AFP: Four Iranian webloggers arrested during a crackdown last year have written to the judiciary head to complain of having been subjected to “physical and moral pressure” that forced them to confess, the official news agency IRNA said Monday. “During our detention, (we were) subjected to physical and moral pressure and all of our confessions were false and have no legal value,” wrote Mahbubeh Abbas-Golizadeh, Fereshteh Ghazi, Massud Ghoreyshi and Hanif Mazruwi.
Four Iranian webloggers protest of being forced to confess
Man hanged in Iran oil city
Iran Focus: Tehran, May 02 – A man accused of murdering a
taxi driver was hanged in Karoon Prison in the southern Iranian city of Ahwaz on Monday morning, according to the state-run news agency. The man, only identified as Yaqoub R., was executed in the city which has been the scene of mass social unrest and clashes between anti-government protesters and State Security Forces.
Man hanged in Iran oil city
Iran Focus: Tehran, May 02 – A man accused of murdering a
taxi driver was hanged in Karoon Prison in the southern Iranian city of Ahwaz on Monday morning, according to the state-run news agency. The man, only identified as Yaqoub R., was executed in the city which has been the scene of mass social unrest and clashes between anti-government protesters and State Security Forces.
Tehran Tries to Cultivate India as an Ally
The Wall Street Journal: With world attention focused on Iran’s steady progress toward a nuclear bomb, it has been easy to miss the Islamic Republic’s initiatives on another front — South Asia, where Tehran has been busy cultivating India as an ally. Iran’s relationship with India is not new. Strong cultural and political ties date back many centuries and include periods of both tension and friendship. Now that relationship is entering a new stage that should be of particular concern to the U.S.
Iran Plans Defense of Nuclear Program
Washington Post: Iran is planning to mount a staunch defense of its nuclear energy program at an international conference beginning today and will insist on rights to the same technology afforded to all members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a senior Iranian official said in an interview yesterday.
EU3 warns of managed crisis’ over Iran ambitions
Financial Times: European officials have warned of a managed crisis in Europe’s dialogue with Iran over the country’s nuclear ambitions, after Iranian negotiators said they would consider resuming part of the uranium enrichment process suspended since 2003.
Rafsanjani prevented from speaking on May Day in Iran
Iran Focus: Tehran, May 01 A packed Azadi Stadium in Tehran was today the scene of angry anti-government protests, forcing Irans powerful ex-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to call off his scheduled speech at the May Day gathering. Eye witnesses said that some 20,000 workers gathered in and around the 12,000-seat stadium to mark …
Rafsanjani prevented from speaking on May Day in Iran
Iran Focus: Tehran, May 01 A packed Azadi Stadium in Tehran was today the scene of angry anti-government protests, forcing Irans powerful ex-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to call off his scheduled speech at the May Day gathering. Eye witnesses said that some 20,000 workers gathered in and around the 12,000-seat stadium to mark …
Swapping fatigues for suits, ex-Guards target Iran’s presidency
AFP: They may now be wearing suits, but the line-up of candidates standing in Iran’s presidential election next month includes a roll-call of the Islamic republic’s Revolutionary Guards. While members of Iran’s military are barred by the constitution from direct involvement in politics, the issue is again being debated between those advocating the need for a strong leader and detractors fearing a militarisation of the regime.
