THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Former Iranian Minister Says Political Rivals Are Tearing Each Other Apart over Election Gains
In a surprising revelation, Ali Soufi, the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Welfare under the regime’s former president Mohammad Khatami, has exposed an internal conflict within the regime during a recent interview. Soufi spoke candidly about the ongoing power struggles and corrupt practices within the government, shedding light on a controversial issue involving tea imports.
Talking to the state-run website Roudad24, Soufi said, “In the current election season, the competition among profit-seekers and power-hungry individuals has escalated. For example, in the case of tea corruption, they would announce inflated per capita consumption figures to justify imports. When domestic production was relatively low per capita, such imports seemed justifiable. The higher they pushed the per capita figures, the more they could import.”
“It was announced that for every two kilograms of Iranian tea exported, one kilogram of foreign tea could be imported. They were buying domestic tea, dumping it into the sea, and importing foreign tea, thus securing their illicit gains using the foreign exchange allocated for these transactions. To the extent that several tea importers took their share and handed it over to the Debsh Company, constantly raising their share of foreign currency. Here, competitors have exposed this corruption, and since it is an election season, they are in the process of tearing each other apart,” Soufi revealed.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET
Conference in Berlin
On Thursday, December 14, 2023, dozens of members of the federal and state parliaments of Germany, political personalities, human rights advocates, and members of the Iranian diaspora gathered for a major conference in Berlin to discuss issues related to Iran.
Professor Dr. Rita Süssmuth, former Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Germany (Bundestag), Leo Dautzenberg, Co-Chair of the German Solidarity Committee for a Free Iran, Carsten Müller, senior member of the Legal Commission of the Federal Parliament, Christoph de Vries, member of the Committee for Home Affairs and Community, and member of the Oversight Panel of the Federal Parliament, Diana Stöcker, member of the Health Committee, alternate member of the Education and Research Committee, and Secretary of the Federal Parliament, Dr.France Josef Jung, former Minister of Defense, Martin Patzelt, former member of the Federal Parliament and Co-Chair of the German Solidarity Committee for a Free Iran, and Christian Zimmermann, Secretary of the German Solidarity Committee were among those who attended and addressed the conference.
Conference in the Netherlands Condemns Human Rights Violations in Iran
During a conference held in the Netherlands on Saturday, December 9, 2023, dozens of political figures, representatives of the Dutch Parliament, and members of the European Parliament participated and delivered speeches regarding the human rights conditions in Iran.
Ms. Dorien Rookmaker, MEP from the Netherlands, expressed deep concern over the invitation of Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi by the UNHCR in Geneva, calling for a condemnation by the international community. She also condemned the ongoing impunity for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. She applauded the Iranian Resistance’s determination to seek justice and hold the Iranian regime accountable.
Iran’s Regime Faces a Legitimacy Crisis Ahead of Elections
In the Iranian regime, the presence and participation of the people outside the country’s fate and important decisions neither alter anything nor hold significance. Nevertheless, the regime’s officials persistently assert that the country operates as a republic based on democratic principles. To bolster their legitimacy, they consistently emphasize free elections and people’s participation.
Phrases such as ‘passionate elections,’ ‘passionate march,’ and ‘passionate presence and participation’ have been frequently echoed by the regime’s officials and media over the past four decades. Even when public attendance was meager, such claims persisted. However, the rulers of the regime now recognize that people’s participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections will be so low that it can no longer be labeled a ‘passionate election.’
Mahsa Yazdani, the Mother of Slain Protester, Is Summoned To Serve 5 Years in Prison
Mahsa Yazdani was summoned, today, Thursday, December 14, 2023, to report to the Office of the Implementation of Verdicts within three days to serve her five years of prison time for seeking justice for her son. She has another son, only four years old. The First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Sari had handed down a 13-year sentence to Mahsa Yazdani, the mother of a slain protester, Mohammad Javad Zahedi.
The first branch of the Revolutionary Court has sentenced Mahsa Yazdani to two counts of five-year sentences for “insulting the sanctities” and “provoking people against national security.” She is sentenced to two years for insulting Ali Khamenei, and to one year in prison for “activities against the Islamic Republic.” These make a total of 13 years. According to the clerical regime’s punishment law, Mrs. Yazdani would have to serve five years in prison.
3.5 Million Iranian Students Under Roofs of 100 Thousand Risky Classrooms
Hamidreza Khan-Mohammadi, Deputy Minister of Education, has announced that more than a fifth of the country’s students, equivalent to 3.5 million, study in dangerous schools.
On December 13, Khan-Mohammadi mentioned that the country has a student population of 16 million and claimed that an additional 3.5 million square meters of educational space has been added to address the issue of risky classrooms.
However, according to Nasser Ghofli, the head of the School-Building Charity Society, the government has been unsuccessful in completing school construction projects through the efforts of charities.
Paris—December 14, 2023: MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition, Condemning the Wave of Executions in Iran
Paris, France—December 14, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to support the Iranian Revolution. Additionally, they condemned the wave of brutal executions in Iran.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – December 14, 2023