 These events have been reported to World Threats. It is always a pleasure to report on Iranians who see the light and decide the theocracy isn’t worth supporting. Members of regime’s reactionary parliament and elements of regime’s intelligence are seeking asylum in west after regime’s diplomatic body has done so.
The aftermaths of accelerating downfall of the clerical regime has reached its diplomatic body. High ranking elements of the system do not want to participate in suppression, execution and assassination of people especially after Ashura Uprising.
Al Siasa news paper has written that the government of Turkey has refused to accept the asylum of 4 elements of regime’s intelligence who work in Kurdish regions of Iraq because its relations with regime is improving; Syria having a role in it.
These men wanted to go to Ankara with the help of a Kurd leader and reach Europe from there.
They were able to run away and go to Italy last week.
Jan. 17 - Let’s Get Physical (with apologies to Donna Summer.) Hossein Nagavi, a member of the Majlis from a faction close to Khamenei, beat the Governor of a district from Varamin. Jan. 17 - Five SSF vans and 100 officers did their best to prevent the group Mothers of the Uprising from gathering in Laleh Park. Thirty of these ladies were arrested and taken to Evin Prison where they were held fro 72 hours. Jan. 17 - Eighty-five Christians were arrested on Christmas Eve in various parts of Iran. Jan. 18 - The assassination of Dr. Mohammadi may be the result of disputes withing the regime and not action by external forces. Jan. 18 - There has been a 93% reduction in foreign investment in Iran. The OECD rates Iran as risk level 6 of 7 levels. Only $822 million was invested in Iran during 2009. (Still too much.) Jan. 18 - Dr. Abbas Shakeri a member of the Scientific Board of Kashan University who was amongst a group of students and political activists said: “in these days it is the duty of all sectors of the society to keep united against oppression. The duty of master minds of the country is to lead the march of Feb.11th. This march is an opportunity for disclosing the murderers of the nation”.
In another part of his speech Dr. Shekari pointed to the rumors about Khamenei’s sickness and added: “RCG and Intelligence are parted. Disunity is obvious amongst supporters of Ahmadinejad.
I have connection with some informed sources in the state and I know that the heads of the state even Khamenei himself admits that Feb.11th of this year is the test of death and life for the state”.
At the end of the session some students talked about ways to conduct the flood of protesting people on Feb.11th.
Dr. Shekari emphasized on the initiatives by youths and students for forming leading groups to conduct the marchers.
Jan. 18 - Escalation of laborers’ strikes these days in governmental or semi-governmental factories and enterprises are worrying regime’s administration.
Tehran and other cities of Iran are facing labor crisis due to Ahmadinejad’s economical policies. As a result of these policies a great number of factories are broke and a great number of workers are fired rising the ratio of unemployment. The largest strikes have occurred so far in Ahwaz, Shiraz, Bandar Abbass and Abadan repeatedly. Iran’s greatest oil refinery is located in Abadan. Jan. 17 - In a raid of the agents of regime’s notorious Intelligence Ministry at a house in Shiraz 6 of our Christian compatriots were arrested accused of the mullah-made crime of becoming Christians.
They were transferred on Jan.8th to Fars’ Intelligence Bureau’s detention centers and there is no news of them since. Six others were summoned to the bureau and arrested there. There is no news of them too.
Two other Christians have been arrested in Rasht and one in Shiraz before this event. Compulsory arrests of our Christian compatriots by fascist Khamenei is increasing these days. World Threats 
 TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Monday it would try three Americans jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July, a step certain to aggravate the U.S. at a time when Tehran is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki did not say when proceedings would begin or specify the charge other than to say the Americans had "suspicious aims." In November, however, authorities accused the Americans of spying. There are concerns in the U.S. that Iran could use them as bargaining chips in talks over its nuclear program or in seeking the return of Iranians they say are missing. Relatives and the U.S government say the three were innocent tourists on a hiking trip in northern Iraq and accidentally crossed into Iran, where they were arrested on July 31. "They will be tried by Iran's judiciary system and verdicts will be issued," Mottaki said at a news conference, without elaborating in detail. He said the three were still being interrogated. Even if the Americans are tried, however, there is still a chance they could be released fairly soon.
Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi was convicted of espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison, before she was released on an appeal in May. Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari of Newsweek was released in October on bail and allowed to leave the country after being swept up in the post-election crackdown on street protests. The Americans — Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27 — were detained by Iranian authorities after crossing an unmarked border from northern Iraq. More at FoxNews
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Qom: Some of the members of the Islamic Association of Art University asked the opinion of Ayatollahs Montazeri, Sanei and Gerami about the recent events. At the beginning the members reported about the situation at the universities and about the security atmosphere ruling artistic and academic society such as banning some artists from leaving the country or banning them of having their photos anywhere.
They also pointed to the summoning of students to Disciplinary Committees and the so-called Revolutionary Court, the schism between people and clerics, the conditions of political prisoners and their families and etc. The students complained about all these and asked for guidance. Ayatollah Montazeri recalling a chapter of Qoran called Val Asr encouraged the students and the society to cry out loud the truth and what’s right under any condition.
He said though acting as such might led to difficulties and tortures as what has happened in Evin and Kahrizak but the dawn of the victory is close and victory belongs to those who pursue what’s right. He also condemned the recent suppressive events and asked people not to think of these acts as Islam. He asked them to be aware that these acts are far from the true Islam. Ayatollah Sanei expressed his disgust from the fact that there is lie everywhere in the society and said that this is a sign of weakness. Ayatollah Gerami said that the suppressive events after the election are ruining religion and the clerics.
He pointed to what has happened during the recent months at the prisons such as Kahrizak and condemned these acts and counted them as a shame for the system which takes itself as the true advertiser for the religion. He added that some act as if anyone against them or any word against them is fighting God. He said this was wrong and far from the real values and goals of revolution. World Threats
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Nov. 14 - Reports say that the Kurd political prisoner Shirkoo Moarefi was transferred to solitary confinement of the central prison of Saqez to be executed. Nov. 14 - Reports from Saqez city say that some youths of this city have gathered under the name of the “Group of Saqez Youths” have planned a demonstration for today. The demonstrators will march from Hahloo Square towards the city’s central prison. Hatred of the regime has increased in most of Kurdistan’s cities following the execution of Ehsan Fatahian. Should Shirkoo also be executed, an uprising might occur in Kurdistan. Nov. 12 - Grand Ayatollah Montazeri has declared the executioners of political prisoners criminals.
In a new fatwa, Montazeri said that verdicts based on information or confessions obtained by torture are void and against Canon Law. He said, “those responsible for executing these orders and those who commanded getting these kinds of confessions are guilty and criminal based on law and canon law.” The video clip linked here discloses the identity of a plainclothes officer who shot people during the November fourth demonstrations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN2Xka8L2vg And Nov. 13 - In Sanandaj in the evening of November 12 more than 800 people and families of political prisoners gathered in Azadi Square and marched down Ferdosi Ave. They were protesting against the execution of Ehsan Fatahian and demanding the revocation of execution warrants on eleven other prisoners in Sanandaj Prison. The march was held under conditions equivalent to a curfew. Seven people were arrested when the SSF raided the crowd and they were taken to an unknown place. Eyewitness reports reported that the SSF even beat old people and women walking on the sidewalks and in the alleys. Some of the agents took photographs of people in the crowds for later identification. Nov. 13 - In Kermanshah at 2:30 PM more than 1200 residents gathered in Shahrak Karmadan Mosque to commemorate the death of Ehsan Fatahian. Those present had pictures of Ehsan and placards reading “Eshan Fatahian - fallen for freedom”. Young people had hi picture in their hands and on them was written “each of us is an Ehsan”. Nov. 14 - Reports say that some female prisoners in Evin Prison are in critical condition. Several are reported to have influenza and are in bad shape. The prison authorities have cut off all calls and visits to prevent this news from being reported. More updates at World Threats
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Nov. 13 - In Sanandaj in the evening of November 12 more than 800 people and families of political prisoners gathered in Azadi Square and marched down Ferdosi Ave.
