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By Fereshteh Ghazi

Source: Rooz Online

October 20, 2010

The fourth session of Saeed Malekpour’s trial is scheduled for 26th October, but his wife says, “Judge Moghise has told Saeed’s defense attorney that his sentence is death.” Saeed Malekpour is a metallurgy engineering graduate from Sharif Industrial University and a resident of Canada who came to Iran about two years ago and was arrested in relation to a case known as the Mozlin 3 case related to Internet “crimes.”

Gerdab website belonging to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) accused Malekpour of being a member in several “corrupt Internet sites” and then labeled him to be anti religious and a threat to the national security because he was the manager of the largest unethical Internet site.

Earlier, Malekpour had described in detail the tortures and the way he had been mistreated while in prison to the judge, adding that he had been forced to make false confessions. His wife Mrs. Eftekhari spoke with Rooz and said that about two weeks ago judge Moghise had told their attorney that her husband’s sentence was death, which shows that the sentencing had already been done without him having a chance to defend himself. Read on for the details of the interview.

Rooz: Please tell us what is the latest news from your husband and how is he doing?

Mrs. Eftekhari: Saeed is in ward 350 of Evin and his family meets with him every week through the glass cabins. I used to have telephone conversations with him lasting about 2 or 3 minutes until about three months ago before he was moved to ward 350, after which the calls ended. Saeed’s morale is good and I commend him for withstanding the pressures of solitary confinement for one year and being in limbo for two years.  His family says that his morale is strong and well.

Rooz: As far as we know, his third trial session was supposed to take place in June or July; can you tell us about developments on that issue?

Mrs. Eftekhari: He has had three court sessions till now. In reality these were not trials and judge Moghise behaved like an interrogator, rather than a fair and an independent judge. The judge seems to completely accept what the intelligence reports have written about Saeed and therefore does not seem to need to investigate the charges against him and has ignored Saeed’s defenses. During the first trial session, Saeed was not allowed to have a defense attorney, and even though they had said that there was not going to be a session, Saeed was taken to a court session. His second trial session lasted on 15 minutes and the third session was not held because the interrogators did not show up. We now await the fourth session scheduled for October 26, 2010. But we have no hope that this will be a fair trial.

Rooz: Why do you not have hope that it will be fair?

Mrs. Eftekhari: You see, the judge officially plays the role of the interrogator and does not pay any attention to any of my husband’s defenses or requests.  Saeed has requested that he be sent to the coroner’s office so that his claims can be examined, but the judge has refused to implement this. Saeed has torture marks till today and when he speaks, he feels sharp pain in his jaw, which is the result of the tortures he has been subjected to. He has also had a mild heart attack while in prison and half his body was temporarily paralyzed. He has explained all the tortures he was subjected to and till today the signs of those tortures are apparent on his body. Saeed has also requested that specialists from the justice department review his dossier, but the judge denies this as well. The judge has no knowledge about Internet or IT issues. In the 15 minutes court session, the judge told him that they had found a weblog in his house. Judge for yourself, what kind of a statement is this? They did not allow Saeed to even look at his own dossier. They also denied him access to a defense attorney. The trial is just a formality, a show and it does not help him in any way. The state of limbo in which we all are is also torturous.

Rooz: Many accusations have been made against Saeed, what is the key charge against him?

Mrs. Eftekhari:  It is an assortment of accusations. If they had simply said that he was the manager of an immoral website, then things would be clear and he would know how to defend himself. But every time they see him, they raise a new charge. At one point the judge told him that he had been in contact with 10 to 12 groups inimical to the regime. And when Saeed asked which groups, the judge replied that you know better. So what is there to defend? It seems that they simply want to find some excuse and pretext to find him guilty. One day they said he had relations with foreigners then on another occasion they said he operated immoral web sites. Kayhan newspaper even wrote that Saeed worked for Canadian military projects, which is just pure fabrication. From a legal perspective how could someone who was not born in Canada, is not a Canadian citizen and was even not born there work on military projects? In fact, Saeed does not truly know what is the charge against him so that he can focus his defense on that.

Rooz: Aside these, what specific charges were read out to him in court?

