Environmentalists Face Death Penalty in Iran

London, 23 Oct - Five imprisoned Iranian environmentalists are now facing the death penalty after the ridiculous charges against them were changed from "espionage" to "Corruption on Earth", according to one of the former lawyers of the accused.

Mohammad Hossein Aghasi told Radio Farda on Sunday, October 21, that the charges were changed after the examining magistrate received a letter from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and that the new charge of “corruption on earth” carries the death penalty under the Islamic Penal Code.

In January, Iranian security arrested eight environmentalists - Niloufar Bayani, Houman Jokar, Sepideh Kashani, Amir Hossein Khaleqi, AbdolReza Kouhpayeh, Taher Qadirian, Sam Rajabi and Iranian-American dual citizen Morad Tahbaz – and accused them of spying for the West, when they tried to monitor an endangered breed of tiger. They were held in temporary custody for months by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) Intelligence Organization, with no formal charges brought against them.

The founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Iranian-Canadian Professor Kavous Seyyed-Emami, was detained with the eight ecologists, but died in prison shortly after. Iran claims that he committed suicide, but there are serious doubts about that narrative.

TAKEN OFF THE CASE

Aghasi who represented Jokar, Qadirian, and Rajabi, was recently taken off the case by the Iranian judiciary, thanks to an "unfair" and unconstitutional clause in Article 48 of Iran's Criminal Procedure Act, which only allows suspects in national security cases to be represented by lawyers on Iran’s approved list. The list only contains about 20 names and many political cases are being termed national security, meaning that there are not enough lawyers to go around.

While Aghasi doesn’t know what the letter from the SNSC actually said, he speculated that it could be a response to the Prosecutor-General's enquiry about changing the charges.

Although, Isa Kalantari, the head of Department of Environment (DoE), claims that the new charges have not been officially announced, it’s worth noting that the Iranian
Intelligence Ministry has found no evidence of espionage by the environmentalists, so the government had to find another way to punish them.

MURDER OF ENVIRONMENTALIST

In a related matter, many social media posts were created on October 22 concerning the mysterious murder of prominent environmentalist and human rights activist Farshid Hakki, who was reportedly stabbed to death near his house in Tehran, before his body was burnt.

Abdolreza Davari, the managing director of "Economic Reviews" monthly magazine, where Hakki served as a scientific advisor, tweeted that the news was “shocking” and “tragic” and called for an investigation.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif: Iranians Are ‘All IRGC’

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. Department of Treasurysanctioned Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claimed, “Iranians–boys, girls, men, women–are ALL IRGC.”

The IRGC is known as Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami in Persian:

However, many Iranians – both living in the Islamic Republic and throughout the world – disagreed and rejected Zarif’s claim, creating the #WeRejectIRGC hashtag on Twitter in response. Some stated, contrary to Zarif’s tweet, that it is the IRGC that carries out acts of terror, both directly and through its proxies throughout the Middle East.

The IRGC boasts a long history of attacks against Iranians:

• 1990: On March 14, 1990, the IRGC attempted to assassinate Hossein Abedini, an Iranian parliamentarian in exile and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The IRGC operatives blocked the vehicle he and his driver were in on his way to the Istanbul Airport in Turkey. Abedini was shot and went into a coma for 40 days. He ultimately survived the attack.
• 1990: On April 24, 1990, 13 Iranian terrorists carrying service passports issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry assassinated Professor Kazem Rajabi, the representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), by gunning him down near his home in Geneva, Switzerland.

Iran: Family of detained Kurd man write letter to Iran Special Rapporteur about unknown fate of son

The Hossein  family wrote a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur Asma Jahangir regarding the unknown fate of their son. This letter which was written on October 11 reads in part:
“Our youngest son, Ramin Hossein panahi, was visiting Sanandaj to see his family, when he was shot by the Revolutionary Guards Corps and was then taken to the hospital in this town. IRGC forces transferred him to an unknown location after half an hour. Hours after the attack, IRGC forces attacked our house, beat our daughter Afshin Hossein panahi, and her elderly father and then arrested our other son Afshin Hossein  and transferred him to an unknown location.
After two months of being subject to the most severe torture, he was transferred to Sanandaj Prison and is now kept in a state of limbo. According to international laws and even according to the laws of the Islamic Republic, we should have been able to visit our son and get a lawyer for him 110 days after his arrest. However, we were unable to do this and no institution or organization has responded to our family and our legal requests.

Iran must answer for past crimes

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a televised speech after he won the election, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 20, 2017.

