More than 9 million complete illiterates reported in Iran

The Iranian regime’s Central Bank issued a report on July 27th saying, “11.2% of people over the age of six are completely illiterate. 1.5% is able to read and write, and around 21% have elementary education and 43% have secondary school education.” According to this report 22.5% have university education.
In this regard a regime official said the number of complete illiterates in Iran are 9,456,000 people, adding labor children, disabled children, children with bad caretakers and orphans are usually deprived of education. 

Iran: medical school girls rally against “strange bill”

Around 150 medical school girls rallied and protested a bill passed by Hassan Rouhani ’s Healthy Ministry. This rally was held outside this ministry building on Monday, July 27th, and the protesters said women graduating from medical school are committed to 8 years of service while men are only committed to two years.
The state-run Tabnak website reported these college students have been protesting this issue for 2½ years and their voices have been silenced throughout Rouhani’s tenure.
Health Ministry security intervened and began confiscating their video cameras and placards, Tabnak added.

Editorial: Focus on human rights in Iran now

Following the July 14 Iran nuclear deal, a number of European officials have begun making the trek to Tehran in the hopes of reestablishing economic contracts with the mullahs' regime. But these officials are failing to pay attention to the dramatic deterioration in the human rights situation and the rapid rise in the rate of executions in Iran.

Immediately after the nuclear deal was clinched, the clerical regime embarked on a new wave of executions, including several cases of group hangings.

The Iranian authorities are believed to have executed an astonishing 694 people between 1 January and 15 July 2015, Amnesty International said last week, in an unprecedented spike in executions in the country.

"Executions in Iran did not even stop during the holy month of Ramadan. In a departure from established practice, at least four people were executed over the past month," the human rights group said. "Iran’s staggering execution toll for the first half of this year paints a sinister picture of the machinery of the state carrying out premeditated, judicially-sanctioned killings on a mass scale."

At least 27 prisoners have been executed in Iran in the past week alone. That's close to four executions per day. Yet European officials have remained mum on the mullahs' appalling human rights record.

Ms. Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, who visited Tehran on July 28 to discuss "bilateral issues" and trade opportunities, was noticeably silent on the mullahs’ egregious human rights conduct.

In the nine months that Ms. Mogherini has taken office, some 1,000 prisoners have been executed in Iran, women have faced the most severe pressures, and religious and ethnic minorities have faced extensive repression and discrimination; however, Ms. Mogherini has refrained from uttering even a single verbal condemnation of these daily atrocities. This is disgraceful for the EU whose very foundation is based on countering fascism and supporting democracy and human rights.

Ms. Mogherini met with those responsible for 120,000 political executions, including the massacre of 30,000 Iranian political prisoners (members of the PMOI) in the summer of 1988, as well as those bearing chief responsibility for the export of terror and fundamentalism to the region.

To welcome her in Tehran, the regime hanged a group of 11 prisoners in Karaj on Monday. Yet in her op-ed on Tuesday in the Guardian's Comment is Free, Ms. Mogherini failed to even remotely refer to a need for Tehran to improve its human rights record.

Other senior European officials who have already gone or plan to go to Tehran following the nuclear accord have been equally silent on the human rights violations in Iran.

Let’s face it. Calling Hassan Rouhani a 'moderate', if not done for sinister political objectives, is delusional. In the less than two years that he has been in office as President, the regime has executed more than 1,800 prisoners, more than in any similar period in the past 25 years.

Last December, the United Nations General Assembly slammed the flagrant violations of human rights by the Iranian regime, and according to Mr. Ahmad Shaheed, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, under Rouhani “the overall situation has worsened.”

Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former Vice-President of the European Parliament, on Tuesday rightly said: "It is an illusion to imagine that the nuclear agreement will lead to an improvement in the human rights situation in Iran. All the signs indicate that the agreement will embolden the mullahs to further abuse their citizens and to prevent an opening of the political atmosphere which could lead to a repeat of the upsurge of anti-government sentiments that took place in the 2009 uprisings."

As such the trips by Ms. Mogherini and other EU officials to Iran under the mullahs’ rule run counter to the national interest of the Iranian people and their determination to overthrow this regime and establish democracy and popular rule in Iran.

