangerous profession, one that can get you killed or imprisoned. 

More than 80 journalists fled their country in 2012 to escape arbitrary rule, imminent imprisonment, persecutions and threats. Others have continued to flee abroad in the first half of 2013. They need our help more than ever. 

Dozens of journalists have had to flee the civil war in Syria, where they are very exposed to the violence and are targeted by a government bent on hiding the scale of his human rights violations from the rest of the world. 

The exodus continues in Iran. More than 200 journalists have fled the country in the four years since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection. And the regime is even trying to pressure media beyond its borders. The June 2013 presidential election saw threats and intimidation of the families in Iran of journalists working abroad. 

Journalists flee for their lives from Somalia to escape the violence of Al-Shabaab's militiamen. Journalists flee into exile from Eritrea to escape an arbitrary and despotic regime. Journalists who refuse to toe the editorial line imposed by the government in Sri Lanka often have to flee abroad when the threats get serious. 

RWB's support for journalists who flee abroad 

Flight into exile rarely means the end of threats and difficulties. Journalists fleeing abroad usually find themselves stuck in countries that neighbour their own. The borders are easily crossed by representatives of the regime they are trying to escape. Many exile journalists report being watched or threatened by embassy officials or government agents from their country of origin. 

Deprived of income after fleeing abroad and often subjected to various financial sanctions before they flee, these journalists are usually in a desperate financial situation that increases the dangers to which they are exposed and adds to their sense of insecurity. 

Aware of the vulnerability of these news providers, who have been hounded just for trying to shed light on the everyday reality of life for their fellow citizens, Reporters Without Borders is tireless in its effort to provide them with support. 

Of the approximately 60 financial grants Reporters Without Borders has disbursed since the start of 2013, half has been awarded to exile journalists. Three quarters of the grants awarded to journalists from the Middle East have gone to Syrian exile journalists. Reporters Without Borders helps them to cover their basic living expenses or pay their airfare to a safer country. 

The Reporters Without Borders Assistance Desk has written more than 80 letters since the start of the year. Almost all of them were to help exile journalists by pressing for a rapid and adequate response from the authorities who are supposed to provide them with international protection.

Shirin Ebadi, in her report for Farvardin 1392 [March-April 2013] on the human rights situation in Iran:

The Judiciary and the Prisons Organization are responsible for the lives of inmates

Thu 2 05 2013

In her latest monthly report, Shirin Ebadi, human rights defender and winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, has reviewed the human rights situation in Iran during the month of Farvardin 1392 [March-April 2013]. In the introduction to the report for March-April, Dr. Ebadi has emphasized that the judicial officials of Iran are not paying any attention to the complaints by prisoners and their relatives. In her report, this defender of human rights has referred to the continuing hunger strike of Mehdi Khazali in protest against that attitude by the Judiciary. On that basis, Dr. Ebadi has drawn the attention of the officials of the Judiciary and the State Prisons Organization to their duty to ensure the well-being of the inmates, and has warned that these officials will be responsible for anything that may happen to these inmates, and from a judicial point of view, they will become liable to legal action.
In another part of her report, which is published in both Farsi and English, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate has set out to give an account of the human rights situation in Iran under three main sections, namely: “civil and political rights”, “social and economic rights”, and “cultural heritage and environment”.
According to the website of the Centre for Defenders of Human Rights, the text of Dr. Ebadi’s report for Farvardin 1392 [March-April 2013], which has been published on 1 Ordibehesht [22 April 2013], is as follows:

