Clashes' in Iran protest rally

Police have clashed with opposition supporters during a rally in the Iranian capital, Tehran, reports say.

Police fired tear gas as demonstrators chanted "death to dictators", the reports cited witnesses as saying.

Police were also reported to have made several arrests, and to have used batons to disperse protesters.

Reformist leaders had urged supporters to turn out to peaceful rallies to mark 30 years since the seizure of the US embassy in Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had warned opposition groups not to hold protest rallies.

Since June, Iranian opposition supporters have been staging protests over elections they say were rigged to ensure the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian Regime Bans Pro-Reform Business Daily

Reuters

An Iranian media body banned on Monday the publication of a leading business daily, Sarmayeh, which is critical of the economic policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government. The official IRNA news agency said Iran's press supervisory body took the decision because of "repeated violations of the press law." It did not give further details. "Based on a decision by the press supervisory board ... the authorization for the publication of Sarmayeh daily was annulled," IRNA said. Sarmayeh editor Saeed Laylaz, an outspoken government critic, was arrested shortly after Iran's disputed election in June. The opposition says the vote was rigged to secure Ahmadinejad's re-election. The authorities deny vote rigging, and have portrayed the huge street protests that erupted after the election as a foreign-backed bid to undermine the Islamic state.

In August, authorities shut down Etemad-e Melli newspaper of pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, who came fourth in the poll. He had angered hardliners with his allegation that some detained opposition supporters were raped, a charge officials deny. The June poll and its turbulent aftermath plunged Iran into its biggest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution, exposing deepening divisions within its ruling elite and also further straining relations with the West. Iran arrested thousands of people after the vote, though most have since been freed. About 200 people remain in jail, including Laylaz, on charges of fomenting the post-vote unrest. The opposition has denounced their trials as "show trials."

Latest Reports on Prisoners

Human Rights Activists in Iran

The Tehran Prosecutor ordered Ahmad Zaid-Abadi’s transfer to the general ward in Evin. Zaid-Abadi met with his family yesterday after being held incommunicado for 50 days. The public relation’s office of the prosecutor’s office also announced that Zaid-Abadi case has been sent before the Evolutionary Court and that he will be tried shortly. Zaid-Abadi is the secretary general of the Graduate Students’ Organization. Mohammad-Ali Abathi’s case was also sent to the Revolutionary Court, which has referred it to its 15th branch. Abtahi’s family say the trial will be held in the coming days.

Zaid-Abadi was arrested on June 13th, 2009, whereas Abtahi was arrested on June 16th, 2009. More than 4 months after his initial arrest, Shahram Boloori remains detained in Ward 209 of Evin. He was arrested after the presidential election in June. Boloori’s family posted the $35,000 bail one month ago and was expecting him to be released. Boloori has been charged for acting against national security by talking to foreign radio stations. He was arrested on June 23rd and has been detained in Evin since. 50 days after his initial arrest, there is no news on the progress of Mohammad Davari’s case. Davari has only contacted his family once, and his lawyer, Mina Jaffari, has not been able to access his file despite her repeated requests to the Court.

Davari is the editor-in-chief of the Etemad-Meli website. He was arrested on September 8th, 2009 and is yet to be charged. Isa Shahar-Khiz had his first court hearing on Monday. Sahar-khiz is the founder of the Association for Freedom of Press and is a well know journalist. The court extended his remand for another 2 months. Sahar-Khiz suffers from a broken rib caused by torture. The prison and judiciary authorities have completely ignored his condition, which remains untreated. Sahar-Khiz has been charged for insulting the Leader and disseminating propaganda against the regime, a charge that traces its origins to an interview he had given. He confessed to and accepted responsibility for the charge. His lawyer, Nasrin Sotoodeh, thinks that, under the circumstances, there is no justification for her client’s detention. Sahar-Khiz was arrested on July 3rd, 2009 following a wave of arrests that targeted journalists and political activists. He has been detained in solitary confinement since his arrest. More than 140 days after their arrest, Mirdamadi and Taj-Zadeh met with their lawyers in Evin. Mirdamadi is the secretary general of the Participation Front and Taj-Zadeh is a senior member of the Participation Front and the Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization.

Hooshang Babai, who represents both men, said he met separately with them this morning. The lawyer visits took place in Evin and lasted 1 hour for Taj’Zadeh and a half hour for Mirdamadi. Babai said both his clients are in good health condition and described their spirits as being extraordinary. He added, “Since the trial for both my clients will be held in the coming day, Mr. Hossein-Abadi and I will be preparing the defense together. Mirdamadi and Faizollah Arab-Sorkhi are detained in the same ward, and Taja-Zadeh is detained in the same ward as Mohsen Aminzadeh. Mirdamadi and Taj-Zadeh were arrested in June and have been detained since. The families of political prisoners started their gathering at 11 AM today. The family members of several political prisoners were among the crowd of protesters. The gathering was held in silence and the families held pictures of their loved ones; they protested the ongoing detention of journalists and reformist activists. The families also held signs that read “Where is the independence of the Judiciary?”, “Is taking part in Komail prayer a crime?”, and “Free political prisoners”. There was a very noticeable presence of intelligence agents and plainclothes officers around the demonstrators. The families were asking the officials to put a stop to temporary detentions, heavy sentences, lack of access to lawyer, and trials that are not inline with legal procedures.