Good political sense dictates that Ms. Mogherini and co. who visit Iran speak out against Tehran’s abhorrent human rights abuses and nefarious conduct in the region and defend the Iranian people’s basic rights. They should make it clear that any improvement of relations with Tehran would depend on an improvement of the human rights situation and an end to the killing spree and Tehran’s export of terror and fundamentalism. It must be made clear to the Iranian authorities that they would be held accountable for their crimes against humanity both inside Iran and abroad.

U.S.: Iran officials involved in the human trafficking of women

NCRI – Officials of the regime in Iran are involved in the “sex trafficking of women and girls”, the U.S. State Department said in an annual report on human trafficking released this week.

“Iran is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor,” the State Department said in its annual ‘Trafficking in Persons Report 2015.’

“Organized groups reportedly subject Iranian women, boys, and girls to sex trafficking in Iran, as well as in the United Arab Emirates and Europe,” the TIP report said.

“In 2013, traffickers forced Iranian women and girls into prostitution in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. From 2009-2015, there was a reported increase in the transport of girls from and through Iran en route to the Gulf where organized groups sexually exploited or forced them into marriages. In Tehran, Tabriz, and Astara, the number of teenage girls in prostitution continues to increase.”

“Organized criminal groups force Iranian and immigrant children to work as beggars and in street vendor rings in cities, including Tehran. Physical and sexual abuse and drug addiction are the primary means of coercion. Some children are also forced to work in domestic workshops. Traffickers subject Afghan migrants, including boys, to forced labor in construction and agricultural sectors in Iran. Afghan boys are at high risk of experiencing sexual abuse by their employers and harassment or blackmailing by the Iranian security service and other government officials.”

“In previous years, there were reports government officials were involved in the sex trafficking of women and girls. Reports also indicated some officials operating shelters for runaway girls forced them into prostitution rings.”

“The Government of Iran does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. As in previous reporting periods, the government did not share information on its anti-trafficking efforts. Publicly available information from NGOs, the media, international organizations, and other governments indicates the Iranian government is not taking sufficient steps to address its extensive trafficking challenges, particularly with regard to the protection of trafficking victims.”

“Moreover, female victims of sexual abuse, including sex trafficking victims, are liable to be prosecuted for adultery, which is defined as sexual relations outside of marriage and is punishable by death,” the report added.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, made a statement after the State Department released its 2015 TIP report which placed countries into one of four tiers to indicate “the extent of government action to combat trafficking.” Six countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Algeria, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, were placed on the Tier 3 List, the highest level of concern, while five additional countries in the region were placed on the Tier 2 Watch List.

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen said: “Iran’s inclusion again as a Tier 3 country in the TIP report is further evidence of the administration’s irresponsibility in pretending Iran’s nuclear program exists in a vacuum. The administration decided to negotiate with Iran exclusively on its nuclear program while ignoring Iran’s other illicit activity and human rights record and is incorrectly arguing that it is only lifting nuclear related sanctions. Despite the administration’s claims, the sanctions being lifted on Iran were never intended solely for its nuclear program but were also designed to address its human rights record, including human trafficking, among other issues. As Iran’s Tier 3 placement shows, human trafficking and human rights are not improving in Iran. We must not lift Iran’s human rights sanctions as part of this weak nuclear deal.”

Mogherini ne devrait pas délaisser les droits de l’homme lors de sa visite en Iran – Un député européen

 La Haute Représentante de l'Union pour les affaires étrangères et la politique de sécurité Mme Federica Mogherini se rend à Téhéran mardi pour ouvrir un nouveau dialogue sur des « questions bilatérales » entre l’Iran et les puissances mondiales deux semaines après l’accord nucléaire. Pourtant son voyage met en péril les valeurs démocratiques européennes, a écrit Alejo Vidal-Quadras, ancien vice-président du Parlement Européen, dans un éditorial pour United Press International :

 C’est une illusion d’imaginer que l’accord nucléaire conduira à une amélioration de la situation des droits de l’homme en Iran. Tous les signes indiquent que l’accord encouragera les mollahs à continuer de maltraiter ses citoyens et à empêcher le dégel de l’atmosphère politique, ce qui pourrait mener à une nouvelle montée en puissance des sentiments antigouvernementaux exprimés dans les soulèvements de 2009.

Quelques heures avant que Mme Mogherini annonce son projet de voyage, le régime exécutait 10 prisonniers par pendaison collective dans sa prison de Gohardasht. Le même jour,Amnesty International informait du nombre sidérant de 694 personnes exécutées par les autorités iraniennes entre le 1er janvier et le 15 juillet 2015, un pic d’exécutions sans précédent dans le pays.