They were protesting against the execution of Ehsan Fatahian and demanding the revocation of execution warrants on eleven other prisoners in Sanandaj Prison. The march was held under conditions equivalent to a curfew.
Seven people were arrested when the SSF raided the crowd and they were taken to an unknown place. Eyewitness reports reported that the SSF even beat old people and women walking on the sidewalks and in the alleys. Some of the agents took photographs of people in the crowds for later identification. Nov. 13 - In Kermanshah at 2:30 PM more than 1200 residents gathered in Shahrak Karmadan Mosque to commemorate the death of Ehsan Fatahian.
Those present had pictures of Ehsan and placards reading “Eshan Fatahian - fallen for freedom”. Young people had hi picture in their hands and on them was written “each of us is an Ehsan”. Nov. 14 - Reports say that some female prisoners in Evin Prison are in critical condition.
Several are reported to have influenza and are in bad shape. The prison authorities have cut off all calls and visits to prevent this news from being reported. Further update here,,, Source: World Threats
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Nov. 10 - A strike was held at the science and Industry University to protest the arrest of Poya Sharifi. Dishes of food were lined up from the university’s self service to the dean’s office. The students chanted “victory is God’s and victory is closer”, “death to the dictator”, neither RGC nor Basij” and “death to this deceiving administration”. Video of this event is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1BcyF0kd9y Nov. 10 - Drivers of the Zanjan Bus Company held a sit-in protesting the dismissal of some drivers. The drivers believe that the regime is illegally breaking up the company and giving parts of it to the regime’s supporters. Nov. 9 - Ehsan Fatahian has gone on a hunger strike to protest against his sentence of death by hanging. Nov. 10 - The workers at the Arak Aluminum Manufacturing Plant held a protest. They have not been paid for three months. Nov. 10 - Female prisoners at Evin Prison are not allowed calls or visitors. This is because they have refused to go into the prison yard at 6:00 Am due to the cold weather. Nov. 8 - The students of Rasht University in Tehran chanted “death to the dictator whether he is the leader or the Dr. (Ahmadinejad)” and threw their shoes and some bottles at Pasdar (RGC member) Safat Harandi the former Guidance Minister of Ahmadinejad’s cabinet. Footage is available here of this event.
Safar Harandi at Rasht University at following links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkXwZAjztxY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b07vIOG71Ao
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBLLAhIEgdQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4AJ9_–Yo Nov. 9 - As a result of the of the protest against Safat Harandi above, Ali Parviz and Soheil Mohammadi were arrested at their homes at midnight by the SSF. The students of Khaje Nasir University went on a hunger strike in protest. Nov. 9 - Large numbers of family members of those arrested during the November Fourth uprising gathered in protest at the visiting area of Evin Prison. They demanded freedom for their family members. Nov. 9 - Thirteen buses full of Basiji were taken to the front of Tehran University. There they demanded that the November fourth protester receive two to six years in prison. And: These events have been reported to World Threats. Here are the names of 23 more detainees from the November Fourth protests. Sara Khoda Dost, 27.
Sedieghe Kashi Chi, 36.
Saba Hashem Khani, 28.
Maryam Shareini, 25.
Eshrin Shahsavari, 46.
Mojtaba Noraei, 29.
Ali Bastami, 20.
Maziyar Norinejad.
Shaheen Farhadi, 24.
Erfan Pargari, 35.
Moshen Aizedah, 27.
Darsa Agh Babaei, 28.
Farhad Mehrabi Moghadas, 28.
Kazem Mir Karimi, 45.
Davood Alimardani, 30.
Amir Hossein Karimi, 25.
Kamran Bagherpanah, 33.
Mehdi Naseeri Fard, 26.
Reza Gangi, 20.
Ehsan Ashrafi, 30.
Babak Mohammadi, 24.
Ahmad Zeai Faze Abadi, 36.
