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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and the latest news about the 'Women Live Freedom' Revolution per month in 2023: August 31 - 18  -- August 15 - 1-- July 31 - 16 --July 15 -1--June 30 - 15--June 15-1--May 31 -16-- May 15-1--April--March--Feb--Jan  

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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 - August 24 2023
<<Iranian Rapper Saman Yassin Details Torture in Prison
In an audio message, imprisoned Iranian rapper Saman Yasin details the torture he has endured at the hands of his interrogators since his arrest last year, including mock executions and beatings. The audio was released by the Didban Human Rights Network on August 24. Yasin, who was arrested during nationwide protests on October 2, 2022, says he was subjected to solitary confinement and thrown from the stairs in Ward 241 of Tehran's Evin prison. <I was at home when I was apprehended in the dead of night, without knowing why,> Yasin says in the audio message. <If I committed any wrongdoing, charge me; if I'm innocent, release me from this limbo of uncertainty that torments me.> As part of attempts to force him to confess to crimes he did not commit, the artist says he was falsely informed that his entire family had been arrested. In Amin Abad Psychiatric Hospital, he says he was <forcibly tied to the hospital bed> by prison personnel and was injected with an <unidentified substance> that dramatically affected his physical and mental condition. Saman Yasin had previously expressed frustration with the uncertainty surrounding his legal status in a voice message published by IranWire. He said he was denied his most basic rights, including access to legal representation. The well-known rapper was a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic before his arrest and supported the anti-government protests that swept the country last year.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/119795-iranian-rapper-saman-yassin-details-torture-in-prison/

Iranwire - August 24 2023 - by SAMANEH GHADARKHAN
<<Farzin Marofi: Killed for Celebrating National Football Team's Loss
One of the rare occurrences of civil expression during last year's nationwide protests in Iran was the jubilation of citizens that followed the national football team's defeat against the United States in the World Cup in Qatar. This particular form of dissent ignited greater fury from the government and its forces than ever before. In response to the street celebrations, the forces of the Islamic Republic swiftly resorted to brutal suppression.
Farzin Marofi, from Tehran's Ekbatan Town, was among the victims of the crackdown unleashed on the night of November 30. Marofi met his untimely demise when he was shot in the head. The Islamic Republic described his death as being the result of an accident and attempted to depict the victim as a member of the paramilitary Basij force slain by protestors. In an interview with a relative of Marofi, IranWire obtained information regarding this government-perpetrated murder.
***
The football World Cup matches commenced more than two months after the start of the 2022 uprising and amid intense criticism over its political affiliations. In the days preceding the kick-off of the World Cup, the players and coaching staff held a meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi and were photographed with him. After the football team's elimination from the World Cup on November 30, videos shared on social media showed Iranians dancing in the streets across the country well into the late hours of the night. Security forces brutally attacked those who dared to express joy over the national team's defeat. Farzin Marofi was accompanied by three friends when he was shot dead. Government agents swiftly transported his body to the morgue and detained his friends for a day. One of them is still missing. The authorities approached his family, urging them to declare that Farzin was affiliated with the Basij and was killed by protestors. However, the family refused to endorse lies and vowed to seek the truth.<Eventually, a staged narrative emerged, asserting that Farzin met his end in a car accident as a result of a collision with a guardrail,> a source said. His mother and uncle were prevented from accessing the scene of the killing until the authorities made it resemble an accident site. On the evening of Farzin's death a group of plainclothes agents, accompanied by his friends, arrived at Farzin's residence. Upon discovering that the family was absent, they instructed a neighbor to inform them to present themselves at the local police station. Intriguingly, on that night, Farzin's father was admitted to a hospital for surgery. At the police station, the family noted the conspicuous presence of Basij forces. Farzin's relatives were denied access to his remains and were not handed his personal effects such as a wallet containing his ID card and money. The family asserts that Farzin always carried his wallet with him, yet security agents adamantly claimed that nothing had been recovered. <Farzin owned two mobile phones, both of which were deliberately shattered and severed in half. This raised significant suspicions for the family. A phone does not break in two in an accident,> the source said. Farzin's father became a target of intimidation by security forces concerning his burial. He received a threatening call saying he did not have the authorization to lay Farzin to rest in Mahabad. Instead, Farzin should be buried in Tehran's Behesht Zahra cemetery.
In addition, he was warned that his access to medicine would be curtailed and he would lose his job if a big ceremony was organized. Farzin's father suffers from a kidney condition that requires consistent medication. Farzin's father reluctantly acceded to these terms, but he was fired twice, only to be reinstated later. <Farzin's father grapples with a severe health condition, having undergone three kidney transplants to date. On numerous occasions, his father has been threatened due to his online activities and the narratives he shares about Farzin on his personal Instagram account,> the source said.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/119792-farzin-marofi-killed-for-celebrating-national-football-teams-loss/