By NASSER SHARIF | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: September 18, 2017 at 8:51 am | UPDATED: September 19, 2017 at 12:34 pm

Amidst talk of Iran’s violations of the nuclear deal, a resolution was introduced in the U.S. Congress, censuring the Tehran regime for the mass murder of thousands of dissidents in 1988. The massacre claimed the lives of an estimated 30,000 prisoners of conscience, mostly activists of the leading Iranian opposition movement, the People’sOrganization of Iran.

One of the worst political massacres of the 20th century, the killings were largely met with silence by the international community. Secrecy was reinforced for several decades by a conspiracy of silence orchestrated by the clerical regime. So, despite the tremendous human cost, the episode effectively went unacknowledged. Any call in Iran for an investigation was severely punished.

This all changed last year when an audio recording surfaced, in which the late Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri is heard condemning his colleagues over their participation in what he described as “the greatest crime of the Islamic Republic.” At that time, Montazeri was the second highest official in Iran, heir apparent to Khomeini. He was later demoted for his dissenting views.

Iran Regime Must Be Brought to Justice Over 1988 Massacre

Iran Focus

London, 19 Sep - The Iranian Regime is responsible for one of the most horrific crimes against humanity of the 20th Century but the international community has largely met this with silence.

In 1988, the Iranian Regime slaughtered around 30,000 political prisoners, mainly members and supporters of the leading Iranian opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.

Yet no one has ever been brought to justice.

Nasser Sharif, president of the California Society for Democracy in Iran, wrote an op-ed for the Orange County Register explaining why the international community cannot allow the Iranian mullahs to get away with their crimes any longer.

He wrote: “Secrecy was reinforced for several decades by a conspiracy of silence orchestrated by the clerical regime. So, despite the tremendous human cost, the episode effectively went unacknowledged. Any call in Iran for an investigation was severely punished.”

Indeed, while the people who committed these vile crimes were rewarded with high-ranking positions in the Regime, those who spoke out against them were punished with imprisonment, torture, or execution.

Sharif cites the case of the late Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, former second-in-command in the Regime, who recorded himself condemning the Death Committee members for their roles in “the greatest crime of the Islamic Republic”.

He was demoted and put under house arrest until his death in 2009. When his son Ahmad released the audio recording last year, he was jailed for acting against the Regime.

While Maryam Akbari Monfared, a political prisoner who demand to know what happened to her siblings in 1988, is being denied vital medical care.

IRAN'S LEADER NAMES CONSERVATIVE CLERIC TO ARBITRATION BODY

Khamenei also added six new members to the council, including the armed forces chief-of-staff, Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri - a reflection of Irans deep involvement in the Iraq and Syria wars

TEHRAN, Iran, AP, August 14, 2017 -- Iran's supreme leader has appointed a conservative cleric to head a council that mediates disputes between government bodies, Iranian state TV reported on Monday.
The TV said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei named Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi as the new chief of the arbitration body - known as the Expediency Council - for the next five years.
Shahroudi replaces the influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who died in January after heading the council for more than 27 years. Since February, ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani had acted as a temporary chief of the council.
Shahroudi served as the chief of the Iranian Judiciary for 10 years, from 1999 to 2009.
Khamenei also added six new members to the council, including the armed forces' chief-of-staff, Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri - a reflection of Iran's deep involvement in the Iraq and Syria wars.
Khamenei also appointed hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi 

and outgoing Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to the council - both challenged President Hassan Rouhani in the presidential election earlier this year.
The council was created in 1988; its main responsibility is to resolve differences between the country's parliament and the Guardian Council, Iran's constitutional watchdog.

Iran Regime's Officials Express Their Fear About PMOI/MEK Activities in Propagating Information on 1988 Massacre

NCRI - In response to “the justice seeking Movement for victims of 1988 massacre” and along with the three-day Iranian Resistance Satellite TV ‘Simay Azadi's’ event on the anniversary of the Massacre, state run Basij News writes," The People's Mojahedin of Iran (MEK/PMOI) has organized the maximum propagandas and military activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Basij News added," The unresolved issue is that how some of the political circles support the MEK’s measures in the current situation and they question the events of the  while trying to call the hangman as a martyr."

Basij News also refers to MEK’s disclosures concerning the bomb constructions in Iran, writing, "Disclosing regime's nuclear activities was the pretext for imposing the most extensive sanctions against the Iran regime."

The Head of Regime's Research Center also referred to the advancement of the Justice Seeking Movement, stating, "Some of the regime's enemies have been seriously involved in the Justice Seeking Movement of 1988 during the past two or three years and the number of those executed is rising exponentially by each year."

