NEWS
FROM INSIDE IRAN
REPORT
10
PERIOD
25
NOVEMBER 2018 TO 28 NOVEMBER 2018
Stes de Necker
(PLEASE NOTE THAT INFORMATION SOURCES ARE NOT
PUBLISHED IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE IDENTITY OF OUR INFORMANTS. UNDER SPECIAL
CIRCUMSTANCES CERTAIN INFORMATION CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE ON RECEIPT OF A DULY
MOTIVATED REQUEST)
(All REPORTS WERE OBTAINED FROM CREDIBLE AND
ACCREDITED NEWS AGANCIES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE IRAN)
In this
report:
1.
Political
Prisoner Arash Sadeghi Deprived Of Cancer Treatment
25
November 2018
Political
Prisoner Arash Sadeghi Deprived Of Cancer Treatment
Critically ill human rights defender Arash Sadeghi held
at Raja’i Shahr prison, has been suffering from a serious infection in his
surgical wound due to unsanitary conditions and medical malpractice.
Arash Sadeghi was re-imprisoned only two days after
a major surgery, despite advice from its own doctors to extend his
temporary leave because of potentially life-threatening cancer.
This was against strict explicit medical advice that
required him to spend at least 25 days hospitalized following the operation so
that he could be monitored by specialist doctors. Doctors said that they needed
this post-operative recovery period to assess whether Arash Sadeghi required
chemotherapy, radiation therapy or additional surgery.
Latest news indicate that Sadeghi has been suffering
horrific treatment while in prison – including being deprived of food,
available chemotherapy, competent doctors and suffering from beatings.
Arash Sadeghi, was diagnosed with a cancerous bone tumour
in August. However, authorities at Raja’i Shahr prison, in Karaj, a city
north-west of Tehran, have since repeatedly impeded his access to potentially
life-saving medical care.
After months of untreated pain a doctor in a hospital
outside the prison discovered the tumor in June 2018 but prison authorities
have consistently prevented him from receiving specialized medical treatment.
After Sadeghi underwent a surgery and was returned to Raja’i Shahr Prison, he
developed a serious infection.
“The Iranian authorities’ treatment of Arash Sadeghi’s is
not only unspeakably cruel; in legal terms it is an act of torture. Every step
of the way, the prison authorities, the prosecutor’s office and the
Revolutionary Guards have done everything they can to hinder and limit access
to the essential treatment that Arash requires in order to address his
life-threatening cancer,” said
Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the
Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
Political prisoner Golrokh Iraee reached out in an open
letter to protest continued denial of medical treatment to her husband Arash
Sadeghi, a political prisoner detained in Gohardasht Prison who suffers from
cancer, and called for help to save his life.
Political prisoner Golrokh Iraee, incarcerated in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, in an open letter released on November 12, 2018, wrote, “From December 2017 until now, without any clear explanations, me and my husband, Arash Sadeghi, have been deprived of visits and telephone call rights. And during this whole period of time, except for a 2-hour visit that happened more than five months ago, we have had no contact with each other and we are completely unaware of each other’s conditions.”
Referring to her husband’s deteriorating condition, she
added, “In recent months, I have been hearing a lot of news of Arash’s
deteriorating situation due to cancer. Ultimately, all that was done was him being
dispatched to the hospital for surgery. But he was quickly returned to prison
only a couple of days after the surgery upon insistence of the (IRGC) Sarallah
Corps and despite the medical staffs’ opposition.
“The dispensary of Raja’i Shahrhas asserted that the
progress of the disease and the lack of facilities in the prison are at such
degree that health officials would not take responsibility for the consequences
of Arash’s presence in prison after surgery. With the onset of post-surgical
infection, Arash is still kept in prison and officials have opposed dispatching
him to the hospital.”
Golrokh Iraee expressed concern over the failure to start
post-surgical chemotherapy for her husband, Arash Sadeghi and the inability of
the medical staff at Raja’i Shahr Prison to provide him the necessary
treatment.
Since June 2016, Sadeghi, 32 has been serving a 15-year
prison sentence for engaging in peaceful human civil rights activism. He was
imprisoned under the charges of “assembly and collusion against national
security,” “propaganda against the state,” “spreading lies in cyberspace,” and
“insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic.”
His wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, has also been serving a
five-year sentence in Evin Prison since 2016 for writing an unpublished story
about the practice of stoning in Iran and for the content of some of her
personal Facebook posts.
25
November 2018
Political
Prisoners Kept In Indefinite Solitary Confinement
Political prisoner Arzhang Davoudi, held in the
quarantine section of the Zahedan prison is reportedly under torture while
suffering from deteriorating physical conditions. There has been no news of
Davoudi since March.
After months in a prison cell, in a message, Davoudi had said that he had been transferred to a small solitary confinement unit and was deprived of family visits, phone calls and any communications with other prisoners. He was also deprived of free airtime, reading, television, and access to medication and food suitable for his health condition.
The former teacher had started a hunger
strike and refused his medications since March 3, 2017
protesting harsh prison conditions.
Davoudi had described the reason for his hunger strike as
such: “I am on hunger because I have been deprived of free air and sunlight
since August.”
In his latest message, Davoudi had said that his sight
was becoming dim and he was deprived of the most basic rights. “I’m being held
in a small cell that is known as ‘solitary confinement no. 2.’ I am deprived of
visits, phone calls, communications with other prisoners, free airtime, walks,
reading books, TV, medication, suitable food…”
The 64 year old prisoner was taken to this facility’s
quarantine ward on January 6, 2018 where inmates with murder and drug charges
are held. During this period Arzhang Davoudi had been denied medical care
despite suffering from diabetes and cholesterol as well as heart diseases.
The 64 year old prisoner sent his last message three
month ago and there has been no news of him so far.
Political prisoners in Iran, including elderly inmates
who have challenged the authorities or filed complaints are singled out for
harsh treatment.
Davoudi had stressed in a March message he had sent from
Zahedan prison:
Hunger strike for a bit of air and sunlight
34 days pass from my hunger strike. I merely want some
air and some sunlight, of which I’ve been inhumanly deprived since August. This
shameless and lengthy suppression of my rights has worsened my heart condition
and diabetes. It has caused my eyesight to become dim. In February, when I was
returned to Zahedan prison, my physical conditions further deteriorated,
because I’m being held in a very small cell, known as ‘solitary no.2’ of the
prison’s quarantine section.
I’m deprived of visits, phone calls, communications with
other prisoners, free airtime, walks, reading books, TV, medication, suitable
food…
Fellow compatriots,
Certainly, the vicious practices of the regime’s
authorities vis-à-vis prisoners, especially those exiled from their hometowns,
is far from the customs of the brave people of Sistan & Baluchistan
Province [in southeast Iran]… [Iranian regime Supreme Leader] Ali Khamenei…
knows very well that only officials of this religious theocracy ruling our
country carry out such vicious practices. Therefore, the very harsh measures
seen in the prisons of this province is not only imposed against political
prisoners. This nature is literally seen in all forms of this regime’s
authorities who always resort to force.
“Therefore, I am expecting Mr. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hossein, the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other human rights organizations,
including Amnesty International, to dispatch observers to inspect these
medieval era prisons.
25
November 2018
Motocross
Champion Shahrzad Nazifi Arrested In Iran For Being A Baha’i
Shahrzad Nazifi, a motocross champion, was arrested on
Sunday, November 18, 2018, by security forces in Tehran and taken to Evin
Prison.
Security agents searched her house for five hours, taking
books, her cellphone, her laptop, and personal items. Her “crime” appears to be
her Baha’i faith.
Shahrzad Nazifi is a motocross coach of the Baha’i faith
and one of the motocross champions in the motocross field in Iran.
Alongside her husband Mehrshad Naraghi, Nazifi and her daughter Noora Naraghi are motocross champions, pioneering the sport for women in the country.
The Baha’i International Community (BIC) says Baha’is in
Iran are facing a new wave of arrests and raids on their homes across different
cities in the country.
More than 20 Baha’is have been arrested in various cities in the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Mazandaran, and East Azerbaijan in the last two weeks alone. Over 90 Baha’is currently remain imprisoned in Iran, according to BIC.
The community said in a November 23 statement that up to
a dozen Baha’is have in recent days received discriminatory and harsh court
verdicts across the country.
Nine Baha’is in Isfahan were falsely charged with
“membership in the unlawful administration of the perverse Baha’i sect for the
purpose of action against internal security” as well as “engaging in propaganda
against the regime of the Islamic Republic” based on various absurd pretexts,
including praying with others. The nine Bahá’ís were served a combined sentence
of over 40 years of imprisonment.
Over a dozen Baha’i-run businesses were shut down by the
authorities in Khoramshahr, Ahvaz and Abadan in Khuzestan province this month
in connection with the owners closing their shops temporarily to mark two major
Baha’i holy days.
In some instances, shopkeepers notified the authorities in
advance that they would be closing their shops for the holy days. The
authorities consequently sealed their shops before the holy days took place. In
other cases, after their shops were sealed, the business owners sought to
rectify the injustice by approaching the appropriate authorities. Instead of
unsealing their shops, they were presented with a court summons on the basis
that they had closed their businesses to celebrate their holy days—despite the
fact that Iranian labour laws state that shop owners may lawfully close their
businesses for 15 days in a year without providing reasons for doing so.
Members of the religious group, deemed a “deviant sect”
by authorities, have long been detained and harassed in Iran. Their property
has been seized. They have been denied jobs and higher education, and their
businesses have been closed. Officials refuse to register the marriages of
Baha’i couples.
25
November 2018
The
onslaught of repressive forces on the striking workers
On Saturday, November 24, the hardworking Ahvaz Steel
workers rallied gathered in front of the regime's governorate, rallied and
marched toward the Pol Sefid. The police, with the onslaught on the workers and
beating them sought to prevent the protests, but the workers, supported by a
large number of young people in the city, forced the repressive forces to
retreat with the slogan "Lest we are humiliated", and continued their
demonstration on Naderi Street.
