IRAN WATCH CANADA

Saturday, June 30, 2007

In todays world repressive regime are having difficulty to continue their reign!

The situation in Iran is unbearable for those who are using their private car as TAXI to be able to live the harsh life in IRAN.For example the teachers income is not enough and therefore they have to work second or third job and sometimes by using their car as taxi .
The crisis of Gas has caused uneasiness among hard working people who have enough headach already in Iran and this might escalate unrest among all sector of Iranian society. Columnist Ahmad Zeidabadi in Iran has described the situation as: " People have attacked Gas stations like famin-stricken and have burnt them with anger. At the same time some officials are talking about Khatami's shaking hands with an Italian woman ( According to those officials belief , the clergies should not shake hands with women) and another isue which has been continued by Ahmadinejad's government is to stop or arrest women not following the regims dress code in the Streets.Ahmadinejad also have said with certain that the absent Imam's appearance is imminent" ( 12th imam of Shiite ).
Above all , the differences among officials in the Islamic Republic is also growing sharply in a way that they openly speak out against each other and against Ahmadinejad's government.

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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Child abuses by parents in Afghanistan, Iran and Middle needs more attention by UN and other human rights organizations.
This video clip shows a child was beaten by her father:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhWQ6oidWGs

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Friday, June 22, 2007

From: international-bounces@jomhouri.com [mailto:international-bounces@jomhouri.com] On Behalf Of international@jomhouri.comSent: 18 June 2007 20:47To: international-post@jomhouri.comSubject: Action at the UN Plaza in NY on behalf of Haleh Esfandiari and otherdetained Iranian-Americans

Dear friends:Amnesty International is organizing an action/vigil at the DagHammarskjold Plaza at the UN in NY on Wednesday June 27 from 12 to 1pm to protest the detention by the Iranian government of prominentIranian-American scholars Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh,journalist Parnaz Azima and activist Ali Shakeri. All four faceserious charges. Esfandiari, Tajbakhsh and Shakeri remain indetention where they could face ill-treatment. Amnesty Internationalis concerned that Haleh Esfandiari is in solitary confinement at thenotorious Evin Prison in Tehran and her lawyer and family have notbeen allowed to see her. Could you please circulate information aboutthis non-political human rights rally on June 27 to as many people aspossible? Thank you.Best wishes,Elise AuerbachAIUSA Iran country specialistAmerican Institute of Indian Studies1130 E. 59th StreetChicago, IL 60637773-702-8638http://www.indiastudies.org

