August, 2019

• 23 August

  200 Imprisoned Women Protest Inhumane Conditions of Qarchak Prison

  

  iran-hrm – Nearly 200 inmates in the notorious Qarchak Prison in Varamin detailed the horrid conditions of the prison in a letter to Tehran’s Director-General of Prisons. They announced on Saturday, August 17, 2019, that they would reject the food provided by the authorities until their demands are met. In their letter to the director-general of prisons, Heshmatollah Hayat al- …

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• 23 August

  Iranian Activist Sentenced to Prison and Lashes for Participating Labor Day Protests

  

  iran-hrm – Labor activist Nasrin Javadi, a member of the Iran Workers’ Free Union who was detained during a Labor Day demonstration was sentenced to seven years of prison and 74 lashes. She was also banned from using a smartphone and similar devices. Her trial was held at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on August 6, 2019. According to the …

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• 23 August

  Two Iranian Lawmakers In Arrested In Connection With Auto Industry Corruption

  

  payvand – Security forces in Iran have arrested two members of the Iranian Parliament (Majles) on charges of “disrupting the car market,” a member of parliament’s ethics committee told Fars news agency on Thursday, August 22. The lawmaker told Fars that the Fereydoun Ahmadi and Mohammad Azizi who were arrested on Wednesday were linked to a financial corruption case at …

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• 23 August

  Video Of Beaten Iraqi Woman In Iran Angers Iraqis

  

  radiofarda – The spokesman for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Ahmad al-Sahaf says his office is “following with great interest” reports about an Iraqi woman being beaten at Iran’s Mashhad airport, Al Arabiya reported on Thursday August 22. The remarks were made after social media sites released the video of an Iraqi woman said to have beaten by a police officer …

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• 23 August

  No Change In British Backing Of Iran Nuclear Deal Under Johnson: UK Official

  

  radiofarda – Britain will not change its backing of the 2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear program under new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a British diplomatic source said Friday, a day ahead of a G7 summit where the Iranian atomic drive is set to be a major sticking point. “We are strong supporters” of the nuclear deal, said the official, asking …

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• 23 August

  Security Forces In Iran Arrest 12 of 14 Activists Demanding Khamenei’s Resignation

  

  radiofarda – The provincial intelligence department in Mashhad in north-eastern Iran says 14 activists who had called on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to resign are advocates of regime change and wanted to bring about insecurity. According to the latest report from Mashhad, 12 of the 14 political activists who demanded Khamenei’s resignation in July have been arrested. However, the intelligence …

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• 23 August

  Sugar Factory Director Arrested In Iran On Charges Of ‘Corruption’

  

  radiofarda – Prosecutors in Iran have detained a sugar factory general manager on charges of corruption, in the latest episode of what officials say is an anti-corruption drive. Siamak Soltani who leads Isfahan’s Nakshe Qand (Ghand) publicly traded company was arrested August 22 for “disrupting the economic system”, Mehr news agency in Iran quoted the local prosecutor telling the media. …

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• 23 August

  U.S. Warns It Will ‘Aggressively’ Enforce Sanctions Over Iran Tanker

  

  radiofarda – As an Iranian supertanker wanders in the Mediterranean after a five-week detention by Gibraltar, the United States kept warned possible private-sector actors willing to assist the vessel. A state Department official said Thursday the U.S. will aggressively enforce its sanctions to prevent the private sector from rendering assistance the Adrian Darya-1, formerly called Grace-1, a tanker loaded with …

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• 23 August

  Iran’s FM Zarif Calls Nuclear Talks With France’s Macron ‘Productive’

  

  rferl.org – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says talks with French President Emanuel Macron aimed at rescuing a 2015 international deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear program were “productive.” “France had presented some suggestions and we presented some suggestions about how to implement [the nuclear deal] and the steps that both sides need to take,” Zarif was quoted by Iranian …

