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Tag: Iranian

  • Iranian President Raisi to visit China to shore up ties

    Iranian President Raisi to visit China to shore up ties

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    Raisi’s visit is expected to deepen ties between the two political and economic partners that are opposed to the U.S.-led Western domination of international affairs.

    The two leaders met last September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, when Xi underscored China’s support for Iran.

    In December, Raisi pledged to remain committed to deepening the strategic partnership during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua in Tehran.

    China is a major buyer of Iranian oil and an important source of investment in the Mideast country. In 2021, Iran and China signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement that covered major economic activities from oil and mining to industry, transportation and agriculture.

    Both countries have had tense relations with the United States and have sought to project themselves as a counterweight to American power alongside Russia.

    Washington has accused Iran of selling hundreds of attack drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine and has sanctioned executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer. At that same time, ties between Moscow and Beijing have grown stronger.

    Iran on Saturday celebrated the 44th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution amid nationwide anti-government protests and heightened tensions with the West.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Shocking images emerge of weak Iranian prisoner on hunger strike

    Shocking images emerge of weak Iranian prisoner on hunger strike

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    Images of a jailed Iranian doctor and human rights activist have circulated on social media platforms after he declared a hunger strike in support of the ongoing anti-hijab protests since the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

    53-year-old Farhad Meysami, who has been imprisoned since 2018 for supporting activists who rejected the policy of imposing the headscarf.

    The activist was charged with spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic, gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security, and insulting sanctities.

    Farhad began his hunger strike on October 7, 2022, in protest of the government’s crackdown on protesters.

    In images, which spread on social media, sparked outrage and warnings that he was in danger of death. 

    His lawyer wrote on Twitter that he had lost 52 kilograms of weight as a result of the hunger strike.

    “My client Farhad Meysami’s life is in danger He has started a hunger strike to protest the recent killings in the streets and government killings. According to the announcement of the prison health department, his weight has decreased to 52 kilos and he has been beaten due to his resistance to being transferred to the prison for dangerous prisoners,” tweeted lawyer Mohammad Moghimi. “

    In a letter published by the BBC Persian service, Meysami announced three demands— an end to executions, the release of political and civilian prisoners, and an end to forced headscarf harassment.

    Amnesty International called on the Iranian authorities to release Meysami without conditions.

    “Harrowing photos of Dr Farhad Meysami, a brave hunger-striking advocate for women’s rights, in prison,” Robert Malley, the US special envoy for Iran, wrote on Twitter.

    Tweeters posted a video showing the doctor before his arrest, and he appeared to be in good health.

    Protests in Iran continues

    Iran has been witnessing protests since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, on September 16, after she was arrested in Tehran by the morality police on suspicion of not respecting the country’s dress code.

    The demonstrations involved people from all walks of life and different sects in Iran after Amini’s killing.

    Iranian women are at the fore in the demonstrations, in which many young people participate, to chants of “Woman life freedom” and “Death to the dictator.”

    The protests represent one of the country’s boldest challenges since the 1979 revolution.

    Despite the widespread condemnation of the suppression of the popular protests in Iran, the torrent of arrests carried out by the Iranian regime, its issuance of harsh sentences against protestors, and reports of hunger strikes and torture of prisoners in separate parts of the country, continues.

    The regime continued to pressure other demonstrators and activists of the popular uprising through arrests, harsh sentences, and bans.

    The Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) announced that 527 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Saturday, February 4, including 71 children.

    At least 19,623 people, including 718 students, were arrested in those protests that took place in 164 cities and towns and 144 universities.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Iranian director Jafar Panahi starts hunger strike in prison

    Iranian director Jafar Panahi starts hunger strike in prison

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    Tehran: Iranian award-winning director, Jafar Panahi, who has been imprisoned in Tehran for six months, announced that he has begun a hunger strike to protest the authorities’ refusal to release him on bail pending a retrial.

    The note from Jafar Panahi, starting of his hunger strike, was published on the Instagram page of his wife, Tahereh Saeedi.

    In the note, prominent Iranian director emphasized, “I categorically declare in protest against the extra-legal and inhuman behavior of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started hunger strike from the morning of the February 1, 2023. I refused to eat and drink any food and medicine until I was released.”

    “I will remain in this situation until maybe my lifeless body is released from prison,” he added.