Karim Nosrati, 27. Nov. 9 - The bazaar in Lorestan went on strike on November Fifth. The strike was called due to theft from a gold shop in the bazaar. Nov. 9 - Prices of bread and other necessities have begun to rise. The official daily Etemad wrote, ” after introducing some economic plans regarding subsidies of goods the price of food rose. Reports from the food bazaar say that hth price of one egg has risen from 120 Tomans to 150 Tomans and even the price of bread has risen. In some regions of Tehran the price of Sangak bread is up to 2000 Tomans and Barbari bread is up to 600 Tomans. The prices of cleaning solutions too have risen. Price of one kilo of sugar cubes has risen from 830 to 960 Tomans”. Analysis. World threats reported on a Debka article a few days ago that said that the food subsidy funds were being put under the direct control of Ahmadinejad. These price rises are the obvious result. Source: World Threats
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Ali Akbar Hashimi Rafsanjani, the head of the Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Council, revealed that his statements supporting Khamenei were false. The FARS News Agency, which belongs to the RGC, quoted Rafsanjani as saying, “Honorable Ayatollah Khamenei is unique in leadership and the best person for the Supreme Leadership is he”. The Regime has hanged 14 people in the last 14 days. three of them were women. Davood Farbacheh Ardebili is to be hanged for the crime of “fighting against God”. More than 2000 journalists and reporters have been fired since the presidential election. Four hundred others have either left Iran or are attempting to leave Iran.
The organization Reporters Without Borders reports that those in jail are denied legal representation and their lawyers are not allowed to see the evidence against them. Show trials and forced confessions are still proceeding across the country. Some people are being tricked into confessing with the promise of lighter sentences. In the case of Nasser Abdolhosseini, 22, he confessed based upon the promise of a lighter sentence. He was then sentenced to death. Anti-regime graffiti is still appearing all over Iran. Three Special Security officers were killed in Hajiabad township in Hormozgan Province in a clash with demonstrators. Criminal prisoners in Evin Prison are being allowed to attack political prisoners. An imprisoned cleric named Roghani gave the sermon at a prayer service. He called the political prisoners monafeqs (hypocrites) saying that whoever killed them will be rewarded in this life as well as in Heaven. In Islam, a hypocrite is a person who accepts and then rejects Islam. He is more loathed than the unbeliever. Zahra Jabari, 35, is on a hunger strike in Ward 209 of Evin Prison protesting her undetermined status. She is not doing well according to her mother. An unknown man attempted to immolate himself in front of the Parliament building. Source: World Threats
 These events have been reported to World Threats. The Representative Organ of Khamenei which is responsible for protecting the Supreme Leader’s interest in schools is sending students to the disciplinary committee without reason.
A number of them are being kicked out of their dorms. The Law and Political Science students keep putting anti-Khamenei slogans and anti-Mojtaba (Khamenei’s son) slogans on the department bulletin boards. Gilan University is under 100% ID check. Laborers at the Haft Tapeh Cane Sugar Company went on strike. They have not been paid for two months. The owner of the company called in security forces to break the strike. The residents of Bandar Abbas honked their horns after a soccer match between Persoplis and Esteghlal. The renovation of the Tehran Metro (subway) is not going forward due to disputes between the national administration and the city of Tehran administration. One prisoner in Evin Prison has reportedly been exposed to the Swine flu. The doctors are trying to get him removed from the prison but are not able to. Abdolfattah Sultani, lawyer and defender of human rights, was barred from traveling to Nuremberg, Germany to receive this years’ award for human rights. Today ALi Larijani, Speaker of the Majlis (Parliament), appeared at Sharif University. The only students allowed into the hall were Basiji. Outside the building the students chanted “a student will die but not surrender” and “death to the dictator”. On his way into the hall he met students sitting in the hall. At that point he evidently lost control. Some Basiji students were there also but were not sure of what to do. The students dispersed after a half an hour and went outside the hall. The student crowd protesting Larijani was estimated at 1000. Photos of the audience for Larijani’s speech will be available on the World Threats YouTube page. Source: World Threats
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Thousands of students at Tehran’s Technical Free University held a protest coincident with the protests at Sanati Sharif University.