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CAPSULE REPORT - INTERNATIONAL
21 June 2007
At least three journalists a month forced into exile to escape threats of
violence, imprisonment, or harassment, CPJ report finds
SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York
(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 19 June 2007 CPJ
special report:
Journalists in Exile
At least three journalists a month flee their home countries to escape
threats of violence, imprisonment, or harassment.
By Elisabeth Witchel and Karen Phillips
Nearly six years ago, Eritrean authorities raided the offices of the
country's private newspapers, shut them down, and detained at least 10
journalists. Tipped off by friends, Milkias Mihreteab, then editor-in-chief
of the independent weekly Keste Debena, went into hiding, narrowly escaping
arrest. He began a harrowing journey on foot across local borders before
securing passage to the United States, where he eventually was granted
political asylum.
Since coming to the United States, Mihreteab has worked a variety of jobs,
including as a coffee shop server and a security guard, but none related to
journalism. He attempted to launch a new version of his paper for other
Eritrean expatriates but couldn't afford to keep it going. He has watched
his once ardent hope of returning home within a few years wane, as more
than a dozen publishers and editors continue to languish in prison in
Eritrea today. Mihreteab still wants to go home, but the prospect is not
imminent.
His is one of 243 cases of journalists forced into exile that the Committee
to Protect Journalists has documented over the past six years.
Among the key findings: At least three journalists a month flee their home
country to escape threats of violence, imprisonment, or harassment; more
than two-thirds of the 209 journalists currently in exile have not found
opportunities to continue in their profession; and only one in seven
journalists who flees ever returns home.
Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director, deplored the conditions that have led
to the exodus of journalists in so many countries and called on governments
to do the following: investigate and offer protection when journalists are
assaulted or threatened; prosecute all parties when a journalist is
murdered; cease unlawful arrests of journalists; and reform criminal
defamation laws.
"The fact that in two out of three cases, the exiled journalists were
driven out of the profession altogether, only finishes the job of those who
seek to silence the press," Simon said.
( . . . )
The survey found that the leading reason journalists flee their homelands
is the threat of violence, followed by imprisonment or threat of
imprisonment, and harassment.
CPJ determined that 94 journalists fled their homelands after violent
assaults or death threats from fundamentalist militias, paramilitaries, and
political gangs. In some cases, they heeded ominous warnings from military
or government officials. The worst offenders in this category were
Colombia, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Rwanda, where, according to CPJ research,
50 journalists went into exile at some point during the survey period in
fear of violent attack. In many cases, authorities could not or would not
provide adequate protection for journalists, and attempts to relocate
within their countries did not bring an end to the threats.
Colombian investigative reporter Jenny Manrique moved from Bucaramanga
province to Bogotá in 2006 after receiving a steady stream of death threats
in response to her reporting on paramilitary abuses in the region. But the
threats didn't stop. Manrique finally left Colombia with the help of
regional and international press freedom organizations, including CPJ.
"When I learned that the people who were harassing me had located my house
in Bogotá and they made threatening calls that put my loved ones at risk, I
decided that it was time to do what they'd been 'requesting' me to do for
the last eight months: shut up. I had to leave the country," Manrique told
CPJ.
In the other cases, 76 journalists fled upon their release from prison or
under threat of imprisonment for their work, and 73 left after enduring
sustained harassment.
The 243 journalists surveyed by CPJ came from 36 countries, with more than
half hailing from just five: Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Colombia, and
Uzbekistan. Sixty percent were from African countries, where porous borders
and harsh press freedom conditions contribute to a steady exodus of
journalists.
North America, Europe and Africa host the most journalists in exile, with
the United States, Britain, Kenya and Canada ranking as the top four
countries of refuge in the CPJ survey.
Nearly three-quarters of the journalists currently in exile landed outside
their region; 123 sought and obtained asylum on their own or were resettled
by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees. At least three dozen ended up in
neighboring countries, in many cases unable or not permitted to find work.
Most of those are living in extreme poverty, and some have been harassed by
police who routinely shake them down, threatening to send them to refugee
camps or report them to officials in their home countries.
Over the period surveyed, 34 journalists who had gone into exile eventually
returned home when conditions seemed safer for them. Of those who returned,
86 percent resumed work in journalism, either in their former positions or
in comparable jobs. This is in sharp contrast to the journalists who
remained in exile: Just 30 percent were able to obtain jobs related to
journalism (a category that includes teaching), though larger numbers have
continued to contribute sporadically to expatriate media or media outlets
in their homelands. The vast majority, however, have had to take jobs
requiring a lower level of skills.
Pakistani journalist Majid Babar has been working in a gas station in the
United States since getting asylum in 2004. He fled Pakistan the previous
year after being harassed by authorities for working with foreign
correspondents covering terrorism.
He can't find work as a journalist even though he spent his first year in
the United States as a Humphrey Fellow in Journalism at the University of
Maryland and has kept in touch with members of the U.S. media with whom he
worked in Pakistan.
"Although I have so many friends in the mainstream media here in the United
States . . . I can't get any job with these media, because I am no longer
considered a journalist," Babar told CPJ. "I am just one among the millions
of refugees."
Forward Maisokada, coordinator of the Exiled Journalists Network, which
supports journalists in exile in Britain, urged the media in host countries
to provide a platform for exiled journalists to write about their
experiences and to keep the spotlight on mistreatment of the press.
"They can open their doors to journalists who have faced persecution," he
said.
Elisabeth Witchel is CPJ's Journalist Assistance Program Coordinator and
Karen Phillips is the Journalist Assistance Program Associate.
To read the full report, see:
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2007/Exiles/exiles_07.html
For further information, contact Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz or Asia
Program Senior Researcher Kristin Jones at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York,
NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail:
asiaprogram@cpj.org, bdietz@cpj.org, Internet: http://www.cpj.org/
The information contained in this capsule report is the sole responsibility
of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
CPJ.
----------
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

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Video clip on students movement in Iran:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HupfE5rV4HE

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Wednesday, June 20, 2007



Ms. Shadi Sadr ( Lawyer) in speaking with Rooz online: Tomorrow a woman and man at 9:00am will be stonned to death in takestan ( Opposit to "Beheshte Zahra" ).

