THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:00 PM CEST
US Treasury Sanctions Iranian Intelligence Network in the United States
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating four Iranian intelligence operatives who targeted a U.S. citizen in the United States and Iranian dissidents in other countries as part of a wide-ranging campaign to silence critics of the Iranian government. Senior intelligence official Alireza Shahvaroghi Farahani led a network that plotted the kidnapping of a U.S. journalist and human rights activist, a failed plot that led to the indictment of members of the network in late July. Consistent with the well-documented role of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) in domestic repression, this operation demonstrates the pernicious role of Iran’s intelligence apparatus in targeting Iranians abroad, including brazen attempts to return dissidents to Iran.
UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances Calls for an International Inquiry into the 1988 Massacre in Iran
The UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances expressed concerns about the concealment of burial sites of those who forcibly disappeared and allegedly executed between July and September 1988 across the country.
In its report to the 48th session of the Human Rights Council, to be held from September 13 to October 30, the Working Group also announced that it was joining the call for an international inquiry into the 1988 massacre in Iran.
UPDATE: 11:30 AM CEST
Khamenei’s Senior Military Advisor Died
Hassan Firoozabadi, Khamenei’s top adviser and former chief of staff of the clerical regime, has died. The Revolutionary Guards News Agency – Fars, announced on Friday, September 3: “Hassan Firoozabadi, the former Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, died after a while due to illness.”
UPDATE: 9:30 AM CEST
The Coronavirus Death Toll In Iran Exceeds 400,000
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Thursday, September 2, 2021, that the Coronavirus death toll in 547 cities across Iran had exceeded 400,900. The number of victims in Tehran has reached 94,146, Khorasan Razavi 30,135, Isfahan 26,430, Khuzestan 24,651, Mazandaran 15,540, East Azerbaijan 14,358, Fars 14,312, West Azerbaijan 14,083, Lorestan 13,880, Gilan 13,830, Sistan and Baluchestan 11,835, Alborz 11,688, Qom 11,175, Kerman 10,388, Hormozgan 6,950, Yazd 6,893, Semnan 5,810, Ardabil 4,980.
#Iran Coronavirus Update
More than 400,900 people have died of the novel #coronavirus in 547 cities checkered across all of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition PMOI/MEK.
Full Reporthttps://t.co/ghFIF2qud1 pic.twitter.com/2veL7kZV8d
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 3, 2021
As Iran’s Economy Continues to Decline, People’s Patience Is Running Thin
These days, Iranian regime officials and state-run media are using terms such as “explosive” and “unbridled” to describe skyrocketing prices in Iran’s markets, which are breaking the people’s backs. Meanwhile, the people of Iran are faced with the added pressure of the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Pictures and videos being posted on social media by the Iranian people are heart-rending, especially given that Iran is rich in resources: People bent waist-deep in trash bins, looking for food; farmers crying out that they can’t provide for their families; labor children hawking goods in the streets and polishing shoes to make ends meet; and many more.
International Community Held Responsible To Bring Iranian Regime to Justice
In a virtual conference last week, hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the topic of discussion was the crime against humanity that took place 33 years ago, the brutal massacre of 30,000 political prisoners.
No one has ever been brought to justice for the atrocities that happened in the summer of 1988. The NCRI said, “More than 1,000 former Iranian political prisoners took part and some of them recounted the experience of appearing before “death commissions” in the summer of 1988 as the Iranian regime attempted to systematically annihilate the main opposition, the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (PMOI/MEK).”
‘Justice’ in the Eyes of Iran’s Supreme Leader
The Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a meeting on August 28, 2021, with the cabinet of the regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi, said: “The basis of the government is the establishment of justice.”
A short sentence which has surprised many people, hearing it from a person who is the head of a government of all kinds of crimes inhouse and abroad.
Monthly Report August 2021, Iran Human Rights Monitor
Hacked footage from security cameras in Iran’s Evin Prison and the publication of some of the prison’s documents published online by a group of hackers “Edalat-e Ali” (Ali’s Justice) revealed a fraction of the crimes committed in Iran’s prisons. The footage shows guards beating and dragging prisoners on the floor. The videos also show inmates attempting to commit suicide, overcrowded cells, and cells with horrible conditions.
Emergency Transfer of Political Prisoner Zahra Safaei to the Hospital
Emergency transfer of political prisoner Zahra Safaei to the hospital. No information is available on her. Reports from Qarchak Prison indicate that political prisoner Zahra Safaei has suffered a heart attack. She was taken to hospital due to her deteriorating condition. No information is available on her, and her daughter, political prisoner Parastoo Mo’ini, is worried. Zahra Safaei and her daughter, Parastoo, are serving their prison term in Qarchak Prison.
Iran Sentences Two Chinese Nationals to Lashes
Tehran’s Criminal Court sentenced two Chinese nationals to lashes yesterday, among other punishments. According to the state-run Young Journalists Club website, their lawyer, Mehdi Azizizadeh said his clients were sentenced to lashes, prison, and fines in the initial trials. He added the sentence is not final and they will ask for an appeal. The two men were detained for publishing videos of their relationship with young Iranian women on social media. This is not an isolated case.
Iranian Bahai Detained in Tehran for Following Banned Faith
An Iranian Bahai was detained yesterday by security forces in Tehran. According to the Human Rights News Agency, the Bahai was identified as Arsalan Yazdani. Arsalan was detained after security forces raided his home and confiscated some of his personal belongings. He was transferred to an unknown location. Iranian Bahais are systematically persecuted by the Iranian regime. Earlier this week, two Bahais identified as Abbas Taef and Attoallah Zafar were sentenced to a total of two years of prison.
Iran Charges Lawyers Protesting COVID-19 Negligence With “Disrupting Order”
Iran’s Judiciary spokesman said in a press conference on August 31 that lawyers who were detained in mid-August are charged with “disrupting order”. According to a state-run judiciary website, the lawyers and civil activists were charged with “disrupting order” and other opposing state security charges. The spokesman said there were nine lawyers and civil activists detained, four of which were later released.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – September 2, 2021
