THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:00 PM CEST
Iranians Rallied in the Netherlands and Denmark
Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance in Denmark held a rally on Wednesday, August 17, and Thursday, August 18 in Copenhagen, expressing their support for popular protests in Shahrekord, while also protesting against the prisoner swap treaty between Belgium and the Iranian regime that is supposed to release state terrorists back to safety.
Supporters of the #Iranian Resistance in #Denmark held a rally on August 17 and August 18 in Copenhagen, expressing their support for popular protests in #Iran, while also protesting against the prisoner swap deal between #Brussels and Tehran. pic.twitter.com/06awJXJUkn
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 18, 2022
Also in the Netherlands, Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance held a rally in The Hague, in front of the Belgian consulate on Wednesday, August 17, protesting the treaty between Tehran and Brussels over the exchange of prisoners and sending convicted state terrorists back to Iran.
On August 17, supporters of the Iranian Resistance in the #Netherlands held a rally in front of the Belgian consulate in The Hague, protesting the #Tehran–#Brussels deal over the exchange of prisoners and sending convicted state terrorists back to #Iran. pic.twitter.com/093NZSQ4ST
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 18, 2022
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CEST
Political Prisoner Committed Suicide in Iran
So’ada Khadirzadeh, a Kurdish political prisoner, hanged herself in the women’s ward on Thursday, August 18, two days after she was summoned by the agents of the Intelligence and Information Protection Department of the Central Prison of Urmia.
According to local sources, with the timely interference of her fellow inmates, the prisoner’s attempt to commit suicide was unsuccessful and she and her child were taken to the prison clinic.
On Tuesday, August 16, So’ada Khadirzadeh was summoned, interrogated and threatened by the agents of Urmia Central Prison’s Intelligence and Information Protection Department to surrender information about the communication channel of the prison’s women’s ward with human rights organizations.
So far, the physical condition of this political prisoner and her child are reported to be critical.
So’ada Khadirzadeh, 32, from Piranshahr, was arrested on August 13, 2021, without any judicial documents presented by MOIS forces of Piranshahr and she was taken to a detention center in Urmia. After 25 days of interrogations, she was transferred to the women’s ward of the central prison of Urmia, and since then she has been kept there without charges or sentencing.
On 20 June 2022 and while in custody, So’ada Khadirzadeh was sent to hospital and gave birth to her child. She was immediately sent back to prison and deprived of postnatal and post-surgical care afterward.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST
NCRI-US Conference to Examine Tehran’s Nuclear Agenda on the 20th Anniversary of Natanz Revelation
Soona Samsami, US rep. of NCRI: The indisputable fact has been and continues to remain that the regime in Tehran will never abandon its nuclear weapon because it views it as a guarantee for its survival.
NCRI-US Conference to Examine Tehran’s Nuclear Agenda on the 20th Anniversary of Natanz Revelation
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 – 10:30 am EDT
Washington, DC#Natanz20 #Iranhttps://t.co/If6cVZmQ2g— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 17, 2022
State-affiliated Economist Says Regime’s Problem is Corruption
Saeed Laylaz, a state-affiliated economist, told the Etemad newspaper: “I say that this nation is being crushed under the burden of mismanagement and corruption. From the day when money was invented in Iran until the end of Mohammadreza Pahlavi, we have created 420 billion tomans of liquidity. Now we produce this amount every two hours. This means that this system is so corrupt that it cannot survive without creating 5 thousand billion tomans of cash every day. Only one-third of this amount is a budget deficit; the rest is theft, pure theft.”
Explaining why the JCPOA will not solve any of the regime’s problems, he added: “This agreement gives you one-time price stability of six months or one year. When you have a 38 to 40% growth in liquidity, it means that you should have a 40% annual growth in foreign exchange income so that you can keep your prices stable. This is impossible in Iran. What we need is good governance. Our financial network is corrupt. Iran’s banking network is highly corrupt. If you ask me where 99% of Iran’s economic problems are, I will say it’s corruption.”
In his interview, Laylaz clearly stressed that the regime should proceed with its extortion policy to hold its opponents in check.
Iran’s Water Shortage Crisis Reaching Dangerously High Levels
The people of Shahrekord in southwest Iran took to the streets on Monday, August 16, protesting severe water shortages in this and other cities of Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari province. Protesters quickly began chanting anti-regime slogans, criticizing the mullahs for their corruption and crimes, and holding the entire apparatus accountable for the nation’s long-standing miseries.
The Shahrekord protesters were specifically seen chanting “Death to Raisi!” in a clear reference to regime President Ebrahim Raisi and his failed policies one year into his tenure.
Iranian Resistance Supporters Rallies in London and Vienna, Against Iran’s Regime, Calling for an End to the Appeasement Policy Toward the Mullahs
August 16, 2022: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)rallied in London and Vienna against the mullahs’ regime ruling Iran and the appeasement policy toward this regime.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 17, 2022