THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:30 PM CEST
UN Special Rapporteur Expresses Concern About The Regime’s Efforts to Coverup its Crimes in 1988
In his report to the 67th UN General Assembly session, Javaid Rehman writes: “The Special Rapporteur is concerned at reported attempts by the authorities to continue to destroy evidence of past violations, including the reported mass extrajudicial executions of political dissidents in 1988. The most recent attempt also violated the rights of members of the Baha’i religious minority. In April 2021, the authorities issued an order denying Baha’is permission to bury their dead in empty plots in Golestan Javid cemetery, the cemetery designated for Baha’is, forcing them to instead bury their dead between existing graves or at the Khavaran mass gravesite. The latter site is believed to contain the remains of victims of enforced disappearances and summary executions perpetrated in 1988.”
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran continues: “This order is the latest of the attempts to interfere with evidence of the executions, which have included bulldozing gravesites and the harassment of relatives, such as Maryam Akbari Monfared, who are seeking truth and accountability. The Special Rapporteur reiterates his predecessor’s call that families be able to exercise the rights to remedy, to reparation, and to know the truth concerning these events, including the fate of their relatives. The Government must ensure that areas of concern are preserved until investigations can be undertaken. The Special Rapporteur is also alarmed that this order violates the Baha’i community’s right to freedom of religion and belief. It is one of many occasions where Baha’i cemeteries have been desecrated or where burial rituals have been restricted.”
UPDATE: 8:30 PM CEST
US Air Force F-15 Shoots Down Iranian Drone over Syria
A US Air Force F-15 fighter jet shot down a drone said to have come from Iran after it was deemed a threat to troops stationed in eastern Syria Saturday. Coalition aircraft successfully engaged and defeated a UAS through air to air engagement in the vicinity of Mission Support Site Green Village,’ US Army Colonel Wayne Marotto, who heads the US-led coalition against ISIS, told Reuters, using an acronym for an unmanned aircraft system.
Physicians Leave Iran in the Thousands
Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, head of the Iranian regime’s Medical Association, said that over the course of last year, 3,000 physicians have applied for immigration by the organization.
“In the last 18 months, doctors have been entangled in the pandemic more than any other group, and the lack of health infrastructure has created many problems for them,” the state-run Sharq news agency quoted Zafarghandi as saying on Monday.
At the beginning of the pandemic, our doctors were not even able to wear regular masks. After a long time, the situation has not improved and the current political theatre in the health industry has extended the pandemic.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM CEST
Cyber Attack on Evin Prison Security Room
According to reports on social media and dispatched by Persian news media outside the country, computer devices in the Evin Prison monitoring room were hacked yesterday. In the footage posted thereof, a logo named the “Ali Justice” group is displayed on the monitor of the prison’s CCTV cameras. Excerpts from the video show images of the prison’s courtyards and corridors and how officers severely mistreat detainees.
Iran: The Staggering Number Of Coronavirus Death Toll Exceeds 378,300
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Sunday, August 22, 2021, that the Coronavirus death toll in 547 cities exceeded 378,300. The number of victims in Tehran has reached 89,046, Khorasan Razavi 25,885, Khuzestan 23,396, Isfahan 25,130, Mazandaran 14,705, East Azerbaijan 13,913, West Azerbaijan 13,353, Fars 13,332, Gilan 12,725, Sistan and Baluchestan 11,270, Alborz 11,053, Kerman 9,738, Golestan 9,060, Kermanshah 6,733, Yazd 6,578, Hormozgan 6,545, North Khorasan 5,029, Ardabil 4,645, Qazvin 4,209, Zanjan 3,870, and Ilam 3,758.
#Iran Coronavirus Update
More than 378,300 people have died of the novel #coronavirus in 547 cities checkered across all of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition PMOI/MEK.
Full Reporthttps://t.co/99xe2ULIXR pic.twitter.com/tn2Ue9Nvky
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 22, 2021
Iranian Resistance Units Continue Anti-Regime Activities in Multiple Cities
Last week Iranians held Muharram ceremonies across the county to mourn the death of Hossein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. In recent years in Iran, this has always been an occasion for the people to protests against the mullahs’ dictatorship by pointing out they are the real tyrants and oppressors. On this occasion, in recent days many family members of the victims of regime violence during protests in 2009, 2018, and 2019 held pictures of their loved ones and chanted anti-regime slogans. While security forces beat many of them in various cities, the families installed images of these martyrs on the walls.
Iran: Parliament Speaker Admits Khamenei Approves Key Ministers
As members of the Majlis (parliament) were debating the qualification of the ministers of new regime president Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made a rare admission that the entire vetting process is a show, and it is the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei who calls the shots. Ghalibaf, a former IRGC and State Security Forces commander, told lawmakers that Khamenei is “personally responsible for defense, security and foreign policy matters” according to Articles 110 and 176 of the regime’s Constitution. Ghalibaf also reminded that previous governments have appointed key ministers with the approval of Khamenei and added, “Mr. Raisi has said that he requested the permission of the Leader for ministers in security-related areas such as the ministry of intelligence and the Leader granted it.”
Retrogression of Iran’s Education
The coronavirus pandemic has not only changed the shape of businesses and the world economy, but also many socio-political structures, in particular in Iran. And now in Iran, there is talk of these changes being permanent even after the end of the epidemic. However, these are not the only direct economic areas affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In the meantime, however, one of the most important areas seems to be the field of education.
10-Year-Old Baluch Boy Burns to Death in SE Iran Police Chase
A 10-year-old Baluch boy burned to death after police in southeastern Iran opened fire on a car carrying fuel. According to the Baluch Activists Campaign, the police were chasing and shooting at a fuel carrier’s car yesterday evening in the city of Kahnouj in Kerman Province when the car overturned and caught fire. The car driver was able to escape the fire, but his 10-year-old son was not fast enough. The boy was identified only by his first name as Peiman.
Kurd Activist Mysteriously Dies in Prison 4 Days After Arrest
A Kurd activist who had recently surrendered himself to the regime died after four days of incarceration. The Hengaw human rights website said 42-year-old Shuresh Khezrzadeh who had been living in Iraqi Kurdistan for the past few years surrendered himself to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) via Baneh in western Iran on August 14. He was then transferred to Bukan.
Supreme Court Turns Down Appeal for Hamed Qareh Oghlani’s 13-Year Sentence
The Iranian Supreme Court turned down the appeal by Hamed Qareh Oghlani after only five days. Hamed Qareh Oghlani is sentenced to 13 years in prison. The 41st Branch of the Supreme Court upheld the ruling on February 8, 2021, and issued it electronically on February 16, 2021.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – August 22, 2021
