Week 44 - 2012

Prisoners’ News

A- Transfers

• Hossein Ronaghi Maleki was taken to hospital in poor condition and returned to prison later after checked by doctors.

B- Arrests/Incarcerations

• Alireza Almasian, religious dissident, arrested in Karaj and sent to Evin 2009.
• Akbar Amini arrested during raid against Pen Club.
• Dari Amri, Baha’i from Mashhad, begins serving his 6 months sentence.
• Satar Beheshti arrested in Robat Karim.
• Erfan Ehsani, Baha’i from Semnan, begins serving his 1 year sentence
• Peyman Fattahi, religious dissident, arrested in Karaj and sent to Evin 2009.
• Shirin Foroughian, Baha’i from Sari, arrested at home without warrant.
• Mahdieh Golroo arrested during the raid of the Pen society was released.
• Dr. Mehdi Khazali arrested in the raid of the Pen Society meeting is in Evin 209 and launched a dry hunger strike.
• Abdolnaser Mahimani back to Amir Abad prison in Gorgan.
• Despite suffering from epilepsy, 60 years old Zahra Mansouri summoned and imprisoned to enforce her 2 years sentence.
• Morteza Rasoulian, religious dissident, arrested in Karaj and sent to Evin 2009.
• Iran Freedom Movement supporter Masoud Sadeghi sentenced to 6 years + 74 lashes reported to Evin to start serving sentence.
• Dr. Ghasem Sholeh Saadi arrested during the raid of the Pen society released.
• Four people arrested in Sirjan for 'insulting officials' on Facebook.
• Members of an underground music group called 3Band have been arrested.

C-Liberations

• Houshmand Dehghan, Baha’i from Gorgan, released on bail.
• Soudabeh Mehdinezhad, Baha’i from Gorgan, released on bail.
• General Secretary of Participation Front, Mohsen Mirdamadi released on 2 days furlough.
• Mitra Nouri, Baha’i from Gorgan, released on bail.
• Shiva Rouhani (Mohiti), Baha’i from Gorgan, released on bail.
• Parivash Shojaei (Fanaian), Baha’i from Gorgan, released on bail.

D-Other News

• Mahsa Amrabadi launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Zhila Baniyagoub launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Nazanin Daihimi launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Bahareh Hedayat launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Zhila Karamzadeh launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Shiva Nazarahari launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Imprisoned student activist Arash Sadeghi denied to attend his mother's commemorative ceremony; family threatened.
• Hakimeh Shokri launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Nasim Soltanbeigi launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.
• Jailed Human Rights lawyer Nasrine Sotoudeh banned from visits for 3 weeks.
• Rahele Zakaei launches hunger strike to protest against officers who abused prisoners during physical inspection.

News of injustice in Iran

• Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences of Kurdish prisoners Ali and Habib Afshari.
• Farhad Sabok-Rouh, priest of Dezfool church, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
• 8 secret executions in Evin.

University – Culture

• Iran's National Orchestra shuts down.
• 69 Iranian journalists forced into exile since 2007.
• Mass arrests at Tehran writers’ event; 50 released after one day, 20 remain in detention.
• Fars News Agency (FNA) and Syrian News Agency (SANA) signed a memorandum of understanding on media cooperation.

Protests

• Mazandaran Textile Factory Workers protest lack of pay.
• Strike and gathering of 2000 seasonal workers of Karoun Plantation and Industry of Shoushtar.
• Workers at Khouzestan Pipe Mills demanding 37 months of unpaid wages.
• Irrigation workers in Kurdistan on strike to demand wages not paid for 5 months.
• Contractor employees and drivers in communications company in Hamedan Province demonstrate to protest salary cuts.

Iran Economics

• 218 cases of embezzlement from bank and government reported in Iran during last Persian year.
• Shortage and high prices of raw materials stops mineral water plant production in Damash; 140 workers unemployed.
• Foreign footballers leave Iran due to economic sanctions.
• New wave of strikes among workers at "Bandar Emam" petrochemical plant.
• Manufacturing plant in Semnan shuts down; 60 workers join ranks of unemployed
• 62 workers from Zagros Steel Factory in Kurdistan Province laid off.

Politics in Iran

• At least six Iranian Baloch illegal traders were killed by Iranian border Police.
• Homa Hotel transferred to Social Security Organisation headed by Mortazavi (Notorious abuser to justice).

Iran  abroad

• Iran refuses EU Parliament's condition for Tehran visit.
• Ali Akbar Velayati dismisses reports of direct talks with U.S.
• US loosens sanctions on medicine sales to Iran.
• Iran Canadian assets (including its embassy in Ottawa+cultural centre in Toronto) frozen over $13M.Iran recently purchased 50,000 tons of wheat from Germany.

Miscellaneous

• Gunmen kill 2 policemen in southeastern near the town of Sarbaz in Sistan-Baluchistan province.
• Air pollution kills 5000 Tehranis each year.