Latest news indicate that : A few bloggers are asking other bloggers and people to go to Takestan where the stonning is going to take place and help stop this barbaric act . The stonning will take place on Thursday.

------------------------------

For Immediate Release

Human Rights Watch -
Iran: Stop Executions by Stoning Slated for June 21
Cruel and Inhuman Punishment Should Be Banned Immediately
(New York, June 20, 2007) – The Iranian Judiciary should immediately stop the scheduled stoning tomorrow of a woman and man charged with adultery, Human Rights Watch said today. Their executions are scheduled to take place on Thursday at 9 a.m. in a public square in Takistan, a town in the north-central province of Ghazvin.
The Ghazvin Municipal Security Council has publicly announced that Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, 43, and the father of her 11-year-old child are to be executed by public stoning. Branch 1 of Takistan’s Criminal Court sentenced the two to death by stoning on charges of adultery.
“The Iranian government is about to kill a mother and father in the most brutal manner,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East division of Human Rights Watch. “The Judiciary must take immediate action to save the lives of this couple and end barbaric punishments such as death by stoning.”
Ebrahimi, a mother of three children, has been awaiting her death sentence in the Choubin prison in Ghazvin province for the last 11 years. The man with whom she was accused of having had “illegal relations” has also been in prison during this time.
The Islamic Penal Code of Iran allows for the punishment of death by stoning for crimes of adultery. Iran is a 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.” According to article 7 of the covenant, “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because of its inherent cruelty.
In December 2002, Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahrudi, the head of Iran’s Judiciary, ordered a ban on stoning. Yet this form of punishment continues, and it is disproportionately applied to women. In response to this, Iranian women’s rights activists initiated the Campaign to End Stoning Forever to document and prevent the practice throughout Iran.
“This impending executions show that the government isn’t enforcing its ban on stoning, nor is it acting in accordance with its international obligations,” Stork said. “The Judiciary can no longer credibly deny that stoning takes place in Iran. The authorities should act without delay to ban this shameful practice once and for all.”
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Iran, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=mideast&c=iran
For further information, please contact:
In New York, Hadi Ghaemi (English, Persian):

+1-212-216-1231; or +1-917-669-5996 (mobile)
In Manama, Bahrain, Joe Stork (English):

+1-202-299-4925 (mobile)
In Amman, Gasser Abdel-Razek (Arabic, English):

+20-10-502-9999 (mobile)

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News in Brief-
Nine students of Mazanderan University are summoned to the "Disciplinary Committee"!
Mr. Bijan Sabagh one of the student activist have reported this news and said: Mr. Milad Moeini , Ms. Marzieh Shafiei , Mr. Arash Pakzad , Ms. Sara Khademi and Mr. Sadegh Hakimzadeh together with three other students who do not like to be identified are summoned to the Disciplinary Committee.
He added: These students are charged with participating in the Mazanderan University students gathering.
Back story: There were student protest in University of Mazanderan at the end of March and 15 students of this university were detained .
Link to this news in Farsi:
http://www.roozna.com/Negaresh_site/FullStory/?Id=39913