Mrs. Eftekhari: Propaganda against the regime, operating immoral web sites, insulting divine principles, insulting the president, relations with groups that oppose the regime, being contact with foreigners. In general, these are known as the “corrupt on the earth.”

Rooz: These charges are political whereas the government media say that your husband was operating immoral and porno websites.

Mrs. Eftekhari: This accusation of operating porno sites is a complete lie. Saeed was not operating any web site and had nothing to do with any such sites. Anyone who knows Saeed, from Sharif University to those in Canada will attest that he has nothing to do with such sites. The same charges were also aired against Hossein Derakhshan who is a well known blogger and nobody believed those either. Saeed has no record in writing for web blogs or being a human rights activist. When I was interrogated they kept shouting at me that I was in contact with foreigners! And I told them I lived in a foreign country so what did they mean by that. Then they said that I had been in contact with the US embassy. The fact is neither my husband nor I belonged to any political group and have not engaged in political activities and do not claim to be political. But the charges that they are raising are political and the way they are treating him and his case indicates that the whole issue is a scenario which they are promoting to make political use of his situation.

Rooz: Why did they choose your husband for their scenario? What was his job?

Mrs. Eftekhari: Because we are completely unknown and people who are not popular or know are most vulnerable. What Kayhan wrote about my husband helped me understand how these security agents view things and why my husband was chosen for their dirty goals. I the past, they had focused on this issue of “cultural invasion by the West.” We had lived for years in Canada. Politically we were not even known to anyone. They were looking for a victim for their Internet problems. Saeed was a web designer and worked for the site Freelancer Account. He received requests for websites there, as did others who were also listed on the website. As a freelancer he presented proposals to website development requests and if they were accepted, he would take up the work and receive a fee for it. The intelligence officers in Iran wanted to denounce the Internet and tell people that it was a dangerous thing. This is why they forced Saeed to make false confessions and then showed this on national television. They even tried to say that Saeed used his webcam to video people’s bedroom. This was done to create panic and fear among people about the Internet. They had told Saeed to say that he had purchased software from Britain that could be used to video a room even if the computer was shut. This is not technically possible to do, but these gentlemen wanted to send that message. My husband is merely a victim of the plans of these people.

Rooz: What do you think of the televised confessions?

Mrs. Eftekhari: They have aired his so called confessions several times while he still remains only a suspect. But they treat him as if he is a criminal. His sentence has already been passed in their minds, which is why they allow themselves to air someone’s so called confessions before the person has even had a chance to defend himself and no sentence has been passed on him. These confessions were all made under duress and torture and have no validity. Saeed has said this in court. My question is how come you can air these so called confession on national television, but when it comes to Saeed’s defense you close the court session to the public.

Rooz: You had earlier said that that your husband’s family was under intense pressure from security apparatus. Is this still true? What kind of pressure?

Mrs. Eftekhari:  Yes, both my parents and the family of my husband are under pressure. Threatening telephone calls are made and they formally and explicitly told us that if we gave any interviews, Saeed’s case would become worse. We have no place to express our protests. And so when we talk, they pressure my husband. They air his so called confessions again. They broadcast them again just two weeks ago. After Saeed’s letter was published, they took him back into solitary confinement and told him a lie that his sister had been arrested. When he came out of the solitary confinement he was wrecked. He was willing to accept anything they wanted so long as they released his sister and stopintimidating his family.

Rooz: You have decided to give an interview now; what was holding back before?

Mrs. Eftekhari: They used to promise me regularly in the past that if I did not give any interviews Saeed would be released quickly. And for three months we did not know where Saeed was being kept and they would not tell us. Then on the anniversary of his father’s death, they broadcast his so called confessions on national television, which is when we learned that they had been lying to us. So we decided to talk to the media etc. I will not remain silent now and will do everything I can so that the public knows that none of the accusations against my husband are true and that they are all lies. Perhaps public pressure will result in a fair trial.

Rooz: What is it that you want concerning your husband’s case?

Mrs. Eftekhari: We are not even asking them to just release Saeed. All we want is a fair trial. An open and fair trial where he has the opportunity to defend himself. We are not requesting the trial be aired because he is innocent. We want them to respect the current laws of the country and stay neutral in the case and let those who know these technical issue be the judge.

