Week 04 - 2012

News of the Prisoners

A-Transfers

• Incarcerated journalist Masoud Bastani transferred to Sina hispotal.
• Incarcerated student activist Mohammad Reza Karbalaei Aghamaleki has been moved to solitary in Babol prison.
• Blogger/Human Rights activist Hossein Ronaghi Maleki has been returned to Evin from hospital.
• Abdollah Momeni in critical condition after his transfer to Evin clinic.

B- Arrests/Incarcerations

• Mohammad Ahadi, civic activist, violently arrested in Babolsar.
• Isa Bararkhani, civic activist, violently arrested in Babolsar.
• Mobin Jafari, civic activist, arrested in Babolsar.
• Ghaleb Manabi, prominent Arab singer arrested in Ahvaz together with his brother Hasan.
• Shahram Manoucheri, media activist arrested.
• Ebrahim Rashidi arrested during the raid against Afshin Shahbazi’s home.
• Journalist Saïd Razavi Faghih arrested upon return at the airport and transferred to Evin.
• Roozbeh Saadati civic activist, violently arrested in Myaneh.
• Afshin Shafeï, student in Leicester, arrêté.
• Tabriz University student activist Afshin Shahbazi was arrested in a raid of his home 
• Mousavi campaign activist Yaser Yousefzadeh arrested violently in a raid of his home in Babolsar.
• Activist Yoones Zareon arrested during a raid against his home at Tabriz.

C-Liberations 

• After one month on hunger strike, Mehdi Sadat Sharif at last released.

D-Other News 

• Hossein Ronaghi Maleki underwent surgery for the 5th time in this year at Hasheminejad hospital.
• 133 world intellectuals and academics  addressed a letter to Khamenei, urging the freedom of  Ebrahim Yazdi.
• No more fuel for heating Evin prison.

News of injustice in Iran

• 74 lashes added to Asal Esmailzadeh sentence.
• Milad Karimi, Kurdish student activist, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
• Sepehr Sobhani sentenced to 1 year in prison.
• 372 are prosecuted in Malayer for operating satellite dish; Head of judiciary trying to ban internet use.
• IRI has secretly hanged a pilot in Shiraz.
• A 85 years old man sentenced to death.

University  - Culture

• Iran getting help from Syria in jamming its programs.
• Two Oscar nominations for Farhadi “A Separation” Farhadi : best  original screen play and best foreign film.
• ESLAH Sunni news website, affiliated with the Reformists, was blocked by the government.
• An Iranian scientist awarded world prize for best cancer research. Farsi language movie channel Nomayesh (Display) officially launched on January 24.
• Student journal, Yare Dabestani at Gorgan Agriculture University has been banned.

Economy in Iran

• Owning USD will be considered trafficking. Those holding USD have two weeks to sell it to Central Bank.
• Those who travel to Iran with more than $1000, should declare their currency.
• Exchange rate on Jan 21st for 1 US Dollar: 1900 Toman -- for 1 Euro: 2500 Toman - for 1 pound: 3000 Toman – On Jan 22nd 1$: 2060 Toman – On Jan 25th : 1 $ : 2200 Toman -- 1 Euro: 2700 Toman -  1 £ : 3400 Toman –  On Jan 24th : 1$ = 2300 toman – On Jan 26th : 1 $ : 1730 Toman -- 1 Euro: 2350 Toman - 1 £: 2970 Toman.
• An Iranian refinery closes.
• Gold coins increased 135% in 10 months.
• Iran owns billions of euros in European banks. 
• China's oil imports from Iran jumped by 30% in 2011 compared to 2010. 
• Price of gold coins has risen 135% over the past 10 months.
• On Jan. 22nd, 1 liter of milk = 1050 toman – on Jan. 23rd = 1200 toman.
• China, India and South Africa ask Iran to produce more oil.
• Energy minister ask for 20% increase in water costs as from Iranian New Year.
• Only 18% of Iranian oil is sold to European; 65% is sold to China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey.
• Iran increases interest rates to try and support rial.
• Food products increase 35% in last 12 months ending in last November.
• Price of imported food item up 50% since last month.
• LG and Samsung offices remain closed; they sell almost nothing.
• India will pay a great part of its Iranian oil imports through barter. 

Protests

• Nearly 50 producers of agricultural fertilizers gathered in front of the northern entrance to the parliament and protested the closure of their factories due to a lack of governmental support.

Iran  abroad

• Iraqi PM Maleki announced 17 Jan  they have issued arrest warrants for 120 MKO members.
• Iranians will no longer be able to get permanent residency in Canada through investment.
• Iran-linked terror group plotted to kill Israeli teachers in Baku.
• EU to boycott Iran oil starting July 1, 2012.
• US imposes sanctions on Iranian state-owned bank Tejarat and affiliate bank, Trade Capital Bank.
•  Iran became rotating head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for Asia.
• Isfahan, Kyoto named sister cities. 
• Mohammad Ali Ghanezadeh Ezabadi (currently ambassador to South Africa) appointed Ambassador in Brazil.
• Iran’s tourism pavilion was present at the 32nd International Tourism Fair in Madrid.
• A group of Iranian students gathered in front of the International Telecommunications Union in Geneva to call for action against Iranian government policies that limit access to media.

Politics in Iran

• Heads of IRGC become vocal in their critics against supreme leader.
• Four former IRGC commanders die within four days.
• Danish Ambassador summoned over oil boycott.
• Rafsanjani sends his condolences to the families of two recently deceased IRGC commandants when Khamenei remains silent.
• Nader Ghazipour, Majlis member from Oroumiyeh, who had protested the environmental crisis in his region, Abdolajabbar Karami, an independent representative for Sanandaj, Abbas Aminifar, chaplain of Khamenei and Bahman Sharifzadeh,  cleric close to Mashaei, are disqualified for March elections.
• Minister of Economic Affairs summoned to Majlis to explain the continued collapse of Iranian currency against the US dollar. 

Miscellaneous 

• Armed attack on military personnel in Khoramabad -Lorestan province; one killed.
• Mousavi's uncle Mir Abbas Mousavi has passed away.
• The Sunni Friday Prayer Imam in Rask, Sistan & Baluchestan Province(SE IR) was assassinated on Friday.
• Plan for Gender Separation in Iran’s Hospitals.
• Passenger boat sinks off Iran, 17 casualties; Rescue teams saved 5 passengers.
• Military officer shot dead in west Iran by two motorcyclists.
• Newspapers report that women working in Tehran administrations begin wearing a uniform.