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Monday, June 18, 2007

For Immediate Release
Iran: Halt Mass Deportation of Afghans
Investigate Abuses at Three Detention Centers
(London, June 19, 2007) – Iran should immediately halt the mass deportations of Afghan nationals and investigate allegations that its authorities have abused numerous deportees, Human Rights Watch said today. Iran should also ensure that Afghans faced with deportation are given the individual opportunity to seek protection based on conditions in Afghanistan that would threaten their lives or freedom, Human Rights Watch said.
Since late April, the Iranian government has forcibly deported back to Afghanistan nearly 100,000 registered and unregistered Afghans living and working in Iran. The Iranian government says the mass deportation is aimed at reducing the number of illegal immigrants in the country, but Iranian officials have also expelled Afghans who have been registered with the authorities, many of whom have been regarded as refugees (panahandegan) for many years. Iran announced in 2006 that it would “voluntarily repatriate” all of the more than 1 million Afghans remaining in Iran by March 2008, saying that none of those people are refugees.
“Iran can deport people who are there illegally, but it has to give them the chance to contest their deportation or to seek asylum,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s against international law to expel people arbitrarily based on their national origin.”
In February 2007, the Iranian government told the Afghan government and the United Nations that it intended to regularize foreign migrants on its soil, and that it would deport en masse undocumented Afghans starting on April 21, 2007. On April 23, 2007, the Iranian authorities made good on their announcement when they deported more than 4,000 Afghans through border crossings with western Afghanistan. However, the Iranian authorities did not give advance notice to many of the nearly 100,000 Afghans deported in the past 50 days that they would be expelled from Iran.
“The failure of the Afghan government and the United Nations to heed Iran’s warnings has added to the suffering of thousands of Afghans,” said Adams. “Many of those expelled are living in the desert, short of food, water and shelter. The Iranians, the Afghan government and the UN should all be ashamed of themselves.”
Many of the deported Afghans were separated from their families and had little time to collect their possessions or wages. According to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), more than 40 percent of the deportees, most of them children, were separated from their families after their apprehension.
Nearly all of the recently returned Afghans were forced by the Iranian authorities to pay for their transportation to the Afghan border, sometimes at extraordinary cost.
According to the AIHRC, nearly 3,000 Afghan deportees said Iranian authorities beat them before reaching Afghanistan. The AIHRC also reported that Iranian authorities are responsible for the deaths of at least six Afghans. The Iranian police killed one man when they threw him out of a window while apprehending him. Five other Afghans died in Afghan hospitals after being deported as a result of injuries inflicted by Iranian police.
According to accounts gathered by Human Rights Watch, the Iranian authorities are transferring thousands of Afghans to three holding facilities near the Iranian-Afghan border before deporting them to Afghanistan. The three facilities known as Askarabad, Sang-e Safid, and Tal-e Seeya, which is also known as the “Black Dungeon,” are all veritable prisons. Recent deportees have told Human Rights Watch that the Iranian authorities routinely beat Afghans in these locations and force them to pay for their own food and water. According the AIHRC, Afghans spend between one and 19 days in these facilities before the authorities deport them back to Afghanistan.
Matiullah, who was held in Sang-e Safid for five days, told Human Rights Watch: “When I arrived at Sang-e Safid, I saw 40 Afghans chained together inside the prison. They were sitting on the ground with their hands and ankles shackled. One of the men told me that they had been shackled together in Shiraz and put in a small bus and brought to Sang-e Safid. They were shackled together all the way from Shiraz and could not use the toilet. When I saw them, I thought I was in Guantanamo Bay.”
Not all of the Afghans that went through these facilities were unregistered. For example, Mehdi, an 18-year-old Afghan, and his family were registered and legally residing in Iran. In late April, Mehdi and his family were voluntarily returning to Afghanistan when the Iranian authorities apprehended them.
“The police stopped our bus outside of Tehran; they were looking for illegal Afghans,” Mehdi told Human Rights Watch. “When they came to me, they took me from my family and arrested me. I showed them my registration paper but they told me they did not care. They said they were going to take me to Sang-e Safid prison and punish me to make sure that I would never come back to Iran. I was born there; Tehran was my home.”
Human Rights Watch called on Iran to immediately investigate abuses in these facilities and to hold to account those responsible for violating the rights of Afghans in the course of apprehension, detention and deportation. The government should ensure that repatriation efforts do not result in separation of families, especially separation of children from their parents. In addition, advance notice of intent to deport should be given to the deportees to enable them to put their affairs in order.
Human Rights Watch is particularly concerned that Afghans in need of international protection be given the opportunity to seek it in Iran. This includes both long-term Afghan residents registered by the authorities as well as newer arrivals who may have asylum claims but who have not been allowed to register at all. In all cases, Iran should strictly abide by its obligations as a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention not to return any person whose life or freedom would be threatened in Afghanistan.
Human Rights Watch also urgently called on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assess whether conditions inside Afghanistan, including the prevalence of generalized violence and lack of access for humanitarian assistance and human rights monitoring, would preclude the return of Afghans in conditions of safety and dignity with full respect for their human rights, including their economic, social and cultural rights. In this context, Human Rights Watch notes a June 11, 2007 UNHCR press statement, which refers to “worsening security and humanitarian access in parts of Afghanistan.” Also, on June 12, the International Committee of the Red Cross director of operations said, “There’s an intensification of the fighting [in Afghanistan], it has spread to new parts of the country, so it’s no longer confined to the south.”
Human Rights Watch called upon the UNHCR to refrain from any cooperation in the government’s repatriation program if Afghan nationals in Iran – whether registered or unregistered – are not given the opportunity to make asylum claims. Finally, Human Rights Watch called upon the UNHCR to monitor conditions in the Askarabad, Sang-e Safid, and Tal-e Seeya facilities, to see if potential refugees there are being coerced to return to unsafe conditions, and to hear potential asylum claims.
For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on refugees, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=refugees&document_limit=0,2
For more information, please contact:
In London, Brad Adams: +44-20-7713-2767; or +44-79-0872-8333 (mobile)
In Washington, DC, Bill Frelick: +1-202-612-4344; or +1-240-593-1747 (mobile)

