THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET
Tuesday Protests in Iran
Today, Tuesday, August 8, retired individuals from various cities including Kermanshah, Karaj, Ilam, Hamadan, and Kurdistan gathered in protest in front of the National Pension Fund offices. Their demonstration was in response to the lack of attention to their demands, which include equitable wage adjustments, addressing inflation and high costs of living, resolving issues with medical and supplementary insurance, and addressing the challenges of wartime veterans. This protest was part of the coordinated protest gatherings that take place every Tuesday across different provinces.
August 8—Sanandaj, western #Iran
Government retirees hold rally in front of the retirement fund, demanding higher pensions according to the regime's laws and protesting high inflation, high prices, lack of health insurance.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/HSzUih1Rbu— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 8, 2023
August 8—Yazd, central #Iran
Government retirees hold protest rally, calling on the regime to implement its own laws that requires adjusting their pensions according to inflation and costs of living. #IranProtestspic.twitter.com/kj6wkUGsbS— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 8, 2023
More footage of today's protest rally by disabled people in front of the city council in Tehran. Protesters are demanding the government to cancel the transfer of the transportation fleet for disabled people to private owners linked to the regime.pic.twitter.com/r6lYo7wgJ1
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 8, 2023
August 8—Alborz province, #Iran
Government retirees hold protest rally, demanding higher pensions according to the regime's laws and protesting high inflation, high prices, lack of health insurance, and other basic needs. #IranProtestspic.twitter.com/3OjZC7ksy9— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 8, 2023
Canada Sanctions Iranian Regime for Activities That Gravely Threaten International Peace and Security
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations. This is the 13th package of sanctions imposed by Canada against the Iranian regime since October 2022. It builds on Canada’s efforts to align with designations announced by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Today’s sanctions list 7 individuals involved in activities that gravely threaten international peace and security or that constitute gross and systemic violations of human rights in Iran. These include a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy and Strategic Centre and other senior Iranian officials involved in entities that supply materials to Iran’s repressive National Law Enforcement Command.
IRGC Activities Leave Ardebil’s Baliqloochay River Completely Dry
On Tuesday, August 8, the state-affiliated site Rokna reported, “Field observations by Rokna correspondents reveal that the perennial ‘Baliqloo Chay’ river in Ardebil, located in the watershed of Qareh Soo and within the larger watershed of the Aras River, has dried up completely for the first time in recent history.”
“Environmental activists and social advocates in Ardebil have repeatedly warned about the transformation of this river into a center of pollution and disease, but unfortunately, it hasn’t received serious attention from those in charge,” the source added.
According to Rokna, the ongoing dryness of this perennial river could not only eliminate the natural life of the river but also turn its bed into a source of dust storms in this province, potentially leading to extensive environmental repercussions in the future for the city’s residents.
This incident sheds light on the broader issue of the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards’ control over the country’s water resources, which has often led to mismanagement, environmental degradation, and negative impacts on local communities and ecosystems.”
Regime’s Law Enforcement Chief: 38 Personnel Killed in Recent Months
In an interview with the clerical regime’s news network on August 7, Ahmadreza Radan, head of the State Security Forces stated, “Currently, 20,000 cameras are installed on police uniforms and are fortunately operational. Twelve thousand of them are offline, and eight thousand are online. For the year 1402 (March 2023- March 2024), apart from these 20,000, we have re-targeted another 8,000 cameras. In these past few months, we have had 38 martyrs. One of the reasons behind this is the escalation of our conflicts and the expansion of our mission area.”
UPDATE: 4:30 PM CET
Regime’s Repressive Agents Raid Zahedan, Demolish Homes in a Barbaric Assault
In the early hours of Monday, August 7, the regime’s repressive agents launched a savage raid on Jihad District in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, demolishing several homes belonging to marginalized Baluchis using heavy machinery to destroy their houses.
At 5 AM local time, the suppressive forces first surrounded the area with a significant number of military personnel and then proceeded to destroy the citizens’ residences with multiple bulldozers. According to local accounts, security forces even forbade people from removing their belongings from their homes.