A Brief Report on Human Rights Situation in Iran in March-April 2013
Introduction:
The lack of regard by the Judiciary officials for legal principles on the one hand, and the influence exerted by the security officials on the Revolutionary Courts, on the other hand, have led to the constant deterioration in the conditions of political and ideological prisoners. In view of the fact that the Judiciary Branch is not dealing with the complaints of the inmates and their relatives, and is not providing any explanation for the disregard for legal principles, a number of political and ideological prisoners have staged hunger strikes as an expression of their protest. For instance, one can mention the situation of Dr Mehdi Khazali, who was once again arrested and sent to jail at a meeting of the Forum of People of Pen on 9 Aban 1391 [30 October 2012], following his previous arrests on several occasions after the last presidential election. At the present, Mehdi Khazali is in an alarming condition after around 100 days since he started his hunger strike. His family is seriously concerned about his life, but despite this, so far, no attention has been given to the complaint lodged by Mr Khazali.
Following the above issues, what now follows is a summary account of the human rights situation in Iran in Farvardin 1392. This report is based on material published by various media channels and websites, and their accuracy has been verified. The report will appear under three sections, in both Farsi and English.
Human Rights Situation in Iran in Farvardin 1392
Section 1: Civil, Cultural and Political Rights
A) Situation of Nonconformist Political and Social Activists
1. During this month, Jamileh Karimi, a member of the Islamic Iran Participation Party, who is among the personalities who have invited Seyyed Mohammad Khatami to stand in the 1392 presidential election, was arrested. Other arrested were: Hossein Kiyani, an activist from Amol; Abdolghafur Qalandari-Nejad, a Dervish sect member; and three family members of some imprisoned Dervish sect members (named as Behnam Yadollahi-Farsi, the brother of Farshid Yadollahi; Sadeq Moradi-Servestani, the brother of Hamid and Saleh Moradi; and Mehran Sadeqi).
2. Ghazi Heydari, a political activist from the city of Ahvaz, who is currently serving his 10 years imprisonment term in the Karun Jail of Ahvaz, has been sentenced to a further five years in prison on the basis of a new court verdict.
3. Mohsen Qashqaizadeh and Mohammad Parsi, two arrested members of the Forum for the People of Pen, have been put on trial.
4. Applications for leave [from prison] on medical grounds by Masud Ladani, a religious-nationalist activist, and Abdollah Mo’meni, a member of the Association of the Alumni of the Office for Strengthening Unity, were rejected.
5. The security officials prevented the holding of memorial services in public places for Seyyed Ahmad Sadr Haj Seyyed Javadi, one of the founding members of the Iran Freedom Movement and a member of the Provisional Government in 1979.
6. A number of prisoners are ill and nothing is being done to provide them with medical treatment. In this particular connection, one can mention Keyvan Samimi-Behbahani, Sa’id Matinpur and Mohammad Reza Purshajareh.
7. Mehdi Bigdeli has been dismissed from the university.
B) Situation Regarding Books, Media, Writers and Journalists
1. Reza Akvanian and Puria Farazmand, two weblog writers, and Mohammad Reza Ali-Payam, a poet, have been arrested.
2. Mojtaba Daneshtalab, a religious seminary student and weblog writer, has been transferred to the prison in order to serve his six months term.
3. Mohammad Reza Taqavi-Fard, the managing editor of the daily newspaper Khorshid, has been summoned to the Criminal Court of Tehran Province.
4. Siamake Qaderi, a newspaper journalist who is currently spending his term in jail, has been sacked from IRNA [the Islamic Republic News Agency].
5. Alireza Hashemi-Sanjabi, an activist in the guild of teachers and a member of the central council of the Iranian Teachers’ Organization, has been summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court.
6. The state institutions have put a block filter on the website set up to call on Seyyed Mohammad Khatami to become a candidate in the June 2013 presidential elections.
C) Other Instances of Human Rights Abuse
1. “GH.N”, “M.Z”, “M.A” and “G.A” were executed in Shiraz. Media organs affiliated with the Iranian Government said the crime of these individuals was armed robbery. In addition, “A.N” and “B.D” were also executed in Shiraz during the month. Again, media channels linked with the Iranian Government announced that these two people had been found guilty of armed robbery and armed confrontation which led to homicide. “A.F”, “A.A” and “M.A” were executed in Shiraz too. The state-affiliated media in Iran reported that the crimes committed by these convicts were armed robbery and rape of women. Furthermore, according to a report by the Mehr News Agency, two people were executed in Mashhad after being found guilty of rape.
2. The personnel of the F.A.T.A police [the Iranian cyber crime police] in Qazvin arrested a young boy who was selling filter-breakers [to circumvent the state’s control over access to websites].
3. The student publication of Kermanshah University, Bisotun, has been banned following intense pressures by security organs.
Section 2: Social and Economic Rights
1. The economic conditions in Iran are still reported to be unfavorable. The Statistics Centre of Iran has published the details of last year’s inflation and the changes in the price of consumer goods and services, announcing the urban inflation rate at 31.5 per cent, and point-to-point inflation at 40.6 per cent. Also the latest information by the Central Bank of Iran about housing rent index in the urban areas of Iran show the continuing sharp rise in rental rates in the country’s urban areas.
2. The Statistics Centre of Iran has reported that Lorestan, Ilam, Kermanshah and Kurdistan Provinces have had the highest unemployment rates in the country respectively, and in that way, they have had the largest share of the overall unemployment rate which has been announced to be 12.2 per cent in 1391.
3. Some 260 workers of Zagros Steel Mill in Kurdistan have not received their wages for the last three months.
4. The Managing Director of the National Company for Oil Products Distribution has announced that the country’s airlines carry a debt of around 460 billion Tumans. The debt of the Islamic Republic of Iran Airline (HOMA) amounts to 180 billion Tumans, Aseman Airline owes 121 billion Tumans and Mahan Airline’s debt stands at 92 billion Tumans. This is while the price of air travel tickets has increased twice in the last year. Nonetheless, the airline companies have not been able to repay their debts.
5. Sharif Sa’edpanah and Mozzafar Salehnia , two members of the management board of the Free Union of Workers of Iran, were sentenced to six months in prison.
6. Some of the prisoners are ill and nothing is being done to provide treatment for them. In this regard, one can mention Ali Azadi, the labour activist.
7. “Majid.P”, one of the sacked workers of the Islamic Republic Railways Company (RAJA), has committed suicide.
Section 3: Cultural Heritage and Environment
Reports concerning the environment and cultural heritage in the month of Farvardin also indicate the continuing unfavourable conditions in these areas.
1. Forty wetlands of the country have been dried up between 10 and 70 per cent.
2. The Government's Cabinet officially announced the start of oil exploration operations in the National Kavir Park. The beginning of these operations will lead to the destruction of the environment.
3. The Vice Chairman of the Islamic Majlis Environment Fraction has announced that every year, around 5,000 people die in the large cities due to air pollution.
4. The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the Bushehr Power Station to ascertain that there is no leakage from the installation, and no environmental risks have been caused as a result of the recent earthquake in Bushehr.