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News update
To protest on Ahmadinejad's Government dealing with universities: Minority MP's in the parliament have supported students!

The support from hundereds of students from Amir Kabir University for eight imprisoned students brought reactions from Minority MP's in the parliament against Minister of Information and Minister of Science ( Minister in charge of universities).

The minority MP's in the parliament: If the Minister of Science and Minister of Information won't follow the notices issued by the MP's , we will use legal and other channels against them.
The MP's have said: Students have told us things that shows actions that are taken against them were in contrary with law and therefore the MP's are asking the Ministers to work in accordance with law.

Student activists are the target of Ahmadinejad Government. And in recent months many students from all over Iran have been summoned , arrested , jailed or even expelled from universities. and this brought reaction from families, students and now the Minority MP's .
Link to this news in farsi:
http://www.roozonline.com/archives/2007/06/005282.php

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News in brief
$150,000 for those who would kill Salman Rushdie !
After Queen of England have decorated Salman Rushdie the writer of "The Satanic Verses" with Cavalier , the headquarter which protect the World Islamic Martyrs has chosen $150,000 award for those who would execute Khomeini's "Fatwa" against Salman Rushdie and kill him.
Mr. Frouz Rajaie-far the general director of this headquarter have announced this news and said : On 2004 this headquarter have announced $100,000 award for those who successfuly kill Salman Rushdie.
He then called Queen's action as an anti Islamic and told : Since Khomeini's Fatwa Salman Rushdie have lived 19 years with nightmare.
Link to this news in Farsi:
http://www.roozna.com/Negaresh_site/FullStory/?Id=39831

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Sunday, June 17, 2007




News in breif
1200 students of Amir Kabir University : We won't participate in the exame if our fellow classmates are still in the jail.
The students have signed a petition to postpon the exame until the freedom of their classmates.
According to ILNA the petition which has more than 1000 signature has demanded for the release of their classmates and dismantlement of all sentencing against students deprived from continuing their education.
Although the unoccupied chairs in the class are few but it shows these are the oppressed students who have called for our rights and are in prison because of that.
Mr. Molaei the lawyer for the following three imprisoned students ( Mr. Hosain Tarkashvand, Mr. Nariman Mostafavi and Mr. Naser Poyafar ) in speaking with ILNA have said: There is no sentencing for my clients yet and that means my clients are still under interrogation .
Link to the news in Farsi:
http://news.gooya.eu/politics/archives/2007/06/060443.php


Mr. Hosain Tarkashvand

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UPDATE - IRAN
15 June 2007
Three journalists sentenced to prison, another on trial, for covering
demonstrations;

