JINA MAHSA AMINI
The face of Iran's protests. Her life, her dreams and her death.
In memory of Jina 'Mahsa' Amini, the cornerstone of the 'Zan. Zendagi. Azadi revolution.
16 February 2023 | By Gino d'Artali
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Read all about the assasination of the 22 year young Jhina Mahsa Amini or Zhina Mahsa Amini (Kurdistan-Iran) and the start of the Zan, Zendagi, Azadi (Women, life, freedom) revolution in Iran  2022
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When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

 
Iranwire - July 11, 2023 - by TARA ORAMI
<<Iranian Woman Falls into Coma and Dies after Son Killed by Security Forces
Human rights activists say at least 500 were killed in the Islamic Republic's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests sparked by the September 2022 death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, while she was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation. But there are still victims we know nothing about, sometimes not even their names. One of these little known victims of repression, Mohammad Hosseini, was killed by security forces on October 12 in Saqqez, the same city in Kurdistan province where Amini came from, according to information received by IranWire.
Pressure exerted by security agents forced his family to remain silent about the circumstances surrounding the man's death. As a result of these pressures, her mother suffered a stroke and died on July 9. Hosseini and his family lived in a rented place in the Saqqez neighborhood of University Town. He worked at a carwash as a daily wage-earner. When the nationwide protests erupted, he joined other young people in the streets to express his anger against injustice and discrimination and, like many other demonstrators, all he received was death. His mother Maliheh Hassan-Nejad was put under surveillance right from the moment private mourning ceremonies for her son started. Security forces prevented the grieving mother from talking to the media, and the trauma caused by such inhuman treatment sent her to the hospital in a coma. She passed away there after seven months. According to Hengaw, a Norway-based group that monitors rights violations in Iran's Kurdish regions, Mohammad Hosseini died after an anti-riot vehicle ran over his body twice. The group reported that a female officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards' (IRGC) Intelligence Organization was tasked with monitoring Maliheh Hassan-Nejad during the funeral ceremony for her son and inside the family house. The security forces had control over the woman's interactions and did not allow her to have conversations with anyone. Mohammad Hosseini must now be added to the long list of victims from Saqqez, alongside Mahsa Amini, Daniel Paibandi, who was a child, Fereydoon Faraji and Fereydoon Mahmoudzadeh. They were all buried in the cemetery of Aychi village. The silence imposed on the grieving families is tantamount to psychological torture and raises the following question: How many protesters killed by the security forces of the Islamic Republic remain unknown because their relatives are forced into a painful silence?>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/118381-iranian-woman-falls-into-coma-and-dies-after-son-killed-by-security-forces/

Iranwire - July 11, 2023 - by HAWARI YOUSEFI
<<Mystery Surrounds Death of Iranian Kurd Two Months after <Arrest>
Mousa Esmaili, a 32-year-old Kurdish man from the village of Pasveh in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, was arrested in early May by intelligence agents. His relatives remained unaware of his fate and whereabouts for 62 days, until they were informed of his death at the Intelligence Detention Center in Urmia. The Urmia Intelligence Department not only refused to hand over the body to the family but also denied it the right to hold a funeral ceremony for its victim. Esmaili was married and the father of two children aged six months and six years. He worked as a farmer and livestock caretaker in Pasveh, where he also took care of his elderly father. Esmaili's life took a turn on the evening of May 7, when agents of the Urmia Intelligence Department stopped his car during a car trip from Pasveh to the village of Kanimola. A source close to the Esmaili family told IranWire that Esmaili was arrested on charges of being a member of opposition parties and possessing weapons. In 2021 and 2022, Esmaili was detained on similar charges by the Piranshahr Intelligence Department, but he was released after denying the accusations during interrogations, the source said. After enduring 62 days of uncertainty, the Urmia Intelligence Department contacted Esmaili's father on July 7 and told him that his son had died due to <internal bleeding sustained during interrogations.> <Despite being in a state of shock and mourning, Mousa's father made a plea to the Urmia Intelligence Department, asking to see his son's lifeless body for a brief moment,> the source said. <However, his plea was rejected. He also sought permission to know the location of Mousa's burial, but the authorities once again rejected his request. Adding to the family's distress, they further warned that Mousa's funeral would not be allowed to take place in the mosque.> According to the source, Esmaili's father was also warned that any attempt to talk about his death would result in harsh consequences for the family. Esmaili's death certificate attributes the cause of death to <internal bleeding resulting from being struck by a blunt object.> Accounts from villagers in Kanimola suggest that security forces fired at Esmaili's car during his arrest. One witness told his family he was unsure whether the man was injured or killed in the shooting. In their desperate quest for answers about Esmaili's fate, his relatives repeatedly approached the intelligence and judicial authorities in Piranshahr and Urmia, but they refused to provide any information. The intelligence agents' refusal to allow Esmaili's father to see the body, along with the confiscation of his car, has raised suspicions that the authorities are trying to conceal evidence regarding the circumstances of his death. Meanwhile, the security forces continue to exert pressure on Esmaili's family. As the funeral ceremony for Esmaili was being held in a mosque in Pasveh, agents stormed the premises and expelled the mourners. <They threatened the family and mourners with legal action if they returned to the mosque to continue the funeral ceremony,> the source said. >>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/118383-mystery-surrounds-death-of-iranian-kurd-two-months-after-arrest/