At the same time, Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers continued
their strike for the twentieth day by gathering in front the regime's
governorate in the city of Shush. The gathering came after Yavari, the regime’s
deputy minister of labour, falsely claimed that workers' salaries had been
paid, their protests had ended and they had started working. Workers chanted:
Even if we die, we will get our rights; the worker dies, he does not accept
humiliation. It was written on workers' handwritten banners: Imprisoned workers
must be freed!
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, saluted the Ahvaz Steel and Haft
Tappeh sugarcane workers who continue their strike and protest despite the
repressive actions of the mullahs regime, called on all risen people of
Khuzestan, especially the youth, to be in solidarity and to support the strike
of the oppressed workers. She called on the all trade unions and workers'
rights defenders to condemn the anti-labour policies of the mullah’s regime and
to support the strikes and protests of workers in Iran.
26
November 2018
Riot
Police Attack Protesting Workers of Iran National Steel Group
Following
days of protests by workers of Iran National Steel Group southwest Iran, the
anti riot police attacked the demonstration.
Iran
National Steel Group workers began their demonstration in front of the
Khuzestan Governor’s Office on Saturday for 15th consecutive day.
Video
on social media showed riot police attacking the workers and there were reports
that a number of them with beaten with batons.
Sources
say, security forces attacked the Iran National Steel Group workers on their
15th day of protests over " unpaid wages and releasing of jailed
workers."
Police
also blocked the protesters’ path when they tried to cross Naderi Bridge, one
of the main bridges over Karoun River, who came out in full force to prevent
them from marching in the city.
Addressing
the security forces, one of the protesters, Karim Siahi shouted, “There’s no
need for you to protect us. We can protect ourselves.”
“If
you have force use it against the mafia, use it against those who have made
workers miserable. Go use your batons against them not against those who are
here to get their rights,” the worker cried out.
"To
the state police, if you have batons, don't use it against us, use it against
the mafia that has deprived us of what is ours"
Several
videos circulated on social media shows protesters chanting, “Shame on a
government that deceives the people.” During their march, the protesters
stopped in front of the Bank-e Meli (National Bank) for another round of
slogans and speeches, in which they addressing the government, saying,
“Congratulations on your bondage with the mafia,” a reference to the widespread
government corruption that is taking its toll on the livelihoods of the workers
and their families.
“We
are the workers of Ahvaz steel. We will fight against tyranny,” the workers
were chanting.
Workers
from the Iran National Steel Industrial Group (NSIG) in Ahvaz, Khuzestan
Province, southwest Iran, have renewed their protests since November 10, over
months of unpaid salaries and in protest against the unannounced and sudden
halt of production at the plant.
For
years the company has suffered from mismanagement and lack of capital, which
have rendered many productions lines idle.
INSIG
workers are demanding production to be restored, injection of raw material for
production and disclosing the identity of individuals who are responsible for
their factory’s failure.
During
the rally in front of the governor’s office on November 12, a protester said
the plant’s problems became apparent about two years ago after the company
delayed wage payment and insurance benefits while struggling to maintain
production, according to the state-run Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA).
“The
officials keep making promises but they don’t act,” added the worker, Gharib
Hoveizavi.
Another
protester told ILNA that the company, which is owned by a state bank, has not
ordered raw materials to resume production at the site, threatening the jobs of
thousands of people.
In
May 2018, Bank Melli Iran took over INSIG, which employs about 4,000 people in
four different steel plants.
“Even
if the employer pays our back salaries all at once, we will not end our
protests until raw materials are supplied for the plant’s operation,” said the
unnamed worker.
Workers
at the manufacturing plant have also gone on strike numerous times in recent
months to demand overdue wages. In June, many workers were rounded up by
security forces and freed only when other workers launched protests.
The
last of round of protests by the Ahvaz Steel workers was in June when more than
50 workers were detained by security forces. They were demanding three months
of their unpaid wages.
According
to labour unionist, four of the detainees were brutally beaten after being
taken to a detention center for suspects arrested for drug offenses.
“One
of the workers was beaten to the extent that he suffered a haemorrhage, but the
authorities did not make an effort to transfer him to a medical facility,” the
Free Workers Union of Iran stated in June.
According
to the FWU, another detainee was shot with a Taser gun while in custody.
Reports
indicate that almost all of detained workers were later released on bail after
other workers demonstrated for their release.
26
November 2018
Put an
End to Institutionalized Violence Against Women in Iran
Violence
against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and
devastating human rights violations in our world today remains largely
unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.
Iranian
women are being subjected to serious and sometimes fatal domestic violence at
alarming rates without any effective means of protection and the regime takes
no effective action despite its obligations under international law to do so.
The
prevalence of violence against women in Iran calls for the international
community’s measure to hold the Iranian regime accountable for violating its
international obligations to uphold women’s rights.
Iran’s laws
and Constitution not only lack the necessary protections against violence
toward women but institutionalize violence
against women and
sanction the cruel punishments of flogging, stoning and blinding.
Official
acknowledgements over the past year attest to a drastic rise in violence
against women in Iran. Regime experts have confessed that under the mullahs’
rule, “Iran has one of the highest statistics on violence against women.” (The
state-run ILNA news agency, September 18, 2018)
While
admitting that the latest research done on violence against women in Iran was
done 14 years ago, regime’s experts have revealed that 66% of Iranian women
have experienced violence in their lifetime. (The state-run ISNA news agency,
November 16, 2018) Although, this is double the world average but it is clearly
an understatement of the reality of women’s life in Iran.
A member of
the mullahs’ parliament asserted that “currently domestic violence against
women is pervasive in society.” (The official IRNA news agency – November 25,
2017)
However, the
regime has hampered the adoption of the bill on prevention of violence against
women. The Judiciary has not only omitted about half of the articles of this
bill, but it has held up the bill for 8 years and has not passed it to the
parliament for adoption.
The most
common form of violence inflicted against women in Iran is the state-sponsored
measures to impose the compulsory
veil.
Dozens of video clips were posted on the social media over the past year,
revealing the savagery of the so-called guidance patrols in dealing with
Iranian women on the streets and parks.
A report
published in summer by the research center of the regime’s parliament indicated that some 70% of Iranian women do
not believe in the compulsory dress-code, namely the head-to-toe black veil or
Chador, imposed by the regime. They are among the “improperly veiled” and
protest the compulsory veil.
The report
confirms that Iranian women observe the veil only through coercion and harsh
restrictions.
As the
center puts it, more than 85% of the “improperly veiled” do not believe in the
value of Chador and do not approve of government intervention to control this
issue. The research indicated that young educated women residing in large
cities and metropolis, have the strongest resistance against the compulsory
veil.
Another
common form of violence against women in Iran are the forced early marriages
widely practiced across the country. It has been officially acknowledged that
some 180,000 girl children in Iran are forced to get married every year. The
regime’s social experts have also noted registration of hundreds of marriages
of girls under 10.
According to the official statistics, there are some 24,000 widows under 18 years of age in Iran, and most of the early marriages end up in divorce.
Shahrbanou
Imami, member of Tehran’s City Council and former member of the mullahs’
parliament, told an IWD gathering at Tehran’s Melli University that there were
15,000 young widows under 15 years of age in Iran.
The regime’s
parliament has not passed the bill proposing to eliminate violence against
women.
The only
effort made was an attempt to urgently pass a bill banning marriage of girls
under 13 years of age, which has not been decided upon, yet.
Institutionalized in the clerical regime’s laws, early marriages of girls under 18 are also considered obvious examples of child abuse by international standards.
The legal
age of marriage for girls in Iran is 13 years old, and girls can be given to
marriage even in younger age if the father and a judge decide that they are
mature enough.
Iran is one
of six countries in the world which has not yet ratified the Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Nevertheless,
Iran’s commitments under other international conventions require the government
to take clear steps to prevent violence against women.
In a statement released on November 23, the
NCRI Women’s Committee has called for action by the international community to
hold the Iranian regime accountable for its state-sponsored and
institutionalized violence against women in Iran.
“The
state-sponsored and institutionalized nature of violence against women in Iran
calls for action by the international community to hold the Iranian regime
accountable for violating its obligations to uphold women’s rights and
alleviate the suffering of Iranian women” the statement reads in part.
26
November 2018
Isfahan
farmers protest over rights to water, clash with security forces
On Sunday, the farmers of Gharneh,
East Isfahan, gathered in front of the Yazd water pumping
station in protest to the government’s mismanagement of water sources. In the
past years, the Iranian regime’s corrupt policies has cut off adequate access
to irrigation water, causing much damage to the farmers of Isfahan.
The IRGC, which controls a large part of the country’s
economy, has been using the province’s water sources for its own benefit. The
building of dams and water channels, which are serving the needs of IRGC-run
companies, are threatening to destroy the farming lands of Isfahan.
In the past year, the farmers of Isfahan have
protested for months and on several occasions, demanding
their right to water. As the regime has failed to respond to the demands of the
farmers, they decided to take matters in their own hands. Sunday’s protest was
taking place in front of one of the IRGC-run water pumping stations, which
channels Isfahan’s waters to the neighboring Yazd province to serve
the needs of different regime-affiliated companies.
he protesters threatened to destroy the station if
the government does not take concrete measures to fulfill their demands. The
farmers had brought along their front loaders and machinery.
At noon, still having received no response, the farmers
proceeded with destroying the pipeline that channels the station’s water to
Yazd.
Security forces subsequently attacked the farmers.
East Isfahan is home to more than 300,000
people, most of whom are farmers. In the past years, drought and mismanagement
of water by the government has caused a real threat to their livelihoods. The
farmers have time and again protested to the transfer of the province’s water
to Yazd.
Isfahan is not the only province where water protests are
ongoing. In recent months, similar protests have taken place
in Khuzestan and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Regime
officials have promised to respond to the demands of the farmers, but have yet
to fulfil their promises.