They chanted “death to the dictator” and “Allah O Akbar”. Alameh Tabatabaee University students protested against the dormitory situation and the suppressive security situation. These protests occurred on September 29. Students residing in the dormitories of Tehran University have been told that “any gathering without permission is taken into account as a violation of regulations and those who participate in forming the gatherings or participating in it which would lead to violence will be punished according to the regulations.” Students in buildings are being given letters throwing them out of the dorms for anti-government activities. Some 100 to 350 students are effected. These students have no other place to stay in Tehran. The Discipline Committee of Tehran University has apparently been replaced by the Harasat, a government security department. Ayatollah Yazdi failed to attend the recent sessions of the Assembly of Experts. The reason for this absence, illness or disagreement with Rafsanjani, is unknown. Nine new names of detainees from the Qods Day protests.
Ramin Kazemi, 28.
Nafise Alizadeh, 27.
Poya Gohari Hamedani, 20.
Ali Mohseni Poor, 23.
Abbas Mohammad Baygi, 30.
Zahra Mohammadi Fazel, 26.
Mohammad Hassan Godzari, 29.
Kaveh Soleimani, 21.
Pedram Poor Mohammad,24.
All of these people are reported to have been transferred to Evin Prison. These protest activities occurred during a soccer match between Perseoplis and Esteghlal. Riot police were stationed two agents per ten meters on all the roads leading to Azadi Stadium.
Each spectator was searched three times before being allowed to enter the stadium. Plainclothes officers were very evident within the crowd. Approximately 100,000 people attended the game and another 20,000 were unable to get into the stadium. The soccer match ended up in a tie. This caused a riot and chants of “we don’t want a match manipulated by politics. This is collusion.” What wasn’t announced about Ahmadinejad’s visit to the UN. An employee of the Iranian Representative’s office in Iran admitted that Ahmadinejad was hated and isolated while in New York. The employee said, “Ahmadinejad was very nervous during his visit. When one of us wanted to inform him of the protest gatherings he said with anger that he didn’t want to know anything about this.” In an interview with one of the sites close to Mousavi he added, “we tried to schedule meetings with other heads of government but in vain.
As a result Ahmadinejad attacked Manoucher Motaki the Foreign Minister and Khazaee Iran’s ambassador to the for what he called lack of coordination.Iranians in New York which had great reflection in US media was the other thing that attracted the attentions away from Ahmadinejad himself.” when Ahmadinejad finished his speech 70% of the seats were empty. (See previous posting for an interpretation of Ahmadinejad’s speech.) Source: World Threats
 These events have been reported to World Threats. These people have been reported as arrested during the Qods Day demonstrations. Saeed Feraidoni, 24.
Amir Abdollahi, 28.
Majid Mahmoodianfar, 27.
Sajad Ghanbari Farsani, 21.
Karim Samadi, 30.
Mohaamad Hosseini, 18. On Monday and Tuesday, hundreds of families of detainees gathered in front of Evin Prison, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Revolutionary Courts. They were seeking information on their family members. In an interview of Kazem Jalali, head of the Parliament’s Security Commission, by the Fars news agency, about the fact that the National Council of Resistance of Iran had revealed the existence of the new nuclear site near Qom, Jalali said, “I don’t know what the Monafegin (PMOI) did but we do not have to announce a site before we finish it by law. Monafegin are trying to disrupt the negotiations.” The existence of this site was revealed by the NCRI in Paris on December 20, 2005. The Iranian judiciary has approved the death penalty for Hossein Alipour, 16, of Rasht. His offense was not reported. Two members of the Intelligence Bureau were killed during clashes last night. They had surrounded a house and warned the residents to come out and surrender themselves. The occupants of the house fired back and the two agents were killed. Three other agents were injured. the condition of the occupants of the residence is not reported. Mini-bus drivers protested on Monday, Sept. 28 that they had not received the promised new mini-buses. At 1730 last night, clashes began between demonstrators and security fores under Karimkhan Zand Bridge.
The security forces began to beat people as they organized to march to Haft-e-Tir Square.