Prior to this, the destruction of Baluchi citizens’ homes in regions like Ab and Dayi Abad in Zahedan as well as in other cities of the province by government apparatuses has been a recurring and well-documented occurrence. On February 28, 2022, Basij and IRGC forces set fire to and destroyed the stalls of marginalized people in the Chabahar outskirts.
Largest Ever UK Action Targets Putin’s Access to Foreign Military Supplies
Foreign Secretary announces 25 new sanctions targeting Putin’s access to foreign military equipment. This includes individuals and businesses in Turkey, Dubai, Slovakia, and Switzerland who are supporting the illegal war in Ukraine. The UK is also tackling Iranian and Belarusian support for Russia’s war machine.
We are also taking further action to tackle Iran and Belarus’ support for Russia’s military. The UK has previously imposed sanctions on Belarus for continuing to actively facilitate Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has called out Iran’s destabilising role in global security, including through sanctions against Iranian suppliers of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) used by Russia to target Ukrainian civilians. Today’s sanctions include:
- Iranian individuals and entities involved in the research, development and production of UAVs for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
UPDATE: 12:00 PM CET
In Iran, Climate Change Is Becoming a Matter of Life and Death but the Tyrannical Mullahs Respond to Protests With Deadly Force – Struan Stevenson
Prior to the 1979 revolution, Iran’s population, numbering 34 million people at that time, relied on a stable water supply, sourced from millennia-old underground canals and aquifers. The Islamic revolution, hijacked by the mullahs, changed all that. The theocratic regime handed control of the nationalised water industry and over 70 percent of all other business, industrial and service sectors to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Iran now faces an ecological disaster. As the world experiences what is shaping up to be the hottest summer on record in 2023, warnings about escalating global warming have become even more pressing, but appear to be ignored by Tehran.
Facial Recognition: Iran Uses Bosch Cameras To Check Headscarf Requirements
Between 2016 and 2018, Bosch delivered a total of around 8000 surveillance cameras to Iran. However, biometric software is said not to have been installed on it. In order to enforce the headscarf requirement, the Iranian government relies on surveillance of public spaces with the help of video cameras, including from Germany. According to activists, biometric facial recognition software is also involved. The authorities have expanded their control system with relevant technologies, Raha Bahreini of Amnesty International told ARD. After receiving a speeding ticket by SMS based on the evaluation of video material, many women would have to give up their car for several weeks. This was often followed by travel bans and fines.
Exclusive: IOC Could Ban Iran From Olympics Over Human Rights Abuses
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stands ready to ban Iranian athletes from competing at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris if human rights abuses in the country continue, City A.M. understands. With tensions in the nation between protestors and both the government and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, athletes have been targeted by the regime. Former national wrestler Navid Afkari was executed in 2020 by the Iranian regime in relation to an alleged murder, though the defence insisted the then 27-year-old had done nothing wrong – they claim the former athlete was arrested after participating in protests against the government. Even former US President Donald Trump had called for Afkari’s pardon. But the detentions have not stopped there. Former bronze medalist in youth wrestling Saman Pashaei was arrested 30 days ago without charge and boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani has been sentenced to death for his role in protests in 2020 over gas price hikes.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Iran: Protests Over Water Outages, Economic Woes, and Government Corruption
On Sunday, August 6, a group of residents of the Baghmisheh district of Tabriz, northwest Iran, protested against a week-long water outage in this city by holding a protest rally in Vanak Square chanting: “We want to drink water!”
The water crisis in Tabriz has entered its second week, while East Azerbaijan province is one of the watershed provinces of Iran. According to local sources, at least a dozen neighborhoods in Tabriz are facing water outages. Also, over the past three days, drinking water in Erem, Nasr and Marzdaran settlements and many areas, neighborhoods and large towns of Tabriz has been completely cut off, or the residents only had access to water at low pressure during limited hours of the day.