From left to right: Nasseri, Gholami and Parvaneh
NCRI - Womens committee - August 24, 2023 - in Women's News
<<The Ordeal of 3 Political Prisoners in the Central Prison of Mashhad
Three 3 political prisoners, Marzieh Nasseri, Azam Gholami, and Sakineh Parvaneh, have been detained in the women's ward of the Central Prison of Mashhad for several months without standing trial. Marzieh Nasseri (aka Sara) and Azam Gholami were arrested during the nationwide Iran uprising in 2022-2023. The 3 political prisoners are detained in Ward 5 of the Central Prison of Mashhad (aka Vakilabad Prison) among ordinary prisoners and violent criminals, in violation of the principle of separation of crimes. They are constantly mistreated, harassed, and pressured by prison authorities and the guards. According to reliable reports, the 3 political prisoners are deprived of access to medical treatment. They are detained in an unsanitary environment and deprived of medical facilities. A reliable source in the Central Prison of Mashhad reported that on the night of August 20, Sakineh Parvaneh had a nervous shock due to the intense pressure put on her. She has been detained for over five months in uncertain conditions.
Who is Marzieh (Sara) Nasseri?
Sara Nasseri, a 41-year-old woman from Mashhad, was arrested on December 6, 2022, by security forces during the Iran uprising. She was confined in solitary at the Department of Intelligence of Mashhad for 20 days, and subsequently transferred to the quarantine of the Central Prison of Mashhad (Vakilabad Prison). Ms. Nasseri is accused of collaboration with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Despite the completion of her interrogations, she remains in detention. Her interrogator, Mohsen Gol-Mohammadi Tavallaii, opposes her release on bail. Marzieh Nasseri's case is being investigated in Branch 904 of the Prosecutor's Office of Mashhad. Her charges include <propaganda against the state> and <distributing protest flyers.>
Who is Azam Gholami?
Political prisoner Azam Gholami, 35, has languished in confinement for over 10 months, held in an uncertain state. Security forces arrested her in front of her Qasem Abad residence in Mashhad during the height of the nationwide protests in October 2022. Her home was subjected to a search, and several personal possessions were confiscated. She was subsequently taken to the detention center of the Intelligence Department of Mashhad. Following a period of relentless interrogation that spanned more than two months, she was transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence Ward within the Central Prison of Mashhad, also known as Vakil Abad Prison. Political prisoner Azam Gholami faces allegations of affiliation and collaboration with the primary Iranian opposition force, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). These accusations were lodged within Branch 904 of the Mashhad Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, overseen by investigator Mohsen Gol-Mohammadi. Regrettably, she has been denied access to legal counsel throughout this process. Despite her circumstances, prison authorities refuse to grant her release on bail pending trial.
Who is Sakineh Parvaneh?
Sakineh Parvaneh, a Kurdish citizen from Quchan, was arrested on April 4, 2023, for the second time in one month. She had been arrested on March 7, 2023, and released after four days. Sakineh Parvaneh was born in 1988. In early autumn of 2019, security agents arrested her because she had visited her family in Soleimaniya, in the Kurdistan of Iraq. She was detained for ten days in the detention centers of Marivan and Sanandaj. She was subsequently transferred to the Evin Prison in Tehran. She underwent harsh interrogations under psychological and physical torture in Ward 2A, Ward 209, and the women’s ward of Evin. During this time, she was deprived of having visitations. In March 2020, after she wrote graffiti on the walls of Evin, she was sent to the notorious Qarchak Prison, where she was detained in solitary confinement for four days with handcuffs and footcuffs. Then, prison guards took her to Aminabad Psychiatric Hospital in Shahr-e Rey. After 25 days in Aminabad, the resistant Kurdish prisoner Sakineh Parvaneh was returned to the quarantine ward of Qarchak Prison. On May 25, 2020, she went on a hunger strike to protest, being sentenced to 5 years in prison and detained in conditions where the category of their crimes did not separate prisoners. On July 4, 2020, she was returned to Evin Prison while bearing scars and bruises from being beaten. In August, she was sentenced to another two years for <rioting in prison.> The resistant Kurdish prisoner Sakineh Parvaneh went on a hunger strike several times in Evin. On October 27, 2020, she was relocated from the women's ward of Evin to the Prison of Quchan. She was sent to a solitary cell on November 9, 2020, in response to her hunger strike since October 31 in protest of her possible relocation again to the Prison of Isfahan. On the eighth day of her hunger strike, she sewed her lips. But in these same conditions, she was brutalized and beaten by guards. On December 13, 2020, Sakineh Parvaneh was taken from Quchan Prison to the Central Prison of Mashhad, where she was deprived of family visitation and banned from calling home. The IRGC pressured Ms. Parvaneh to make forced confessions against herself.
The resistant Kurdish prisoner Sakineh Parvaneh was serving the fourth year of her sentence when she was released from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on February 15, 2023. According to reports on social media, the IRGC confiscated her registration documents about four years ago. Despite her release from prison, her documents were not returned to her. As a result, Ms. Parvaneh faced difficulties in basic aspects of her life, such as renting a house, finding employment, purchasing a mobile phone SIM card, and other essential matters.>>
Source:
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2023/08/24/3-political-prisoners/