Iran Students Carry on Protests

The Los Angeles Times

The opposition plans large demonstrations Wednesday, the first in six weeks. But in the West, some analysts have begun to discount the opposition movement's power. Students in the western Iranian city of Ahvaz in recent days launched an impromptu protest in a campus auditorium. In Kashan on Monday, a group took over the campus cafeteria, singing anti-government songs. A couple of weeks ago in Tehran, others cheered wildly as someone threw a shoe at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's former culture minister. Then on Monday, students shouted down the ex-minister, Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, once again. Largely absent from international media reports and discounted by Western policymakers more focused on Iran's nuclear program, the protest movement that erupted after Ahmadinejad's disputed June 12 reelection has continued to smolder, mostly on college campuses. Defying warnings by security officials, protesters plan to stage their first large public gatherings in six weeks on Wednesday. This time they plan to turn an annual nationwide march commemorating the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy, held on the 13th day of the Persian calendar month of Aban, into an anti-government rally.

"The 13th of Aban is another appointment for us," opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi said in a statement published by reformist websites. "It is here to remind us, once again, that the people are the leaders." In the West, some analysts have begun to discount the opposition movement's ability to affect Tehran's decision-making. Some say months of repression have gutted the protest movement of its organizational capacity and leadership. "Our view is that the regime has largely neutralized the opposition," said Mark Fowler, a former CIA analyst who now heads Persia House, a service run by the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm in Washington. "It seems to us that they have pretty much decapitated the opposition in terms of leadership. I don't think the government is particularly worried about it." Many also doubt the opposition's ability to serve as an alternative to the hard-liners who have the upper hand in Tehran. "Mousavi is not a liberal per se," said Fowler. "When he was prime minister, he would have made the conservatives and the hard-liners proud." (Read more...)

Pictures of the day

Stunned farmer Zheng Dexun dug up a crop of fleeceflower, or Chinese knotweed, and found one shaped like a person, in Langzhong, China. The eerie-looking plant, measuring 62 centimetres tall, has clearly defined arms, legs, and head. Zheng said: "I don't know whether it is good or bad to dig out a Chinese knotweed that looks like a human. I'd better put it back in the earth!"

a prisoner in "Rajayee Shahr's prison was raped by the command of proson keeper with a bunch of prisoners

A prisoner in jail yesterday Rajayee Shahr prison in Karaj command by a number of prisoners were raped. According to Human Rights Activists The prisoners in Iran yesterday, November the second prisoner named Abdullah Hemmati "command" Ali Mohammadi, "Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj Deputy Executive by a number of prisoners SrkrdhgySomeone called "lovely" as a lawyer, section 4 - Hall 11 prisoners were raped. According to witnesses not show this prisoner following Deputy prison, addressed to the Supervisor of attorney hall implicitly called murder or rape the prisoners after he is out of this ton or responsibleW prisoners as a lawyer Srkrdhgy Hall of action and then beating a prisoner to rape. After this event the only responsible reaction to this transfer of prisoners to the prison has been reported 5. Rape in prison, especially the young and young prisoners of the "reform and education center" Antql given to adult prison, the issues and problems raised is in prison. This act is considered criminal in prison practical experience Rajayee Shahr prison authorities had no measure intended to address this type of crimes Ndadhand. Source: Agence Hrana

Iranian filmmaker criticizes Ahmadinejad’s policy

Munich — The Iranian filmmaker Narges Kalhor who applied for asylum in Germany has described the policy of Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as “highly dangerous”. The 25 year old filmmaker, whose father is a close adviser to Ahmadinejad, told the news magazine “Focus”:
“Even we Iranians don’t know what is happening in our country. We have no idea whether our government is working on the construction of the atomic bomb or not.”

Kalhor, who says that after the controversial reelection of Ahmadinejad she took to the streets together with thousands of people, had participated in the Nuremberg “Film Festival of Human Rights” in mid October, where she presented a movie about torture in Iran. After the festival, she did not return to her home country, but applied for asylum. She says she is absolutely sure that the leadership in Tehran will never forgive her and her father would have “turned her in” to the authorities.

Mehdi Kalhor is a close adviser to Ahmadinejad and has been planning the president’s media appearances for 4 years. “Our parents, the entire elder generation that supports this system, is sinning against us young people,” said 25 year old Narges Kalhor to “Focus. “There are so many cases when parents who support the regime dissociate themselves from their children if they cause trouble. In such a case they will simply say: This is no longer my child.”