* * Below: a video of Iranian residents of Germany at the Hannover tech fair protest the presence of representatives of the Iranian Telecom (owned and run by the revolutionary guards in Iran). Prior to the fair, the Iranian protesters published open letters in German publications objecting to the presence of, effectively the representatives of the revolutionary guards at this fair. During the first day of the fair the protesters passed out flyers in German and English to the fair attendees. On the second day (March 3rd) the protesters organized and carried out a walk through of the fair with placards and photos. German police and security however confronted the peaceful protesters and even arrested one of them at the request of the Iranian regime agents who also continually photographed and filmed the protesters. The protesters did however succeed in talking to the various reps working the booths and asked them to join the people of Iran in protesting against the regime.

*  * Mizan Khabar,  a new site belonging to the Green movement reports that members of the greens were prohibited from holding commemoration ceremonies for Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh, the late Iranian Prime Minister by Iranian regime authorities. The ceremonies and events were scheduled to take place on Friday, March 5th, at the Ahmadabad familial compound of Dr. Mossadegh, where he is buried. His commemoration services are held annually by the Council of Ahmadabad to which the Mosaddegh family also belongs.

The authorities had informed organizers that: “Since the current national conditions are unfavourable and there is a possibility that opportunists may take advantage of the event,” they cannot allow the ceremony to take place.  The authorities have called on the Mosaddegh family and the Ahmadabad compound proxies to make official announcements canceling the events.  However, the family responded by saying that they would not cancel the events as the events had a private nature.

Mohammad Mosaddegh is regarded as one of the most progressive leaders in Iranian politics and respected most factions that supported the 1979 Revolution. Over time however, the Islamic Republic has hampered any event commemorating Dr. Mossadegh, fearing the late leader’s political popularity and what he stood for.

* * Iranian regime’s TV network announced: In a broadcast interview the Ramin Mehmanparast, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke about the arrest of Massouminejad in Italy, saying: “Published news regarding this arrest clearly shows a new game at hand which intends to marginalize specific issues and obfuscate others. We demand an explanation and in order to obtain the necessary information regarding the various dimensions of this matter, the Italian ambassador in Tehran has been summoned so that we can hand him is orders.”

* * Below: On March 2nd, once again Columbia University  which has been known to be one of the U.S. academic institutions which has continually accepted notably large donations from the regime in Tehran, brought another apologist of the Iranian regime to spread more propaganda to  their students. This time Columbia’s International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA) organized a lecture audaciously entitled “Iran Speaks at Columbia” and invited Vahid  Karimi, a representative form the Iranian Mission to the U.N. to discuss domestic and international politics at Columbia University’s Lerner Hall.

As seen in the video however, when a ‘Green’ Iranian student who left Iran only two years ago and is now a student of architecture at Columbia gets up to ask this shameless spin doctor of the Iranian regime questions regarding the horrific human rights violations in Iran and the fraudulent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he is attacked by Karimi and harassed by faculty members who end up forcing him to either keep quiet or leave. Heil Columbia University: the International School of Promotion of Fascism and Dictatorship.

* * Mahdi Karroubi’s son’s passport confiscated at Tehran airport. According to received reports, Mohammad-Taghi Karroubi, a university professor who was on his way to London was prohibited from leaving Iran and his passport was confiscated at the Tehran airport. Mohammad-Taghi Karroubi was traveling to London for the reissuing of his book entitled “One-way Utilization of Acrimonious Forces in International Law” and for the completion of the English translation.

RAHANA – In Ashura and Tasua 2009, more than 3750 trees were cut down resulting in 314 acres of forest to disappear in Lorestan according to province’s environmental chief Ahmad Reza Kalantari.

Every year, religious delegations in Lorestan cut down thousands of trees to provide kindling for the bonfires on Ashura and Tasua. During the ceremonies, men roll over in mud, drying themselves by gathering around a bonfire before flagellating themselves on the last day of the Ashura mourning period, which commemorates the seventh century slaying of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein in Karbala

In 2006, 3000 trees were illegally cut down on Ashura and Tasua in the Lavizan Forest Park near Tehran. The incident and its environmental impact on air pollution in Tehran forced the Tehran Natural Resources Office to press charges against the city.

New road constructions, often done without proper environmental risk assessment studies, are another major reason behind forest disappearance in Iran. Despite legislation which bans construction of industrial parks or mining activities in preserved areas, government and private sector developers often bend the regulations in their favour.