"Disgah" and Kurdistan TV reporters out on bail
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
**New case and update to IFEX alerts on the Ghavami (Qavami) case of 24 and
8 August, 25 April and 3 March 2005; updates the Toloui (Tolou) alerts of
12 October and 24 August 2005; updates the Saedi (Saidi) alert of 24 August
2005; updates the Salah and Jahani alerts of 15 March 2007**
(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the judicial harassment of journalists who
cover demonstrations. Four have been tried by revolutionary tribunals in
recent weeks, three of them receiving prison sentences. Others are awaiting
trial or the announcement of the court's verdict.
"We are dismayed by these sentences," the press freedom organisation said.
"These journalists just did their duty to report the news and have been
convicted for political reasons. If there is a political activity in Iran,
the media must cover it. But once again, brute force is the government's
only response."
A revolutionary tribunal in the city of Sanandaj, in Iran's Kurdish
northwestern region, sentenced Ejlal Ghavami of "Payam-e mardom-e
Kurdistan" (a weekly that has been closed by the authorities since 2004) to
three years in prison on 9 June 2007 for "inciting revolt" and "undermining
national security." Freelance journalist Said Saedi was sentenced to two
and a half years in prison on the same charges. The same tribunal sentenced
Roya Toloui, the editor of the newspaper "Resan", to six months in prison
on 22 May. Her newspaper has been closed since 2005.
All three journalists were arrested while covering a peaceful demonstration
outside the prefect's office in Sanandaj on 30 July 2005 and were held for
several months before being freed on bail. Tolui is now abroad. Saedi and
Ghavami still live in Iran. They say that whenever they have tried to work
for a newspaper since 2005, its editors have been harassed by the
intelligence agencies.
Condemning their conviction and sentences, their lawyer, Nemat Ahamdi, told
RSF: "They are journalists, and it is normal for journalists to be out on
the streets doing their job and going to places where there are
demonstrations. This conviction is unacceptable and we are going to
appeal."
Aso Salah of the weekly "Disgah" has meanwhile been summoned to appear
before the Sanandaj court on 16 June. He was arrested by intelligence
operatives on 8 March after covering an International Women's Day
demonstration, and was released on 18 March 2007 after paying 100 million
toumen (approx. 85,000 euros) in bail.
In Tehran, Bahaman Ahmadi Amoee of the daily "Sarmayeh" was summoned and
tried on 6 June by the revolutionary court's 13th division on charges of
"participating in an illegal demonstration," "undermining national
security" and "publicity against the Islamic Republic." The verdict is
pending. He was arrested along with two other journalists while covering a
feminist movement's demonstration against "sexual apartheid in Iran" on 22
June 2006.
Kia Jahani of Kurdistan TV, who was arrested for no clear reason in the
city of Marivan on 24 February 2007, was freed on bail at the beginning of
May.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei are both on RSF's list
of the world's 34 worst press freedom predators.
For further information contact Hajar Smouni, RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie,
Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: moyen-orient@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org/
The information contained in this update is the sole responsibility of RSF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
--------------
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/

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Thursday, June 14, 2007

Music and dance by Kurdish people in Iran:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AorEE_or1fk

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Iran, one of the world's ancient civilizations is today the 18th largest country worldwide. With its population of approx. 70 Mio. Iran is a nation between tradition and modernity. This country is anything but a homogenous society, neither ethnically nor religiously. The divide between rich and poor is another aspect.

Ethnic groups:Persian 51%, Azeri (Turkish)24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baluch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% (Assyrian, Armenian, Georgian, Qashqai etc.)

Religions:Muslim 98% (Shi'a 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i) 2%

Languages:Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Baluchi 2%, Arabic 1%, other 2%

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Monday, June 11, 2007

Students continue to fight the repressive regime of Ahmadinejad!
Mr. Ashkan Arshian member of the Islamic Student Association of Mashhad University met Ayatollah Saneei and complained about the closure of student publication and the arrest of students.

Ashkan beleive: distribution of fake student publication in other universities particularly in Amirkabir University aims to defame student movement and to bring the student movement to its closure.

He then added: Last week again we witnessed the arrest of two Mashhad University students.
Last wednesday several plain cloth agents attended to Mr. Ali Saberi and Mr. Abbas Hakimzadeh's home and arrested them and took away their personal belonging including computer.