26
November 2018
6.3-magnitude
earthquake hits western Iran
On Sunday at around 8 pm local time a 6.3-magnitude
earthquake struck near the town of Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah Province,
western Iran. Many provinces along the Iran-Iraq and even the Iran-Turkey borders
felt the quake, as reports from as far away as Baghdad and Kuwait also
indicated the earthquake’s reach.
There are conflicting reports about the number of
injuries, with the latest figures reaching above 200.
Head of the Kermanshah Province Medical School reported
50 injuries in the town of Qasr-e Shirin, with four transferred to the city of
Islamabad; 35 injured in Gilan-e Qarb, with two transferred to Islamabad; and
51 injured in Sarpol-e Zahab.
Unconfirmed reports posted in social media show seven deaths.
Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi called upon
her compatriots to provide support to those in need after this quake.
I urge my countrymen and women, especially the brave
youth, to rush to the aid of our afflicted compatriots struck by earthquake
in kermanshah and
other cities and districts in western Iran, including Qasr-e Shirin, Sarpol-e
Zahab, and Gilan-e Gharb.Iran — Maryam Rajavi - November
25, 2018
Iran sits upon major fault lines and is very prone to
frequent tremors. Last November, a magnitude 7.3
earthquake hit Kermanshah Province, leaving over 600 dead
according to regime figures while unofficial reports showed deaths in the
thousands. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Kerman Province killed at
least 31,000 people and flattened the historic city of Bam.
The Iranian opposition coalition National Council of
Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
cited sources inside the country placing the actual casualty numbers at above
70,000 deaths.
Hundreds of people were killed by the earthquake that
struck Iran and Iraq back November 2017. It was felt as far away as Turkey and
Pakistan and eclipsed the deadly earthquake that hit Mexico in September.
One small village called Quik Hasan was particularly
affected by the earthquake with over 50 deaths alone. The small farming village
is home to just 170 households and the surviving inhabitants have had to
survive outside in the cold since the earthquake struck.
Those that died have been buried in makeshift graves by
their relatives.
The Iranian government has failed to deliver help to the
people. It is the people of Iran helping their fellow citizens. The Iranian Red
Crescent aid workers were only able to deliver 30 tents to the inhabitants of
the village.
Iranian social media and news agencies showed images and
videos of people fleeing their homes into the night. More than 100 aftershocks
followed.
One inhabitant of the town, standing in the middle of her
house which is now in ruins, said that the state has abandoned its people. The
60-year-old woman Ayasheh Karami said: “People are helping people.”
The people of the town have tried to salvage what they
can from their homes and have dragged their possessions out onto the road.
The earthquake measured 7.3 and struck near the Iran-Iraq
border late on Sunday night, marking this as the worst one in over ten years to
hit the country. Hundreds of people in Iraq were injured and 10 people died.
The latest reports indicate that there are 530 dead and almost 7,500 injured in
Iran. This number is expected to rise in the coming days and weeks.
The worst damage occurred in the Kermanshah region. Reports indicate that around 12,000 residential buildings had collapsed and around 500 villages were affected resulting in dozens of thousands of people without shelter.
The Iranian regime has also refused international
assistance meaning that the relief effort will be carried out by the Iranian
Red Crescent and other NGOs
Iran regime’s President Hassan Rouhani visited Sarpol-e
Zahab - a city near the Iraqi border that was badly hit. He made big promises
claiming that he would oversee the reconstruction work and would provide loans
for the rebuilding. He highlighted that the earthquake has caused a lot of pain
for everyone in the country and said that the recovery efforts will be
accelerated by the government “so that it can be done in the shortest time
possible”. While making these claims, people chanted slogans and protested him,
fearful Rouhani and his security guards left the scene panicky.
The worst damage occurred in the Kermanshah region
The Iranian regime has also refused international
assistance meaning that the relief effort will be carried out by the Iranian
Red Crescent and other NGOs. The country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) has also been assisting in some areas.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted earlier
this week: “We are grateful for global expressions of sympathy and offers of
assistance. For now, we can manage our own resources. Many thanks for all
offers and we will keep you posted.”
It is very clear that the Iranian government is neglecting
many of the people that have been affected. People are living in the street and
have lost all their belongings and require assistance urgently.
Once again, the Iranian people are showing their strength
and compassion by helping each other out when the Iranian regime has failed
them.
26
November 2018
MARYAM
RAJAVI, MEPS MEET AND HOLD TALKS
On Sunday, November 25, 2018, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi met in
Tirana with a delegation from the European Parliament (EP) and discussed
the situation of members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
(PMOI/MEK) in Albania and the latest developments in Iran.
The EP delegation included Mr. Tunne Kelam, member of the
Foreign Affairs Committee and Vice Chair of Friends of a Free Iran
inter-parliamentary group, Mr. Jaromir Stetina, member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee and Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Security and Defense, and
Mr. Struan Stevenson, coordinator of the Campaign for Iran Change.
The EP delegation noted the statement of 150 MEPs and
conveyed the support of their colleagues in the European Parliament to Maryam
Rajavi.
The statement of MEPs stipulates, “Since late December
last year, Iranian cities have been the scenes of major uprisings and
anti-regime protests. The social atmosphere is volatile, and people demand
fundamental change. The regime’s officials have acknowledged the role of
“resistance units” of the opposition PMOI in organizing protests and nationwide
strikes.”
The statement emphasizes, “Unable to defeat the
protesters at home, the regime launched a new wave of terrorism against the
democratic opposition activists in Europe and in the United States.”
The statement by MEPs concludes, “We must hold the
Iranian regime accountable for its terror plots and expel Iranian Intelligence
Ministry operatives from Europe. We must also condition our relations
with Iran to an improvement of human rights and women’s rights, and a
halt to executions.”
During the meeting, Mr. Tunne Kelam said: I have been
closely following up on Iran and the Iranian Resistance for 20 years. I have
personally met and seen the PMOI in Ashraf and talked to hundreds of
them. This is the second time I am visiting them, in Albania. What I saw today
was truly remarkable, indicating, on the one hand, their wonderful advances in
building this place in such a short period of time and on the other hand, their
livelihood and joy. To me, this is a promise that the people of Iran will
achieve their freedom.
Mr. Kelam congratulated Maryam Rajavi on these advances and said: Your movement has set a new moral, political and democratic standard, something that gives you the power to confront the medieval, fundamentalist regime ruling Iran.
At the same time, Mrs. Rajavi and PMOI have
provided moral and political inspiration for hundreds of European political
leaders in supporting PMOI’s struggle for freedom in Iran. European politicians
have been encouraged to take a strong and principled political stand versus the
appeasement policy, Mr. Kelam added.
Mr. Stetina also said: A wide range of MEPs from
different political groups support the PMOI and the National Council of
Resistance of Iran. They are confident that Iran’s future is tied to this
Resistance and to you, personally. This is why the Iranian regime has once
again resorted to terrorism. Their ill-fated terrorist attempts in Albania,
France, and the U.S. clearly show that the Iranian regime views this movement
as its main existential threat. When it cannot defeat the PMOI and the NCRI by
suppression and terror, it moves full force to deploy the mercenaries and
“reporters” it has trained to demonize the Resistance and carry out smear
campaigns. This is something that we have very well experienced in the European
Parliament.
Mr. Stevenson also said in this meeting: All signs
indicate that Iran’s ruling regime is in dire straits and cannot continue its
rule. The emphases by the leader, president and other officials of the regime
leave no doubts on the role of the PMOI in advancing the popular uprisings.
Therefore, there is nothing strange for us that their slander machine has been
put to work at its highest speed. These efforts are in vain and will not
deceive anyone.
Maryam Rajavi expressed her appreciation for the
efforts of members of the European Parliament. Explaining in detail the latest
developments on the volatile state of the Iranian society and the regime’s
aggravating crises, she said: Despite massive repression, widespread arrests
and murders in detention projected as suicides, the Iranian people’s uprisings
have continued ever since they started in the final days of last year, becoming
ever more organized. The growing trend of strikes, protests, and demonstrations
by workers, farmers, and other toiling sectors have sounded the alarm bells for
the regime, bringing closer the prospects of victory of freedom and democracy
over the dark religious tyranny that has invaded our homeland for four decades.
26
November 2018
GECHR
condemns the arrest of a family in Ahwaz by IRGC
According to Ahwazna News Network, Iranian Revolutionary
Guard intelligence services arrested Mr Hattab Shannan al-Sari, 57 years of
age, and his 22-year-old son, Amin Hattab, after being summoned to a
Revolutionary Guard headquarters northeast of Ahwaz on the morning of November
5, 2018.
The human rights sources from Al-Ahwaz informed that the
detainees entered the headquarters at 10 am and never left the intelligence
services.
Their families said that the contact with them has been
cut ever since.
On Tuesday morning (November 6th), a number of IRGC
agents raided the house of Hattab al-Sari, accompanied by prisoner Amin Hattab.
They searched the house and confiscated all the belongings of his family. The
sources confirmed that the intelligence agents arrested Mr Hattab’s daughter,
Amna Hattab, 24-year-old, and took her to an unknown location.
Human rights sources confirmed that Hattab al-Sari is
suffering from health conditions, and he was arrested several times by the
security services without any real charges.
According to reliable sources, the number of Ahwazi
detainees exceeded 600 people, including senior men and 5 women. The sources
added that one of the female detainees is pregnant.
Amnesty International in its last report (2 November
2018) said the Iranian authorities have waged a sweeping crackdown against the
Ahwazi Arab people, arresting hundreds of people in recent weeks.
Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and
Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa argued that “the timing
suggests that the Iranian authorities are using the attack in Ahwaz on 22
September 2018 as an excuse to lash out against members of the Ahwazi Arab
people, including civil society and political activists, in order to crush
dissent in Ahwaz.