Iranwire - August 24 2023 - by SOLMAZ EIKDAR
<<Iranian Government Detains Relatives of Crackdown Victims Who Seek Justice
Mashallah Karami is the father of Mohammed Mehdi, a young man executed last year. The walls of his bedroom are still adorned with the karate medals and trophies he won. Before the execution, his father tirelessly advocated for justice, highlighting the numerous inconsistencies surrounding his son's case and sharing their poignant conversations during phone calls from prison: <Dad, the verdict has been rendered. They've sentenced me to death. Keep this information from mum.> Despite his efforts, the support of legal experts, human rights champions and journalists yielded no positive outcome. According to IranWire sources, security forces executed a raid on Mashallah Karami's residence on August 22. In the course of this operation, they apprehended him and confiscated his electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones. One of Mohammad Mehdi Karmi's lawyers, Amir Hossein Kohkan, was also taken into custody.
Preventing Victims' Families from Joining Forces
<These individuals are not arrested solely for being survivors of deceased victims or plaintiffs; instead, they are often charged with other offenses. Authorities establish a connection with these individuals, as one cannot be detained merely as a survivor or a plaintiff in a crime,> said Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, a member of the Central Bar Association and a legal practitioner in political and security cases. <Although the underlying intent behind these arrests, investigations and even trials is evident, the charges frequently brought against these individuals include accusations like spreading falsehoods or propaganda,> he added. Over recent months, security agencies have repeatedly contacted Karmi's relatives, visited their home and threatened them to prevent the father from defending his son's memory and honor, according to Aghasi. <Yet, a person who has lost his own child has little left to lose, which explains Karmi's unwavering commitment to his cause,> he said. <In recent months, security institutions recognized the growing unity and organization among [the victims'] families, prompting an escalation of these pressures,> he added. <I believe that security institutions have intensified these measures to prevent the expansion and strengthening of the organization formed by these petitioning families. The goal is to discourage other survivors and families from joining forces.>
Clampdown on Grieving Families
In recent days, a significant number of families seeking justice in Iran have been apprehended by security agencies. On August 22, Shermin Habibi, the wife of Fereydoun Mahmoudi, who was killed by security forces in Saqqez last year, was also detained. Before that, Mohammad Vaziri, the spouse of Shirin Alizadeh, another victim of the clampdown on the <Woman, Life, Freedom> protest movement, was arrested in Isfahan. In addition, Hassan Draftadeh, the father of Komaar Droftadeh, was summoned and interrogated, and Reza Babrnejad, the brother of Mehdi Babrnejad, faced arrest. Two brothers from the city of Kamiyaran who are related to Borhan Karmi, a victim of the crackdown on last year's protests, were also detained by government forces this week. The two brothers are named Hessam and Sirvan Karmi. Concurrently, there are reports of mounting pressure on the families of plaintiffs aimed at hindering commemorations marking their loved ones' anniversaries. The father of Mehrshad Shahidi faced pressure from security agencies to refrain from pursuing his son's murder case and decline to invite people to his grave. As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death and the <Woman, Life, Freedom> protests approaches, several families of those who perished in these events have taken to social media to announce the suspension of their activities. Through Instagram stories, Hadis Najafi's sister and Hamidreza Rouhi's father and brother expressed gratitude for the support they received from Iranians <during the past months.> They announced their decisions to halt their activities on their pages during the anniversary and declared their intent to abstain from holding ceremonies at their loved ones' graves. The language used in these messages indicate that security institutions exerted pressure on their authors. According to Amnesty International, Iranian authorities have escalated their harassment of families of those <unlawfully> killed by security forces during last year's <Woman, Life, Freedom> movement. In recent years, particularly after the November 2019 protests, security forces have repeatedly detained families heading to or returning from meetings with other plaintiffs.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/119784-iranian-government-detains-relatives-of-crackdown-victims-who-seek-justice/
Note by Gino d'Artali: Read more about this tragic topic and about a report by Amnesty International about it below.

