Iran: A call to save lives of hunger striking political prisoners

Iran Human Rights Monitor, August 18, 2017 – On July 30, the Warden of Rajaii Shahr Prison along with special execution guards wearing black masks, attacked Hall 12 of Ward 4, beating 53 prisoners there and damaging their belongings. They broke the air conditioners and water purification device, tore up prisoners’ personal photos and notes, and stole their money.
A number of these prisoners are vocal supporters of the Iranian opposition, PMOI/MEK.
The prisoners subsequently transferred to a high security section in this prison which is equipped with CCTV and is separated from the rest of the prison by security dividers. More than 60 surveillance devices and 40 closed-circuit cameras have been installed in this hall to prevent any leakage of reports outside. All openings and windows have been covered and sealed with metal sheets.
Some of them were transferred to solitary confinement with handcuffs and shackles. 18 of these prisoners went on hunger strike to protest harsh treatment by prison authorities and guards as the prisoners were not allowed to take their medicines and personal belongings with them.
The 18 are identified as, Khaled Hardani, Reza Akbari Monfared, Shahin Zoghitabar, Saeid Masuri, Jafar Eghdami, Payam Shakiba, Abolghasem Fuladvand, Hamid Babaei, Hamzeh Savari, Saeid Shirzad, Hassan Sadeghi, Majid Assadi, Loghman and Zanyar Moradi, Ebrahim Firouzi, Reza Shahabi, Amir Ghaziani and Vahid Nasiri.
In solidarity with their fellow inmates, Misters Mohammad Bannazadeh Amirkhizi, and Mohammad Ali Mansouri also staged hunger strike in Hall 10 of Ward4.

Some of the prisoners are presently suffering from poor health as they have been denied their necessary medications and reasonable ventilation in the new building.
Relatives of one of the prisoners expressed concern about these conditions and said, “The Iranian Judiciary’s security system is apparently trying to create concentration-camp-like conditions by stepping up control, imposing more restrictions and depriving prisoners from their basic needs. Security officials in the Judiciary also intend to undermine political prisoners’ power by jeopardizing their health.”
Iranian authorities have attempted in every possible way to force the prisoners to end their hunger strike. They have threatened two death-row inmates, Loghman and Zanyar Moradi, with carrying out their sentences if they continue their hunger strike. They have threatened others by depriving them of any family visits.
This is not the first time that the Iranian regime has targeted defenseless political prisoners who have to go on hunger strike and risk their own health to convey their voice to the outside world.
Human Rights Monitor urges all international human rights organizations and authorities, particularly the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Zayd Raad Al Hussein and the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights, Ms. Asma Jahangir, and the rapporteurs on torture and the right to life to take urgent action to save the lives of these political prisoners and send a delegation to Iran to investigate treatment of political prisoners.
We also call on all democratic governments to make their relations with the Iranian regime conditional upon improvement of the human rights situation in Iran and release of political prisoners.

Paris Conference calls to investigate #1988Massacre in #Iran

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Call for an international commission of inquiry to investigate 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran Human rights, in particular, bringing to justice the officials involved in the 1988 massacre, should be at the core of Iran policy

Human rights defenders, dignitaries, European politicians and the Iranian Resistance called for the formation of an international commission of inquiry into the massacre of political prisoners in Iran in the summer of 1988 and bringing those responsible for this genocide and crime against humanity to justice.

They stressed that the issue of human rights should be at the core of the West’s policy on Iran. They urged the UN, EU and the US to put the issue of flagrant and systematic violation of human rights in Iran on top of their agenda.

The call was made during an exhibition on the 1988 massacre that took place upon the initiative of Mr. Jean-François…

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New Assad chemical attack reported in Eastern Ghouta’s Ein Tarma
Orient Net, Aug 16, 2017– Assad terrorists attacked on Wednesday (August 16) Ein ‎Tarma front in Damascus’ Eastern Ghouta with chlorine or other poisonous gases , leaving tens injured.
Orient News’ Hadi al-Munajed said about 4 ‎fighters from the opposition’s al-Rahman Brigade ‎saw exhibited physical wounds.
“All ‎of them had breathing and lung ‎problems, spanning mild, moderate ‎and severe symptoms, while ‎coughing and having bloodshot eyes‏.‏’
The chemical attack on opposition fighters in Ein Tarma ‎came after the heavy losses inflicted on Assad ‎terrorists and their allied Iran-backed ‎Shia militias.
Military observers said that the chemical attack was expected after the al-Rahman Brigade’s ambush which killed at least 20 Assad terrorists of those serving in the Assad Fourth Division in Damascus Jobar on Wednesday.