Rooz: Your last words?

Mrs. Eftekhari: The judge has already sentenced Saeed to death. We are deeply concerned. Do not forget about us. Even the defense attorney is under pressure and has been threatened. Do not forget about my husband and help us. He is really innocent.

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Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

October 20, 2010

Blogger “The Writings from the Heart of a Citizen Journalist” writes about a young boy he saw in central Tehran who was forced to work to help his family make ends meet:

Today I went to the Revolution Square to buy books, and there I saw a heartrending scene. An 8- or 9-year-old boy was making some money with a scale he had while at the same time doing his homework. He was also selling a few toys.

I asked the boy what his father was doing. He said he sells vegetables at Emamzadeh Hassan [a bazaar in southern Tehran], and he said he’s forced to work to help with the expenses. I gave him a 1,000-tuman [about $10] bill to try to make him happy and also make a contribution even though small.

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One women's rights activist says the new official figures suggest that efforts by Iran "to eliminate women from universities" have been successful.

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

October 20, 2010

The head of Iran’s Research and Planning Organization of Higher Studies has said that the number of male and female students in the Islamic republic is now equal.

Massoud Hadian Dehkordi has said that there are currently 3,790,859 students in the country, of which he said about 50.5 percent are men and about 49.5 percent women.

Previously it had been reported, based on official figures, that women made up 60-65 percent of university entrants.

Some Iranian officials had expressed worry over the rising numbers of women at universities, and said that it represented a threat to traditional values and that it would limit women’s marriage opportunities.

In 2008, the Research Center of the Iranian parliament expressed concern over the trend, which it described as “alarming” and called on the government to stop it.

The center said that over the last two decades there’d been a 23 percent increase in the number of girls taking university entrance exams, with the number of girls who passed the tests nearly doubling — to 65 percent — over the same period.

The government had proposed measures to stop the trend, including through the implementation of quotas for enrollment in some fields including medicine, where women were reportedly outnumbering men.

Women’s rights activist Shadi Sadr says the new official figure of female students seems to suggest that efforts by Iran “to eliminate women from universities” have been successful.

“The most important policy is the policy of gender quota that has been implemented in the last five years in some fields, including medicine and engineering,” Sadr told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

“A limit is being imposed on the number of women who want to study in fields that are considered manly or the government believes that it is more [important] for men to study these courses than women.”

Another policy that has been promoted, Sadr said, is pushing women to study at universities in their hometowns in provinces and smaller cities.

Officials have said in the past that the measures were not discriminating against women .

But women’s rights activists have long protested against the moves, which they believe is a continuation of state repression of women and efforts aimed at keeping them at home.

– Golnaz Esfandiari

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Iranian women's cycling team

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

October 20, 2010

The new police chief of the Iranian city of Esfahan says it is a crime for women to cycle or roller-skate in public, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reports.

The two were among a range of women’s activities deemed criminal by Hassan Karami in an announcement on October 18.

Further criminal activities include singing near Esfahan’s famous Khajoo Bridge and playing volleyball in public. Karami also said that it is a crime for either sex to play cards in public parks.

Karami said police will “severely prosecute” offenders. He added that the number of police stations and patrols in Esfahan should be increased in order to combat crime in the city.

Tehran-based lawyer Ahmad Bashiri told Radio Farda on October 19 that for an act to be considered a crime, there must be a defined punishment under the law, so that the crime can be prosecuted.

“Singing is not in itself a crime,” Bashiri said. “But if it inconveniences the public, or if the song contains obscene words, then it can be considered a crime.”

By contrast, playing cards or gambling in public is considered a crime under Iranian law, Bashiri added.

Whether women should be permitted to ride bicycles has been a controversial issue in Iran for a long time. One month ago, Tehran Friday Prayers leader Ahmad Khatami said he had received “worrying news” about women riding bicycles on the streets of Tehran. Following his statement, Tehran police began confronting women cyclists.

Bashiri said that when someone says it is a crime for a woman to ride a bicycle, he should explain the legal basis for that statement. The police have no right to make arbitrary decisions based on their own interpretation of the law, Bashiri claimed.