NCRI - Women committee - in Women's news - July 10, 2023
<<Zahra Saeedianju, sister of a slain protester, is arrested and jailed in Tehran
Security forces arrested Zahra Saeedianju in Tehran. She is the sister of a protester slain during the 2022 Iran protests in the city of Izeh, southwestern Khuzestan Province. Zahra is the sister of Milad Saeedianju, 26, who was shot and killed by security forces on November 14, 2022, during the protests in Izeh. Omid Saeedianju, her brother, posted the news. He wrote, <My sister was arrested at her workplace in Tehran by security forces and taken to Evin Prison on Sunday, July 9, 2023.> According to him, Zahra Saeedianju has been arrested for visiting and expressing sympathy with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones during the 2022-2023 Iran uprising. Omid and Zahra were previously arrested on March 1, 2023, as they were celebrating the birthday of their brother, Milad, at his tomb in Izeh. They were released after some time.>>
Source:
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2023/07/10/zahra-saeedianju/

Iranwire - July 10, 2023
<<16-year-Old Iranian Protester Handed Two-Year Prison Sentence
An Iranian court has sentenced a 16-year-old teenager to two years in prison over his participation in nationwide protests last year, Kurdish media reported on July 10. Farhad Navaei was convicted of <assembly and collusion to commit crimes against the country's internal security,> according to the Kurdpa news agency. The court acquitted him of the charge of <waging war against God,> which can carry a death sentence. The student was arrested on November 18 during protests in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province. During his detention and court proceedings, he was denied access to a lawyer of his choice. The court set a bail amount of 5 billion tomans ($120,000) for his temporary release, which his family could not pay. The Coordinating Council of the Teachers' Union has reported that Navaei was coerced into making a forced confession.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/118368-16-year-old-iranian-protester-handed-two-year-prison-sentence/

Iranwire - July 10, 2023 - by SHADYAR OMRANI
<<Iranian Influential Women: Zahra Taj ol-Saltaneh (1883-1936)
The earliest known photograph of Taj ol-Saltaneh depicts a nine-year-old girl, looking straight ahead and away from the camera, her hair stuck through with flowers and hairpins. She was the most rebellious daughter of the absolute 19th century Qajar King Naser al-Din Shah, the first princess who came out from behind the purdah of the royal harem, removed her hijab, fearlessly talked about women's rights and harshly criticized the oppressive laws that ruled women’s lives under the governments of his father, his brother and his nephew. These criticisms are recorded in her memoirs, written in 1914 but published only in 1996, which undoubtedly are one the most important sources for social and political history of contemporary Iran.
....>>
Read more here:
https://iranwire.com/en/influential-women/118360-iranian-influential-women-zahra-taj-ol-saltaneh-1883-1936/

Iranwire - July 10, 2023 - by SHADYAR OMRANI
<<Iranian Influential Women: Forough Azarakhshi (1881-1963)
It has been more than half a century since Forough Azarakhshi passed away, but there are still women in the north-eastern city of Mashhad who have not forgotten her and mention her name with utmost respect. She established the city’s first girls’ school at her own expense and made it possible for girls in Mashhad to get an education by standing up against the patriarchal and reactionary members of the clergy. For two years, she and her associates took up arms and guarded the school day and night to prevent traditionalists from setting it on fire. In recent years, the Islamic Republic closed down the school that bore her name but the people kept her memory alive by keeping calling the alleyway where the school was located Forough Alley.> >>
Read her brave and influential story here:
https://iranwire.com/en/influential-women/118345-iranian-influential-women-forough-azarakhshi-1881-1963/