Plainclothes officers on motorcycles were carrying baseball bats. these forces had been stationed in the area since 1550. Every 15 minutes the motorcycle officers would maneuver in the streets to intimidate the protesters. One lady sprayed with tear gas and one youth was arrested. A large number of students at Razi University in Kermanshah have been summoned to the Disciplinary Committee of the university. The students are being charged with “arousing disorder and breaking public belongings of the university”. the students defense is that the actions were political. Additional videos from Iran will be posted on the world Threats page on YouTube shortly. Source: World Threats
 By Bob Unruh A class action lawsuit has been filed by an Iranian woman now living in Los Angeles whose brother was jailed and tortured to death by the regime of Muslim leaders in Iran, seeking in excess of $10 billion in damages. The case was filed by Larry Klayman of FreedomWatchUSA.org on behalf of Nasrin Mohammadi, whose brother, Akbar, was a protester for freedom and rights during the 1990s. According to the filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Akbar Mohammadi was a student at the University of Tehran and was a critic of the Iranian regime. He was arrested during protrests that followed the closure of a reformist newspaper. "The protests were non-violent, but this did not stop the Iranian police and government agents from using violence and force to disperse and punish the protesters. … Akbar was taken into custody," the lawsuit explains. "While in prison, Akbar was subjected to repeated bouts of torture and cruel and unusual forms of punishment, causing him to go deaf, and be in a constant state of agony. … It was recommended by doctors that he be transferred to other countries for treatment … but this request was denied." Eventually his medications even were denied him, the claim states. "Finally on July 31st, 2006, Akbar was murdered in Evin prison during a torture session, his long grueling prison term mercilessly ended by the regime," it states. Akbar Mohammadi's sister, Nasrin, a plaintiff in the action, experienced the torture of her brother "through visits with him and communications back and forth." She "has been a witness to the brutality that was inflicted upon her brother," the case says. Filed as a class action move on behalf of victims of Iran-sponsored terror, the claim names Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Islamic leader Ayatollah Sayid Ali Hoseyni Khamenei and the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution. "This class action is brought by the lead plaintiff on behalf of all Iranians who have had their civil and human rights violated, been assaulted, battered, tortured and even murdered to keep a vicious, illegitimate and inhuman radical regime in power, all at the expense of the great, courageous, pro-Western, extremely well educated and highly sophisticated Persian civilization and its people who have a history of living in freedom and want to be free from repression and violations of basic human rights once again," the case states. Klayman told WND the Iranian people are considered a key to the Middle East. "They deserve the right to be free," he said. Nasrin Mohammadi, he said, is a hero. "She is putting herself out for brother, who she loved deeply," he said. A video interview with Klayman and Nasrin has been posted on YouTube: The lawsuit was filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act and cites allegations of supporting terror, torture, assault, battery and wrongful death. Klayman told WND the action seeks justice for Akbar Mohammadi. It also is intended to show President Obama he needs to speak out on behalf of those freedom protesters who even in recent weeks have been challenging the authoritarian regime of Ahamdinejad and the Islamic leaders. "What he has been doing is a disgrace to the heritage of our country," Klayman said. Along with a jury trial, the action seeks judgements against the defendants "for compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorneys' fees, costs and such other relief as this court deems just and proper in an amount in excess of Ten Billion USD." "The court has subject matter jurisdiction over this case under the Alien Tort Claims Act and the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991. … Defendants Ahmadinejad and Khamenei are subject to suit in the courts of the United States pursuant to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act," the claim explains. WND reported earlier when Klayman took on another dictator, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. His lawsuit filed on behalf of a class of torture victims in Venezuela later was expanded to add the CITGO corporation as a defendant, a move the attorney for the plaintiffs said will provide a source of damage payments. The case originally was filed against Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez by Klayman seeking damages for "assault, supporting terrorism, crimes against humanity, violations of civil and human rights, torture" and other crimes. The case was filed on behalf of a class of victims in Venezuela who allegedly were subjected to torture, threats and massive rights violations by the defendants "and their agents, and also acting in concert with, aiding, abetting, facilitating, soliciting, directing, orchestrating and conspiring with the Colombian paramilitary group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), al-Qaida and the Taliban, and other terrorist groups, nation states and their collaborators in those atrocities." Source: WND