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Iranian Resistance Strongly Condemns #Barcelona Terrorist Attack. #BarcelonaAttack http://ncr-iran.org/en/ncri-statements/terrorism-fundamentalism/23394-iranian-resistance-strongly-condemns-barcelona-terrorist-attack … #BarcelonaTerrorAttack

Video-Senior US Senate Delegation, Maryam Rajavi meet in Tirana, Albania

Iran Vilifies Human Rights Defenders as ‘Enemies of the State’

by Siavosh Hosseini 

The Iranian regime has increasingly focused on clamping down on anyone who speaks out against the human rights abuses of its ruling class. One of the key areas where this is demonstrated is in the trials of these individuals. Many lack basic legal representation, and the proceedings are brief. If they do have legal representation, there are often hurdles for them to meet with their lawyers and having access to court files delayed.

Human rights lawyers who speak out against torture and unfair trials have also faced harassment, disbarment, and imprisonment. Trials of human rights defenders generally take place in a climate of fear.

Amnesty International recently launched a global campaign ‘Brave’, calling for an end to attacks against those defending human rights worldwide.

“It is a bitter irony that as the Iranian authorities boast about their increased engagement with the UN and the EU, particularly in the aftermath of the nuclear deal, human rights defenders who have made contact with these same institutions are being treated as criminals,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Rather than propagating the dangerous myth that human rights defenders pose a threat to national security, the Iranian authorities should focus on addressing the legitimate concerns they raise. These are people who have risked everything to build a more humane and just society – it is appalling that they are so viciously punished for their bravery.”

Amnesty International, who released a new report entitled ‘Caught in a web of repression: Iran’s human rights defenders under attack’, is calling on the EU to speak out in the strongest terms against the persecution of human rights defenders in the country.

“The international community, and in particular the EU, must not stay silent over the outrageous treatment of human rights defenders in Iran,” said Luther. “Instead of appeasing Iranian officials, the EU should forcefully call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those jailed for their peaceful human rights activism and for an end to the misuse of the justice system to silence activists.”

This recent report detailed the crackdown on human rights defenders in a variety of key areas, including the death penalty, women’s rights, and trade unionists, just to name a few.

Over the past four years, Iran’s judiciary have dropped the threshold for invoking the vague national security-related charges, while increasing the length of prison sentences for these individuals. Many of their crimes include contacting the UN and the EU, as well as international agencies focused on human rights.

via  Iran Vilifies Human Rights Defenders as ‘Enemies of the State’ — The Media Express

Why is Tehran terrified of US senators meeting with the Iranian opposition?

Maryam Rajavi

by Amir Basiri

Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., met with National Council of Resistance of Iran President Maryam Rajavi and members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Rajavi thanked the senators for their firm position toward Iran, especially the adoption of new sanctions against the ruling regime and the Revolutionary Guards for their human rights abuses, Iran’s ballistic missile program, and the export of terrorism.

The Iranian regime has constantly tried to downplay the role and influence of the opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and its main constituent, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), by portraying them as marginal and insignificant. Yet, its mainstream media and top officials are constantly betraying the regime’s real feelings and fear of the group.

The latest episode came after U.S. senators visited the organization’s headquarters in Tirana, Albania. Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., met with NCRI President Maryam Rajavi and members of the MEK, and discussed the latest developments in Iran and the Middle East as well as solutions to end the current crisis in that region.

Rajavi thanked the senators for their firm position toward Iran, especially the adoption of new sanctions against the ruling regime and the Revolutionary Guards for their human rights abuses, Iran’s ballistic missile program, and the export of terrorism.

Less than a day later, dozens of mainstream media outlets representing all factions and branches of the Iranian regime expressed concern about the lawmakers’ visit, calling it a provocative move meant to cause instability in Iran.

The visit comes as the Trump administration is reviewing its policy toward Iran’s nefarious activities, and cabinet officials have hinted at supporting regime change, a goal that the MEK and NCRI have been calling for since 1981.

The Iranian regime and its backers in the West try to portray support for regime change as a path that will lead to another military invasion in the region, and a possible repeat of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. However, the NCRI believes that the Iranian people and their resistance movement are fully capable of achieving regime change without the need for a foreign intervention.

In her meeting with the senators, Rajavi emphasized that contrary to the propaganda by the Iranian regime’s apologists, the ruling theocracy is rotten to the core and very fragile. Without foreign support, especially the policy of appeasement pursued in the U.S. and Europe, it would not have survived so long.

She added that regime change in Iran is necessary and within reach because a viable and democratic alternative exists.

The Iranian regime is increasingly extremely worried about the momentum that is building around the NCRI’s goal. In April, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made a similar trip to Albania and met with the MEK and NCRI’s leadership. Other U.S. dignitaries and politicians attended the group’s annual rally in Paris last month, where they underlined the necessity for regime change in Iran.

