Week 17 - 2012

News of the Prisoners

A- Transfers

• Javad Alikhani beaten and transferred to Evin 209.
• Abbas, 24 years old, Naser, 21 years old and Teh Haydarian, 28 years old, death row Ahvazi-Arab prisoners were transferred out of public ward and taken to undisclosed location.
• Narges Mohammadi transferred to Evin 209.
• Alireza Rejaei transferred to Evin 2A.
• Death row Kurdish prisoner Houshang Rezaei was transferred from Evin to Rejaei Shahr prison.
• Journalist Keyvan Samimi was returned to prison from hospital before completing treatment.
• Ali Sharifi 25 years old, death row Ahvazi-Arab prisoner was transferred out of public ward and taken to undisclosed location.
• Ahwazi Rights Activist, Jabbar Yabbari, 46 years old, admitted to hospital.

B- Arrests/Incarcerations

• Labor activist Zabihollah Bagheri was arrested in Esfahan.
• Student activist Moein Ghamindaz was arrested in Babol on his way home in an ambush by agents and transferred the day after to Sari.
• Rasoul Moghaddam arrested in Karaj.
• Humanrights activist Narges Mohammadi summoned to Evin to serve 6 years sentence.
• Mohammad Reza Roozkhosh arrested in Tehran.
• Ali Salem, student leftist activist transferred to Evin 350 to serve his 2 years sentence.  

C-Liberations 

• Fariborz Arzam, recently arrested Christian, released on bail.
• Political activist and scholar of ethnic studies Ehsan Houshmand was released on bail; he has ear and jaw problems due to torture he suffered. 
• Labor activist Pedram Nasrollahi was released on bail.
• After serving his 6 months sentence, Hossein Nikkhah was released from prison.
• After 50 days in solitary, student activist Hossein Taheri has been released from Shiraz Intelligence detention centre.

D-Other News 

• Despite bail being set by court and posted by family, labor activist Rasoul Badaghi's furlough is prevented.
• Jailed lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh nominated for Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
• Activist Mohammad Tavassoli receives death threats at prison infirmary.

News of injustice in Iran

• Shohreh Azami-Kasaei, Baha’i,  now freed on bail, sentenced to 5 years in prison by court in Semnan.
• A Christian, Farshid Fathi, was sentenced to six years in prison.
• Political prisoner Reza Joshan was acquitted of Moharebeh charges in trial.
• Azari civil activist Mahsa Mehdizadeh was sentenced to 1 year, suspended for 3 years.
• 3 men were hanged in Esfahan prison.
• 5 people hanged inside a prison in the city of Shahroud.

University  - Culture

• Dariush Jalili, who sewed his lips before getting arrested in Yasuj, has been suspended from education.
• Iran to launch new round of crackdown over dress codes in Tehran.
• Iran has shut down 35 traditional tea houses in west Tehran.
• Green Sites Jaras and Kalameh under attacks.

Protests

• Labor groups in Iran have announced spontaneous demonstration on International Labor Day. 

Economy in Iran

• Central Bank's report on inflation; up to 146% increase in prices of food items.
• Price of milk increases for the fourth time since the subsidy removals.
• 100,000 workers fired in one year – Twice more unemployment for women.
• Central Bank Says 22.5 percent of Iranian families are unemployed.
• Indian shipping firms to carry Iran crude despite reduced insurance.
• US dollar = 1780 tomans.
• Ministry of Industry issues a new directive for stockpiling ten basic products.
• Iran grants 100 millions euros to Iranian investors in Tunisia.
• Banana: 3500 tomans in Tehran.
• 557 textile workers, 26 months remain unpaid.

Iran  abroad

• UN has added two Iranians and a company to its sanctions blacklist.
• Iraq PM in Iran for 2-day visit.
• 85 tons of "Humanitarian Aid" from Iran arrives in North Korea.
• Deputy foreign minister visits Kenya.
• Two Iranian pilgrims abducted by “rebel forces” in Syria were handed over to Iranian authorities.
• Lloyd's Register, a leading maritime risk management firm, has shut its operations in Iran due to sanctions.
• Afghanistan, Iran agree prisoner swap - Thousands of Afghan prisoners are held in Iranian jails.
• Iran’s ambassador submits credentials to Tunisian President.
• Syrian economic exhibition scheduled to take place in Iran at the end of the month.
• India expels 40 years old Iranian "student" for spying on Israelis who had no study or research visa for 3 years.

Politics in Iran

• Nowshahr has banned Afghans from city centre because of tourism.
• A government directive makes compulsory for the press to mention its sources.
• After two years; Ahmadinejad attends Expediency Council’s first meeting of new term.
• The head of the operations branch, head of the coordination branch and head of the branch for cultural and societal affairs in the Ghazvin Province Division of the IRGC were the most senior of eleven top IRGC and Basij officers removed from their posts in Ghazvin. No reason was given for the extensive personnel changes.
• Ahmadinejad appointed Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh, his ally who was arrested last year by judicial authorities, as adviser.
• Green site Jaras has been under cyber attack since last week.

Miscellaneous 

• Iranian mosque collapses kills 8.
• During last Persian year; 3364 men and 199 women died from drug abuse.
• Cyber-attack on Iran's oil ministry. Iran unplugs oil terminal from Internet.
• Tehran affected by dust pollution –Again.
• Iran's diplomat accused of child molestation called back from Brazil.
• Spanish police arrested 22 people and broken up a ring that allegedly smuggled people from Iran to Britain.
• Four IRGC members killed, 4 more injured in clashes with PJAK in western Iran.
• Flood hits Imam Hossein Sq. of Mashhad.