Iranwire - August 24 2023
<<Foreigners Banned from Residing around Iran’s Shahcheragh Shrine
The governor of the Iranian province of Fars has said that foreigners are now banned from residing near the Shahcheragh Shrine in the city of Shiraz after two deadly attacks on the Shia religious site over the past year. <As per the recent edict, foreign nationals are now prohibited from residing within 57 hectares around the sacred shrines. Exceptions can only be granted by the Intelligence Department following an individual or group's request,> Governor Mohammad Imanieh said on August 23. Imanieh insisted that no employer in Shiraz is permitted to hire foreign workers for construction, horticulture or agricultural work in the area without explicit authorization from the Intelligence Department. He warned that property owners and employers who violate the edict will face legal consequences, including security charges. One person was reported killed and eight others were wounded in an August 13 attack on the Shahcheragh mausoleum. And in October 2022, 15 people were killed in an assault on the Shia mausoleum.
Officials have blamed foreign nationals for both incidents.
The government executed two Afghan nationals for their role in last year's attack.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/119780-foreigners-banned-from-residing-around-irans-shahcheragh-shrine/
Opinion by Gino d'Artali: The shia's are getting really afraid aren't they now?!


JINHA - Womens News Agency - August 23, 2023
<<Dead bodies of human rights activist and her husband found in Iran
News Center- Dead bodies of a Baloch couple have been found in Saravan, a city in Iranian Balochistan, according to reports of local media outlets.
The media outlets reported that the dead bodies belong to Baloch human rights activist Hani Gull and her husband Sameer Baloch, who were abducted 14 days ago by unknown people from their home in Pehra. Hani Gull was one of the prominent activists in Eastern Balochistan. She was abducted along with her husband 14 days ago by unknown armed men. According to the report, Hani Gull was pregnant and she was brutally killed along with her husband.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency1.com/en/actual/dead-bodies-of-human-rights-activist-and-her-husband-found-in-iran-33741



JINHA - Womens news agency - August 23, 2023
<<Mahsa Yazdani arrested in Iran for seeking justice for her killed son
News Center- The Iranian regime keep suing all inhuman practice, including execution, torture, killing and arrest, to quell the protests that sparked in Iran and Rojhilat following the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022. Mohammad Javad Zahedi was shot to death by Iranian security forces during the protests on September 21, 2022. His mother Mahsa Yazdani has been reportedly arrested in the Sari city of Iran’s Mazandaran province and taken to an unknown location by Iranian security forces. Since the 1960s, the Islamic Republic of Iran has oppressed the families of executed political prisoners and killed protesters. Recently, the Iranian regime has increased harassment and intimidation against victims' families. As the anniversary of the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini is approaching, the Iranian regime has been arresting victims' families seeking justice for their children and destroying victims' gravestones.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency1.com/en/actual/mahsa-yazdani-arrested-in-iran-for-seeking-justice-for-her-killed-son-33745
Click here for all information about an equal heinous killing of 9-year-old Kian Pirfalak
www.cryfreedom.net/ZAA-JMA-2023june-TRIBUTE-2-KIAN-part1.htm