The Failure of Raisi’s Two-Year Presidency
Two years ago, around this time, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran’s regime, appointed Ebrahim Raisi as his regime’s president and called it a “completely meaningful move.” “New people are entering into a field with new initiatives,” he said.
The goal was to unify the government to deal with resistance and uprising. But after last year’s nationwide uprising, the regime’s dream turned into nightmare, to the extent that many regime loyalists and the members of the Majlis (parliament) denounced the “failure of unified governance” and officially requested Raisi to resign. On May 3, the state-run Jahan-e Sanat newspaper wrote, ” The current government is the weakest after the [1979] revolution. With such a degrading record, no room is left any more to defend or support it, and we see no one defending this government.”
Censorship and Control Of The Cultural Landscape Under Iran’s Regime
Over the years, Iran’s cultural sphere has faced significant challenges due to the policies and actions of its regime. The Iranian government, under various administrations, has exerted stringent control over the nation’s artistic and cultural landscape, leading to restrictions, censorship, and suppression of creative expression. Under the current regime, there has been an evident tightening of control over Iran’s cultural and artistic space. The Ministry of Guidance has employed hundreds of young Hezbollah forces within the ministry, raising concerns among observers about further suppression of creative freedoms. The government’s move to enlist these personnel poses a threat to filmmakers, poets, writers, and other artists who already face political, social, and economic challenges.
Money Printing Soared by 83%, Liquidity by 73% during Raisi’s Tenure
Abdul Nasser Hemmati, the former governor of the Iranian regime’s Central Bank, stated that according to official statistics, during the initial two years of the regime’s President Ebrahim Raisi‘s tenure, money printing increased by 83 percent and liquidity grew by 73 percent.
On Friday, August 13, Hemmati tweeted, “In the [presidential] debate [of 2021], you mentioned that neutralizing sanctions requires a powerful government. I have presented growth statistics to validate your statement.”
He further stated that during Raisi’s two-year presidency, the exchange rate of the dollar to the Iranian rial increased by 95 percent, the price of gold coins experienced a growth of 192 percent, and the price index surged by 114 percent.
July 2023 Report: Punishing Women Defying the Compulsory Veil
The month of July saw the return of the notorious Guidance Patrols, albeit without their emblems, and a heated debate on the adoption of the bill on Chastity and Hijab. This monthly report of the NCRI Women’s Committee will focus on these two issues, discussing the underlying reasons and the ensuing reactions to those measures. To put things into perspective, one should realize that these measures are the last resort measures of a moribund regime after the 2022-2023 uprising. In each segment of the following report, we will explain why. After the murder of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, which sparked the latest round of nationwide uprisings in Iran, the morality police did not appear in the streets for a long time. The clerical regime, however, continued its repression of women and girls in various forms, including the poisoning of female students, because the mullahs’ dictatorship cannot survive a day without repression, especially repression directed at women and girls.
Tehran Municipality to Deploy 400 Suppressive ‘Veil Watchers’ to Clamp Down on Women
The NCRI Women’s Committee issued a statement today, regarding the plan by Tehran Municipality to employ 400 Veil Watchers to prevent women from entering the metro station without covering their hair and handing them over to the police. The text of the statement follows: According to a report by the state-run website Etemad Online on August 6, the clerical regime is seeking to expand an atmosphere of terror and fear by deploying 400 security forces of Tehran Municipality under the name of ‘Veil Watchers’ in the Tehran metro with a monthly salary of 120 million rials. As claimed by regime officials, the duty of these oppressive forces is to issue verbal warnings and prevent unveiled individuals from entering the metro, reporting them to the police in case of resistance.
MEK Supporters Rallies in Dallas, Toronto, and Vancouver, Supporting the MEK Leadership and Against the Mullahs’ Regime
August 5, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in Dallas, Toronto, and Vancouver, and demanded the trial of Ali Khamenei (Supreme leader of the mullahs’ regime) for crimes against humanity, in an international court. They expressed strong support for the MEK leadership. They also supported the Iran Revolution against the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 7, 2023