Iranwire - July 10, 2023 - by SOLMAZ EIKDAR
<<The Story Behind the Iranian Women's Clothing Exhibit in Geneva
An Iranian women's clothing design exhibition in Geneva last week showcased headless mannequins fully covered from head to toe with clothes that exaggeratedly incorporated Islamic features. The three-days exhibition, held in the United Nations' headquarters in the Swiss city, mirrored the Islamic Republic's view of women and their social presence in the country. The event, named A Thousand Stories of Iranian Clothing, was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Guidance of the Islamic Republic, in collaboration with the Iranian permanent representative in Geneva, the vice president for Women and Family Affairs, and the General Department of Women and Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There was no information about the designers behind the creations exhibited.
Coercion and Threats
In mid-March, the Ministry of Culture and Guidance invited a group of Iranian clothing designers to attend a meeting during which they were urged to participate in the event. <Our primary sales channels in Iran are through social media platforms such as Instagram and various websites. During the meeting, we were informed that the continuation of our work would depend on our cooperation with the ministry in organizing this exhibition,> one of the designers told IranWire. The prospect of participating in such an exhibition initially seemed appealing to the designers, but when they were informed about the imposed guidelines, their enthusiasm waned. For instance, the designers were mandated to incorporate Islamic elements such as Islamic tile patterns into their designs. When the designers voiced reservations about the practicality and creativity of such designs, they were abruptly told to <focus only on sewing the clothes and not to interfere in security matters.> The designer interviewed by IranWire said that ministry representatives were present at the meeting, but it appeared that some other attendees were affiliated with security institutions. One of them emphasized the role of the designers in a <global cultural war against Islamic Iran,> and said they should show <the historical and traditional clothing of Iranian women.> The young designer told IranWire that images from the designers' Instagram stories in support of the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement were shown during the meeting. They were threatened with harsh consequences if they chose not to participate in the exhibition.
Cold Reception
The exhibition coincided with a July 5 meeting of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Iran at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. During the gathering, a fact-finding mission mandated by the UNHRC to investigate human rights violations in Iran urged the authorities to end their brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters and halt the wave of executions, mass arrests and detentions that followed the eruption of nationwide protests last year. <It's within every country's right to hold exhibitions during official meetings at the UN headquarters in Geneva, but the Islamic Republic exploited this right to propagate falsehoods to those attending the 53rd meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council,> human rights defender and political activist Hassan Naib Hashem told IranWire. According to Naib Hashem, the Islamic Republic aimed to manipulate public opinion by presenting an unrealistic image of Iranian women's clothing at a time when the issue of compulsory hijab rules is raging in Iran. <Due to the exhibition's location, all those traveling to the meeting's venue had to pass by these clothes. The exhibition itself was notably quiet and unwelcome,> he said. <Some Iranians present at the UN headquarters in Geneva took it upon themselves to explain that the clothing on display was far from the reality of women's clothes in Iran. Wearing some of these clothes in Iran could result in women being arrested by morality police,> he added.
Videos and pictures of the exhibition show that few people visited the exhibition.
The Islamic Republic's media initially reported that it would last for two weeks, but the official IRNA news agency and other media outlets later altered the end date to July 5.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/118362-the-story-behind-the-iranian-womens-clothing-exhibit-in-geneva/ 

Iranwire - July 10, 2023
<<$1 Billion Lost to 'Bitumen Mafia' in Iran Every year
With an annual production of several million tons, Iran is among the world's top producers of bitumen, a fuel grade that is typically used in applications such as road surfacing, roofing and certain types of paint. As Iran Open Data reported on July 10, most of the national production is distributed free of charge to state-owned entities and affiliates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be used for construction and infrastructure projects. However, available data suggest that most of this free bitumen is smuggled or sold out of Iran to neighboring countries, enriching IRGC-linked middlemen, the collaborative initiative said. It cited a report by Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, as showing that nearly 65 percent, or 2.5 million tons, of the bitumen provided gratis to contractors, government agencies and the paramilitary Basij force ends up being exported illicitly. Taking into account an average bitumen price of $410 per ton, this is equivalent to $1 billion per year, Iran Open Data said, adding that this money could be used to build more than 11,000 schools in economically deprived areas of Iran or 7,000 small medical centers.>>
Read more here:
https://iranwire.com/en/economy/118352-1-billion-lost-to-bitumen-mafia-in-iran-every-year/
Opinion by Gino d'Artali: We, the people of Iran, call that <Corruption on earth> and sign multiple warrants for the guilty ones to stand trial.

