THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET
Quds Force Commander Wants Tehran’s Stake from Iraq’s New Government
According to the Al-Hadath TV channel, the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, has traveled to the holy city of Najaf in Iraq. Al-Hadath TV reported: “Qaani’s visit indicates the continuation of consultations in order to appoint the prime minister and the formation of a new Iraqi government after the defeat of the parties affiliated with the Iranian regime in Iraq in the parliamentary elections.”
Official sources in Iraq published pictures of Qaani in Najaf on Sunday night, January 16. Following fruitless talks between some Iraqi leaders and Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Fatah coalition and a representative of the Iranian-backed proxy groups, Qaani wants to push for a solution that might still serve Tehran in the new government in Baghdad.
UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET
Former American Hostage Aims to Go on Hunger Strike
Barry Rosen, a former US diplomat taken hostage by the Iranian regime forces for 444 days in 1979, announced on Sunday, January 16, that he will be flying to Vienna to go on a hunger strike in protest of foreign nationals being “taken hostage” in Iran.
In an interview with Fox News, he said he believed the nuclear talks and the nuclear deal were political alliances that depended on mutual trust, and that he did not think anyone could trust the Iranian regime as Tehran’s policy was a “hostage-taking policy.”
The former US diplomat stressed the Iranian regime has been taking hostages for more than 41 years that it has never ended its “hostage-taking diplomacy” and still continues with the same approach.
Rosen said he believed the international community should make it clear that Tehran should release the hostages before any sanctions imposed on the Iranian regime could be lifted. He added that he hopes to be able to talk to Robert Malley, the US special envoy for Iran, as well as to the regime’s envoys during his stay in Vienna.
I am starting a hunger strike this week in Vienna, 41 years after my release, to demand the release of all hostages being held by #Iran. They are human beings, not bargaining chips. Their freedom should come before we make any deals with an untrustworthy regime. #FreeTheHostages pic.twitter.com/zKqhcKJ7uk
— Barry Rosen (@brosen1501) January 17, 2022
UPDATE: 11:00 AM CET
Locals Clash with Security Forces in Southern Khuzestan Province
On Saturday and Sunday, January 15 and 16, state security forces entered the village of Islamabad Olya in Behbahan, Southern Iran, to extort and force people to pay a ransom. But the people and the youth clashed with the oppressive units and forced them to flee.
According to local sources, once again, the mercenaries attacked the people in the dark of night, but were met with fierce resistance and fled, leaving behind several batons and other equipment.
On Sunday morning, counter-insurgency forces were dispatched, along with the IRGC and the Basij who tried to establish a military curfew. But once again, they faced fierce resistance from the people of the village of Islamabad.
Amateur footage from locals reflect the recent tensions in the area:
UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET
Maryam Rajavi’s Meeting With Dr. Alejo Vidal Quadras in Auver-sur-Oise
Dr. Vidal Quadras extended his New Year greetings. Referring to Mrs. Rajavi’s Christmas message and her participation in the Christmas Eve service in the church, he said her message of peace and friendship to Christians is just the opposite of the mullahs’ regime and shows the world the true face of Iran and Islam. He expressed hope that the New Year would be a year of success for the Iranian Resistance.
Mr. Vidal Quadras said, Your 40 years of efforts to train a generation of resistance members and supporters who combine professional, scientific, and managerial capabilities with total commitment to democratic values and transcendent human capacity paint a glorious vision for future Iran.
One Small Step for Justice, One Giant Leap for Human Rights
On January 13, a court in Germany sentenced a former colonel of the Syrian regime to life imprisonment for participating in the murder of dozens of people and in torturing hundreds of Syrian political opponents.
Until now, criminals of dictatorial regimes had immunity under an unwritten but effective law as long as their respective regimes were in power. Under the guise of this shameful tradition, dictators and tyrants who had a safe margin of “sovereignty”, committed crimes and scoffed at political and moral condemnation.
New Teachers’ Protests, Not So Welcoming for Iran’s Regime
There were over 230 protests and strikes in Iran in December 2021. Perhaps the most prominent of these was a three-day teachers’ strike on December 11, 12, and 13, involving tens of thousands of teachers in hundreds of cities across the country demanding fair pay. Meanwhile, sporadic strikes continued among miners, with workers of the Sangun copper mines in Varzaqan, northwestern Iran organizing a protest action after months of broken promises from the mine management.
The above are only the latest instances of a new wave of strike actions and protests that have been happening since 2018. The corrupt regime in Tehran, incapable of responding to the protestors’ just demands, has responded by arresting them, imprisoning them, and imposing hefty bails for their releases.
Even Dying Has Become Unaffordable in Iran
Considering the intensification of deep-seated economic and social crises in Iran, money is very hard to come by for most average families. One of the biggest expenses that people are struggling to afford is purchasing tombstones for their loved ones that have passed away.
Due to rampant poverty across Iran, the business of second-hand tombstones, and vendors who are willing to allow customers to purchase them in installments, is booming, as noted by the state-run daily Hamshahri, which first noted the trend in May 2021.
COVID-19 Outbreak Spreading Women’s Ward of Sepidar Prison of Ahvaz
Recent reports indicate a new wave of COVID-19 outbreak inside notorious Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz, capital of Iran Khuzestan province. Prison authorities have tried to cover up the scale of the outbreak and left sick prisoners in the women’s ward of the prison without medical care. Despite the new wave of outbreaks, prisoners are not tested for the virus. They are detained in a limited space without sufficient hygienic products.
In May 2020, some 50 female inmates contracted the virus. They included political prisoner Nejat Anvar Hamidi, who has been detained since March 2019 to serve her 15-year sentence.
Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll Exceeds 498,100
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Sunday, January 16, 2022, that the COVID-19 death toll in 547 cities across Iran has surpassed 498,100. The number of victims in Tehran has reached 116,335, Khorasan Razavi 40,120, Isfahan 34,520, Khuzestan 30,065, Fars 18,855, East Azerbaijan 17,218, Sistan and Baluchestan 13,740, Yazd 8,248, Kurdistan 8,222, Zanjan 4,790, and Ilam 4,758.
#Iran Coronavirus Update
More than 498,100 people have died of #COVID19 in 547 cities checkered across all of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition PMOI/MEK.
Full reporthttps://t.co/jlkCm15VBk pic.twitter.com/vO2N6OQ9yN
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 17, 2022
Read more: Iran News in Brief – January 16, 2022
