Week 48 - 2011

News of the Prisoners

A-Transfers

• Aria Aramnejad transferred from Intelligence Ministry in Sari to Babol prison, still in solitary.
• Mostafa Daneshjou, lawyer of Gonabadi dervishes, transferred to common ward in Evin.
• Labor activist Afshin Osanlo has been transferred to a hospital after being whipped with cable.
• Reza Shahabi Taken to Hospital . 

B- Arrests/Incarcerations

• Ahmad Reza Ahmadpoor begins serving his sentence in Ahvaz prison.
• Davoud Bahmanabadi summoned and arrested by Intelligence Ministry on 23rd November is in Evin. No contact with his family since.
• Baha'i Vahdat Dana was summoned and arrested by Intel in Shiraz.
• Baha'i Afshin Ehsanian was summoned and arrested by Intel in Shiraz.
• Abduction and detention of Mohammad Rashid Hedayati, Isfahan Azad University student.
• Baha'i Haleh Houshmandi was summoned and arrested by Intel in Shiraz.
• Arrest of Keyvan Karami a Baha'i citizen in Shiraz.
• Baha'i Farham Maasomi was summoned and arrested by Intel in Shiraz.
• Shahnaz Nejati, wife of workers’rights activist Ali Nejati arrested. 
• Sunni Molana Hafez Mohammad Ali Shahbakhsh was summoned by Cleric's Court in Mashhad on November 23rd and arrested.

C- Liberations

• Wife and mother Sabah Khademi released from Iran prison after serving 1 year for "promoting the Baha'i faith".
• Vice President of the Syndicate of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Co Ebrahim Madadi released on furlough after 3 years in prison.
• Sahba Rezvani released after serving her sentence.

D-Other News 

• Kurdish prisonner Mohayedin Ebrahimi is on hunger strike in Urmiah prison protesting 1 year of limbo status
• Successful end to hunger strike in Yazd Prison.
• Within the last week guards have raided Ward 1 of Karoon prison in Ahvaz twice. Ward 1 holds 60 prisoners among them are political prisoners:  Zia Nabavi, Sakhi Riggi, Yousef Fotoohi and Aslan Doudkanloo are some of them. 

News of injustice in Iran

• Shahoo Ahmadi, Kurd living in Marivan, sentenced to 7 years in prison.
• Ahmad Reza Ahmadpour verbally informed of increase of his sentence to 5 years.
• Christian Alireza Sayeidian has been sentenced to 6 years in prison+fines+90 lashes.
• Court of Appeals has upheld hand amputation sentence for man convicted of theft.
• A man was hanged in Qom Sunday morning.
• 9 hangings on Tuesday of which 1 woman, 2 in public in Kermanshah and 1 in Saveh.

University  - Culture

• Qom clerics to receive Bachelor degrees.
• Farhad Moshiri, Shirin Neshat, Afshin PirHashemi & Reza Derakhshani, among 2010/2011 TOP 500 Contemporary artists. 
• Farman Fathalian, singer, banned from performing and singing his Sufi works; he declares that if the ban is not lifted, he will leave the country.
• Amin Khaleghian, chemistry student in Babolsar banned from education; he was detained some days during post-elections events but was acquitted by court.
• The Alumni Association issues a statement condemning the attack on UK Embassy.
• The interior space of the House Of Nassir al Doleh, considered as the most complete house in Tehran, destroyed.
• 12 Internet cafes shut down in Qazvin.
• Zoroastrians protest construction near their holy site in Yazd.

Economy in Iran

• Indictments issued for former Saderat Bank CEO Jahromi over $2.6b fraud case. 27 more people connected with the bank embezzlement case have been arrested.
• Sasol said it had entered talks to potentially divest from its operations in Iran

Protests

• The family of the late Ayatollah Montazeri, has published a statement expressing thanks and appreciation to all those wishing to participate in a memorial ceremony marking the second anniversary of his death, and announcing that the family has decided not to hold a formal memorial ceremony in Qom, because of concern for the safety of participants and fear of arrests.
• Protest of students at Varamin Azad University on Monday.
• 40 workers at a factory in Kurdistan Province have been dismissed from their jobs after not receiving salaries for four months. The workers have gone on strike several times over the past few months to protest their pay being held.

Iran  abroad

• Iranian arrested in Indonesia for smuggling refugees.
• Kuwait’s MP accused of role in Iran nuke program.
• Iran Ambassador in Lebanon asks Lebanese and Palestinian groups (eg Hamas, Hezbollah) to support Assad worldy and physically.
• Hungary forbids Iranian Foreign Minister's plane to pass, then his visit to Netherlands is cancelled.
• South Korea joins the boycott of Iranian oil.
• Oman quits Hormoz petrochemical project.
• Ban Ki-Moon to visit Iran in 2012.
• UN rights expert starts probing Iran rights abuses.
• Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maleki to visit Iran.
• Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister to attend an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Saudi Arabia to solve Syrian problem.
• Thursday’s E.U. meeting: new sanctions against Iran, including 219 new names to be added to the black listIranian Embassy in UK announces all services have been interrupted until further notice.
• European Union fails to reach an agreement to impose an embargo on Iran oil, but imposed sanctions on 180 other People and companies.
• IRI Embassy in Bern attacked. 2 of the people who threw incendiary devices arrested.
• German prosecutor: Iran was planning to attack US military bases in Germany.
• Domestic Affairs Minister travels to Armenia.
• Japan considering new sanctions against Iran.
• US Senate approves sanctions on Iran Central bank.
• Mohammad Mostafaee meets with Ahmad Shaheed.

Politics in Iran

• Islamic Iran Participation Front and the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution barred from elections.
• Iran's parliament voted Sunday to downgrade diplomatic and economic ties with United Kingdom in retaliation for fresh Western sanctions; British ambassador to be expelled in 2 weeks; Foreign Office vowed to react "robustly" if Iran expels British ambassador. On Tuesday, Guardian Council approves reducing relations with Britain. The same day, the Embassy is invaded and ransacked by bassidji, Union Jack is torn and burnt; the Golhak compound, which is the Ambassador’s residence, is invaded too and 6 people are kept for some hours. After unanimous condemnation of international community, the authorities pretend that it was spontaneous protest and they send security forces to evacuate the Embassy. Hague says Iran will face 'serious consequences' over embassy attack. On Wednesday, UK removes all embassy staff from Iran and gives 48h00 to staff of Iranian embassy in Great Britain to leave the country; all European countries recall their Ambassadors in Iran; Norway closes its Embassy; it reopens on Friday. China and Russia condemn attack on UK embassy in Tehran. 11 Basij members arrested during attack on compound in Gholhak, released on Thursday. On the same day, European diplomats go to this compound where military cemetery of Allies is located; journalists banned from entering.
• Ahmadinejad's camp blames Tehran Mayor and Parliament Speaker for "suspicious" UK Embassy attack.
• Special Basij unit unveiled and ready to suppress any potential protests in Iran. 
• Iran threatens to bomb Turkey if U.S. or Israel attacks its nuclear installations.
• Iran newspaper staff file charges against attackers.
• Rahim Masha’i resigned from the position of government’s head of cultural commission.
• Ayatollah Dastgheib calls Guardian Council the root of Iran's crises.

Miscellaneous 

• MehrAbad Airport in Tehran to be closed.
• Very loud explosion heard in Isfahan Monday at 2:40pm local time. Alireza Zakeri, governor of Isfahan claims that blast took place during military exercises at a military airbase 
• Residents of Asalouyeh have been banned from donating blood because of high pollution levels in the city.