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As Nokia touts its N8 smartphone reaching the shores of Britain, Access Now’s “No to Nokia” campaign raises curious questions about “Nokia’s relationship with totalitarianism.”

It suggests there is no excuse for Nokia to be doing business with Iran, in particular – “given that Iran’s telecommunications infrastructure is majority owned by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards — the very same group that is responsible for suppressing and killing countless Iranian civilians”. We imagine it has something to do with a pay cheque. No to Nokia suggests that Nokia has been flogging surveillance technologies to repressive regimes.

Nokia has said that its only connection to Iran now is in “contractual links” and referring former customers to Trovicor, a private company Nokia Siemens integrated in 2007 then sold on to Perusa Partners Fund March, 2009. However, Access Now suggests that Trovicor’s relationship is curious. It, says the campaigners, does much of what Nokia used to be up to, allegedly playing part in tracking services.

And Access Executive Director Brett Solomon says he’s heard reports that “many in the Iranian government believe that they are still doing business with Nokia Siemens”.

Access points out some bizarre similiarities. Trovicor has, apparently, the same staff: former head of worldwide sales at Nokia, Johann Preinsberger, is Trovicor managing director and CEO “along with at least three other top executivies who transitioned between the companies.”

Access Now finishes its statement with some open questions to Nokia: If Nokia Siemens is concerned about human rights abuses, why are they referring people to a company that actively facilitates such abuses? And at what point does Nokia Siemens believe that it is no longer responsible, legally or otherwise, for the technology that it has created?

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Source: BBC

October 18, 2010

Iran says it has a right to peaceful nuclear technology

The United States has asked the Chinese government to do more to stop Chinese companies helping Iran with its nuclear programme and missile technology.

A senior US official told the BBC that Washington had provided Beijing with a list of firms it believed had been operating in violation of UN sanctions.

Beijing promised it was committed to implementing the sanctions and that it would investigate, the official added.

The US believes Iran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies this.

In June, the UN Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment activities.

The technology used to enrich uranium for use as fuel for nuclear power can also be used to enrich the uranium to the higher level needed to produce a nuclear explosion. Tehran says its intentions are peaceful.

Centrifuges

On Sunday, the Washington Post reported that the US intelligence believed several Chinese companies and banks were involved in providing restricted technology to Iran, mostly for its missile programme.

A second official, also speaking anonymously, told the Post that Chinese companies had been discovered selling Iran high-quality carbon fibre, which could help make better centrifuges needed to enrich uranium.

In 2008, Iran allegedly obtained 108 pressure gauges, which are critical to the functioning of a centrifuge, from one Chinese company

On Monday, a senior US official told the BBC that the concerns were raised during a visit to Beijing last month by state department official Robert Einhorn, who oversees the enforcement of sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

The official said the Chinese government had promised it was committed to implementing UN resolutions against Iran, and that Washington expected it to take the appropriate steps to stop any violations.

“We did provide some information to China on specific concerns about individual Chinese companies and the Chinese assured us that they will investigate,” state department spokesman PJ Crowley later told reporters.

The BBC’s Kim Ghattas in Washington says it is believed that Chinese officials did not authorise the activity of the companies.

When sanctions were passed this summer at the UN, the US and the EU were concerned that Chinese companies would fill the vacuum left by Western companies pulling out of Iran, our correspondent adds.

On Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said it was ready to resume negotiations with the West on its nuclear programme.

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Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Monsters & Critics

October 16, 2010

A man has had one of his hands cut off in Iran for repeated robbery, including stealing chocolate from a pastry in the capital Tehran, the Fars news agency reported Saturday.

The 21-year-old was arrested last May and also sentenced to a one- year jail term, Fars quoted a judge as saying.

Islamic laws allow for amputation of hands as one of the punishments for repeated robbery offences.