Therefore, the Gulf European Centre for Human Rights
expressed regret for these arrests and calls on the international community and
human rights organisations to put pressure on the Iranian authorities to stop
the campaign of arrests in Ahwaz and release immediately and unconditionally
anyone being held solely for peaceful exercising their rights to freedom of
expression, association or peaceful assembly or solely on account for their
ethnic identity. GECHR, in particular, urges the Iranian authorities to release
Mr Hattab al-Sari and his son and daughter Amna Al-Sari from the detention.
27
November 2018
Iran
IGNORES UN criticism with continued DETENTION and PUBLIC EXECUTION of prisoners
IRAN has ignored UN criticism over human rights abuses as
the regime continues to detain and publicly execute prisoners as protests
expand throughout the country.
Iran has executed over 200 people in 2018 so far as
criticism of the government continues to mount. In November alone, Iran has
executed 13 prisoners with at least three of them being public. On November 21,
three men were publicly executed by being hung from cranes in the Iranian city
of Shiraz.
Earlier this month, on November 14, 10 prisoners were
executed in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj by hanging as well.
These executions come as protests continue to spread
throughout the country over the increasingly weak economy that has forced many
Iranians into poverty.
During a meeting of the UN General Assembly’s Human
Rights Committee, a new resolution calling on Iran to end its use of arbitrary
detention, as well as raising concerns for the “alarmingly high” use of the
death penalty, was approved.
The resolution was given the go-ahead in an 85-30 vote
split, with 68 abstentions.
It is believed the vast majority of the 193-member world
body will approve it in a vote next month.
President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran,
Maryam Rajavi, praised the UN for its decision.
She said: “Condemning the systematic and gross violations
of human rights by the theocratic regime ruling Iran, the UN resolution once
again confirmed that the regime blatantly tramples upon the Iranian people’s
most fundamental rights in all political, social and economic spheres
“The Iranian regime is in no way congruous with the 21st century and must be isolated by the world community.”
“The Iranian regime is in no way congruous with the 21st century and must be isolated by the world community.”
Protests broke out last month after lorry drivers and
teachers began protesting the increasingly high cost for goods in Iran and the
insufficient wages as the Iranian economy remains in a recession.
After pulling the US out of the Iran nuclear agreement in
May, US President Donald Trump re-imposed sanctions against Tehran.
This caused the Iranian economy to plummet despite
previously anticipated growth at the beginning of the year.
The UK, EU, China and Russia have all said that they will
continue to honour the agreement and that they will create an alternate way to
continue to provide economic relief to Tehran that does not use the US’
dollar-based system.
Trump has threatened that anyone that continues to do
business with Iran will suffer consequences.
27
November 2018
World
War 3 WARNING: Iran's leader calls for Muslim nations to UNITE in fight against
US
IRAN’S
President Hassan Rouhani has sent a stark warning to the US, claiming that all
Muslim nations should unite to stand against Washington and Israel.
Speaking
at the 32nd international conference on Islamic unity in Tehran on Saturday,
President Rouhani insisted that in order to achieve victory over the US, Muslim
countries should cooperate. He said: ”Today, the Muslim world is alone and
Muslims should join hands. “Relying on outsiders is the biggest historical
mistake.
“Today,
there is no way for Muslims except unity and solidarity and if we unite, we can
undoubtedly score a victory against the Zionists and the Americans.”
President
Rouhani also commented on Iran's relations with Saudi Arabia, noting that the
Islamic Republic considers the Saudi people as “brothers”.
He
also stressed that Tehran was ready to defend the Arabian Peninsula without
receiving anything in return, while launching a thinly-veiled attack on US
President Donald Trump.
The
Iranian leader said: "We are ready to do our best to defend the interests
of the Saudi people against terrorism, aggressors and superpowers like how we
went to the help of the people of Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen without
expecting any benefits.
Rouhani
insisted that in order to achieve victory over the US, Muslim countries should
cooperate.
"We
will not even request a $450 billion deal from you and will not insult you as we
consider you to be our brothers and view the nations of the region and the
people of Mecca and Medina as our brothers.”
However,
referring to President Trump’s remarks in which he described Saudi Arabia as a
"milk cow", Mr Rouhani said: "Do the Saudi rulers think the
deals would guarantee their security?
"The
Americans said in response that we milk the cow and take it and even said that
you would not last 'for two weeks' without us."
The
Iranian President advised the Saudi rulers to "demand respect" from
the US or accept to be "humiliated”.
Relations
between Tehran and Washington deteriorated rapidly after President Trump pulled
out of the Iran nuclear deal in May and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.
The
deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was intended to
curb Iran’s nuclear energy programme, which the West maintained was to create a
nuclear bomb.
The
JCPOA stipulated that Iran must limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the
lifting of crippling economic sanctions, but Mr Trump rejected the deal and
said it was a “horrible one-sided” nuclear agreement.
He
said the agreement was flawed because it did not include curbs on Iran's
development of ballistic missiles or its support for proxies in Syria, Yemen,
Lebanon and Iraq.
Iran’s
government has ruled out negotiations with Washington over its military
capabilities, particularly its missile programme run by the Islamic
Revolutionary Guards.
The
Middle Eastern nation, which insists its missile programme is purely defensive,
has threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the US
tries to strangle Iranian oil exports.
27
November 2018
Iran
accuses Trump of 'shameful' support for Saudi Arabia in wake of Khashoggi
killing
IRAN has branded Donald Trump as “shameful”
as they accused the US President of pledging support for Saudi Arabia despite
the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad
Javad Zarif was enraged by Mr Trump’s statement which criticised Tehran in its
opening paragraphs.
The US President’s statement began:
"The world is a very dangerous place!
"The country of Iran, as an
example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen,
trying to destabilise Iraq's fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the
terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria
(who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more."
Mr Zarif’s posted his furious response
on social media.
He tweeted: "Mr Trump bizarrely
devotes the FIRST paragraph of his shameful statement on Saudi atrocities to
accuse IRAN of every sort of malfeasance he can think of.”
He then referred to Mr Trump's
unfavourable comparison of forestry management in wildfire-ravaged California
and Finland, adding: "Perhaps we're also responsible for the California
fires, because we didn't help rake the forests - just like the Finns do?"
Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional
rivals and have supported opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen
and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon.
But Iran and Hezbollah deny supporting
terrorism, Tehran denies arming Yemen's Houthi militia while accusing
Saudi-backed forces of killing civilians there, and Iranian-trained Shi'ite
paramilitaries helped Iraq's government to reverse the Islamic State militant
group's seizure of swathes of Iraqi territory.
Mr Trump’s statement included a pledge
to stay a "steadfast partner" of Riyadh despite acknowledging Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have known about the plan to murder Mr
Khashoggi in Istanbul.
He said he would not destroy the
global economy by being tough on Saudi Arabia over the 57-year-old Washington
Post columnist even though the CIA believes the murder was ordered by that
Prince Mohammed.
The President said: “The crime against
Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone.
“Indeed, we have taken strong action
against those already known to have participated in the murder.
“After great independent research, we now know
many details of this horrible crime. We have already sanctioned 17 Saudis known
to have been involved in the murder of Mr Khashoggi and the disposal of his
body.
“Representatives of Saudi Arabia say
that Jamal Khashoggi was an ‘enemy of the state’ and a member of the Muslim
Brotherhood but my decision is in no way based on that - this is an
unacceptable and horrible crime.
“King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad
bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the
murder of Mr Khashoggi.
“Our intelligence agencies continue to
assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had
knowledge of this tragic event.”
27
November 2018
Iranian
regime continues to mount pressure on political prisoner Arash Sadeghi
Iranian political prisoner Arash Sadeghi is under
increasing pressure by Iranian regime officials.
Despite suffering from cancer and deteriorating health
conditions, Sadeghi has been deprived of access to the minimum needed medical
facilities.
According to reports, the health condition of Arash
Sadeghi has extremely deteriorated over the past weeks. After undergoing
surgery on his arm, physicians had requested that Sadeghi remains in the
hospital for 25-30 days for chemotherapy. But the Iranian regime’s judiciary
rejected the request and sent Sadeghi back to prison a mere two days after he
underwent surgery. The chemotherapy was meant to prevent cancer from spreading
to other parts of his body, including his chest.
Physicians have said that Sadeghi has to undergo two more
surgeries, but given the current circumstances and the obstructions caused by
Iranian regime officials, there’s no telling when those operations will be
carried out.
In additions to bone marrow cancer, Arash Sadeghi suffers
from severe digestive problems. But due to the conditions imposed by prison
officials, he is not able to carry out regular treatment and he can’t eat the
prison food. The increasing pressure has caused his body to become weak and
frail.
After the surgery, Sadeghi has been taking antibiotics,
and without proper food, his body is weakening every day. Sadeghi is being kept
in a ward that lacks warm water and heating appliances, and because the windows
have been sealed, there’s no proper air circulation in the ward.
Earlier, Amnesty International issued a statement in
which it requested immediate medical care for Arash Sadeghi.
Arash Sadeghi has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.
He was arrested in June 2016 because he was in touch with international human
rights organizations such as Amnesty International and was reporting on the
human rights situation in Iran.
Depriving prisoners from receiving medical care is one of
the commonly used tactics by the Iranian regime to torture and pressure
political prisoners. In the past years, these measures used by the regime have
caused the death of several prisoners by preventing them from getting timely
medical attention.
27
November 2018
Iran
Judiciary Chief Threatens Workers Protesting Over Unpaid
Wages
Iran’s Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli-Larijani on Monday
warned workers protesting over unpaid wages against creating “disorder” and
threatened them with persecution.
Quoted by the judiciary’s news agency Mizan Online,
Larijani said, “Workers should not allow their demands to become an excuse and
an instrument for the enemy and creation of disorder in the country.”
“Those who want to use the pretext of following up
workers’ demands and disrupt the order of the country, should be dealt with,”
Sadeq Larijani said.