PIC
NCRI - Womens committee - August 23, 2023 - in Women's News
<<Nasrin Alizadeh detained, Families of Uprising Victims Face Further Oppression
Amnesty International calls for respect for families' right to commemorate loved ones killed during uprising without reprisals on one-year anniversary
The clerical regime's security forces in Isfahan arrested Nasrin Alizadeh today, Wednesday, August 23, 2023, and transferred her to an undisclosed location. Nasrin Alizadeh is the sister of Shirin Alizadeh, who was killed by security forces in Ramsar, northern Iran, during the early days of the Iran Uprising last year. Nasrin Alizadeh was arrested after security forces raided her home. There is no information on the place and reason for her detention. Earlier on August 17, 2023, the husband of Shirin Alizadeh, Mr. Kourosh Vaziri, was arrested by security forces and detained in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan. Mr. Vaziri was arrested after celebrating his wife's birthday with some friends at her tombstone. He was arrested in front of his son. Shirin Alizadeh, 35, the mother of a 7-year-old boy called Daryoush, was shot in the head and killed by security forces in Ramsar while traveling in a car with her husband and son on September 22, 2023. Yesterday, August 22, 2023, Ms. Mahsa Yazdani, the mother of Mohammad Javad Zahedi, slain during Iran protests last year, was also arrested by security forces in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. No information is available on the place and reason for her arrest.
Security forces in Sari killed Mohammad Javad Zadehi on September 22, 2022.
The Iranian intelligence and security forces are arresting relatives of slain protesters on the eve of the anniversary of the Iran Uprison on September 16, 2023.
Amnesty International: Harassment of families of victims unlawfully killed during protests must end
Amnesty International published a report on August 21, 2023, detailing how the Iranian authorities have been subjecting victims' families to arbitrary arrest and detention, imposing cruel restrictions on peaceful gatherings at grave sites, and destroying victims' gravestones. Amnesty International said in its statement that the families of those unlawfully killed by Iran's security forces during the uprising in 2022 must be allowed to mark the first anniversary of their deaths. Not a single official has been held to account for the unlawful killing of hundreds of men, women, and children by security forces during the authorities' brutal crackdown on the popular uprising that engulfed Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa/Zhina Amini on 16 September 2022, Amnesty International wrote. <The cruelty of the Iranian authorities knows no bounds. In their sinister attempt to cover up their crimes, the authorities are compounding the anguish and suffering of victims' families by preventing them from demanding justice, truth, and reparation or even planting flowers at their loved ones’ graves. As the anniversary of the uprising nears, victims' families fear that the authorities will deploy their usual repressive tactics to bar them from holding commemorations,> said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. <The international community must support victims' families by pressing the Iranian authorities in private and in public to respect their right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. The families must be protected from arbitrary detention, threats and other reprisals. States must also call on the Iranian authorities to release all those who were detained for advocating for truth and justice over the deaths, quash all unjust convictions and sentences against them, and drop all charges against those facing reprisals for speaking out.> Amnesty International has documented in its latest publication the cases of 36 victims' families from 10 provinces across the country who have been subjected to human rights violations in recent months. They include families of 33 individuals who were unlawfully killed by the security forces during the protests; families of two individuals who were arbitrarily executed in connection with the protests; and family of one torture survivor who committed suicide upon release from detention. In July 2023, the mother of 16-year-old Artin Rahmani, who was shot dead by security forces on 16 November 2022 in Izeh, Khuzestan province, said on Twitter: <The authorities of the Islamic Republic killed my innocent son, imprisoned my brother and relatives, and summoned me to the prosecutor's office for the crime of seeking justice for the killing of my child to silence me. Citizens in Iran have no right to protest and any efforts to seek freedom are suppressed with great violence.> The authorities have also tried to bar victims' families from holding ceremonies at the graves of their loved ones, including on the occasion of their birthdays. Families who have defiantly held gatherings have reported the heavy presence of security forces who violently cracked down on ceremonies, taking pictures of those present and beating or arbitrarily arresting family members.>>
Source:
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2023/08/23/nasrin-alizadeh/
Click here for all information about an equal heinous killing of 9-year-old Kian Pirfalak
www.cryfreedom.net/ZAA-JMA-2023june-TRIBUTE-2-KIAN-part1.htm