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• 22 August

  British Council Employee’s 10-year Prison Sentence Upheld Without a Hearing

  

  iranhumanrights – The 10-year prison sentence issued against British Council employee Aras Amiri was upheld on August 18, 2019, without a hearing, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. “In order to expedite cases, [Judiciary Chief] Ebrahim Raisi has decided that there is no longer a need for the Appeals Court to hold hearings,” Amiri’s cousin Mohsen …

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• 22 August

  Iran Releases Detained Stadium Ban Protesters as Hardliners Cheer on Discriminatory Policy

  

  payvand – Four women arrested by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on August 17, 2019, for trying to enter Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch a men’s soccer game were released on bail from Gharchak Prison, south of the capital, two days later. But the ban on women in sports arenas-condemned as discriminatory by FIFA and human rights groups-remains …

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• 22 August

  Turkey To Host Syria Summit With Russia, Iran On September 16

  

  radiofarda – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host his Russian and Iranian counterparts for a summit on Syria in Ankara on September 16, the presidential spokesman said. Despite being on opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, Syria regime backers Iran and Russia have worked closely with rebel supporter Turkey to find a political solution. “The president will host a …

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• 22 August

  Greek Prime Minister: Iranian Oil Tanker ‘Not Headed For Greece’

  

  rferl.org – An Iranian supertanker at the center of a diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington “is not headed for Greece,” Greek Prime Minister Kyrikos Mitsotakis has said. “We have not received a request for it to dock in a Greek port,” Mitsotakis, who was in Paris for a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, told France-24 TV on August 22. …

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• 22 August

  Iran Unveils Locally Developed Missile-Defense System

  

  rferl.org – Iran has debuted a new, locally built long-range missile system as it continues its defiant stance against the United States amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Iranian President Hassan Rohani said in a speech on August 22 during the unveiling of the mobile air-to-surface missile system that since Iran’s “enemies don’t accept logic, we cannot respond with …

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• 22 August

  France’s Macron To Meet Iran Officials Before G7 To Mitigate Crisis

  

  rferl.org – French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Iranian officials before this weekend’s summit of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies to offer proposals on reducing tension between Washington and Tehran, Reuters reported. Three European powers, including France, have been trying to salvage Iran’s 2015 international accord that curbed the nation’s nuclear ambitions while reducing sanctions on Tehran. …

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• 22 August

  The letter of Gohar Eshghi to President Trump

  

  Gohar Eshghi, the mother of Sattar Beheshti who was killed under torture in prison, has written a letter addressed to President Donald J. Trump. In this letter, Mrs. Eshghi has asked President Trump to officially assign the 23rd August, Sattar Beheshti’s birthday, as “The Day of Friendship between the People of Iran and the People of the United States” Dear …

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• 22 August

  Iran sentences teacher activist to lashes and prison

  

  iran-hrm.com – Iran’s Judiciary sentenced a teacher to eight months in prison and 10 lashes for participating in a demonstration by teachers and education workers. On Monday, August 19, 2019, a court sentenced Mohammad Taghi Falahi, the secretary general of the Tehran Teachers’ Trade Association, to eight months in prison and 10 lashes on charges of disrupting public order. Security …

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• 22 August

  Iran Releases Detained Stadium Ban Protesters as Hardliners Cheer on Discriminatory Policy

  

  iranhumanrights – Four women arrested by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on August 17, 2019, for trying to enter Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch a men’s soccer game were released on bail from Gharchak Prison, south of the capital, two days later. But the ban on women in sports arenas–condemned as discriminatory by FIFA and human rights …

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• 22 August

  Political Prisoner Arash Sadeghi Denied Hospitalization Despite Loss of Arm Motion

  

  iranhumanrights – Political prisoner Arash Sadeghi’s loss of motion in his right arm hasn’t persuaded the authorities of Evin Prison to allow him to receive proper medical treatment in a hospital outside the prison, his wife Golrokh Iraee Ebrahimi told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). “The last time I visited Arash was on August 7,” Ebrahimi told CHRI on …

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• 22 August

  Six-Year Prison Sentence Upheld Against Iranian Journalist Who Was Denied Right to Fair Trial