“We still have a distance to go before the
(workers’)problems are solved and the government should increase its measures,”
he said worried about the ongoing protests.
Acknowledging that many workers are struggling to make
ends meet, he said the government must address workers’ problems “immediately”,
according to Mizan.
“Today workers are under many livelihood problems. They
had a stable income but suddenly the price of food and goods increased. We have
to pay attention to solving their problems,” he said.
“Some workers’ wages go unpaid for some months; how are
they supposed to live?” the cleric asked adding that this issue had two
aspects.
“One aspect is the administrative aspect… the other
aspect is that the enemy takes advantage of some of the shortcomings… These
kinds of issues are the tools of the enemy and some are looking to take
advantage of these tools,” Iran Chief of Justice said.
“The demands of dear workers must be met in a rational
atmosphere… with the involvement of the government and the judiciary branch,”
he said.
But “demands will never be met by turmoil, crisis and
actions contrary to public order”, he said.
“The fact that some people bring up excuses and disrupt
the order of the country is unacceptable,” Larijani added.
His comments come following 22 days of strike by workers
at the Haft Tapeh sugar factory in Shush, a city in Khuzestan province,
protesting for more than two weeks for their unpaid wages and other grievances.
This is not the first time that Iranian authorities
resort to make threats against peaceful protesters amid growing public
discontent over widespread unemployment and economic inequality.
In October, a judiciary official warned truck drivers
holding a nationwide strike over pay and high prices of “harsh penalties” if
they continue their protests, state media said in September.
Mohseni Ejei warned truck drivers who have continued
their protests for higher wages and affordable parts despite several rounds of
arrests.
“Harsh penalties await those who … block lorry traffic on
roads,” he said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
General prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said that
protesting drivers may face death sentences under stern laws against highway
robbery, the state broadcaster IRIB reported.
A court in Qazvin requested the capital punishment for 17
striking truck drivers in the province.
“The judiciary will without any tolerance deal with those
who disrupt the security of drivers and also those who intend to take
advantage(of the strike) and create insecurity”, the head of the Qazvin Court
had said in reference to the truck drivers’ strike that was ongoing in all of
Iran’s provinces.
In June, Iran’s Supreme Leader demanded the judiciary
punish those “who disrupt economic security” following strikes against rising
prices and a collapsing rial.
His comments followed those of Sadegh Larijani, who
threatened “economic saboteurs” with execution just one day before.
In January, Iranian authorities threatened the protesters
with death.
The state-run Tasnim news agency quoted Mousa Ghazanfarabadi
as saying: “Obviously one of their charges can be Moharebeh,” or waging war
against God, which is a death penalty offense in Iran.
27
November 2018
Killing
of young deprived Baluchi people by direct firing of the regime's repressive
forces
On Saturday, November 24, two impoverished Baluchi young
people on Irandegan-Khash road (Sistan and Baluchistan province) who were
carrying fuel with their own vehicle were burnt alive by direct firing of
repressive forces and inflaming the car. On the same day, the regime’s
murderers targeted two young men who were carrying few bags of tobacco with
their car and severely injured them. Several other vehicles of Baluch
compatriots were also hit.
This is a ring of the endless chain of regime crimes in
Sistan and Baluchestan province.
Killing of a young man in Khash under the pretext of
having 10 liters of fuel on November 20, the burning of two young people in
their car on the road from Iranshahr to Sarbaz on October 15, killing a young
man and injuring another on the road from Mehrestan to Saravan on May 30,
killing two young people from Dashtiari on May 25 and injuring a woman at
Friday Bazaar of Iranshahr due to blind shooting in pursuit of a car on May 24,
shooting of a young Baluchi laborer in Saravan due to having a few boxes of
mango on May 22, killing a young man in the city of Saravan by direct shooting
on the pretext of carrying four bags of rice in his car on May 10, killing a
fellow Baluch by firing a bullet on the road to Khash and injuring the driver
of the car who was earning a living by picking up passengers on April 27,
firing on a Baluchi fellow from Qasr Qand village carrying 10 bags of rice in
his car on March 30, are other examples of crimes of the religious fascism
ruling Iran against Baluch compatriots.
The criminal rulers of the country are targeting
hardworking Baluchi youth with their bullets while they have no other option
except buying and selling a few liters of fuel or other items needed by the
people due to the severity of unemployment and poverty and in spite of the many
dangers they face. The unemployment rate in some areas of the province is 100
percent.
Alim Yarmohammadi, member of the regime's parliament from
Sistan and Baluchestan, acknowledged a while ago that "more than 95 percent
of the people in the province do not have access to proper food and nutrition.
75% of people are under the poverty line of food security
and are in fact in a similar situation to those in Africa. The employment
conditions are very bad. There is no industry and no agriculture "(State
media – October 14, 2018).
According to the head of the Industry, Mining and Trade
Organization in Sistan and Baluchistan, which is the youngest province in the
country and 67% of its population is less than 30 years old, the level of
economic participation and industrial employment is only 6%, which is the last
in the country. Dehmardeh, the member of regime’s parliament from Zabul, said:
"This province is the record holder for unemployment." Ahmad Ali
Kikha, another Zabul representative, said almost absolute poverty was dominant
over the entire region. From dusk to dawn, people are searching the city’s
garbage bins to have something to eat, the Zabul cemetery has become a huge
dormitory for the homeless who are deprived of having a suitable shelter ...
there are many women, men, and children who were burned in the fire of shots by
the bullets of the security forces for carrying a few liters of fuel to provide
for their livings, while 30,000-liter tankers belonging to powerful and rich
were passing in front of their eyes...
The catastrophic situation of Baluchi compatriots is the
immediate consequence of the treacherous policies of a regime that wastes tens
of billions of dollars of Iranian people’s assets on export of terrorism and
war in the region, and tens of billions of dollars more are plundered by the
leaders of the regime and sent to the accounts of the mullahs, the criminal
Revolutionary Guards and corrupt and criminal children of the regime leaders.
As long as the oppressive and corrupt regime of the
Velayat-e Faqih is in power, poverty, unemployment, and corruption throughout
the country and discrimination and double oppression against various ethnic
minorities and tribes, and followers of various religions will intensify.
27
November 2018
Pars
Tire Co. retirees protesting damaging policies
A group of Pars Tire Company retirees in the city
of Saveh, northern Iran, rallied on Monday outside the firm’s main branch.
This factory is situated in the Kaveh Industrial Complex located 10 kilometers
from the city of Saveh.
This company once had around 2,500 employees, according
to the regime’s own officials. Due to the mullahs’ destructive policies,
however, the country’s industries have literally been destroyed and many workers
across the country have lost their jobs. The number of workers in this company
has now dropped to around 750.
This formerly state-owned company was handed over to
regime-linked mafia groups under the pretext of privatization policy,
resulting in protests by the workers last year and more rallies this year.
A year ago, in November 2017, the Pars Tire Co. employees
went on strike for more than two weeks. On May 13 of this year, these workers
rallied outside the company’s administrative office and protested the
officials’ plot to hand over this company to the so-called private sector and
not agreeing to transfer it in the form of stocks to the workers.
On August 20, these workers held another
rally protesting these so-called privatization plans.
In an interview with the state-run ILNA news agency,
Khosrow Kiumarsi, a member of the Pars Tires Company Council, discussed the
possibility of this company being handed over in a matter of days. He also
explained the workers are extremely concerned in this regard, voicing numerous
concerns over this subject.
One official working in the regime’s so-called Labor
House in the city of Saveh said in this regard, “They must not
relinquish control over the factories overnight under the pretext of
privatization measures. There shouldn’t be any permission provided for
officials’ children and individuals recently entering the market to simply take
over the factories.”
This so-called privatization issue has reached the
regime’s Majlis (parliament).
“Our efforts to resolve the problems of the Haft
Tapeh sugar cane mill workers in Shush has been fruitless. We have
destroyed the country with this type of privatization,” said Alireza Mahboub, a
Majlis member and head of the Labor House, in an interview with the state-run Tabnak
website published on November 23.
“Our hand-over laws are blueprinted to provide the utmost
profits. Haft Tapeh is just one of the many thousands of other
examples you are hearing about. I can provide a list of 2,000 such hand-overs,
all over pouring with major problems, and sooner or later they will cause
serious issues for the (government),” he added.
27
November 2018
GECHR
condemns the Iranian impact on the education in Syria
The year 2018 witnessed remarkable Iranian activity in
terms of the intellectual and cultural invasion of the Syrian educational
institution through the establishment of a number of Iranian schools and the
establishment of a number of Iranian universities in Syria, besides the signing
of several cooperation agreements and Memorandums of Understanding within the
educational sector between Tehran and Damascus. The latest of which was
announced by the Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Mansour
Gholami, this month, Iran's intention to open a branch of the Modares
University in Syria.
According to Masar Research and Studies, three Iranian
schools have been opened in eastern Syria, two Persian-language schools
promoting Shiite thought in the Syrian coast along with paying $20 per student
per month, opening five branches of Iranian universities in Damascus and
providing scholarships to Syrian students while the student in Syria are denied
to study at the official language in the country after the end of the war in
some areas of Syria.
The civil society organisations in Syria pointed out that
these schools are a systematic action to strike Syrian society with the aim of
promoting extremism among the young generation between the ages of 8 and 14.
The civil society organisations continued to add that the Syrian regime instead
of providing educational opportunities in the country, the regime granted the
Iranians permission to set up schools to teach the Iranian curriculum in Syria.
This is a kind of Iranian invasion of the education sector in Syria.
The Gulf European Centre for Human Rights believes that
the Iranian aims to affect the cultural identity in Syria through their schools
which linked to the Iranian authorities’ ideological attitude.
GECHR believe in educational relationship between
countries and societies, but the current Iranian policy is focused on effecting
culture and educational system in Syria through promoting radical religion to
young students. Hence, Gulf European centre strongly condemns the Iranian
policy to affect the Syrian education system through establishing schools and
branch of universities in Syria, mainly in the areas that was suffering from
the civil war since 2011.