Mohammad Hossein Zarifian expressed concern about the release of evidence about Khomenei's order on MEK’s genocide in 1988, and stated, "The foreign channels broadcast different documentaries on this matter. The summer is the peak of such broadcasts and these executions are named as a holocaust for MEK."

An expert on political issues, Foad Yazidi in a meeting entitled with "The Islamic Human Rights' Conference" referred to the great gathering of MEK in Paris. He stated," France hosts Iran's enemies whereas it established economic relations with Iran after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)."

Foad Yazidi also stated, "We had a lot of sanctions before Iran Nuclear Deal. However, the question is that who is left out of sanctions after this deal? According to this law even The President could be sanctioned, The U.S. has enlisted us as the enemy country. Consequently it doesn’t make much of difference to give or not to give concessions as long as we are on this list."

Iran: Crackdown Increasing on Border Porters

repressive forces opened fire on a group of porters around a village near the city of Sardasht, western Iran, leaving one porter by the name of Azad Mina-Abduli seriously wounded.

The day before a group of porters, who strive to make ends meet through delivering and selling goods, were attacked by border police. One of the porters was killed and two others left seriously wounded.

Prior to this on June 25 another porter by the name of Karim Mohammad Aminzadeh from the city of Sardasht lost his life after repressive forces opened fire. Another porter, Mohammad Ahmadiyan, was seriously wounded.

On June 29 two other porters from the cities of Sardasht and Piranshahr were also seriously wounded as repressive forces opened fire and a landmine exploded.

More than 68,000 porters are working in Iran’s border provinces, of which 16,000 to 18,000 are in Piranshahr and Sardasht, reports indicate.

These porters are attacked and shot at as they are forced to resort to this type of hard work to make ends meet for their families. This is taking place at a time when according to Iranian MP Hossein-Ali Haji Doleigani $25 billion worth of goods are smuggled each year, meaning three times the country’s entire construction budget.

Smuggling goods and currency has led to 800,000 more people becoming unemployed (State-run media – June 19, 2016). These are heavy contracts controlled by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and other security and intelligence entities.

At a press conference in London on March 7 the Iranian Resistance blew the whistle on 90 ports, meaning 45% of all of Iran’s ports, are used for massive smuggling efforts. These ports are mainly placed at the IRGC’s disposal.

The Iranian Resistance calls on all the people, especially the youth in border areas, to support the hardworking porters, and support and express solidarity with the victims’ families.

The Iranian Resistance also calls on all international labor organizations to strongly condemn the mullahs’ regime for its crimes against Iran’s hardworking laborers.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 3, 2017

Those who met their appointment with FREEDOM

On the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran

The 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in Iran

has been described as the worst crime against humanity since World War II. [1]

28 years after this genocide, the Iranian regime still refuses to acknowledge the executions, or provide any information as to how many prisoners were killed.

Based on eyewitness accounts of survivors, the massacre had been prepared for from at least a year before. The order for the massacre came from Khomeini directly in the form of a religious decree (fatwa), calling for the execution of all who remained steadfast in their support for the opposition People's Mojahedin of Iran.[2]

A so-called Amnesty Commission (better known among prisoners as the Death Commission) asked a simple question from every prisoner: do you still support the PMOI/MEK? Those who answered yes were executed, even if they had already finished serving their original sentence.[3] None of the victims had any new activities while in detention and many of them were 15 or 16 years of age at the time of original arrest and prosecution.

The executions started in the last week of July, peaking on July 28 until August 14, and continuing onto autumn and even the following year in some places.

Naturally, the vast majority of the victims were members and supporters of the PMOI/MEK, but the order extended to other groups in later stages.

Prisoners were hanged in groups, sometimes 10 to 15 at a time, and later transported out of prison by dump trucks, and buried in unmarked mass graves. There was no mercy on anyone, even young girls and pregnant women.

Khomeini’s haste to execute was so abhorrent many of his closest confidantes had doubts about it. Hossein Ali Montazeri, Khomeini's heir apparent and the country's second highest authority at the time, urged for leniency and a slowdown.[4]

Iran Khomeini National Space Center & Simorgh SLV launch

IRAN, 30 July 2017 -- Spokesman for Iran regime’s parliament security committee, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, warned about expansion of U.S. sanctions against the regime and said: “If a person, group, or political stream in our country thinks that America's behaviour has been moderated after 38 years or is no longer hostile toward us, he is either neglecting or is really a traitor, because the Americans' hostility towards the regime, the revolution, and the Islamic Republic not only has not diminished but has increased 10 times, and all means are used to confront our nation.”

