THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 6:30 PM CET
International Aban Tribunal Resumed Today
The International Aban Tribunal, a trial to investigate the crackdown and killing of protesters in November 2019 in Iran, resumed its second round behind closed doors in London, on Friday, February 4. According to the organizers, the trial will continue until Sunday, February 6, but only journalists are allowed to attend the sessions to ensure the safety of 100 new witnesses that are going to be heard.
The first day of this Court began with a speech by Wayne Jordash QC, President of the Court. He reiterated that the Iranian regime has refused to investigate the crimes committed during the November 2019 uprising and has refused to respond to any request from the court.
Today, the wife of one of the martyrs of the November 2019 uprising, one of the detainees, as well as a witness to the massacre of people in the swamp of Mahshahr, South Iran, testified.
The number of regime officials charged in the first session was 133, and in the second round, 27 other regime officials were added to the defendants, including the governors of Kerman and Isfahan and the commander of the army ground forces, as well as 24 others. The defendants have been charged with murder, unlawful imprisonment, enforced disappearance, injury, and severe crackdown of the demonstrators.
According to the court officials, the verdict was supposed to be announced in the second round but due to a large number of testimonies and serious cases against regime officials, the verdict will be postponed until the end of the spring of 2022.
Palestinians in Gaza Express Hatred towards Iranian Regime’s Officials and Mercenaries
On Thursday, February 3, according to the Saudi television al-Ayn al Akhbariya, angry Palestinians in the Gaza Strip set fire to the images of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Khamenei, slain IRGC-QF commander Qassem Soleimani and Hezbollah General-Secretary Hassan Nasrallah during a protest rally in support of Syrian refugees. Condemning the interference of the Iranian regime and the Lebanese Hezbollah in other Arab countries, the protestors described Qassem Soleimani as an executioner of the Syrian people.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
US Treasury Department Called for Cooperation To Prevent Iranian Regime’s Efforts To Circumvent International Sanctions
At the Union of Arab Banks Conference, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, Elizabeth Rosenberg called on the UAB to stop Tehran’s efforts to outpace the international sanctions regime.
Mrs. Rosenberg said: “Now, we are asking you to do your part too. We will all be stronger, more secure if every bank represented here builds and maintains strong compliance programs; programs designed to identify and disrupt the onboarding of customers and the processing of transactions involving bribes or expropriated government funds. Enhanced due diligence is imperative when it comes to dealing with politically exposed persons, particularly from countries facing instability likes Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. We also expect the UAB to continue to implement strong compliance measures when it comes to Iranian, Syrian, or other sanctions evasion.”
GOP House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Warns About Tehran’s Meddling in Venezuela
In his opening statement at the Full Committee Hearing on U.S. Priorities in the Western Hemisphere, House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul warned about the Iranian regime’s destabilizing role in Latin America.
“Last year, the Iranian Navy made its furthest known voyage into the Atlantic to deliver weapons to Venezuela,” Mr. McCaul said, adding: “While this was – thankfully – unsuccessful, Tehran’s previous transfer of military equipment is fueling an already unstable situation in Venezuela. We know that Russia, China, and Iran are all in the hemisphere.”
Protesting Locals in Kurdistan Province Blocked an Inter-provincial Road
Residents of Hosseinabad in Kurdistan Province, who are protesting against the unsuitable and dangerous conditions of the road to Qorveh city, have been blocking the roadway since yesterday, February 3. This protest continued today, Friday, February 4.
People say they will not open the road until the governor comes down to address their problems. In recent months, there have been several accidents and cars overturning along this route. In a recent incident, a fuel tanker overturned and set several houses in Hosseinabad ablaze, killing several people and damaging properties.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iran’s Regime Is Escalating Maritime Terrorism, Opposition Sources Reveal
Iran’s regime is investing in efforts to increase its provocative and terrorist activities against maritime targets in the Middle East, the latest information obtained by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) indicates.
The information, obtained from confidential sources inside Iran and made public during a press conference by the U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) on Wednesday, February 2, show that the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force (IRGC-QF) is recruiting, arming, and training terror cells for this purpose.
The Collapse of Khamenei’s Aura
The regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was forced to acknowledge the growing internal fissures of his regime during a recent meeting with his followers.
His audience of religious singers consistently demonstrated their fealty to the state by encouraging Iranian youths to participate in the regime’s wars such as the Iran-Iraq war and the Syrian conflict.
Their main job is to confuse and distort reality so that ordinary people would easily buy into the regime’s lies and deceptions. With the Iranian public becoming increasingly more aware of the regime’s plots, these same officials have become targets of the public’s fury and ridicule at the same time.
Iran Uses the Death Penalty Against Dissidents To Terrorize the Public
Iran uses the death penalty against dissidents to terrorize the public. Dozens of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience are currently on death row in Iran. These prisoners include dissidents, prisoners of conscience, as well as protesters arrested during anti-regime protests. The Iranian regime’s use of the death penalty against prisoners is intended to intimidate and prevent protests in Iran.
Farangis Mazloum Pressured To Serve Jail Sentence Despite Illness
Under the pressure of the Ministry of Intelligence, Farangis Mazloum went to Evin Prison on February 1, 2022, to serve her sentence. However, the prison authorities refused to accept her due to her severe physical condition. Accordingly, the implementation of the bail was postponed for one month so that the forensics could re-examine Mrs. Mazloum and confirm that she could not endure prison conditions.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – February 3, 2022