27
November 2018
Pompeo:
Rouhani works to isolate regime from both world and Iranian people
The US Department of Sate released a press statement by
Secretary Mike Pompeo on Monday stating that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
has “once again called for the destruction of Israel”, which comes across as
“seemingly calling for war.”
The
statement added that Rouhani has also encouraged
Muslims worldwide to unite against the US, which is a step that will “further
deepen Iran’s isolation.”
“The Iranian regime is no friend of America or Israel
when they repeatedly call for the death of millions, including Muslims. The
Iranian people know better and do not agree with their government, which has
badly represented them to the world for 39 years. The people have suffered
under this tyranny for far too long,” the statement read.
Addressing
an annual Islamic Unity Conference last Saturday, Rouhani had said “one
of the ominous results of World War II was the formation of a cancerous tumour
in the region.” He went on to refer to Israel as a “fake regime” set up by
Western countries.
Iran supports militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas
that are pledged to Israel’s destruction.
27
November 2018
Iranian
MP Attacks Possibility Of Marriage Age Increase
The head of the Judicial and Legal Commission of the
regime’s parliament on Monday opposed to the adoption of the law on the
increase of the legal age of marriage and said “increasing the legal age of
marriage is contrary to the general policies of the system,” according to the
state-run Fars news agency, affiliated with Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC).
Referring to the legal prohibition of marriage for girls
under the age of 13, Maleshahi stated: “The law prohibits marriage under 13
years of age except with the permission of the legal guardian and on condition
that the court has a positive opinion that the girl is physically and mentally
capable of marriage.”
He added that this law may also be violated, but the
statistics on marriage at an early age is not significant.
His comments follow those of Massoumeh Aghapour, a Majlis
deputy, who recently said that early marriages are examples of violence against
women in Iran.
“Looking at official statistics,” Aghapour said, “we
realize that this is the great pain of our present society which needs
practical and logical solutions to remove this ugly image.”
In October, Zohreh Arzani, a jurist, also pointed to the
large numbers of divorced children in Iran and said, “When the parliament talks
about 15 being a suitable age for marriage, has any of the gentlemen listened
to the complaints and pains of any one of these girls? Is it not possible that
they have remained silent in the face of violence and have not dared to
object?”
The regime’s parliament has not passed the bill proposing
to eliminate violence against women for eight years. The only effort made has
been an attempt to urgently pass a bill banning marriage of girls under 13
years of age, which has not been decided upon, yet.
According to the official statistics, there are some
24,000 under-18 widows in Iran, and most of the early marriages end up in
divorce. Razavi Khorasan Province (eastern Iran) has the largest number of
early marriages, while East Azerbaijan Province (northwestern Iran) ranks
second only next to Khorasan.
A member of Tehran’s City Council in March revealed that
the number of young women under 15 years of age who have been widowed is
15,000.
At the same time, a woman official announced that there
were 36,422 marriages of girls under 15 years of age in just one year.
A Majlis deputy had previously said, “Domestic violence
against women is pervasive in the society.”
Experts of social affairs also recently declared that
violence against women in Iran had 20 per cent rise in 2017.
In a meeting on September 18, 2018, discussing the bill
on Provision of Security for Women, one of the regime’s experts by the name of
Parastoo Sarmadi, asserted, “Iran has one of the highest statistics on violence
against women, and this makes adoption of the bill for Provision of Security
for Women even more urgent.”
Girls in rural Iran are often forced into marriage at a
young age. Protected under Iranian law, the practice is leading to broken
families and a generation of children lacking prospects or perspective.
27
November 2018
Workers
continue to strike, despite Regime's Intimidation
With the persistent strike and
brave demonstrations of the workers of the Haft Tappeh sugarcane mill and Ahvaz
Steel, Khamenei, on November 26 sent the henchman Sadegh Larijani, the head of
the regime's judiciary, to the scene, fearful of the continuation and spread of
protests, to show off to and intimidate the workers To pay "We must deal
with those who want to disrupt the order of the country, under the pretext of
pursuing the demands of workers," he said. ... "Workers should not
allow their demands to be an excuse for the use of enemies and to create
disorder."
He added: "Workers will
never meet their demands with turmoil, crisis and actions countering the public
order" (IRNA news agency – November 26, 2018)
At the same time, the repressive
forces of the regime tried to prevent the continuation of the strike and
demonstrations of workers, but despite the intensive presence of state security
forces, anti-riot guards and plain clothes, steel workers continued their
strike for the third week. Workers gathered in front of the regime's
governorate in Ahvaz, broke the blockade of repressive forces and rallied in
the streets of Ahvaz. The workers chanted as they were accompanied by a group
of Ahvazi youth: "We stand, we die, we get our rights; the worker dies; he
does not accept humiliation; our enemy is here, they claim falsely that it is
the United States; government, Mafia, happy marriage! "
At the same time, brave workers
of the Haft Tappeh sugar cane mill continued their strike on the twenty-second
day and rallied in the city of Shush. They chanted: “The worker dies; he does
not accept humiliation; death to the oppressor, greetings to the worker;
imprisoned worker must be freed; Steel, Haft Tappeh, unity, unity! "
27
November 2018
Iranian
political prisoner sends message on the occasion of International Day for
Elimination of Violence Against Women
Iranian political prisoner Soheil Arabi, who has been in
the Iranian regime’s dungeons since November 2013, sent a message from the Greater
Tehran Prison on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of
Violence Against Women, describing the plight of Iranian women in prisons and
the savage policies of misogynist mullahs ruling in Iran:
Talk about the struggle against violence against women!
About your struggle against tyranny, discrimination, and
violence in society against women;
Talk about the violence against women in Qarchack prison
or Evin, talk about hunger strikes;
Talk about the interrogator’s assaults and threats against
women in prison;
Talk about teary eyes and hands in the short visits in
prison;
Indeed, fighting the violence against women has always
been a must for any freedom-seeking movement in the face of sexual
discrimination;
Ruling systems have been always creating the impression
that men own women and women are men’s property;
This belief made me break the silence;
Silence in front of violence is a betrayal;
Stand up and speak out:
Speak out that my mother does not deserve violence;
Speak out that my sister does not deserve discrimination,
and I don’t deserve superiority;
Stand up warrior, and break the ignorant beliefs;
I salute everyone who has stood up against sexual
discrimination and stands tall in front of violence against women, and
especially salute those who have paid the price of such true beliefs, by
suffering in cold and damp prison cells and bearing the pain of
lashes, and even those who felt the noose around their necks.
I salute mothers who have given birth and have raised
freedom fighters; those who saw the violence and stood firm against it.
“Violence” is a word that deserves to be eradicated, and
society needs people who will fight for this cause.
Now, it’s time to stand tall against those aggressive
fists targeted against women and freedom fighters.
So I stand up and shout alongside the great
freedom-loving women of my country:
No to violence against women.
No to compulsory hijab
No to the silence in front of violence
Stand up to teach our children that human beings deserve
the best.
27 November
2018
Steel
workers continuing their strike & protests for 18th consecutive day
Employees
of the National Steel Group in Ahvaz, southwest Iran, continued their
strike and protests for the 18th consecutive day, demanding delayed
paychecks and protesting corrupt practices by regime officials in regards to
their company.
The
workers were chanting a variety of slogans including: “We steelworkers stand
against oppression & cruelty”
The
strong words of support from a woman who felt the workers’ pains compelled the
protesting steelworkers to show their respect.
These
workers have not been paid for at least four months and are protesting
officials’ measures of handing over the company to regime-linked figures to
plunder the company and the workers for their own interests, all under the
pretext of privatization.
Employees
of the National Steel Group in Ahvaz, southwest Iran, held a demonstration
outside government institutions and across the city streets on Monday despite
authorities dispatching a large number of security forces and anti-riot units
throughout the city.
The
workers, however, continued their
protests even
when encircled by the security forces. The steelworkers were able to break the
security forces’ lines and gather outside the Khuzestan Provincial
governor’s office and pour into the city streets, making their way towards
downtown Ahvaz. A group of youths and women joined their ranks during the
march, giving further strength to this demonstration.
Employees
of the National Steel Group in Ahvaz, southwest Iran, continued their
rallies on Monday, marking the 17th consecutive day. These workers held a
demonstration outside government institutions and across the city streets
despite authorities dispatching a large number of security forces and anti-riot
units throughout the city.
The
workers, however, continued their
protests even
when encircled by the security forces. The steelworkers were able to break the
security forces’ lines and gather outside the Khuzestan Provincial
governor’s office and pour into the city streets, making their way towards
downtown Ahvaz. A group of youths and women joined their ranks during the
march, giving further strength to this demonstration.
On
Sunday, Nov. 25, the workers of Haft Tapeh sugar mill gathered again
in front of the mayor’s office in Shush, Khuzestan, to protests against
unpaid wages, the imprisonment of their colleagues and the mismanagement of the
factory by private owners. This is the 21st day of the workers’ strike and
the 13th consecutive day of demonstrations.
Haft
Tapeh is Iran’s largest sugar factory. The workers began their protests
earlier this month, demanding the payment of salaries that haven’t been paid
for several months. They are also demanding the removal of private owners of
the company who have pushed the factory toward bankruptcy.
In
response, the Iranian regime dispatched security forces and arrested several of
the protesters. But the workers continued their demonstrations nonetheless and
eventually forced the regime to release most of the detained protesters. The
workers are saying they will continue their protests until all their demands
are met.
On
Sunday, the workers of Haft Tapeh were chanting, “Jailed workers must
be freed.” The workers also voiced their support and solidarity with the workers
of Ahvaz Steel company, who are holding similar protests over
unpaid wages. “[Ahvaz] Steel, Haft Tapeh, congratulation on your bond,”
the workers were chanting.