  Spokesman for Iran regime’s parliament security committee, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini

“Americans were emboldened after the JCPOA and their hostilities increased, such that 98 percent of Congressmen and Senators recently voted against Iran, and this was the motive for the (regime) parliament to cope with these ventures and hostilities. Therefore, a plan was prepared as a countermeasure appropriate with hostile and adventurous behaviour of Americans, he added.

“It's a conspiracy of Americans who want to pressure the people and the government to get out of JCPOA, and pay the cost of stopping it…,” said Naghavi, worried about the cancellation of the nuclear deal.

Iran Regime's Official: America's Hostility Towards the Regime Has Raised 10 Times Higher

7/31/2017 11:10:19 AM

 

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Iran Khomeini National Space Center & Simorgh SLV launch

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IRAN, 30 July 2017 -- Spokesman for Iran regime’s parliament security committee, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, warned about expansion of U.S. sanctions against the regime and said: “If a person, group, or political stream in our country thinks that America's behaviour has been moderated after 38 years or is no longer hostile toward us, he is either neglecting or is really a traitor, because the Americans' hostility towards the regime, the revolution, and the Islamic Republic not only has not diminished but has increased 10 times, and all means are used to confront our nation.”

  Spokesman for Iran regime’s parliament security committee, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini

“Americans were emboldened after the JCPOA and their hostilities increased, such that 98 percent of Congressmen and Senators recently voted against Iran, and this was the motive for the (regime) parliament to cope with these ventures and hostilities. Therefore, a plan was prepared as a countermeasure appropriate with hostile and adventurous behaviour of Americans, he added.

“It's a conspiracy of Americans who want to pressure the people and the government to get out of JCPOA, and pay the cost of stopping it…,” said Naghavi, worried about the cancellation of the nuclear deal.

Iran State-Owned Newspaper: New Sanctions, Green Lights to US for More Pressure 

According to government media, members of Iran regime's Parliamentary Security Committee on Saturday, July 29, 2017, in an extraordinary meeting, examine the various dimensions of these sanctions and ways to respond to them.

“At the meeting, changes also will be made to the plan to counteract the hostile actions of the US government,” the state-run Mehr news agency reported. “An urgency of the plan was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament) two weeks ago, after approval of the U.S. Senate plan to deal with the destabilizing actions of Iran regime.”

"The Events of the '80s and 88 Will Uproot the Regime," Say Confidant of Iran's Supreme Leader

Iran Focus

London, 29 Jul - During the summer of 1988 a fatwa was issued that resulted in massive executions within Iran’s prisons. Estimates place the number of victims at around 30,000, most of whom had affiliations with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

The proposed successor of Khomeini, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, was dismissed and sentenced to house arrest because of his objections to this massacre. Last year, an audio tape was published by Montazeri’s son. On it, you can hear the late Ayatollah Montazeri addressing members of the committee of executioners (commonly known by Iranians as The Death Committee). He describes this massacre as the worst crime in the history of the Islamic Republic, and named Ibrahim Raisi, Mostafa Pour Mohammadi,Ali Nayeri and other coordinators as criminals.

Ali Fallahian, who was the minister of intelligence during the 

government, said in a recent television interview, “The view of Mr. Montazeri, who disagreed with Imam (Khomeini), was that these executions will ultimately cause a “historical judgment” against us, a judgement against Islam, so it is to our benefit not to conduct these executions, but Imam said that you must perform your religious duty and don’t wait for the judgment of history.”

Thanks to the Iranian opposition, a call for justice was started last year, and families of the victims of the 1988 massacre are seeking justice for their loved ones. The mass executions were carried out in secret and the dead were buried in mass graves at night.

During the presidential elections a challenge for both of the regime’s factions was created by this call for justice. The divide between regime’s factions became so great that Khamenei was forced to comment in a recent speech that “no one should be allowed to change the place of martyr and henchman in relation to the executions of the 1980s.” He was referring to the fact that many of the heads of this government took part in the 1988 massacre, and the Iranian people are aware of this. He feared that this would create internal and international consequences that he sought to avoid.

State-run media also released Khamenei’s praises of the movie, “Nimrooz,” the production of which was funded by the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The movie demonized the opposition movement, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The regime believed that the film would prevent another uprising similar to the one in 2009, in which the MEK played a pivotal role in organizing protests against the regime. Instead, after its release, former political prisoners and families of executed prisoners condemned the events showed in the film, and called it a distortion of the reality in history.