Iranwire - August 23 2023
<<Iranian Entrepreneur Accuses Government of Incompetence
An entrepreneur and industry activist in Iran's central Markazi province has been accused by security agencies of <confounding the public mind and encouraging citizens to fight and kill each other,> IranWire reports. Hamidreza Najafi, who has been running a car design company since 2010, has been summoned to the prosecutor's office several times in recent months. According to an informed source who spoke to IranWire, security agencies are targeting Najafi because of his critical videos on social media, in which he has criticized the government's economic and social policies. In one video, Najafi spoke about the power outage crisis that has affected industrial centers in Iran. He said that the <government's lack of understanding of productivity has led to the crisis.> The source said that the interrogator in the case asked Najafi to commit to not using social media so that a new case would not be filed against him. He has also been threatened with arrest by the security agencies but has continued to speak out. Najafi is one of the friends of Mohammad Najafi, a human rights lawyer in Markazi province. Both men are facing charges of <confounding the public mind> and <encouraging citizens to fight and kill each other.> They were scheduled to appear in court on July 21. Hamidreza Najafi has said that he is worried about the future of Iran and that the government's 44-year record has shown that it is not fit to rule the country.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/119753-iranian-entrepreneur-accuses-government-of-incompetence/

Iranwire - August 23 2023
<<Iranian Activist Deported from Türkiye Surfaces in Evin Prison
Shahryar Baratinya, a political activist and former political prisoner who was deported from Turkiye to Iran on August 3, is currently being held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, IranWire reports. Baratinya's friends said that he contacted his family from the prison on August 22, after being detained for 20 days. Prior to that, there had been no information about his whereabouts or wellbeing. Baratinya had been living in Turkiye without a valid residence permit for some time. An informed source told IranWire that the former political prisoner was taken from a camp in Dogubeyazit to the nearby Iranian border on August 3. Iranian agents reportedly took custody of Baratinya at the border, prompting fears for his safety. The Intelligence Department of Sanandaj, the capital of Iran's Kurdistan province, arrested Baratinya two years ago upon his return to the country from a European country, the source told IranWire. After securing his release on a 700-million-toman ($14,000) bail, he illegally crossed the border to Turkiye, where he lived without a resident permit. Turkish authorities arrested the activist in Istanbul on June 22 this year before transferring him to Dogubeyazit.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/119755-iranian-activist-deported-from-t%C3%BCrkiye-surfaces-in-evin-prison/