  

  payvand – An Appeals Court in Tehran has upheld a six-year prison sentence against political journalist Hamed Aynehvand without holding a hearing, his lawyer, Hossein Bayat, informed the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on August 13, 2019. “Before the preliminary court’s decision, there were people who told me not to bother because for sure Hamed was going to get six …

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• 22 August

  Aras Amiri: British Council worker jailed in Iran a ‘bargaining chip’

  

  bbc – A British Council worker jailed for 10 years in Iran for spying is being used as a “bargaining chip” by Iran’s government, her fiance has said. Aras Amiri, 33, an Iranian citizen who lives in London, was held in March 2018 on a visit to her unwell grandmother. She lost an appeal against her prison sentence earlier this …

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• 22 August

  Zarif says Tehran will see if Swedish-Iranian’s death sentence can be delayed

  

  alarabiya – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday Tehran “will do its best” to see if the death sentence on Swedish-Iranian scientist Ahmadreza Djalali can be delayed. “We will do our best on humanitarian grounds to see if the sentence on Mr. Djalali can be delayed, but he has been accused of multiple capital crimes… and he …

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• 22 August

  Houthis May Have Shot Down US Drone Over Yemen

  

  radiofarda – A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen’s Dhamar region, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday, the second such incident in recent months. A Houthi military spokesman had earlier said that air defenses had brought down a U.S. drone. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the …

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• 22 August

  Iran’s Rouhani And Zarif Issue Threats Against Shipping, US

  

  radiofarda – If Iran’s oil exports are cut to zero, international waterways will not have the same security as before, its president said on Wednesday, cautioning Washington against upping pressure on Tehran in an angry confrontation between the longtime foes. The comment by President Hassan Rouhani coincided with a remark by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that Tehran might …

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• 22 August

  Outspoken Lawmaker Says Iran Intelligence Should Apologize For Forced Confessions

  

  radiofarda – An outspoken lawmaker in Iran has demanded the Intelligence Ministry to apologize to people it forced to confess to crimes they did not commit. Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ali Motahari, who has been vocal in defending more tolerance for dissent in recent years, referred to the case of Maziar Ebrahimi who was forced to wrongly confess to …

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• 22 August

  Iranian News Agency Says Released Tanker Leased To Revolutionary Guards

  

  radiofarda – Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency said on Wednesday the tanker Adrian Darya 1, which was released after being detained in Gibraltar, is currently leased to the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards. The United States has issued a warrant to seize the tanker on the grounds that it had links to the Revolutionary Guards C (IRGC), which it designates as …

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• 22 August

  Trump: Other Countries Should Take Up The Fight Against Islamic State Group

  

  rferl.org – U.S. President Donald Trump has said that other countries must assume the battle against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, citing Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia as examples. Asked by reporters whether he is concerned about the reemergence of the IS group in Iraq, Trump told reporters on August 21 that U.S. forces had “wiped out the caliphate …

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• 22 August

  Greece Says It Won’t Aid Iranian Tanker Amid Pressure From Washington

  

  rferl.org – In the face of U.S. pressure, Greece has said it will not assist an Iranian supertanker sought by Washington after it was released by Gibraltar and is now believed to be heading to a Greek port. Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis on August 21 told Greek TV that Athens had “faced pressure” over the vessel that Washington claims …

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• 22 August

  Iran Moves To Cut Four Zeroes From Its Struggling Currency

  

  rferl.org – Iranian President Hassan Rohani has sent a bill to parliament that would cut four zeroes from the value of the country’s battered currency, the rial. Semiofficial news agencies reported the news on August 21, saying Rohani had sent the bill with urgency to the parliament to consider. Iran’s rial has sharply depreciated as a result of U.S. President …

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• 22 August

  Iran Warns ‘Unpredictable’ Trump Policies May Prompt Similar Responses

  

  rferl.org – Iran says it remains committed to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) but that the “unpredictable” policies of U.S. President Donald Trump may prompt similar responses from Tehran. Speaking at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on August 21, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also warned his neighbors that a spending spree on Western weapons will do …

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