Conclusion:
In conclusion to this monthly report, I would like to draw the attention of the officials of the Judiciary Branch and the State Prisons Organization to their duty to protect the health and well-being of the inmates, particularly those in prison on political and ideological grounds. I would like to warn that these officials are responsible for any adverse incident that the inmates may suffer from, and from a judicial point of view, these officials will become liable to legal action.

Shirin Ebadi
Human Rights Defendant and 2003 Nobel Laureate
22 April 2013


Note: For further information regarding the above reports, please refer to the following news websites: Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), Fars news agency, Mehr news agency, Young Journalists Club news agency, CDHR website, JARAS, Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Nedaye Azadi, Baztab, HRANA, Ghanoon, Kaleme, Mohebbat News, Sunni Online, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Majzooban-e Noor, Melli Mazhabi, Nedaye Sabze Azadi, Radio Zamaneh, Radio Farda and BBC.

Iranian swimmer Elham Asghari who swim 20km and made record in swimming but regime sports official won't register the record for dress code reason. In this video She thanked all who have supported her & sent her warm messages and she said: I won't surrender out of coercion and i want you not to surrender either- She adds : No swimmer can even swim five minutes with this dress but i swim 20 km in a women designated area . i have spent very hard days and nights. seven people witnessed my swimming ,now the sports officials make dress code an issue and wont register my 20 km record, instead at first they said they will register it as 15 km and then they changed it to 18 km ......

Ahmad Asgari Journalist and Political activist is arrested !

Ahmad Asgari had work for Karoon, Mardomsalari, Bahar and Etemad Newspapers.

Mr. Asgari is a student of political Science and a student activist. He had been arrested after 2009 presidential election coup . He was arrested on Thursday night June 20 at Fadak Park . After arresting him ,The security forces took him to his home and after searching his home, confiscated his laptop and his writings and then transferred him to Evin prison.
Link:
http://sos-ahmadasgari.blogspot.ca/2013/06/blog-post_9714.html

Iranian Political Prisoners one by one are dying in Islamic Republic prisons.....

Alert......Alert........Alert.......Alert........
UN Human Rights Council, Honorable Ahmed Shaheed UN human Rights reporter on Iran .......
How many more Iranian political prisoners must die until UN to stop Islamic Republic from attending or participating any UN session and hold Islamic Republic president and other officials responsible and issue warrant of their arrest if they travel outside of Iran on crime against humanity charges .....