Iranwire - July 10, 2023 - by SHOHREH MEHRNAMI
<<The Islamic Republic's Infiltrators in the UN Human Rights Council
Last week, the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council heard the first oral update of a fact-finding mission it had set up to investigate human rights violations in Iran. Apart from arguments between the representatives of member states, the session featured speeches by representatives of several Iranian non-government organizations that were widely overlooked. These organizations are linked to the Iranian government and supported by the security institutions of the Islamic Republic. While the participation of Iranian non-governmental organizations in meetings of the UN's top human rights body is not unprecedented, it is important to understand their dual roles as both non-governmental and security-affiliated entities. This phenomenon where security organizations disguise themselves as human rights advocates appears to be unique to the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic selects a group of non-governmental organizations to attend the Geneva meetings, presenting them as representatives of civil society engaged in human rights. This maneuver aims to curtail the speaking time allocated to representatives of organizations that are critical to the Islamic Republic, while cultivating an illusion of diversity among non-governmental associations. While the names of some Iranian organizations present at the Geneva meetings offer some clues about their nature, uncovering the truth behind other groups requires further investigation and exploration.
Misleading the Council's Meetings
After the July 5 meeting of the Human Rights Council on Iran, human rights activist Maryam Banihashmi took to Twitter to express her concerns.
She highlighted that three purported human rights organizations spoke in support of the Islamic Republic in Iran: the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence, the Maryam Ghasemi Education Charity and the Association for the Support of Social Victims. Both the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence and the Association for the Support of Social Victims had participated in previous council meetings in Geneva.
Their presence serves as an implicit endorsement of the Islamic Republic's claims.
Last autumn, lawyer Saeed Dehghan tweeted a series of messages on the eve of an emergency meeting of the Human Rights Council. He questioned the motives of associations like the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence and the Association for the Support of Social Victims, which were scheduled to address at the meeting. He raised the possibility that these organizations' aim could be either defending the Islamic Republic's agenda or <attempting to mislead the focus of the discussion.>
NGOs Founded by the Islamic Republic
The Organization for Defending Victims of Violence is widely known among human rights activists. Hossein Raisi, a jurist and human rights lawyer, told IranWire that the Ministry of Intelligence established this group with the assistance of a former political prisoner. Raisi explained that Saeed Nouri Neshat, a former political prisoner who was sentenced to death, was later released from prison on the condition that he repents and cooperates with the Ministry of Intelligence. This Organization for Defending Victims of Violence was set up by the Ministry of Intelligence under the leadership of Alireza Taheri following the execution of political prisoners in the summer of 1988, according to Reza Moini, a human rights activist and former director of Reporters Without Borders. The organization was formed despite objections from the families of executed political prisoners. According to Moini, its objective is to <orchestrate violence and instill fear among those opposing executions and human rights violations in Iranian prisons.> It achieves this by <misleading reports to international human rights organizations and institutions.> Moini added that, thanks to the support of countries backing the Islamic Republic, this organization has a monitoring role in the Human Rights Council. The Organization for Defending Victims of Violence has maintained its activities for over three decades, receiving funding from various sources. According to Moini, the organization received 1.2 million euros ($1.3 million) from the European Union in 2004 alone following the initiation of <constructive dialogues> between the bloc and the Islamic Republic. Moini highlighted that this well-funded entity, which still retains observer status in the Human Rights Council, <distorts reports regarding human rights violations in Iran.>
An NGO with Government Managers
There is limited information available regarding the history of the managers of the Association for the Support of Social Victims, but details provided in its establishment license and announcements in official newspapers reveal that government managers are directly involved in the organization's running. The 2018 establishment license mentions Saeed Sattari as the chairman of its board of directors. He is a former director of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, a financially well-endowed government institution. Board members also include Ali Hemati-Vala, who previously was the director of the government-owned Iran Insurance Company. Iranian news websites have reported that Hemati-Vala held positions in different ministries and was affiliated with the paramilitary Basij force. The board of directors of the Association for the Support of Social Victims also includes Alireza Taheri, who previously headed the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence. In this capacity, he has spoken in support of the Palestinian Intifada. His statements have been published by government news agencies and covered by the Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These organizations bear the names of non-governmental associations, but their most important members are former government officials and members of security bodies such as the Ministry of Intelligence. Organizations established by such people with the support of the Islamic Republic present themselves as representatives of civil society, but they actually support the government's actions. According to Raisi, the human rights lawyer, these organizations are deceptive. They do not defend Iran's civil society or the rights of oppressed protesters. They remain silent about the imprisoned and persecuted lawyers, as well as the killing of children during the protests. Instead, they serve as mouthpieces for the Islamic Republic's intelligence agencies and act as infiltrators in the Human Rights Council on behalf of the Iranian government. This is an issue that the United Nations and European governments are likely unaware of.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/politics/118348-the-islamic-republics-infiltrators-in-the-un-human-rights-council/

