THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 5:00 PM CET
Britain Targets Iranian Security Officials in New Human Rights Sanctions
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain on Thursday announced further sanctions against Iranian security officials and organisations for what it said were violations of human rights in Iran including over the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The new sanctions cover 13 individuals and organisations, targeting officials in charge of Iranian prisons and state entities related to cybersecurity, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Defence Command.
Britain, along with the European Union and the United States, has announced multiple rounds of sanctions against Iran, citing the widespread and often violent crackdown on protests after the death of young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody last September.
Iran: Man at Risk of Protest-related Execution: Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkouri
Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkouri is at grave risk of execution in relation to nationwide protests. In early April 2023, Iran’s judiciary announced that a Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz sentenced Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkouri to death for “enmity against God” (moharebeh), “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz) and “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi). His grossly unfair sham trial was marred by torture-tainted “confessions” obtained while he was subjected to enforced disappearance.
UPDATE: 3:00 PM CET
Huge Theft Scandal Unveiled Amidst Power Struggles in Tehran
Amidst the ongoing power struggles and factional fighting inside the Iranian regime, another massive billion-toman theft case has emerged.
According to Majidreza Hariri, the head of the Iranian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, an astonishing amount of 1,500 billion tomans has gone missing from the Chamber during the tenure of its vice president, Hussein Salavati.
This case has become a point of contention between Ebrahim Raisi’s government and the Revolutionary Guards on one side, and other factions within the regime vying for control of the Chamber of Commerce. While Salavati has been appointed as the Chamber’s head, he faces opposition from both the Raisi’s government and the Revolutionary Guards.
Hariri stated, “The fact that the head of the Chamber is not allowed to attend meetings when President Raisi is present, indicates the ambiguous state of affairs.”
On the other hand, 70 members of the clerical regime’s parliament expressed their support for Salavati in a letter addressed to the Minister of Industries, Mining and Trade.
Slamming the letter, the IRGC-run Tasnim News Agency wrote: Due to some fiscal-related cases, the election of the Chamber of Commerce Board on June 18, attended by Hossein Salavati had been disqualified by the Ministry of Intelligence, so the elections are not legitimate and should be annulled.”
Twelve Year Young Girl Shot by Security Forces Dies in Tehran Hospital
Melika Borji, a 12-year-old child, who was shot by law enforcement officers in Karaj city in February, has sadly passed away after approximately four months of hospitalization due to a severe infection.
Reports indicate that this young girl was targeted by police officers who fired at her from behind, hitting her with at least two bullets.
The state-run Fars News Agency, which is associated with the Revolutionary Guards, stated that according to a police announcement from Alborz Province, during a chasing incident that occurred in Karaj in February, “a lady and a teenage girl were hit by two bullets.”
The IRGC-run agency also quoted Melika’s uncle as claiming that the incident was due to “human error” and emphasized that law enforcement officers should not be held responsible for trivial reasons.
UPDATE: 10:00 AM CET
A Global Cry for an End to the Appeasement Policy Toward Iran’s Regime
The annual Free Iran summit, which was held from June 30 to July 3, was a global call to world leaders to correct their failed policy toward Iran’s regime. The summit’s message, which was backed by the majority of 29 parliaments and an open letter signed by 117 former world leaders, spoke of the disastrous outcome of the policy of appeasement toward the mullahs’ regime ruling Iran and warned world leaders to take a firm stance toward this regime. The four-day event once again showed the capacity of the Iranian Resistance to rally the world and send a global warning about the imperative to deal with the threats of the religious fascism ruling Iran. In addition to 500 distinguished personalities who spoke at the four-day event, more than 3,600 parliamentarians from 40 countries added their support by signing statements which underlined the need for and end to the appeasement policy.
Iran Faces Legal Action over Downing of Ukrainian Plane
Iran is being taken to the International Court of Justice over the shooting down of a Ukraine International Airlines flight in January 2020. The case has been brought by four countries — Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. In 2020, Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv was hit by two missiles shortly after taking off. All 176 people on board were killed. Iranian officials said the downing of the aircraft was an accident caused by human error when operating a surface-to-air missile defense system.
Western Governments Making Same Mistakes on Iran They Did in 1970s: Stephen Harper
Western governments are falling victim to the same bad advice they did on Iran shortly before the overthrow of the Shah, former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper said. In remarks to the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI) annual Free Iran summit in Paris last weekend, Harper cautioned people against listening to “so-called policy experts in the west.”
“(Regime) change is within reach,” Harper said. “Do not believe the propaganda that the regime is well entrenched. Unfortunately, this line does not come solely from the regime, but also frequently from so-called policy experts in the West.”
Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 5, 2023