By Hossein Shahidi 
Several Iranian journalists were imprisoned for reporting on post-election demonstrations My friends and colleagues Jila Baniyaghoob and Bahman Ahmadi-Amouee have spent more than 45 days in Tehran's Evin prison - without charge. They are being held in Evin's Ward 209, where 'security' or political prisoners are kept. They are among some 30 Iranian journalists jailed following protests against the declared results of Iran's presidential elections on June 12, whose names have been recorded by Reporters Without Borders and the Association of Iranian Journalists. Last week, Jila's mother and Bahman's brother were allowed to see them, separately, for 10 minutes each at the prison. Jila's mother, Eshrat Ouliayi, said Jila had lost weight and looked "emaciated". For those who have seen Jila before, thin and petite, this is very worrying. Bahman is bigger. But the court appearance by former president Mohammed Khatami's deputy, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, has shown what could happen to even larger people after such a long stay in prison. Professionalism and compassion  Bahman and Jila were arrested
shortly after the June 12 electionI first met Jila in 2004 in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. She had been invited to speak at a conference organised by the Afghan Women Journalists' Forum, with which I was working as a UN gender and media specialist. She was impressive because of her courage and professional commitment and her personal passion for the people about whom she wrote, including the people of Afghanistan, as shown in this article, A Journey to Afghanistan. I then met Jila in Tehran, along with her husband Bahman, another professional journalist. I have learned much from their reports and books. Read more here ... Source: Al Jazeera (English)
 | | At least 500 people are believed to have been arrested during the mass protests in Iran [File: EPA] | | Iranian authorities have released 140 people detained during a crackdown on protesters following last month's disputed presidential election. The detainees were freed on Tuesday during a visit to the Evin prison in the capital, Tehran, by a parliamentary committee investigating prisoners' conditions. The protesters were among at least 500 people believed to have been arrested during demonstrations that erupted after the June 12 vote, which resulted in the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the country's president. Kazem Jalili, a spokesman for the committee, said another 150 people remain in detention across Iran and could be released soon, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Also detained are 50 "political figures and members of counter-revolutionary or foreign groups who meddled in the riots", Jalili said. Reports of abuse The move on Tuesday followed an order from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, to close a second detention centre where opposition protesters were detained. Iranian state media said the Kahrizak centre was closing because authorities there were unable to preserve detainees' rights. Alireza Ronaghi, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, said the parliamentary committee was initially motivated to launch its investigation after reports of mistreatment and abuse of the prisoners. "But what appears to have been the main reason for the investigation was the death of the son of a highly respected conservative politician," he said. "Mohsen Rouhalamini, who was arrested on July 9, was said to be killed in prison. Authorities said he had died from meningitis, but there were reports that his teeth were smashed. "The news was taken very seriously by the conservatives as it revealed that the violence was spiraling out of control." Although the protests have largely been quelled, political tensions continue to run high in Iran with the defeated candidates refusing to accept the result. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two defeated presidential candidates, say the vote was rigged. Source: Al Jazeera (English)
 By Sabina Amidi
Amid mounting reports of a series of executions carried out by the Iranian authorities in recent days following the disputed presidential elections last month, an Iranian lawyer has given this reporter an insight into the legal struggles he is facing in trying to defend some of those now in detention for participating in opposition protests.
The state-run Fars news agency reported that 20 people were hanged at the Karaj prison west of the capital on Saturday, and another 14 executions elsewhere in Iran have been reported by state media since Wednesday, including six hangings at Teheran's Evin Prison. Many of those executed have been described in state media as drug traffickers - a charge often leveled at dissidents.
Iranian police say that about 1,000 people have been detained for involvement in the public protests that erupted after June 12 presidential elections.
