Iran detains opposition supporters on Quds day, Arabiya says

By Massoud A. Derhally

Sept. 3 (Bloomberg) — Members of Iran’s Basij militia detained opposition supporters during Quds Day, the annual state-organized event to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, al-Arabiya television reported.

Militia members broke windows at the home of opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi late yesterday, the Dubai-based news channel said.

Karrubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, who both ran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 election, aren’t taking part in today’s Quds Day march, as they did last year, al-Arabiya said.

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Amnesty International: Iranian journalist and human rights defender set to face trial

3 September 2010

AI Index: PRE01/304/2010
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Heavy Clashes at Qoba Mosque in Shiraz

Several sources report that clashes between plainclothes forces and students of Ayatollah Dastgheib were reported at Qoba mosque in Shiraz. As Ayatollah Dastgheib predicted, following the Qods Day rally, plainclothes forces were led to Qoba mosque. The people at Qoba mosque contacted the police and told them of the planned attack. The police declined to send forces to the potential clash scene and instead only set fences around the mosque.

The plainclothes forces, who reportedly number between 200 and 300, broke down the fences, broke the mosque door, and attacked Ayatollah Dastgheib’s students.

People who were inside the mosque were unable to leave, and since there was no access to medical supplies, they began to help the injured students by tending to their wounds with materials they had available.

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Paulo Coelho’s Blog: Character of the week: Rumi

If in thirst you drink water from a cup, you see God in it. Those who are not in love with God will see only their own faces in it

All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

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Former IRGC Commander concerned about regime’s future

The former commander of the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards has voiced concern about the Iranian regime’s future and the devastating impact of international sanctions.

Rahim Safavi’s unusually frank comments were published on Sunday by the state-run Mehr news agency. “We are currently in extraordinarily complex political, cultural, economic, security and social circumstances. This is true with regards to regional, global and domestic spheres.”

“The future is uncertain and we cannot [proactively] manage what the future has in store for us.”

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Khamenei backs Iran plan to scrap subsidies

TEHRAN (AFP) — Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has backed the Iranian government’s plan to scrap subsidies in the coming weeks, despite concerns from some conservatives of its inflationary impact.

Khamenei has asked the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to “seriously apply… the plan for removing subsidies,” state news agency IRNA reported late Monday quoting the all-powerful leader as telling members of the government, including Ahmadinejad.

“The people have embraced you (Ahmadinejad) for slogans such as those seeking justice, adherence to religion and fighting arrogance,” Iran’s spiritual guide added.

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Iranian Newspaper Says Carla Bruni-Sarkozy ‘Deserves to Die’ for Objecting to Stoning

An Iranian newspaper with close ties to the country’s supreme leader has responded to a campaign by French celebrities to save the life of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning by calling its most prominent member, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a “prostitute” who “deserves to die.”

Kayhan, the Tehran daily, first denounced the French president’s wife on Saturday, after she published an open letter in support of Sakineh Ashtiani, the Iranian woman given a death sentence for the crime of adultery. The official position of the paper’s editor is representative of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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Mother of Iranian post-election victim appeals to international bodies

Hajar Rostami, mother of Iranian post-election victim Neda Agha-Soltan, appealed to international human rights organizations and tribunals to identify the murderer of her daughter.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran website reports that the mother of the young woman who was shot to death in Tehran during last summer’s street protests against election fraud has announced that her efforts in identifying the murderer of her daughter have failed.

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Arjang Davoudi Unconscious after 48 Days of Hunger Strike

RAHANA: According to the Democracy and Human Rights Activists, he was given a form to sign in order to release the authorities from liability in case anything happens and he refused to sign it. They then injected him with an unknown medication and transferred him to Ward 3 on a stretcher while he was unconscious after 45 minutes. They refused to keep and treat him in the clinic.

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Women’s rights activist sentenced to four years of prison

Human rights activist Mahboubeh Karami was sentenced to four years of prison by the 26th branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Pir Abbasi.

According to reports she was charged with ‘membership in the Human Rights Activists in Iran, propagating against the government, assembling and conspiring with the intention of committing crimes against the security of the country and publishing lies”.

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Iran: True unemployment rate 25%, mullahs’ official says

An official of the Iranian regime has said that the rate of unemployment in Iran is over 25 percent, the state-run Jomhouri Eslami daily reported on Saturday.

Abbas Vatanpour, a former director of the regime’s Council for Coordination of Employers, said, “The official rate of 6.5% as stated by the statistics center is not realistic.”

“The evidence indicate that one fourth of the labor force is not employed, which equals 25 percent unemployment rate.”

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Iran – Minister of Science : “Universities that oppose the regime must be demolished”

The Iranian regime’s Minister of Science has threatened that universities which oppose the regime and its paramilitary Bassij forces must be destroyed.

According to the Mehr news agency on Sunday, Kamran Daneshjou added that the role of universities is to “train cadres for the establishment.”

“If the thieves from the East and the West succeed in controlling the university atmosphere [in Iran], they will then succeed in turning it to the liberal democracy of their liking instead of an Islamic university. They will define progress and growth and the criteria and values of the university on the basis of their own desires.”

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URGENT Action: Jafar kazemi, an innocent Iranian man is facing imminent execution

Jafar Kazemi’s case has been forwarded to the implementation stage and we are concerned about the imminent risk to his life. We ask that you force the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with international law and norms, abide by treaties that the UN places its name on, and act to save his life.