Reports from Rejaei-Shahr prison indicate that Afshin Osanlou a Bus Union leader and brother of Mansour Osanlou have died in Rejaei Shahr prison.

So far Akbar mohammadi, Amir Heshmat Saran , Zahra Baniyaqoub, Omid Mirsayafi,Hoda Saber , Mohsen Dokmehchi, Satar beheshti, Zahra Kazemi and many other reported cases didn't stop the regime from committing or continuing to commit their crimes against dissidents.

Many Iranian political prisoners and Afshin cellmate from ward 350 of Evin prison in a letter to Afshin Osanlou's mom expressed their condolence:
Reza Shahabi Zakarya
Said Matinpour
Abdolfatah Soltani
Mohammad Sadiq kaboudvand
Amir Khosro Dalirsani
Roein Otoufat
Mohammad Rezaei
Mehdi Khodaei
Nasour naghipour
Behnam Ebrahimzadeh
Said Jalalifar
Freidoon Seidirad
Vahid Aligholipour
Yashar Darolshafa
Said Haeri
Davar Hoseini vojdan
Gholamreza Khosravi
Hani Yazarlou
Asghar Ghatan
Majid Asadi
Hotan Dolati
Mohammad Saemi
Mohammad Vali Gholamnejad
Abdolreza Ghanbari
Seyed Mohammad Heidari
Asadolah Asadi
Asadolah Hadi
Ali Moezi
Rasoul Heidarzadeh
Kamran Ayazi
Shahin Dadkhah
Farzad Rouhi
Mohammad Reza Nouri
Bahador Alizadeh
Vahid Asghari
Alireza Seyedian

It is needed to say that, these plus many other women political prisoners and others, whose names are not included here and political prisoners from all over Iran prison's lives are in great danger.

Link:
http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/article.jsp?essayId=53692

Baird backs down from previous dismissal of Iranian election results, offers congratulations

KIM MACKRAEL

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Jun. 21 2013, 1:57 PM EDT

Last updated Friday, Jun. 21 2013, 7:33 PM EDT

Canada’s foreign affairs minister is backing down from his dismissal of last week’s Iranian election as “meaningless” after a flood of complaints from Iranians and ex-patriates living abroad.

John Baird made the comments last weekend, at the same time as officials in the United States and Europe were issuing words of cautious praise for the vote that gave centrist candidate Hassan Rowhani the presidency. The outcome was viewed as an important step forward for reformers in Iran, who hope Mr. Rowhani will open up dialogue with other global leaders and help ease tensions over the country’s nuclear program.

On Friday, Mr. Baird wrote an open lettercongratulating Iranians on the outcome of the election and offering to support their demands for change.

“Only the people of Iran can determine the meaning of the elections, and an overwhelming number of Iranians used their vote to reject extremism, protest Khamenei’s regressive clerical military dictatorship, and express a deep desire for change,” Mr. Baird wrote.

“Just as we respect the voices of the courageous activists who believe the regime is incapable of change, we honour and respect the voices who believe that this election can be a step towards fundamental, democratic change in Iran.”

Mr. Baird added that Canada wants to help to hold the regime accountable and will continue to call on the regime to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The letter came one week after he issued a very different statement on the election, highlighting problems with the process used to choose the candidates and the regime’s refusal to allow peaceful assembly and freedom of association leading up to the vote.

“Given the regime’s manipulation of the collective will and democratic process, the results of the June 14 vote are effectively meaningless,” Mr. Baird said the statement.

Iranians and those in the diaspora quickly picked up on the comments, and Toronto blogger Aida Ahadiany posted a letter about the response that was circulated among the Iranian diaspora in Canada this week.

Pro-reformers acknowledge that the election was far from perfect: the regime’s Guardian Council approved only six candidates to run in last week’s presidential election and disqualified hundreds of others. But Mr. Rowhani was considered by many reformers to be the best hope for change among the group that was approved and he won with more than 50 per cent of the votes on the first ballot, beating out other, more conservative candidates.

Ms. Ahadiany said on Friday that she is relieved by the change in Mr. Baird’s tone. “Now it means he’s started to hear us.” She added that Mr. Baird’s letter gives her hope that Canada will step up efforts to work with people who are living in Iran and are currently involved in the reform movement.

Canada has funded efforts to connect reformers in the country with those in the diaspora through conferences and an online election-observation centre.

NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar said Mr. Baird’s initial reference to the election as “meaningless” was offensive and added that he welcomed the apparent change in tone.

A spokesman for Mr. Baird said on Friday that the letter was meant to be an “elaboration” on the minister’s earlier comments, and not a retreat. “We found the act of voting [in Iran] courageous. That’s what carried meaning,” Joseph Lavoie said in an e-mail Friday afternoon. “But because Iranians didn’t have a real choice, the result, sadly, is meaningless.”

With a report from Campbell Clark

Iran: New President must deliver on human rights promises

Amnesty International:


“

During his first speech today, President-elect Hassan Rouhani said he will never forget the promises he has made to the Iranian people. Amnesty International will be monitoring his actions to make sure he keeps his word.

”

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Programme Director

Mon, 17/06/2013

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/iran-new-president-must-deliver-human-rights-promises-2013-06-17

The victory of Hassan Rouhani, a 64-year-old cleric, in Iran’s presidential election, presents a new opportunity to address human rights abuses in the country, Amnesty International said today. 

Hassan Rouhani, described as a moderate and a pragmatist, made a number of pledges to improve Iran’s dire human rights record during his electoral campaign, for which he must be held accountable in the coming months. 

He plans to issue a “civil rights charter” which calls for equality for all citizens without discrimination based on race, religion or sex. It also calls for greater freedom for political parties and minorities, as well as ensuring the right to fair trial, freedom of assembly and legal protection for all.   

“The proposed charter – if delivered and implemented - presents the potential for a decisive first step forward for human rights in Iran, “said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Programme Director. 

“However, people don’t want empty promises and rhetoric but rather expect concrete measures. It starts with the release of political prisoners, including opposition leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as Iranians chanted in the streets after the announcement of the results of the election.

“During his first speech today, President-elect Hassan Rouhani said he will never forget the promises he has made to the Iranian people. Amnesty International will be monitoring his actions to make sure he keeps his word.” 

The President-elect has been critical of gender segregation in educational facilities and has also made several promises to improve women’s rights in Iran, including proposing new draft bills on women, establishing the country’s first Ministry of Women, and ensuring gender equality, including in relation to job opportunities. 

In addition, Hassan Rouhani has emphasized the importance of freedom of expression, including by criticising internet restrictions, and the need to allow government criticism to make way for true progress. 

Following Rouhani’s election victory, supporters chanted slogans in favour of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. Both politicians were placed under house arrest by the Iranian authorities after calling for protests in solidarity with anti-government uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia in 2011. Human rights groups and the United Nations have repeatedly called for their release. 

“The election of Rouhani represents an opportunity for the authorities to re-assess the importance of adhering to the rule of law. They should release all prisoners of conscience now and end the harassment of rights activists, journalists and their families,” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said. 

“Hassan Rouhani has a chance to make a real difference to the lives of people in Iran but it remains to be seen whether, and to what extent, he can and will deliver on his electoral promises in order to bring in true reforms.” 

As a concrete and symbolic step to match promises made, Amnesty International urges Hassan Rouhani and the Iranian authorities to cooperate with the United Nations human rights mechanisms, including by immediately allowing the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran to visit the country.

Reporter from Etemad Newspaper To newly elect President Rohani: In Your campaign you have promised to remove security measures , will you release imprisoned political leaders ? Some issues can't be done by president alone and need cooperation of Parliament ,Judiciary power as well.......Iran Watch Canada : Freedom of Musavi- Karoubi ,Rahnavard and political prisoners is the for most humane things to do,which can't be delayed .....

Continuation ....As Iranian Celebrate ..... Iran Beat South Korea and Goes to Brazi 2014 World Cup !

Iranian All over the world celebrate as the Iranian National Soccer Team beat South Korean Team and enters into the 2014 Brazil World Cup !

Rohani's first Press Conference ....A reporter shouts: " Rohani remember , Mir Hosein Must be here ....

June 15,2013 - City of Tabriz - People Celebrated rohani's victory and chanted: " End of this week Ahmadi is Gone " - " Greeting to Rohani , Greeting to Musavi" ........

Focus on Iran after election.......Green Movement is alive and will stay alive .....

Millions of Iranian people participated in a rally in Tehran and other big city's after election and chanted their slogan .....Death to dictator..........Political prisoners must be freed .............." Ya Hosein - Mir Hosein " ............."My martyr brother , i took back your vote "....... People in rally also remembered "Neda" -the young Iranian girl shot to death in the street which was viewed by millions of people of the world .