Mir Hossein Mousavi, the defeated candidate who has branded the victory of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fraudulent, has been laying low since last Wednesday while still challenging the results. Source: Jerusalem PostH/T: Weasel Zippers
 Farzad Kamangar, a 33-year-old teacher, journalist and human rights activist, is awaiting execution in Iran's notorious Evin prison. The Islamic regime calls him a terrorist, but his real crime is being a Kurd. Mr. Kamangar taught at an elementary school in the northwestern Iranian city of Kamyaran, where he was a member of the Kurdistan Teachers Union and wrote for various underground human rights publications. He secretly taught his Kurdish students their banned language and told stories about their culture and history. He was detained by Iranian police in Tehran in July 2006 when traveling to visit his brother, a Kurdish activist. He disappeared into the Iranian prison system with no word to his family or friends. After many months, a horror story emerged. In a November 2007 letter smuggled from prison, Mr. Kamangar detailed the many forms of torture to which he had been subjected, including beatings, whippings, electric shocks and solitary confinement in cold, squalid cells. He was deprived of sleep, denied clean clothes and given barely edible food. At one prison, he was subjected to something called "the chicken kebab" administered by the warden, which involved being trussed up and whipped. He was denied medical care to treat his broken body until he was near the point of death. Read more ...Source: The Washington TimesH/T: J.R.
April 26th | Chris Van Buren Reporters without Borders reports that Iranian-American journalist, Roxana Saberi — sentenced last Saturday to 8 years in prison after a sham 1 day closed trial in Tehran — is protesting her detention with a hunger strike. (For more background on Saberi, and her dubious arrest by Iranian authorities, read this profile by her former employer, the BBC.) Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, not typically the most civil liberties friendly, had directly appealed to the Iran’s independent judiciary to process the case of Saberi with openness and transparency. Perhaps he is feeling the pressure of a potential American rapprochement. The visibility of the Saberi case could easily flare up into a full grown diplomatic feud. So far, Secretary Clinton’s language has been measured, though concerned. Might the internet play a constructive role here in changing the diplomatic end game by raising the heat on Iranian authorities? Imagine, it was years before Solzhenitsin could get The Gulag Archipelago published in the West, much less in the Soviet Union. Now, despite all the Iranians’ best efforts at a low key and hack job political trial, anyone with Google can learn the inner workings of Saberi’s detention and moreover Iran’s infamous Evin political prison where she’s being held. While — as AbuAardvark and NetEffect’s Evgeny Morozov have been right to point out — the internet is not radically democraticizing the world, it does raise the embarassment and diplomatic costs of political prisoners. Hard to complain you’ve been shut out of the community of nations when your injustice is plainly on display. And the web is what solves this informational assymetry, even if it can’t shake kings and autocrats. Saberi’s partner, Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, has written an open letter appealing to Iranian authorities. The letter can be read in full here and is circulating on numerous media outlets and websites (BBC, Campaign for Human Rights in Iran to name a few). Source: Internet and Democracy
 Roxana Saberi with former Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called last night for fair treatment of US journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been convicted of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison by Iran's Revolutionary Court. In a rare intervention in judicial proceedings, Mr Ahmadinejad said the Tehran prosecutor should examine the cases against Saberi and Hossein Derakhshan, an Iranian-Canadian blogger who has been behind bars since November. "At the President's insistence, you must do what is needed to secure justice ... in examining these people's charges," said a letter from the President's chief of staff, Abdolreza Sheikholeslami, to prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi. "Take care that the defendants have all the legal freedoms and rights to defend themselves against the charges." Saberi, 31, a former American beauty queen, has been in detention in Tehran's notorious Evin prison since January 31. She was charged with espionage this month and tried last week behind closed doors. Derakhshan has been detained since his arrival in Iran in November last year and is being investigated on charges of insulting Shia imams. US President Barack Obama, who has called for dialogue with Iran since he took office in January, was "deeply disappointed" at Saberi's sentence. Saberi holds both American and Iranian citizenship, but she travelled to Iran on her Iranian passport and this puts her under Iran's jurisdiction. Her sentence on Saturday marks the first time an Iranian-American journalist has been convicted of espionage in Iran. Saberi, whose freelance work has appeared on National Public Radio, the BBC, Fox News and CBS, initially told her parents she was arrested for buying a bottle of wine. Purchasing alcohol is illegal in Iran. Iranian officials said last week Saberi had confessed to charges of passing information to US intelligence agents. But her father, Reza Saberi, told US radio on Saturday his daughter had been "tricked" into a confession and said she told him the investigators promised her a release if she co-operated. Saberi was born in New Jersey. Source: The Australian
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These events have been reported to World Threats.
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