Mr. Arshan demanded for clarification in these two cases. and asked who have arrested them and where they have been transfered.
Link to this news

http://www.roozna.com/Negaresh_site/FullStory/?Id=39197

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Sunday, June 10, 2007

Iran jails 2 reporters over banned rallies
Reuters)10 June 2007
TEHERAN - An Iranian court has sentenced two journalists who covered banned protest rallies in a Kurdish area to up to three years in jail, their lawyer was quoted as saying on Sunday.
The court in the town of Sanandaj in northwestern Kurdistan province jailed Jalal Ghavami for three years and Saeed Saedi to two and a half years for attending two illegal rallies in 2005 in front of the governor’s office, ISNA news agency reported.
The verdict said they had been ‘acting against the system and national security by participating in illegal gatherings ... (and) propaganda activity against the system,’ ISNA said.
Ghavami was also sentenced for ‘insulting’ officials.
But their lawyer Nemat Ahmadi said his clients only went to the demonstrations to report on them, ISNA said, without specifying which media they worked for.
‘My clients attended the gatherings as reporters and just for reporting,’ Ahmadi said.
Last month, the court in Sanandaj sentenced a woman activist to six years in jail for attending the same two banned protests.
In an appeal about their cases last year, Amnesty International said Saedi and Ghavami were arrested in August, 2005, after they helped organise a rally against the killing of a Kurdish man that sparked protests in Iranian Kurdistan.
‘If imprisoned, Amnesty International believes both men would be prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and movement,’ the London-based group said in July.
Rights groups often complain that Iran jails pro-reform writers, activists, journalists and intellectuals without due legal process. Iran routinely dismisses accusations that it violates human rights.
Iran’s 70 million population includes about 6 million Kurds, many of whom live in the mountainous northwest bordering Iraq and Turkey. Kurdish leaders in Iran have in the past complained of discriminatory treatment of their people.

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Thursday, June 07, 2007


A Law Not Enforced is Good for Libraries, Detained Journalist’s Mother Tells Rooz!
Omid Memarian -
Journalist Ali Farahbakhsh has been behind bars for more than 6 months, even though he suffers from stomach complications. Badri Farahbakhsh, the journalist’s mother, told Rooz in an interview, “I have no doubts that my son is innocent. So it is inhumane and unjust to keep him in prison. It is unclear why Ali has to stay behind bars while his case is being reviewed by the court of appeals. The judiciary must answer for this injustice.”
Farahbakhsh’s mother continued, “We ask all of the country’s judicial, security and governmental officials and whoever else that is in charge of handling cases to process my son’s case more quickly.”
Badri Farahbakhsh added, “Ali has had stomach complications for about a month now. He was visited [by doctors] a couple of times but then nothing happened. The last time I saw him he said that the problem had spread to his kidneys. They don’t do anything for him in prison. Right now they don’t give him any medicine. They have abandoned him… We asked the prosecutor’s office to allow him to seek treatment outside prison with his own money. They didn’t even allow for that. They say, ‘You leave and we will take care of him.’ The next time we go there we see that they haven’t done anything.”
When asked why Ali Farahbakhsh is not freed while his case is being reviewed by the court of appeals, Farahbakhsh’s mother said, “They said from the beginning that the court of appeals will not do that. They said his case must end before he is released. Most people are freed when their cases are being reviewed by the court of appeals, and the court takes its time. But they wrote on Ali’s case, ‘in prison, urgent attention.’ But the problem is that my son is currently in prison, and his life is being wasted because of the judiciary’s mismanagement. I don’t want to get into what is happening behind the scenes in this case. But what really is happening is injustice, and it is not hard to detect injustice. Who cares if Mr. Shahroudi [head of judiciary] talks about citizenship rights? A law that is not enforced is good only for libraries. I don’t know how these officials who always talk about the rights of people are able to sleep at night, when many people are unable to rest for a minute because of their pain and sadness.”
Badri Farahbakhsh says that Ali has completed interrogations and is being kept at the general ward: “Interrogations ended a long time ago, ever since the case went to court. But he is being kept in prison without guilt and reason, while his son and wife await him anxiously. We don’t know what to do; we really have lost hope. These issues have disrupted the life of our family. Ali’s lawyer goes to court repeatedly and he hopes that a resolution would come quickly. But, unfortunately, I don’t know why they don’t free my son.”

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Tuesday, June 05, 2007


Today more than before the voice on focusing for Human Rights and Democracy movement in the Middle East is becoming louder & stronger. Liberalization of Middle East is also the option of Middle Eastern to mobilize the masses against old political vision and corrupted state officials. The Middle Eastern are restructure their thought to come with new mission and vission and help build a society not for revolution but evolution . Universal Declaration of Human Rights is becoming the centre of their struggle against corrupted political officials.By knowing the experience of Iran a secular society ( separation of religion with state ) is what Middle Eastern look for. To build a liberal democratic or social democratic society take time and nothing comes easy. Reformation of society and reform in current political system is what Middle Eastern want.