The
workers also called out the names of the private owners and called for their
ouster. They also criticized the government for its widespread corruption.
“This poor country has no good official,” the workers were chanting. Their
slogans also included, “Death to oppressors, hail the workers.”
As
the workers of Haft Tapeh have persisted on their demands, they have
earned the support of different communities from across Iran. In recent
days, political
prisoners from different prisoners in Iran have sent messages of
solidarity to the workers of Haft Tapeh. Truck drivers, teachers,
students, and workers from other parts of Iran have also held gatherings and
shown their support for Haft Tapeh in their own unique ways.
The
workers of Haft Tapeh also enjoy wide support from the people
of Shush. During their protests, many of the city’s citizens joined them
in their march. Merchants closed down their shops and joined the
demonstrations. Students and teachers accompanied them in their march. Taxi
drivers gave them free rides. Children and families helped prepare lunch for
the demonstrators.
The
spirit of solidarity has caused much fear for Iranian regime officials. In past
months, similar protests have quickly turned into anti-government
demonstrations that call for the overthrow of the ruling regime.
In a
show of support, the citizens and children of Shush distributed pastries among
the protesting workers of Haft Tapeh.
27 November
2018
Iranian
women play an active role in recent protests
Iranian women continue to play an active role in the
large protest gatherings of Ahvaz and Haft Tappeh workers. In recent days, they
have also been active in the protests by various other sectors, including the
defrauded investors and hospital staff.
On Monday, November 26, 2018, Iranian women joined the
workers' protests in Ahvaz. Protesting workers crossed the barrier of
anti-riot forces and marched into the central city of Ahvaz and chanted,
"Government, mafia, congratulations on your unity!"
Ms. Farangis
Mazloumi, mother of political prisoner Soheil Arabi, sent a message
in support of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers on Friday, November 23, 2018.
Also on Monday, November 26, 2018, a group of defrauded
Iranian women once again held a protest rally again the Caspian Credit Institute in Rasht.
On the same day, a group of Iranian women and men, employees of Khomeini Hospital in Karaj,
gathered in front of the hospital in protest to the hospital's poor condition
and the failure to pay a years’ delayed wage arrears.
A group of male and female civil activists gathered across
from the parliament building in Tehran on Monday, November 26, 2018, in support
of Dr. Farhad Maysami, a political prisoner on strike. Farhad Meysami, a civil
activist who is imprisoned in Ward 8 of Evin Prison, has been on strike for 118
days. After violently being transferred to a clinic contrary to his will, he
has not had any connection outside of prison since September 26, 2018.
On Friday, November 23, 2018, a group of defrauded
Iranian women and men from the Caspian Credit Institute in Kerman organized
a protest rally in the main branch of the institute in protest against the
looting of their assets.
At the same time, the creditors of the Arka Khodro
company in Kermanshah, including Iranian women, protested against the lack of
delivery of their cars after a few months from the deposit of the amount
requested by the company. Arka Khodro has taken payment from vehicle buyers and
was supposed to deliver their cars in three months, but it has been almost a
year that no vehicle has been delivered nor have the buyers gotten their money
back.
28
November 2018
European
visit to Albania exposes Iran's misinformation campaign
In 2013, an airlift began and the first Iranian
dissidents arrived in the Albanian capital, plucked to safety from the hell
they had endured in Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty inside Iraq.
Albania may be a tiny country, but its people have big
hearts. Having suffered years of oppression under the communists, the Albanian
government was united in its determination to offer a safe haven to the
People's Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI or MEK).
Soon the surviving 3,000 MEK members were safely housed
in special accommodation in Tirana, provided by the U.N. High Commission for
Refugees.
The Iranian mullahs were appalled; their attempts to
liquidate the MEK, the main democratic opposition to their tyrannical regime,
had been thwarted. They could not allow these dissidents, who offer a future of
freedom and justice to the oppressed millions in Iran, to set up a new Ashraf,
a new center for opposition to their tyrannical regime.
A campaign of demonization against the MEK began. For
this purpose, the mullahs focused their attention on elements of the Western
media, manipulating their anti-Trump agenda to encompass a smear campaign
against the MEK. The Iranian regime even reverted to acts of terrorism, using
one of their diplomats from their embassy in Vienna to organize a bomb plot
against a mass MEK Rally in Paris in June and more recently, sending another
agent who was very close to Iran's ambassador in Norway, to assassinate an
opposition figure in Denmark. Both "so-called" diplomats have been
arrested and are facing trial for acts of terror.
Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife, Anne Singleton, two
well-known spies of Iranian ministry of intelligence and security (MOIS),
identified as such in a Library of Congress and Pentagon report, were flown in
to Tirana. This pair of trained Iranian intelligence agents had been seen
outside the gates of Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty in Iraq before the lethal
assaults took place, leaving a death toll of 168 dead and over 1,700 wounded
men and women.
Now they were prowling around the new compound being
constructed by the Ashrafis near the town of Manez in the Albanian province of
Durres. Sure enough, in due course, some gullible Western journalists were seen
in their company.
Forced to leave their accommodation in Tirana when UNHCR
funding ran out in September 2017, the MEK refugees had purchased some farmland
near Manez and began the hurried construction of living accommodation. They
hired over 600 local Albanians, training them in building and construction
skills and quickly becoming a trusted and respected part of the Albanian
community.
The new compound, named Ashraf 3, was fenced in with
security at the main entrance to deter assassination attempts. However, the MEK
men and women are free to come and go as they please. Hundreds of them leave
the compound daily on shopping and recreation trips. Over 700 Iranian families
have come to visit their relatives in Ashraf 3, having been prevented from
seeing them for years during their brutal incarceration in Iraq. Journalists,
politicians, lawyers and trades people are daily visitors.
I have just returned from a three-day-visit to Ashraf 3
with a high-level delegation of MEPs from Brussels, comprising two members of
the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and the deputy head of the Security
and Defense Committee, in a week which has seen 150 MEPs from all political
factions and groups sign a petition condemning human rights abuse in Iran. What
we saw was a remarkable transformation. We were able to move freely around the
camp, talking to hundreds of the Iranian refugees.
In only 12 months, these hard-working and resilient
freedom fighters have constructed a small city, with shops, clinics, sports
facilities, kitchens, bakeries, dormitory blocks, meeting halls, offices and
studios.
A comprehensive report of this visit will be published
soon.
But the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence intends to paint
a different picture. Encouraging naive journalists to skulk around the
perimeter fence of Ashraf 3 and even to fly drones across the compound, the
MOIS has fed the media with claims that Ashraf 3 is a prison, where no one can
leave without permission from the hard-line leadership and where even basic
freedoms are denied. They claim that defectors are tortured and even murdered.
It is an absurdity.
In a deceitful story that they repeat endlessly, they
claim that a young woman, 38-year-old Somayeh Mohammadi, is being held captive
against her will. Her parents, both Iranian/Canadian citizens, have in the past
been seen outside Camp Ashraf in Iraq, hurling threats and abuse through
loudspeakers, in the company of Khodabandeh and Singleton and other notorious
MOIS agents.
Together with the delegation of leading MEPs, I met
Somayeh on my visit to Ashraf 3. She was alone and unaccompanied by the
"minders" that her father claims always accompany her. She said that
sadly she had disowned her father many years ago after he became a willing MOIS
agent. She told us that her father, who is a plumber in Canada, recently spent
four months in Albania, staying in the luxury Plaza Hotel in Tirana, clearly
paid for by the mullahs. She confirmed that she is free to come and go from
Ashraf 3 whenever she wishes and that she could leave permanently if she wanted
to. However, she said she is a proud and committed member of the MEK, who,
unlike her father, has devoted her life to seeking freedom for the people of
Iran.
It is lies like this, lapped up by "useful
idiots" in some of the Western press that emboldens the mullahs. A recent
lengthy article in a national newspaper in Britain that repeated all of these
insults and lies was published word for word on Khodabandeh's vitriolic
pro-mullah website fully three weeks before it appeared in the newspaper,
clearly revealing its odious source. Shamefully, such media are apparently
happy to ignore the ongoing repression in Iran, where strikes and mass protests
have continued daily for almost a year, with striking truck drivers sentenced
to death and protesting sugarcane workers sentenced to flogging and long terms
of imprisonment. Over 12,000 protesters have been jailed. Many have been
murdered.
It is for me a great sadness that there are journalists
today who ignore these issues and ignore the truth, preferring instead to abuse
and traduce men and women who have given up their professional careers and
family life to devote themselves to the cause of ending oppression and tyranny
in Iran. The mullahs know that their days are numbered. They have blamed the
nationwide uprising on the MEK and it is therefore of no surprise that they
have embarked on such a frenetic campaign of misinformation. But no one will be
fooled. When this evil dictatorship is toppled, history will record the names
of those journalists who played this dishonest game in a roll call of shame.
Struan Stevenson is coordinator of Campaign for Iran
Change, served as a member of the European Parliament representing Scotland (1999-2014),
president of the Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Iraq (2009-14) and
chairman of Friends of a Free Iran Intergroup (2004-14). He is an international
lecturer on the Middle East and is also president of the European Iraqi Freedom
Association.
28
November 2018
Present
the Statement of 150 MEPs to Mrs. Maryam Rajavi
On Sunday, November 25, a delegation of the European
Parliament visited Mrs.Maryam Rajavi in Albania, EU delegation offered
the statement of 150 MEPs to Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI.
In addition, to discuss over the situation of members of
the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/ MEK) in Albania, Mrs. Maryam
Rajavi admired the MEPs’ support for the organized resistance movement.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi also explained the latest developments of the Iranian
Resistance and resistance units inside Iran.
Who are Iran’s resistance units?
Maryam Rajavi’s website published a report about this
meeting:
November 25, 2018 – A delegation of members of the European
Parliament, including Mr. Tunne Kelam, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee
and Vice Chair of Friends of a Free Iran inter-parliamentary group, Mr. Jaromir
Stetina, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Vice Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Security and Defense, and Mr. Struan Stevenson, coordinator of
the Campaign for Iran Change, met with Maryam Rajavi.