    Panahi also wrote in his note, “According to the law, I should have been released on bail after accepting my request for a retrial, but my case has been adjourned for more than 100 days.”

    “While we have seen that it takes less than 30 days from the time of arrest to the hanging of the innocent youth of our country, it took more than 100 days to transfer my case to the branch with the intervention of security forces.”

    “What is certain is that the violent and illegal behaviour of the security institution and the reckless surrender of the judiciary once again shows the implementation of selective and tasteful laws.”

    “It is only an excuse for repression. I knew that the judicial system and the security institutions have no will to implement the law (which they brag about), but out of respect for my lawyers and friends, I went through all the legal channels to fight for my rights.”

    “Today, like many people trapped in Iran, I have no choice but to protest against these inhumane behaviours with my dearest possession, that is, my life.”

    62-year-old Jafar Panahi, Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, was arrested on July 11, 2022, when he went to the prosecutor’s office to follow up on the situation of another filmmaker, Mohammad Rasoulof.

    Panahi was also arrested in 2010, after his support for anti-government protests. He was later convicted of “propaganda against the regime”, sentenced to six years of imprisonment and banned from directing or writing films, Mehr News Agency reported.

    Panahi’s arrest was met with a wave of domestic and international condemnation, but the Islamic Republic has not responded to requests for his release.

    Thousands of film personalities have been arrested in Iran as part of the crackdown on protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested on suspicion of violating the country’s strict dress code.

    The protests involved people from all walks of life and different sects in Iran after Amini’s killing.

    Iranian women are at the fore in the demonstrations, in which many young people participate, to chants of “Woman life freedom” and “Death to the dictator.”

    The protests represent one of the country’s boldest challenges since the 1979 revolution.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Renowned Iranian filmmaker banned from travel for supporting protests

    Renowned Iranian filmmaker banned from travel for supporting protests

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    Tehran: The Iranian authorities imposed a travel ban on the well-known filmmaker Masoud Kimiai, after he expressed his support for the protests that have been sweeping the Islamic Republic for months.

    The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran announced that Masoud Kimiai was planning to leave Iran on Sunday evening to attend the Rotterdam film festival in the Netherlands, but the security officials prevented him from leaving Iran.

    The filmmaker was due to travel to the Netherlands to screen his latest film, “Killing a Traitor”, a historical melodrama set in Iran in the 1950s.

    Since beginning of nationwide protests in Iran from September 2022, the government of Islamic Republic has banned many actors and people involved in Iranian cinema from leaving the country.

    On October 14, Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi had his passport confiscated at the airport as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival.

    On November 11, Bahram Radan, a well-known actor of Iranian cinema, published a video on his Instagram page and announced that he was banned from leaving.

    Since September 16, the Islamic Republic has witnessed protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, three days after she was arrested by the morality police for not adhering to strict dress codes.

    Dozens, including members of the security forces, died on the sidelines of the protests, of which women are an essential part. The authorities announced the arrest of hundreds of protesters for their involvement in protests.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • US arrests 3 people for plotting against Iranian activist Masih Alinejad

    US arrests 3 people for plotting against Iranian activist Masih Alinejad

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    US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Friday, the arrest of 3 people on suspicion of involvement in what he described as a “Tehran-backed plot” for attempting to assassinate journalist and a prominent human rights activist of Iranian origin Masih Alinejad in the United States (US).

    Garland said that two of the three arrested are members of a mafia operating in Eastern Europe and linked to Iran.

    The announcement of the arrest of the three people and charges of attempted murder came to them six months after one of them, Khaled Mehdiyev, was arrested in front of Alinejad’s house in New York in possession of an AK-47 assault rifle.

    US Secretary of Justice did not mention the name of the journalist and human rights activist, but the American activist of Iranian origin, Masih Alinejad, published a video clip on Twitter, in which she confirmed that she was the person concerned.

    Masih Alinejad said she had just returned from the FBI headquarters in New York, where she had a meeting with 12 agents in the office.

    She further adds that she learned from the FBI that there were 3 people in New York who tried to kill her on American soil.

    Masih aising her left hand, pointing to her face, said, “Yes, this is the face of the person who was targeted by the assassination plot,” confirming that she was not afraid for her life.

    Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and feminist activist, participated in publishing tweets supporting the demonstrators in Iran after the death of the young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested by the morality police in September 20.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Iranian FM condemns deadly attack on Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran

    Iranian FM condemns deadly attack on Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran

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    Tehran: The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned an armed attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran, in which one person was killed and two others injured.

    The Ministry’s spokesman Nasser Kanaani expressed “deep” sympathy to the assassinated embassy member’s family as well as the Azerbaijani government, according to a statement published on the Ministry’s website.

    He added the assailant has been arrested by police and security forces and is being interrogated, Xinhua news agency reported.

    Kanaani gave the assurance that at the order of the Iranian political and security authorities, the attack is under investigation with high priority and sensitivity.

    Mohammad Shahriari, the caretaker Chairman of Tehran Province’s criminal court, said initial investigations showed that personal issues have been behind the attack, the official news agency IRNA reported.

    Shahriari said the attacker claimed that his wife went to the embassy in April 2022 and had never returned home, and the assailant had gone to the embassy on numerous occasions looking for his wife but had never received any response.

    Shahriari added the attacker said he had believed that his wife was in the embassy, but did not want to meet him.

    On Friday morning, the assailant went to the embassy with a Kalashnikov rifle and started shooting, killing one employee and injuring two others, according to Tehran police Chief Hossein Rahimi.

    The assailant had entered the embassy with his two young children, he added.

    Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry identified the victim as a guard, who had served as the head of security at the embassy, saying the Friday attack also wounded two people.

    (Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • 30 female Iranian prisoners call for end to protester executions

    30 female Iranian prisoners call for end to protester executions

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    30 female Iranian prisoners call for end of protester executions

    Tehran: Thirty female political prisoners in Evin Prison in Iran on Sunday have signed a petition calling for an end to the execution of protesters in the country, local media reported.

    The prisoners, including Franco-Iranian researcher Fariba Adelkhah and Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, wrote in a petition that they had “come together to say ‘no’ to execution. We to defend people’s right to live in justice.”

    “We, the political and ideological prisoners in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, demand an end to the execution of protesters and an end to unjust sentences of prisoners in Iran,” said the petition.

    The petition was also signed by Niloufer Bayani, the former representative of the United Nations Environment Program in Iran who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2020 for “conspiring with America as a hostile government,” AFP reported.

    Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reported that four people have already been executed and 110 others face execution in protest-related cases.

    Iran’s protests erupted on September 16, following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested for wearing a headscarf improperly.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Holy Spider – prurient Iranian serial killer drama

    Holy Spider – prurient Iranian serial killer drama

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    The third feature from Copenhagen-based Iranian director Ali Abbasi shares with his breakthrough film, the troll-thriller Border, a fascination with the monsters that lurk on the fringes of society. But in this Persian-language picture, based on a real-life serial killer who murdered 16 sex workers in the Iranian city of Mashhad, the monster is not just a single individual, but a wider culture of misogyny.

    It’s a timely release, adding to the spotlight on women’s rights and roles in Iranian society, and driven by two impressive performances – from theatre actor Mehdi Bajestani as the murderer, and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, playing Rahimi, the female investigative journalist reporting on the case. It’s a tense, atmospheric piece of film-making but it made me profoundly uncomfortable – and not, I should add, in a good way. There’s a prurience in how the murders are filmed – the camera hungrily scouring the distorted faces of dying women – that borders on dehumanising. This, combined with the fact that it’s the female journalist, rather than any of the victims, whose character is developed, unintentionally supports the idea that some women’s lives are worth more than others.

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    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • World Cup 2022: Iranian players opt not to sing national anthem at World Cup

    World Cup 2022: Iranian players opt not to sing national anthem at World Cup

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    Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - England v Iran - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - November 21, 2022 Iran players line up during the national anthems before the match REUTERS/Marko Djurica

    In an apparent gesture of support for protesters at home, the Iranian national soccer team decided not to perform the national anthem before their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, Reuters reported.

    According to the news agency, none of the starting 11 players reacted during the play of the national anthem at the Khalifa International Stadium.

    State television in Iran then turned its feed away from their faces.

    The team would decide “collectively” whether to refrain from singing in support of anti-government protestors, according to captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh, AFP reported.

    The brief gatherings in support of the Iranian demonstrators were also seen in Qatar.

    During the Iranian protests, the state police killed dozens of men and women.


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