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Download report (PDF)

Contents

I. Introduction

II. Thematic issues

A. Torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations
B. Death penalty and public executions
C. Executions of juvenile offenders
D. Stoning as a method of execution
E. Women’s rights
F. Rights of minorities, including the Baha’i community
G. Freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression, including following the presidential elections in June 2009
H. Due process rights and impunity, including in relation to the presidential elections in
June 2009

III. Cooperation with international human rights mechanisms and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

A. Universal periodic review
B. Cooperation with the United Nations human rights treaty system
C. Cooperation with the special procedures
D. Cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

IV. Conclusions and recommendations

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By Haidar Mukhtari

October 15, 2010

The Islamic Republic of Iran is still among the top countries that has the largest number of death penalties. The Kurds say that they constitute the “lion’s share” of the executed people.

Sunday, October 10th, was the World Day Against Death Penalty. Amnesty International has said that there are still 137 counties having capital punishment but only 60 of them implement the sentence. According to the Amnesty’s report, Iran comes second after China to implement the greatest number of death penalties.

Everyday at least one person is hung in Iran mainly for the “enmity of God,” and smuggling drugs. But many say that a large number of the suspects, mainly Kurdish ones, are actually hung for political reasons

According to a report by a local rights group, that Rudaw has attained a copy, there were 402 cases of execution in Iran in 2009. The number is higher than each of 2008 and 2007 where there are 350 and 317 cases, respectively. These statistics have all been confirmed by the government.

“The number of hung people is way higher. But since the Iranian government does not officially announce it, we are not able to rely on unofficial sources,” said Mahmoud Amir Muqadam, spokesman for the Human Rights Organization of Iran.

Likewise, Kurdish outlawed opposition parties say that there are a large number of people executed by the Iranian Government secretly.

Aram Mudaris, a member of the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Tailors’ Movement, known as Komala, says that “Iran would implement more death penalties, if international sanctions are lifted on it.”

Tahir Mahmoudi, Erbil-based spokesman for the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, says that the reason for increasing executed tolls in Iran is that the Islamic regime has increasingly been losing “trust” and “legitimacy” of the people after the disputed elections of 2009 in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected president.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is an ideological and sectarian regime. It considers anyone opposing the government enemy of God,” said Mahmoudi. “It sees itself as the deputy of God on the Earth.”

According to local and world reports, 6 Kurds have been executed since last year for political reasons. There are 16 others behind bars waiting for the possible implementation of their death sentences.

Muqadam, with the Iranian Rights group, accused the government of being selective in announcing press releases about the people who are executed to death in Iran.

“They [government officials] have said that they would not publish all news,” said Muqadam, adding that the Iranian government executes Kurds secretly to avoid any fuss that may arise in the Kurdish cities after the killings.

“Last year when the Iranian government implemented four death penalties on Kurds, all the Kurds closed their shops in Iran as an objection to the practices. Iran feels that it doesn’t seize complete control over [Iran’s] Kurdistan,” said Muqadam.

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October 15, 2010

DESPERATE mum will launch a High Court battle to keep her family in Southampton.

Iranian Sara Shakeri fled her country with her husband Saba four years ago as political asylum seekers because of their involvement in anti-government activism.

Now the couple and their British born four-year-old son Kouroush face deportation after their appeal was rejected by the UK Border Agency (UKBA).

As reported in the Daily Echo Saba, 30, was arrested and taken to a detention centre in Portsmouth but he was released for just two weeks on bail before he was taken back there.

But determined Sara, 28, has pledged to fight to stay in the country and will now go to London’s High Court to put her case in front of a judge in her last desperate attempt.

Officials said little Kouroush does not automatically have a right to live in the UK.

She said: “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I couldn’t bear it if people put their hands on my son and said ‘poor Kouroush’.

“I want to be strong but the reality is I am not going back to Iran.

“If they tell me I have to go back I will kill myself here. I don’t want Iranian people to rape me and kill me in front of my child.”

Sara, who cannot work due to her status but volunteered as an interpreter for a charity offering support to refugees and asylum seekers, set up home in Southampton city centre. Sara said she does not want benefits but wants a visa so she has the right to work. Her son only gets to see his father once a week.

She added: “He used to come home with a smile every day. Now he is scared of everything. Before he used to do nice drawings and colour everything in, now he just scribbles in a mess. This child opened his eyes in this country, he should have human rights.”