In Valiasr Street people chanted " My martyr brother ,i got back your vote " and " Death to Dictator " - They also chanted about " missing Neda Aghasoltan " one of last election martyr.

Baird still wary after moderate wins Iranian election

CANADA'S FOREIGN MINISTER JOHN BAIRD SPEAKS DURING QUESTION PERIOD IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON PARLIAMENT HILL IN OTTAWA JUNE 3, 2013.

OTTAWA — So-called moderate Hassan Rohani has won Iran's presidential election according to the Islamist theocracy's interior minister, but that doesn't change Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's view of Iran's government.

"Of the 686 candidates who tried to register as presidential candidates, only eight were permitted to run," Baird said in a statement Saturday. "With Iran's opposition leaders in jail and their supporters having been denied the ability to co-ordinate since June 2009, none of the eight regime-approved candidates represents a real alternative for Iranian voters."

He also said whoever replaces the holocaust-denying, outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad "will simply be another of Ayatollah Khamenei's puppets in the tragic and dangerous pantomime that is life for all Iranians."

"Given the regime's manipulation of the collective will and democratic process, the results of the June 14 vote are effectively meaningless," said Baird.

Iran's government reported a turnout of 72% of voters in Friday's presidential election.

With slightly more than 50% of the vote, Rohani gathered enough support to avoid a run-off election.

Rohani is a smooth-talking diplomat who some consider a moderate because he agreed to a temporary suspension of nuclear enrichment activity when he was Iran's nuclear negotiator between 2003 and 2005.

However, he's still a part of the Islamist establishment in Iran and has received the endorsement of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

In 2001, Rfsanjani openly mused that the "application of an atomic bomb would not leave anything in Israel, but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world."

- with files from Reuters

Link:

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2013/06/20130615-113837.html

Millions of Iranian went into the streets after the election and chanting "" Musavi ,Musavi we have got back your votes" -" Political prisoners must be freed " - " The green movement is alive "

Now four years Government of Hasan Rohani ....

Mr. Rohani chose not the green but the violet color for his campaign.

But supporters of Musavi in green movement supported Rohani for change and one of their most immediate demand is the freedom of Green movement leaders ,Musavi, Karoubi and Musavi's wife Zahra Rahnavard.
Rohani is a conservative himself but with moderation policy.
Rohani is the 7th president in Iran since the revolution.
27% did not participate in the presidential election.
Rohani call his Government as the Government of Policy and Moderation.
Less people participated in this election compare to election in 2009.

  

Hasan Rohani is the winner of the presidential election.....

Despite of possibilities that election will end up in round 2nd , Hasan Rohani  won the presidential election in Iran.

Vote counted are as follows:
Hasan Rohani - 18,613,329 Million vote
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf  6,077,292 Million vote - 16% of vote
Said Jalili    4,168,946 Million vote - 11.35% of vote
Mohsen Rezaei 3,884,412 Million vote - 10.85 %
Ali Akbar Velayati 2,268,753 Million vote - 6.18%
Gharazi  446,015 vote - 1.21 %

Rohani call himself a moderate and not reformist but reformists Like Khatami supported him because there was little window for any reformists to win in this election. Rohani's position is close to Rafsanjani as a moderate.

Now that Mr. Hasan Rohani is the winner :
Here are few major demands of Iranian people who voted for him:
Freedom of Musavi , Karoubi and Zahra Rahnavard  Green movement leaders with 836 Days under house arrest

Allowing the activities of the Association of Human Rights Defenders in Iran
Removal of  pressure over women
Control over security and plain cloths activities
Freedom of all political prisoners including journalists
Freedom of human rights defenders including lawyers
Removal of pressure over NGO's and creation of more NGO's
Removal of stars from students and their return to universities
Freedom of newspapers and media in general
preparation to achieve people's demands / claims
Permission to Iranian in exile to return to Iran and to leave without facing problems from security and plain cloths forces of the ministry of information.
Preparation of an atmosphere for the freedom of political parties and creation of political parties.
reduction of tension between Iran and West
Improvement of economy and reduction of poverty
And.......

Focus on Iran after presidential election......

1- According to news, ministry of Interior released new round of vote and in its latest release Hasan Rohani has 51% of vote.