Additionally, the regime staged a tour of Evin Prison for an international delegation. Fifty ambassadors of different countries were welcomed to the prison on July 5th. Amnesty International called this tour a “crude PR Stunt” and gave a statement saying that Evin prison is known by the world as a symbol of wide political oppression in Iran.

Besides the MEK, executed prisoners of the 1980s were members and supporters of other opposition groups such as Marxists and Kurds. However, MEK members and supporters accounted for more than 90 percent of the victims.

The MEK sought safety in Iraq, first at Camp Ashraf, and later at Camp Liberty. Still, the MEK experienced a very difficult and dangerous situation, with several attacks over the last decade. MEK members have now been safely resettled in Europe, mostly in Albania.

Even under such dire circumstances, this movement has attracted public sympathy. The Iranians and the International communities are curious about this movement. The MEK is finding a fast-growing following among the youth of Iran, who want to know the truth about what happened in the 1980s. Even the children of regime officials seek the history of the movement and want to know what message it conveys for them. Sympathy for the victims of the 1988 massacre and their families has taken root in Iranian society.

Khamenei’s confidant, Rahimpour Azghadi, recently said, “The events of the ‘80s and 88 will uproot the regime, even if we have the largest missile in store.

Former Iran's Intelligence Minister Admits 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoner

Iran Focus

London, 18 Jul - The former intelligence minister of Iran has admitted that former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini ordered the executions of 30,000 political prisoners affiliated with the Iranian Resistance group, People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK) in the summer of 1988.

Ali Fallahian, gave an interview to the Regime-affiliated Tarikh Online website on July 9, in which he acknowledged that Khomeini had announced a fatwa calling for the extermination of all those affiliated with the MEK.

He said: “The Imam (Khomeini) decreed, ‘At least execute those who say this and who maintain their belief. It doesn’t make sense to release them.’ Then some continued to put pressure and moan that these people are this and that in prison, so it was decided that a committee be formed. Some people say that these people handed down sentences for a collective massacre. They did not do such a thing. It was decided that this 3-man committee, whose members were from the (Intelligence) Ministry and judges and were knowledgeable and were from the Prosecutor’s Office, would evaluate to see if anyone was pardonable from execution. That was the task of this committee; they were not tasked with issuing death sentences.”

Iran Acknowledges Massacre of Political Prisoners

Iran Acknowledges Massacre of Political Prisoners

It is not easy to keep silent when the silence is a lie.”

Victor Hugo - Les Miserables

For three decades Iran lied about the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in summer of 1988, and kept silent about this atrocity. But in this year’s presidential election as conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisie, one of the perpetrators of the massacre, was selected as one of the main candidates, the issue surfaced, forcing regime officials, one after another, to confess about the carnage.

“Executions in 1988 were fair and legal…[Iranian regime founder Ruhollah] Khomeini carried out a measure no other clergy was able to throughout history …Khomeini was decisive and had no reservations over God’s will, and God’s will was that all enemies of God must be executed…Imam (Khomeini) did not pay any attention to the West’s human rights claims… At the time 80 to 90 percent of high school and university students supported opposition groups. We started the trails and after convicting them, in a period of two to three months the card was turned around… my friends and I, all together we were 20 judges in the country, and we carried out something that guaranteed the security of the country for that year and the years to come, so the MEK can never rise again, because in a period that they were getting strong we suffocated them.” said Mullah Ali Razini, prosecutor of branch 41 of Iran’s Supreme Court, about the 1988 massacre in his July 2nd interview with the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Iran's Desperate Deed Against, Increasing Popularity of MEK

Iran's Desperate Deed Against, Increasing Popularity of MEK

Iran Focus

London, 27 Jun - What happened 29 years ago in Iran, and why after all these years, we are witnessing a crisis and a rising conflict among rival factions in the ruling class over that in Iran?

Throughout the summer of 1988 in Iran, some 30,000 political prisoners, the bulk of whom were MEK members or sympathizers, were executed. This year marks the 29th anniversary of that horrible Crime Against Humanity.

Last summer, an audio tape was revealed by the son of Hossein-Ali Montazeri. On August 9, 2016, the recording was heard for the first time, and thereon Khomeini’s former heir can be heard telling a gathering of members of the “Death Committee” that they're winding up a crime against humanity, 28 years ago, on august 15, 1988. Wrote M. 

 in INU on June 24, 2017 and the following are excerpts of the article.

The tape sent shockwaves through Iran, as it adds new knowledge of the breadth and scope of the massacre and confirms that it involved the highest levels of leadership. For more than two decades silence has been imposed in regards to the massacre because, you see, Iranian leaders who held positions of power at that time, members of the notorious Death Commission, are still in leadership positions today.