THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 4:00 PM CEST
Killing of Poor Fuel Porter Leads to Clashes with State Police in Kerman, Southeast Iran
On Thursday, April 14, state security forces shot at a fuel truck belonging to a Baluch compatriot on the Kahnooj-Islamabad highway in the southern city of Rudbar in Kerman province. The incident led to the death of the victim. Locals present at the scene were outraged by the shooting and attacked the officers with stones, destroying their car and forcing them to flee.
Suspicious Death of Political Prisoner Keeps The Regime on Its Toes
The Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence has secretly buried the body of political prisoner Mehdi Salehi in Yazdanshahr, Isfahan province, at dawn on Friday, April 15, without prior notice to the family.
Mehdi Salehi was one of the protestors of the January 2018 uprising who was jailed for years and allegedly injected with “the wrong medication” in Isfahan’s Homayunshahr prison. Following the deterioration of his health and being deprived of any medical treatment, he died in prison.
Homayounshahr prison officials informed Mehdi’s relatives about his death without further elaboration. But some of his inmates reported that the cause of death was due to the prison’s medical practice. The political prisoner was sentenced to death by the regime’s Judiciary in Isfahan on February 8, 2020, on charges of ‘Moharebeh’ (waging war against God).
According to local sources, Mehdi’s death has provoked a wave of social hatred, especially in the Bakhtiari ethnic community. The regime has put security forces in the cities of Isfahan province on high alert. Intelligence and security officials have told Mehdi Salehi’s family that they have no right to install a tombstone on his grave.
UPDATE: 1:30 PM CEST
Iranian Women Have Become the Main Victim of Layoffs, State Publication Reports
The state-run website ‘Jameh 24’ wrote on April 14: “Unemployment among women has doubled and women are suffering from unequal pay and employment opportunities in society, so that according to the statistics of the Statistics Center of Iran, the unemployment rate of women is twice that of men, and now the unhealthy economic situation of the country has been added on top of these unequal conditions so women are more exposed to threats.”
“Many employers believe that due to the high inflation, the elimination of the state preferred exchange rate, and the decline in demand, they have to lay off their workforce,” Mohammad Reza Mahboubfar, a state-affiliated sociologist said. “These dismissals and redundancies, in addition to companies and non-governmental organizations, have unfortunately been extended to municipalities or local government organizations, and apparently women have been hit the most.”
What is Biden’s Iran Envoy Hiding? | Opinion
As we enter the second year of the Biden administration and inch closer to the possibility of another failed nuclear deal with Iran, Special Envoy Robert Malley has yet to appear before Congress for a public hearing to provide the American people with an update on the negotiations. Mr. Malley was appointed to the position on January 28, 2021, after serving in the same capacity under President Barack Obama and negotiating the first failed Iran nuclear deal in 2015. Since his reappointment, Mr. Malley has refused to testify publicly before Congress, unlike his predecessor, Brian Hook, who testified on several occasions.
This Lawsuit Against Biden Administration Could Stop a New Iran Nuclear Deal
A conservative legal group is threatening to smack the Biden administration with a lawsuit intended to thwart the implementation of a new Iran nuclear deal.
The America First Legal Foundation, a group of conservative lawyers and activists, notified the Biden administration that it “intends to take legal action to block any Biden-Iran deal that is not submitted to Congress” for approval, according to a litigation notice letter sent to the White House on Thursday and obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon. The letter also requests that the administration preserve all internal documents and communications related to the deal so that they can be used as part of a future court case.
UPDATE: 10:00 AM CEST
Raisi Threatens Iraq over Endangering Regime’s Interests
In a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein who traveled to Tehran, the Iranian regime’s President called on Iraq not to allow its territory to be used for activities it says “disrupts the security of the region”.
“Tehran expects neighboring countries, especially Iraq, not to allow any disruptive presence against the Islamic Republic of Iran, whether in federal government-controlled areas or in the areas under the leadership of the Kurdistan region,” a statement said issued by the presidential office.
“Unfortunately, the Kurdistan region has had some neglection, but the Islamic Republic of Iran is closely monitoring Israel’s movements. We will not allow them to endanger the security of the region through any country, including Iraq,” Raisi added.
On March 29, following the Iranian regime firing rockets into Erbil, northern Iraq, Reuters reported: “The development of oil and gas in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region may not be in the interest of major regional energy producer Iran, Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Tuesday.”
Security Forces Shot Poor Freight Carries in Western Iran
On Tuesday evening, April 12, three ‘kulbars’ (poor people who carry heavy loads for a living) named Farzad Emami, Arman Mostafazadeh, and Salam Azami were wounded by security forces on the Nowsud border, Kermanshah Province, Western Iran.
Border Regiment troops fired at the three men without prior warning, and Farzad Emami suffered a broken leg in the incident and was taken to Javanroud Hospital and later to Paveh Hospital.
On Wednesday evening, April 13, another ‘kulbar’ named Yahya Rostamzadeh from the village of Dehtoot was wounded by security forces soldiers on the border with Nowsud.
UPDATE: 12:00 AM CEST
New Round of Protests as Iran Gears Into the New Persian Year
Jailed Protester Killed After Being Injected With ‘Wrong Medication’ in Prison
Political prisoner Mehdi Salehi Ghaleh Shahrokhi who was sentenced to death for taking part in peaceful protests, died in a hospital today.
He suffered a stroke in January after being injected wrong medicine in Dastgerd prison of Isfahan where he was detained since arrested. Authorities delayed his transfer to the hospital, putting him at grave risk of death.
He was arrested in November 2019 and, along with four other prisoners, was sentenced to death in addition to five years in prison with hard labor on charges of “participating in the January 2018 Iran protests,” “Moharebeh (waging war against God),” and “Corruption on Earth.”
Amnesty International: Iranian Prisons Are “Death’s Waiting Room”
Amnesty International published a report on April 12, 2022, accusing the Iranian authorities of committing shocking human rights violations in Iran. “In death’s waiting room: Deaths in custody following deliberate denial of medical care in Iran’s prisons” details the circumstances surrounding the death in custody of 92 men and four women in 30 prisons in 18 provinces across Iran from January 2010 until the present.
Iran: Women, Victims of Mullahs’ Political Purge
Surprisingly both are women, highlighting the regime’s ongoing misogynistic practices. This follows the prior inhuman actions against a group of women outside Mashhad’s stadium, which made the headlines in the past week.
Maryam Karim Beigi, a graduate student in sociology, was informed via a phone call that she had been expelled from the university she was attending. She has not been informed of the reason for her expulsion, as in many previous cases.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – April 14, 2022