Out of 23,014,873 million vote,
Hasan Rohani with 11,754,013 million vote is in first place
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf 3,494,938 million vote is in 2nd place
Mohsen Rezaei with 2,723,202 Million vote in 3rd place
Said Jalili with 2,593,169 Million in 4th place vote
Ali Akbar Velayati with 1,405,543 million vote in fifth place
Link:
 http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/article.jsp?essayId=53460

2- According to a report by Mehr News Agency after the presidential election Hashemi Rafsanjani said:
"If the enemies of the Islamic Republic have little fairness would admit that,Iran has ended the most democratic election in the world "

Link:

http://www.mehrnews.com/detail/News/2077226

Iran Watch Canada :

Perhaps Iran is the most democratic country in the world as well.

News from Iran....

1- This morning some of the opposition website were targeted by a group called as " Unknown Cyber Jihad".
The targeted website were : human rights defenders.ir , Khodnevis , Resa TV, " Jebhe Meli, Saham News , Edalat Baraye Iran, Arash Sigarchi, Al-ahvaz, Rahe Azadi, Sedaye Ahvaz, Ostan Ban , Iran Global, Ahvaze Azad and few other websites were hacked .
http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/news.jsp?essayId=53453

2- According to ISNA ( Students News Agency) up to now 5,211,245 vote were counted.

Hasan Rohani  with 2,720,144 vote is in first place
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf  with 903,389 vote in 2nd place
Mohsen Rezaei with 536,725 vote in 3rd place
Ali Akbar Velayati with 305, 529 vote in 4th place
Seyed Mohammad Gharazi with 65,934 vote in fifth place.

3- Regime calls people's participation in voting a victory for itself . In this election more people stayed away from voting.Even religious reformists were divided and many did not vote this time . While regime remains in its weakest ever , it is very obvious by playing game and creating a kind of tactics in election to stay more on power.

Supporters of Hasan Rohani candidate close to reformists in the Northern city of "Sari "

Here are the latest news on Presidential Election from Mehr News Agency :

http://videos.arte.tv/fr/videos/iran-la-presidentielle-vue-par-un-caricaturiste-exile--7552266.html

Kianoush Ramezani
Artist in residencyhttp://kianoushs.com
https://www.facebook.com/kianoushfanpage
Skype: artburner
Mobile (France) +33 (0)6 23 66 42 00

Focus on Iran .........PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DAY ...........

These are in the news.....

According to one opinion  poll ,here is the result ..

Hasan Rohani ......43%

Ghalibaf ...............21%

Rezaei..................13%

Velayati................11%

Jalili .....................10%

Gharazi.................2%

01 Day to Election in Iran . People protested at "Keshavarz " Bulv. Yesterday .

Iran Escalates Crackdown on Dissent Ahead of Elections, Says New Amnesty International Briefing

Amnesty International Press Release 
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Iran Escalates Crackdown on Dissent Ahead of Elections, Says New Amnesty International Briefing

Contact: Suzanne Trimel, strimel@aiusa.org,212-633-4150, @AIUSAmedia
(NEW YORK) – Iran’s authorities have intensified the clampdown on dissidents ahead of the country’s presidential election on Friday, Amnesty International said in a new briefing published today.
The seven-page briefing documents dozens of arbitrary arrests and other human rights abuses in the run-up to election day. Those who are targeted include journalists, political activists, trade unionists, students and advocates of greater rights for Iran’s religious and ethnic minorities.
“The escalation in repression is an outrageous attempt by the Iranian authorities to silence critics ahead of the presidential election,” said Philip Luther, director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program. “The surge in recent violations underlines Iran’s continued and brazen flouting of human rights standards through its persecution of political dissidents and betrays the glaring absence of a meaningful human rights discourse in the election campaign.”
Sunjeev Bery, advocacy director for the region in Washington D.C., said: "On the eve of elections, Iranian authorities are cracking down on students, journalists, activists, civil society and others who face arrests and even prison for speaking out.  It's time for Iranian officials to end their repression and release all prisoners of conscience."
Since the beginning of March this year, at least five journalists have been arrested in relation to their work, an apparent attempt to suppress freedom of speech. Two other journalists from the Mukrian News Agency, Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour, who are from Iran’s Kurdish ethnic minority, were arrested by security forces in the western region of Kordestan and detained without charge on March 7 and 9, respectively. 
A number of political activists and trade union representatives have also been arrested and harassed by the authorities in recent months. 
On June 1, some members of presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani’s campaign team were arrested following a rally during which members chanted slogans demanding the release from house arrest of former presidential candidates and opposition leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. According to news reports, the detainees are being held in solitary confinement at Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Dozens of political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, who were arrested during widespread anti-government protests following Iran's disputed 2009 presidential election, remain in prison. Authorities have failed to bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of numerous people amid post-election demonstrations. Instead, they have actively persecuted relatives of those killed in a bid to silence them. 
Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi – both of them former presidential candidates – and Mousavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, a political activist, have also been held under unofficial house arrest since February 2011, after they called for demonstrations in solidarity with anti-government protests in Egypt and Tunisia. Repeated calls for their release by the United Nations and human rights organizations have been ignored. 
Mousavi’s two daughters, Zahra and Narges, were also briefly detained in February 2013 after calling for their parents’ release. 
Members of ethnic and religious minorities have also been targeted with prison sentences – including members of Iran-based Azerbaijani advocacy group, Yeni Gamoh, and Iranian-American Christian pastor, Saeed Abedini.
Amnesty International has expressed growing concern that repressive measures are being used by the Iranian authorities to stamp out dissent under the guise of protecting the nation.
“The Iranian authorities must permit all individuals and groups to peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, even when they express dissent from state policies and practices,” said Luther. “Those detained for doing so are prisoners of conscience and should be released immediately and unconditionally.”
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