 « Cela revient à exécuter plus de trois personnes par jour », a affirmé Amnesty International. « Le bilan sidérant des exécutions pour la première moitié de l’année brosse un sinistre tableau de la machinerie d’état qui perpétue des tueries illégales et préméditées à grande échelle. »

 En décembre dernier, l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies a vivement critiqué les violations éhontées des droits de l’homme par l’Iran, et son emploi de châtiments inhumains, dont les coups de fouet et les amputations.

 Aucun signe ne montre une amélioration de la situation des droits de l’homme pendant la présidence d’Hassan Rohani. Au contraire, les faits pointent une triste réalité :

 Depuis que Rohani a pris le pouvoir il a presque deux ans, il y a eu plus de 1 800 exécutions en Iran, davantage que dans toute période similaire lors de ces 25 dernières années. L’Iran détient le record du plus grand nombre d’exécutions par habitant dans le monde et a exécuté le plus grand nombre de prisonniers mineurs. Les exécutions de citoyens issus deminorités ethniques et religieuses ont augmenté de façon spectaculaire. Plusieurs prêtres chrétiens sont incarcérés pour avoir défendu leurs croyances. L’Iran est la plus grande prison de journalistes dans le Moyen-Orient ; des dizaines de journalistes sont actuellement détenus. L’Iran est aussi le plus grand consommateur d’équipement de filtrage internet ; il bloque l’accès à environ cinq millions de sites web dédiés aux arts et aux enjeux sociaux, et filtre les contenus de blogs et de médias sociaux.

La misogynie est au cœur de la loi théocratique du régime. En octobre dernier, des groupes organisés affiliés au régime ont mené des attaques à l’acide contre des femmes iraniennes pour un port du voile prétendument inconvenant. Le même mois, en dépit des protestations internationales, l’Iran a exécuté Mme Rayhaneh Jabbari, 26 ans, dont le crime a été de se défendre contre un agent du renseignement qui avait tenté de la violer.

 Mme Atena Farghadani, une artiste de 28 ans, a été condamnée en mai à une peine de 12 ans pour avoir dessiné une caricature moquant les hauts fonctionnaires du régime. Il est difficile d’imaginer une jeune femme être emprisonnée pour une telle durée simplement pour un dessin humoristique, mais c’est la réalité de la théocracie qui règne en Iran.

 En tout, ce régime a exécuté plus de 120 000 prisonniers politiques, dont la grande majorité étaient des membres du principal groupe d’opposition iranien l’Organisation des Moudjahidine du Peuple d’Iran (OMPI).

 Samedi prochain marquera le 27ème anniversaire du massacre en 1988 de 30 000 prisonniers politiques, principalement des membres et activistes de l’OMPI. L’un des trois membres de la « commission de la mort » qui a envoyé les prisonniers politiques à la potence est l’actuel Ministre de la Justice de Rohani.

 La rencontre de Mme Mogherini avec les responsables du régime va les encourager à continuer d’exercer la torture et les exécutions, aussi bien qu’à exporter la terreur et le fondamentalisme dans la région, et cela sapera la détermination du peuple pour mettre en plae un changement démocratique.

 Bien qu’en 2012 l’Union Européenne ait adopté un ambitieux système stratégique pour placer les droits de l’homme et la démocratie au centre de sa politique, Mme Mogherini, pendant ses neuf mois au poste de chef de la diplomatie européenne, et malgré le millier d’exécutions en Iran, a refusé de prononcer la moindre condamnation envers ces atrocités quotidiennes.

 L’accord nucléaire ne devrait pas fournir à l’Union Européenne une excuse pour rester silencieuse face au comportement lamentable du régime vis-à-vis des droits de l’homme. Mme Mogherini devrait donner pour objet contral à sa visite une déclaration publique aux autorités iraniennes qui leur demande de stopper les exécutions et de libérer les prisonniers politiques. Autrement, le régime utilisera sa visite comme outil de propagande pour décourager les appels à la démocratie parmi le peuple iranien. Il est temps pour l’Europe de choisir son camp entre un régime théocratique et le peuple oppressé. L’Europe ne devrait pas hésiter à se tenir aux côtés du peuple iranien épris de liberté et à soutenir son appel pour la liberté, la démocratie et les droits de l’homme.