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**We apologise for any cross-posting - The following is being forwarded
exactly as received**
To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC),
Sara.Whyatt@internationalpen.org.uk]
RAPID ACTION NETWORK
30 May 2007
Update #1 to RAN 18 /07
IRAN: Iranian Kurdish journalist Kaveh Javanmard sentenced to two years in
prison
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN protests the two-year
prison sentence handed down to Iranian Kurdish journalist Kaveh Javanmard
on 17 May 2007. The charges against him have not been made known, although
he is believed to be held for his legitimate professional activites as a
journalist. International PEN is calling for his immediate and
unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran
is a signatory. PEN is also seeking reassurances of his well being from the
Iranian government.
According to PEN’s information, officials from the Ministry of Intelligence
arrested Kaveh Javanmard, a journalist for the weekly Krafto, at his home
in Sanandej on 18 December 2006. He was held incommuncado in pre-trial
detention at Sanandej prison, where he was feared to be at risk of
ill-treatment. The authorities have reportedly targeted other staff members
of Krafto in recent weeks. Javanmard’s arrest came during a wave of
arrests, bans and acts of intimidation against the media following a visit
to the Kurdish north by the President and the Culture Minister in September
2006. Other journalists have since been arrested, including Adnan
Hassanpour who was arrested on 25 January 2007 and is still held
incommunicado (see previous alerts). International PEN is deeply concerned
about an apparent pattern of repression against journalists and human
rights activists in Iranian Kurdistan, which has been ongoing since unrest
broke out in the Kurdish areas of Iran in July 2005, and was violently
suppressed by the authorities.
Kaveh Javanmard will reportedly serve his sentence at a prison in the town
of Maragheh, 300 miles from his family home. He was reportedly denied legal
representation and was tried in secret. The charges against him remain
unknown.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Please send appeals:
- Protesting the detention of journalist Kaveh Javanmard, and seeking
details of the charges against him;
- Expressing concern that his trial did not appear to conform with
international standards;
- Calling for his release in accordance with Article 19 of the ICCPR, to
which Iran is a signatory.
- Expressing concern about an apparent pattern of repression against
journalists and human rights activists in Kurdish Iran.
APPEALS TO:
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei,
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info@leader.ir or istiftaa@wilayah.org
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: via Judiciary website: Iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Intelligence
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie
Ministry of Intelligence,
Second Negarestan Street,
Pasdaran Avenue,
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran.
Email: iranprobe@iranprobe.com
COPIES TO:
President:
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")
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
via website: www.president.ir/email
If possible please send a copy of your appeal to the diplomatic
representative for Iran in your country.
For further information please contact Cathy McCann at International PEN
Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London
WC1V
6ER, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339, email:
cathy.mccann@internationalpen.org.uk
Please contact this office if sending appeals after 21 June 2007.
**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole
responsibility of WiPC**

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Sunday, June 03, 2007

News update:
Nationalization of filtering !

A Trans Filtering Network which was started from March this year is being tested and will soon be working in Iran. This network which is working with vigilant robots will block even those blog or website that have a filtered site in their text. The interesting point is that the communication officials has chosen " National Filtering Network " for this new filtering systm .
An official from " Sherkate Ertebatate Novin " which does the filtering of internet weblog and websites in the country have told to "Mehr" reporter : I'm going to give you a news which was not announced before and that is the operation of a Trans Filtering Network in the country. TFN will be working under the supervision of Irans' communication Company " Sherkate Mokhaberate Iran ".
This official added: "The inteligent robots will read the content of all the sites and will mark those words it has already in its memory and if those words exceed from the authorised one then the website will be blocked. For example if a website give link to BBC- farsi that site will also be closed."

Link to this news in Farsi:
http://www.roozonline.com/archives/2007/06/004998.php


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Human Rights - حقوق بشر Mehrdad Hedayati - Iran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_pIFslDjwk

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Friday, June 01, 2007

Visit this site and save life of Iranian :

http://www.petitiononline.com/DL2222/petition.html
http://www.savedelara.com/

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