The EP delegation noted the statement of 150 MEPs and
conveyed the support of their colleagues in the European Parliament to Maryam
Rajavi. The statement of MEPs stipulates, “Since late
December last year, Iranian cities have been the scenes of major uprisings and
anti-regime protests. The social atmosphere is volatile, and people demand
fundamental change. The regime’s officials have acknowledged the role of
“resistance units” of the opposition PMOI in organizing protests and nationwide
strikes.”
150 MEPs called for Expelling Iran Intelligence Agents from EU
The statement emphasizes, “Unable to defeat the
protesters at home, the regime launched a new wave of terrorism against the
democratic opposition activists in Europe and in the United States.”
The statement by MEPs concludes, “We must hold the
Iranian regime accountable for its terror plots and expel Iranian Intelligence
Ministry operatives from Europe. We must also condition our relations
with Iran to an improvement of human rights and women’s rights, and a
halt to executions.”
During the meeting, Mr. Tunne Kelam said: I have been
closely following up on Iran and the Iranian Resistance for 20 years. I have
personally met and seen the PMOIin Ashraf and talked to hundreds of
them. This is the second time I am visiting them, in Albania. What I saw today
was truly remarkable, indicating on the one hand, their wonderful advances in
building this place in such a short period of time and on the other hand, their
livelihood and joy. To me, this is a promise that the people of Iran will
achieve their freedom.
Mr. Kelam congratulated Maryam Rajavi on these advances
and said: Your movement has set a new moral, political and democratic standard,
something that gives you the power to confront the medieval, fundamentalist
regime ruling Iran.
At the same time, Mrs. Rajavi and PMOI have
provided moral and political inspiration for hundreds of European political
leaders in supporting PMOI’s struggle for freedom in Iran. European politicians
have been encouraged to take a strong and principled political stand versus the
appeasement policy, Mr. Kelam added.
The EP delegation noted the statement of 150 MEPs and
conveyed the support of their colleagues in the European Parliament to Maryam
Rajavi in #Albania #Iran #FreeIran2018 #IranRegimeChange #MEK #MaryamRajavi #NCRI
https://iranfreedom.org/en/2018/11/26/statement-meps-maryam-rajavi-mek/ …
Mr. Stetina also said: A wide range of MEPs from
different political groups support the PMOI and the National Council of
Resistance of Iran. They are confident that Iran’s future is tied to this
Resistance and to you, personally. This is why the Iranian regime has once
again resorted to terrorism. Their ill-fated terrorist attempts in Albania,
France, and the U.S. clearly show that the Iranian regime views this movement
as its main existential threat. When it cannot defeat the PMOI and the NCRI by
suppression and terror, it moves full force to deploy the mercenaries and
“reporters” it has trained to demonize the Resistance and carry out smear
campaigns. This is something that we have very well experienced in the European
Parliament.
Mr. Stevenson also said in this meeting: All signs
indicate that Iran’s ruling regime is in dire straits and cannot continue its
rule. The emphases by the leader, president and other officials of the regime
leave no doubts on the role of the PMOI in advancing the popular uprisings.
Therefore, there is nothing strange for us that their slander machine has been
put to work at its highest speed. These efforts are in vain and will not
deceive anyone.
Maryam Rajavi expressed her appreciation for the
efforts of members of the European Parliament.
Explaining in detail the latest developments on the
volatile state of the Iranian society and the regime’s aggravating crises, she
said:
“Despite massive repression, widespread arrests and
murders in detention projected as suicides, the Iranian people’s uprisings have
continued ever since they started in the final days of last year, becoming ever
more organized. The growing trend of strikes, protests, and demonstrations by workers,
farmers, and other toiling sectors, have sounded the alarm bells for the
regime, bringing closer the prospects of victory of freedom and democracy over
the dark religious tyranny that has invaded our homeland for four decades.”
28
November 2018
Report:
Workers bear brunt of Iran’s insurance fails
In France, the UK and Germany, social and health
insurance are fully controlled by the government and even if some insurance
companies are run by the private sector, they follow strict rules and
regulations.
This is while Iran’s health and social insurance have
largely been privatized in recent years though the private organizations
operate without any control or audit.
Most notably, Iran’s health insurance companies, which
are supposed to aid low-income groups, refuse to take responsibility.
There are about 11 million insured workers in Iran, all
of whom are victims of this mismanagement and face serious health issues.
“The laws do not protect the working class and the
government refuses to take responsibility and has abandoned us”, a labour
activist who spoke to the ILNAstate-run news agency
said.
“Policies such as privatization have destroyed our
lives,” Abdollah Vatankhah added.
The labor activist said that the government was gradually
removing all its support policies from the working class adding that they were
“plundering public property under the name of privatization.”
“Workers have been abandoned. Such actions will cause
workers to cry out and protest,” Vatankhah warned.
“This is why you can hear the cries of workers in
Haft Tappeh, HEPCO and the Ahvaz Steel company. The government has made life harder for
workers by removing its support because an investor has no problem in terms of
providing medicine and can provide drugs from the heart of foreign countries if
he needs to,” the labor activist said.
“If social insurance reduces its coverage, it will be a
double burden on families,” a social insurance expert said in comments carried
by ILNA.
“The very existence of social insurance is so that it can
be used for rainy days. If at such times social insurance does not live up to
its obligations, it is an injustice,” Kambiz La’l added.
Recently, the High Insurance Council excluded foreign chemotherapy drugs
from Iran’s health insurance which has working class families extremely
worried. They argue that such regulations which are supposed to boost domestic production
endanger the lives of many workers and their families who live below the
poverty line.
The price of some chemotherapy drugs is over 2 to 3 million tomans and
providing such medication is impossible for workers who make a maximum of 1.4
million tomans a month.
According to the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health,
the government sells the exclusion of chemo drugs from Iran’s health insurance
under the banner of “supporting domestic goods.”
Despite this, Rasoul Khezri, a member of Iran’s
Parliament believes that the removal of foreign chemotherapy drugs is a cause
for serious concern since foreign drugs are better in quality then their
Iranian counterparts.
A workers’ minimum wage is under the line of extreme
poverty according to numerous labour activists and the Chairman of the Salary
Committee of the Supreme Center of Islamic Labour Councils, and it is not clear
how a worker who does not make enough to meet his minimum needs can afford
chemotherapy drugs.
This will ultimately lead the working class towards drugs
of lesser quality and is a death decree for the poverty stricken population.
28
November 2018
Iran's
nuclear chief warns EU patience is running thin
Iran’s nuclear chief said on Tuesday he was warning the
European Union’s top diplomat that Iranian patience was running out on the
bloc’s pledges to keep up oil trade despite U.S. sanctions.
Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organisation
of Iran, said the Islamic Republic could resume enriching uranium to 20 percent
purity - seen as well above the level suitable for fuelling civilian power
plants - if it fails to see the economic benefit of the 2015 deal that curbed
its nuclear program.
“If we cannot sell
our oil and we don’t enjoy financial transactions, then I don’t think keeping
the deal will benefit us anymore,” Salehi told Reuters ahead of a meeting with
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels.
“I will pass certainly a word of caution to her
(Mogherini): I think the period of patience for our people is getting more
limited and limited. We are running out of the assumed timeline, which was in
terms of months.”
Following the meeting, Mogherini said she and Salehi
remained committed to safeguarding the nuclear accord.
“They equally expressed their determination to preserve
the nuclear agreement as a matter of respecting international agreements and a
key pillar for European and regional security,” Mogherini’s office said in a
statement.
It said Mogherini also repeated the EU stance “on issues
of concern such as Iran’s role in the region” - alluding to Iranian involvement
in Middle East conflicts from Yemen to Syria.
Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi gestures as he
speaks to Reuters during an interview in Brussels, Belgium November 27, 2018.
REUTERS/Yves Herman
Under the 2015 deal with world powers, Iran restricted
its enrichment program, widely seen in the West as a disguised effort to
develop the means to make atomic bombs, in exchange for an end to international
sanctions.
U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord in
May, arguing it was weak because it did not halt Iran’s development of
ballistic missiles or support for armed proxies abroad, and re-imposed
sanctions on Iran’s vital oil export sector earlier this month.
But Europe sees the nuclear deal as an important element
of international security.
The EU and other remaining parties - China and Russia -
have struggled to preserve trade incentives for Iran to respect the deal’s
nuclear limits under U.S. pressure.
ENRICHED URANIUM
In Brussels for talks on civilian nuclear cooperation
that EU officials intended as a signal support for the accord, Salehi said the
bloc’s efforts were encouraging but added: “We have not yet seen any tangible
results.”
He welcomed an EU plan to establish a special financial
vehicle for non-dollar trade with Iran but only if it could preserve Iranian
oil exports - Tehran’s economic lifeline.
“It (the SPV) could be helpful in keeping the deal
alive,” he said. “If there is nothing to reap, then what is the purpose of us
staying in because voices in Iran are day by day becoming more against the deal.”
Iran’s oil exports are expected to drop sharply to about
1 million bpd in November from a peak of 2.8 million bpd earlier this year.
However, output is expected to recover somewhat from December thanks to U.S.
waivers, including for two EU nations - Greece and Italy.
Under the 2015 deal, Iran stopped producing 20 percent
enriched uranium and gave up the majority of its stockpile. Salehi reiterated
warnings that Iran has the technical capacity to ramp up enrichment if the deal
unravels.
“It is very easy for us to go back to what we were before
- even to a better position. We can start the 20 percent enrichment activity.
We can increase the amount of enriched uranium.”
Uranium refined to 20 percent fissile purity is well
beyond the 5 percent normally required to run civilian nuclear power stations,
though still well short of highly enriched, or 80 to 90 percent, purity needed
for a nuclear bomb.
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