The regime is also having trouble containing MEK’s increased activism inside Iran. In the run-up to the May’s presidential elections, despite the numerous threats issued by regime officials and Iran’s security apparatus, the group’s supporters carried out widespread campaigns across Iran, denouncing the undemocratic nature of the elections and exposing the criminal history of the candidates.

The trip of U.S. lawmakers to Tirana is one more problem the Iranian regime will have to deal with as it is faced with an opposition that is growing in influence and support, and it no longer has the advantage of a U.S. administration geared toward appeasement and concessions.

Originally published in the   washingtonexaminer

Iran Wary as Opposition Meets With US Senators

Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi (L-center) meets with US senators in Albania (Photo: courtesy)

BY SHAHRIAR KIA 

How to deal with Iran has become a very controversial and complex matter for the Trump administration. Washington is currently weighing how to tackle Tehran’s belligerence through adopting a comprehensive Iran policy.

Delivering a significant blow to Tehran, a delegation of prominent United States senators were in the Balkans last weekend, visiting leaders and members of the Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

The delegation consisted of

• Senators Roy Blunt vice president of the Republican Conference and member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and Administration, Commerce, Science and Transportation committees
• John Cornyn, the majority whip and a member of the Judiciary, Select Intelligence and Finance committees
• Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees

Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) — the political coalition consisting of the PMOI/MEK and a slate of other Iranian dissident groups and individuals — hosted the American senators for a meeting to discuss recent developments regarding Iran and the entire Middle East.

“Led by Senator Blunt, the delegation congratulated the safe and secure relocation of all Camp Liberty residents outside of Iraq and wished them success in their struggle for democracy and human rights in Iran,” according to an NCRI statement.

Rajavi took advantage of the occasion to extend her gratitude to the actions taken by the U.S. Senate, especially by Senator Blunt, to safeguard and protect thousands of MEK members during their stay at the camp in Iraq.

The MEK also enjoyed senate support during their tumultuous campaign of relocating each and every member outside of Iraq to safety.

This high-profile visit comes only three months after a similar visit by Senator John McCain, chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee, back in April when McCain met with NCRI President Rajavi and briefly visited the MEK members.

Especially since 2009 and onward, McCain has been a fierce critic of Tehran and strong supporter of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom and democracy. He is especially known for his passionate tribute to the young Iranian woman Neda Agha Sultan who died “with her eyes open” on the streets of Tehran during the Green Revolution.

This significant meeting between a delegation of American senators and the Iranian opposition adds to Tehran’s long list of concerns.

New Congressional sanctions have placed Iran under extreme restrictions due to its ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and proxy terror groups across the Middle East, and gross human rights abuses.

Iran, however, will not be reining in its belligerence any time soon.

“Iran’s parliament gave initial approval on Sunday to a bill to boost spending on Tehran’s missile program and the elite Revolutionary Guards in retaliation for new sanctions imposed by the United States,” according to Reuters.

This move would provide over $260 million to both Iran’s ballistic missile program and the terrorist-designated IRGC Quds Force.

Trump has signaled his intention of holding Iran in non-compliance with the pact aimed at curbing the regime’s nuclear program. Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the United Nations, has plans to meet with Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, prior to this organization’s set schedule to issue its September report on Iran’s nuclear program.

With such a move looming, Tehran received an important message from the meeting in Tirana. Senior congressional members are taking the lead in establishing an increasing consensus to take action in line with regime change policy in the face of the mullahs in Iran.

Shahriar Kia

Shahriar Kia is a political analyst and member of Iranian opposition (PMOI/MEK). He graduated from North Texas University.Twitter

Source: Iran Wary as Opposition Meets With US Senators | Clarion Project

 

Before Anyone Further Appeases Iran…

The pro-Iran deal camp is recently making much noise about how the Trump administration and critics of the pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are making rightful complaints of the text failing to address Iran’s destructive belligerence in the Middle East. These are valid concerns, considering the fact that even […]

via Before Anyone Further Appeases Iran… — Iran Commentary

Feminine Face of Poverty in Iran

This video clip has been posted on the internet from Iran: 

Look. Behind me is a woman covered up in veil (chador); she’s wearing a mask to prevent being identified. She is looking through the garbage and trash containers in this late hour of night. She’s looking to find and collect something that she might need to stay alive.
I don’t know but such people seem to be really honorable. When a woman wraps up herself in a chador and does not want to be recognized and looks through the garbage, it means that she’s been left no other way. There is no organization and no agency in our country to support them and they have to live in this way.
Is this really what the situation in our country is? Is this the motto in this country about chastity and veil and is this the way they support women?