02 Days to Presidential Election in Iran ! ...Focus on Iran ....

These are in the News Today:

Can Hasan Rohani represnt reformists vote? 

1- Hashemi Rafsanjani in his latest dialogue with youth announced his support and vote for Hasan Rohani . On his disapproval from candidate list by Guardian Council he said: Minister of Information played role attending at Guardian council's meeting and forcing them to disapprove me.
http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2013/06/161624.php

2- At present reformists now have one candidate to vote ( Hasan Rohani) but fundamentalists have five candidate to vote (Velayati,Jalili,Ghalibaf,Gharazi and Rezaei).We will see in next two days who from this camp will withdraw from the list.

3- A Kurdish political prisoner sew his mouth in protest against the prison policy of the prison official and prison guards. A human Rights organization reported that ;Mohammad Hosein Rezaei a Kurdish political prisoner in the city of Minab sew his mouth in protest against prison condition and prisoners situation , went on hunger strike since June 4th. Because of his protest,the prison officials throw him into the solitary confinement and banned his connection with his family.
Link:
http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2013/06/161608.php

IRAN WATCH CANADA:
Election under Islamic Republic of Iran is not free. Instead it is undemocratic on principle reasons.There are saying that, this election has been channeled or engineered by ministry of information and " Sepah " ( Revolutionary Guard ) under the guidance of Ayatollah Khamenei and Guardian council  to achieve maximum people participation and their own goals.What was the role of Mr. Rohani in national security council during student uprising? Yesterday Rafsanjani said ; Minister of information attended at Guardian council's meeting forcing them to disapprove me from the list of candidate !!! Ziba Kalam a professor and political analyst yesterday said; The national Radio and Television is supporting Mr. Jalili a fundamentalist candidate.Many political parties and independent personalities are unable to participate in the election because of repression and nature of election. Four years ago this regime cheated the election and by coup named Ahmadinejad as the winner and put Mr. Musavi and Karoubi both presidential candidates under house arrest. These are just a few to name...

  

Focus on Iran .....

This cartoon shows Khamenei saying: " Well done , Well Done " .
"Only Khamenei will benefit from Green movements' vote"

03 Days to Presidential Election in Iran ......Focus on Iran....

These are in the news.....

Mohammad Khatami the former reformist president in a letter annouced his support and vote for Hasan Rohani .
Mr. Aref in his website wrote: On the evening of Monday ,i received a letter from Mohammad Khatami the leader of the reform who advice me not to continue my campaign.

 
Mohammad Reza Aref  one of Reformist candidate withdraw from election ......Now that he withdraw, Hasan Rohani became the only candidate close to reformist .

Gholamali Hadad Adel from fundamentalist camp also withdraw from election. In this camp, Velayati,Jalili and Ghalibaf are left to continue the campaign.

Mohammad Gharazi is another candidate who has no chance in this election.

The revolutionary Guards or " Sepah " commanders and Ministry of Information continue their threat against Rohani's campaign.