Iranwire - July 10, 2023
<<Iranian Dissident Rapper Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison
A court in Iran has sentenced popular Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi to six years and three months in prison on the charge of <corruption on Earth> over his support for protests that rocked the country last year, his lawyer says. Roza Etemad Ansari told Shargh newspaper on July 10 that Salehi was <cleared of the charges related to insulting the revolution's founder and the leadership, and to engaging in communication with hostile nations.>
<He will be prohibited from leaving the country for a period of two years, and his passport will be revoked starting from the date the verdict becomes final,> Ansari said. <In addition, he is banned from engaging in any music-related activities....for the same time period. Toomaj is also required to attend behavior management and knowledge and skills enhancement courses organized by the Isfahan Prosecutor's Office for Social Affairs and Crime Prevention for two years.> The lawyer said that his client was transferred to the general ward of Isfahan Central Prison after spending 252 days in solitary confinement. Ye-One Rhie, a member of the German parliament who has campaigned on Salehi's behalf, reacted to the sentencing by posting a tweet reading: <The verdict for #ToomajSalehi: 6 years and 3 months in prison. That's 6 years and 3 months too many. He did not commit any of the crimes he was accused of.>
There was no immediate word from Iranian authorities.
Salehi had his second and last court hearing in his closed-door trial on July 2. He is said to have been subjected to <severe torture> at the hands of his jailers while in solitary confinement since his arrest on November 30. The artist was arrested amid anti-government demonstrations that erupted following the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic's mandatory headscarf rules. Salehi had released songs in support of the demonstrations demanding more freedoms and women's rights, and posted pictures and videos of himself during protests. More than 520 people have been killed in the security forces' clampdown on the women-led protest movement and over 19,000 have been unlawfully detained, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/118342-iranian-dissident-rapper-sentenced-to-over-six-years-in-prison/

NCRI - Women committee - in Women's news - July 9, 2023
<<After her son's loss, Maliheh Hassan Nejad dies in hospital
Mohammad Hosseini, the son of Maliheh Hassan Nejad, was killed by security forces during the Iran uprising in October. Maliheh Hassan Nejad, who had lost her son during the Iran uprising in 2022, died in a hospital in Tehran on Sunday, July 9, 2023. She had suffered two strokes and was in a coma for seven months. Mohammad Hosseini was killed on October 12, 2022, during Iran protests in Kouhdasht, in Saqqez. He was protesting the security forces' destruction of people's cars when anti-riot vehicles ran over him twice. He died instantly. Maliheh Hassan Nejad, the mother of Mohammad Hosseini, suffered a brain stroke after her son's death and fell into a coma for nearly seven months at a hospital in Tehran. Informed sources say a female agent from the IRGC Intelligence was watching Maliheh Hassan Nejad during the funeral ceremony so that she would not talk to anyone. The Hosseini family said the security services imposed enormous pressure on their family, forcing them into silence regarding their son's death. This pressure was why Mrs. Hassan Nejad suffered two strokes, went into a coma, and eventually died.>>
Source:
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2023/07/09/maliheh-hassan-nejad/
Opinion by Gino d'Artali: A female agent from the IRGC Intelligence was watching Maliheh Hassan Nejad (the mother of her killed son) during the funeral ceremony so that she should not talk to anyone. The Hosseini family said the security services imposed enormous pressure on their family, forcing them into silence regarding their son's death. This pressure was so high and why Mrs. Hassan Nejad, the mother of Maliheh Hassan Nejad, who was killed by security forces during the Iran uprising in October 2023 suffered two strokes, went into a coma, and eventually died. The Hengaw group lately pointed out that when silence is imposed on the grieving families and is tantamount to psychological torture and it raises the following question: How many protesters killed by the security forces of the Islamic Republic remain unknown because their relatives are forced into a painful silence? Also here and again we should not forget the heinous killing of the 9-year-old Kian Pirfalak and also here and his mother and family where under enourmous pressure to keep silent about it. Read also about how the mother of the 9-year-old Kian Pirfalak who was killed by the IRGC was under the same pressure and probably still is -  ZAA-JMA-2023june-TRIBUTE-2-KIAN-the-aftermath2.htm


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