 Alejo Vidal-Quadras était vice-président du Parlement Européen de 1999 à 2014, et préside actuellement une ONG basée à Bruxelles, le Comité International pour la Recherche de la Justice (ISJ)

Iran regime to hang man for crime allegedly committed aged 15

NCRI - The regime in Iran plans to execute over the weekend an Iranian who was 15 years old when he was alleged to have committed a crime, Amnesty International has said.

"Juvenile offender Salar Shadizadi is at imminent risk of execution for a murder allegedly committed when he was 15 years old. He is scheduled to be executed on 1 August. Salar Shadizadi was arrested in February 2007 on a charge of murdering a friend. He was sentenced to death in December that year, under the Islamic principle of qesas (retribution-in-kind), by Branch 11 of the Criminal Court of Appeal in the northern province of Gilan. His sentence was upheld three months later, by Branch 37 of the Supreme Court," Amnesty International said in an Urgent Action appeal on Monday.

"Salar Shadizadi was arrested in February 2007 after his friend’s dead body was found in a garden belonging to Salar Shadizadi’s family. Salar Shadizadi was subsequently arrested and accused of fatally stabbing the deceased victim in the neck. The circumstances of the crime are not clear to Amnesty International," the international human rights group said.

"After several years on death row, Salar Shadizadi was transferred to solitary confinement on 7 July 2013 in preparation for execution. The authorities, however, halted the execution at the last minute and allowed Salar Shadizadi to submit a request for judicial review under Article 91 of Iran’s 2013 Penal Code, which gives judges the discretion not to impose the death penalty if they determine that a juvenile offender did not understand the nature of the crime or its consequences, or if there are doubts about the offender’s 'mental growth and maturity'."

"Later that year, Branch 13 of Iran’s Supreme Court accepted the request for judicial review and sent the case back to the court of first instance to examine the issue of Salar Shadizadi’s maturity at the time of the crime. The court of first instance referred Salar Shadizadi to Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) for psychological examination. The LMO found that ‘there is no evidence to conclude that Salar Shadizadi was insane at the time of the crime but examining his mental growth seven years after the event is impossible.’ Based on this finding, Branch 13 of the Supreme Court upheld the original death sentence. In its reasoning, the Supreme Court stated: 'presumptively, mental maturity is present after children reach the age of maturity [which is 15 for boys and nine for girls] and the rebuttal of this presumption requires proof which has not been established in this case.'"

"At least 72 juvenile offenders are believed to have been executed in Iran between 2005 and 2014 and at least 160 juvenile offenders are believed to be on death row," Amnesty International added.

European Union foreign policy chief Ms. Federica Mogherini is on her first official visit to Iran on Tuesday. Since taking office she has not condemned the flagrant human rights abuses that are rampant in Iran.

Nine prisoners were on Monday hanged collectively in a detention center in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran.

Also on Monday two other prisoners, identified as Saeid Ganji and Firouz Nouri-Majd, were hanged in Iran’s notorious Qezelhesar Prison in Karaj.

The hangings bring to at least 27 the number of prisoners that have been executed in Iran in the past week.

11 prisoners hanged in Iran - 27 executions in past week

NCRI – Nine prisoners were on Monday hanged collectively in a detention center in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran.

Also on Monday two other prisoners, identified as Saeid Ganji and Firouz Nouri-Majd, were hanged in Iran’s notorious Qezelhesar Prison in Karaj.

The hangings bring to at least 27 the number of prisoners that have been executed in Iran in the past week.

The nine prisoners executed at dawn on Monday in the Karaj detention center were identified as Omid Mohammadi-Dara, Mostafa Ghafarzadeh, Omidreza Karampour, Shahriar Hassan-Zadeh, Hossein Afghan, Yareh Hassan-Zadeh, Sasan Salari, Meysam Hosseini-Nejad, and Amanollah Baluch-Zehi.

Faced with escalating popular discontent and unable to respond to the rightful demands of the majority of the Iranian people who are living under the poverty line, the religious fascism ruling Iran - dubbed the ‘godfather of ISIS’ by the Iranian people - is ramping up suppression.

On Thursday, Amnesty International said that the Iranian regime has executed an astonishing 694 people between January 1 and July 15, 2015.

“Iran’s staggering execution toll for the first half of this year paints a sinister picture of the machinery of state carrying out premeditated judicially-sanctioned killing on a mass scale,” it said.

Since mullah Hasssan Rouhani took office as President, more than 1,800 prisoners have been executed in Iran.