Please send letter below to UN

sg@un.org,

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Hardliners split over appointment of Presidential envoys

Iran Focus

Hamid-Reza Taraqi

Tehran – From the Grapevine…

Members of the Motalefeh Party, close to former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, have criticised the appointment of special envoys by the government of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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Iran media calls Carla Bruni ‘prostitute’

TEHRAN (AFP) — French first lady Carla Bruni was branded as a “prostitute” and “immoral” by Iranian news outlets on Monday after she expressed support for an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning.

A report on www.inn.ir called Bruni “immoral” after a blistering attack on the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy by the hardline Kayhan newspaper on Saturday branded her a “prostitute.”

Kayhan’s description of Bruni “is confirmed when her massive immoral background is reviewed,” said www.inn.ir, the website of government-run Iran group of news outlets.

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Iran ex-prosecutor suspended over prison deaths

TEHRAN (AFP) — Tehran’s notorious former prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi and two judges have been suspended over the prison deaths of three anti-government protesters, Iranian newspapers reported Monday, quoting MPs.

The Iranian judiciary had earlier this month announced the suspension of three high-ranking officials, paving the way for their trial over the deaths in Kahrizak jail last summer, but did not name them.

Iranian lawmakers in a statement identified the three as Mortazavi and two unnamed judges and said they had been suspended over the deaths of Mohammad Kamrani, Amir Javadifar and Mohsen Ruholamini in Kahrizak jail.

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Hossein Ronaghi Still in Solitary Confinement and His Temporary Detention Order Extended

RAHANA: Sara Sabaghiyan, one of Ronaghi’s attorneys, told the RAHANA reporter that “they have said that the Cyber Unit of the Revolutionary Guard has prevented the release of Ronaghi; they informed us orally and we are unaware of what is in his case files.” Sabaghiyan further stated that “judge Mirabbas of the 26^th branch of the Revolutionary Court issued a bail last week and his family provided the court with the 300 million tooman ($300,000) bail but as I said before the Revolutionary Guard prevented the release and the temporary detention order was extended for another month.”

His parents were anxiously awaiting his release near Evin Prison after they prepared the bail which was issued by the Malekan Revolutionary Court. They were informed that the Revolutionary Guard has prevented his release and he will be held in Ward 2A, the solitary confinement unit of the Revolutionary Guard, for another month. Zoleikha Mousavi, Ronaghi;s mother, told RAHANA that “we were at Evin Prison until 11 pm last week and they did not release him”. “They had told us he will be released 2 or 3 days after providing them with the bail but my son is still held in solitary confinement,” she said. Sara Sabaghiyan told the Human Rights House of Iran that on August 16^th, a hearing was held for Ronaghi and that she and Mr. Dadkhah attended the session as his lawyers.” She further added that, “he did not present the court with his final defense and the next court session was supposed to be held after his release since he had to present the court with evidence that he could only prepare himself and that Mr. Dadkhah and I could not prepare.”

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Ahmad Karimi Exiled to Gonbad-e-Kavoos Prison

HRANA- Simultaneous with the exile of political prisoner Hamed Rouhinejad, Ahmad Karimi imprisoned in ward 350 of Evin Prison, was transferred out of Evin Prison last night for exiled to Gonbad-e-Kavoos Prison.

HRANA has learned that the ruling has been implemented without the notification of the political prisoner’s family or attorney. Ahmad Karimi was transferred to the courthouse last night and was being transferred to Gonbad-e-Kavoos Prison as of 7:30 this morning to continue his prison term in exile.

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Hamed Rouhinejad Exiled to Zanjan Prison While in Poor Physical Condition

HRANA- Hamed Rouhinejad was exiled from Evin Prison to Zanjan Prison last night.
HRANA has learned that this ruling was implemented under the cover of night by officials without the notification of his family or attorney.
Accused of membership in an anti-government organization, Hamed Rouhinejad a student majoring in philosophy, has been in prison since April 2009. He was sentenced to death in the post election group show trials. His sentence was later changed to ten years in prison and exile to Zanjan Prison.

Although Hamed Rouhinejad suffers from multiple sclerosis he has been denied even one day of medical leave. A lack of proper medical attention has resulted in parts of his body becoming paralyzed.
His exile comes at a time where he requires special medical attention by specialists in a hospital facility outside prison. Although Evin Prison is equipped with better medical facilities than other prisons in the country, Hamed Rouhinejad’s condition has been deteriorating day by day. He has lost much of his eyesight and one of his hands has become completely paralyzed.
It is important to note that repeated requests by this political prisoner’s family for medical leave have gone unanswered. Hamed Rouhinejad’s father has been faced with insults and humiliation when meeting with officials regarding this matter.

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Boshehr’s Governor: Veil is not only for women, men must obey too

Aug. 27, 2010

Boshehr’s Governor said manikin wearing is not suitable for a government employee and the managers are responsible for this disobeys. According to the report by Fars Mohammad Hossein JahanBakhsh in Rajaii Ceremony in Boshehr province said: Veil is not only for women, but also men have to obey this law. He also added that this subject will be declared as a resolution signed by province council to all the administrative sections and if in the sudden investigations that we will do after Ramadan we see any signs, we will strike with offenders.

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