Iranwire - August 23 2023
<<Ebrahim Golestan, Giant of Iranian Cinema and Persian Literature, Dies at 101
Renowned Iranian director, storyteller, translator, photographer and lover, Ebrahim Golestan, died at the age of 101 on August 22 at his home in the United Kingdom, surrounded by his family. Funeral arrangements for the luminary of Iranian cinema and Persian literature will be conducted privately, his family said. Golestan earned acclaim for his multifaceted roles and innovative contributions to both Iranian cinema and literature, emerging as a pioneer of modern and progressive cinematic artistry within Iran. In 1961, his film <A Fire> captured the prestigious prize at the Venice Short Film Festival, establishing his place as a creative force to be reckoned with. The 1960s also saw the emergence of two seminal documentaries from Golestan's artistic arsenal: <Hills of Marlik> and <The Crown Jewels of Iran.> <Azer, the Last Month of Autumn,> a collection of stories, and the narrative <Rooster> and <Secrets of the Genie Valley> are also treasured by devotees of Persian literature. Among his achievements, Golestan served as the producer of the documentary film <Black House,> directed by Forough Farrokhzad, a giant of modern Persian literature and a pioneer in Iranian film, who was killed in a car accident aged just 32. In 2017 and half a century after Farrokhzad's untimely death, Golestan, at last broke his silence on her passing, shedding light on the depth of their relationship. <I rue all the years she isn't here, of course, that's obvious. We were very close, but I can't measure how much I had feelings for her. How can I? In kilos? In metres?> he told the Guardian in 2017. <Shahi [Golestan's nickname], you're the dearest thing I have in life. You're the only one I can love .... Shahi, I love you and I love you to an extent that I am terrified what to do if you disappeared suddenly. I'll become like an empty well,> Farrokhzad wrote in one of her letters to him, believed to have been penned a year before her death while she was visiting London. Golestan had offered the young Farrokhzad a job manning phones at his office, which was shared by 40 filmmakers and photographers. In 2017, he said that it took several months for their connection to evolve, even though Golestan himself was married at the time. Farrokhzad, who herself married at the age of 16, had parted ways with her husband after only four years. Golestan said that his feelings for the young writer were as profound as his feelings for his wife - a sentiment of which his wife was aware. He had likened the scenario to that of having four children, explaining that just as a parent can cherish all their children despite their unique qualities, one can have emotions for multiple individuals simultaneously. <You can have feelings for them [and] you have feelings for two people,> he said. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Golestan embarked on a life-altering journey, relocating from Iran to the United Kingdom. Tragedy later struck with the loss of his son, Kaveh Golestan, a photographer and documentarian. Kaveh died in April 2003, due to a mine explosion. He had been capturing footage with a BBC news team on the frontlines of the conflict in the border town of Kufri, situated 130 km from Kirkuk, Iraq. Lili Golestan, Ebrahim Golestan's second child, has also become an artist in her own right. She is a translator and writer, and manager of the Golestan Gallery in Iran.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/society/119750-ebrahim-golestan-giant-of-iranian-cinema-and-persian-literature-dies-at-101/
Note by Gino d'Artali: Read more about the poetress and moviemaker of <The house is black> by clicking the links in the menu above.

NCRI - Womens committee - August 22, 2023 - in Women's News
<<Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi arrested again in Tehran
Former political prisoners, Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi were arrested in Tehran on Monday, August 21, 2023. The arrests are taking place in line with the wave of arrests the regime is making on the eve of the anniversary of the Iran Uprising on September 16, 2022. Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi were arrested on Monday, August 21, 2023, and immediately transferred to Evin Prison. They have not been able to contact their families, yet. Marzieh Farsi suffers from cancer, and she does not have access to her medications while in detention.
Who is Forough Taghipour?
Born on May 10, 1994, Forough Taghipour graduated in accounting with a bachelor's degree. Ms. Taghipour and her mother were arrested on February 24, 2020. She was detained in Ward 209 of Evin Prison and underwent interrogation under torture. On January 5, 2021, Tehran's Revolutionary Court tried Forough Taghipour and her mother on charges of <propaganda against the state> and <assembly and collusion> through membership in the opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The judge presiding over her case threatened Forough Taghipour to hand down a verdict for Moharebeh (waging war on God). She rejected this charge and pleaded not guilty. She finally received a five-year prison sentence.
Political prisoner Forough Taghipour was among the political prisoners transferred from Qarchak Prison to the Evin Prison. She contracted Covid-19 after the new Coronavirus outbreak in the women's ward of Evin Prison. Forough Taghipour was imprisoned in the women's ward of Evin before being released in February 2023.
Who is Marzieh Farsi?
Marzieh Farsi, born in 1965, is a housewife with two children. She was arrested on February 18, 2020, in Shahr-e Rey, and taken for interrogation under torture. She was released on February 22, 2023, from the women's ward of Evin Prison.>>
Source:
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2023/08/22/forough-taghipour-and-marzieh-farsi/

Iranwire - August 22 2023
<<Businesses Stage Strikes to Protest Sunni Cleric Arrest
In an expression of dissatisfaction, the business community of Rask city in Sistan and Baluchistan province went on strike on August 22, protesting the arrest of Molavi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, the esteemed Sunni Imam of the city. Naqshbandi was apprehended by security forces of the Islamic Republic on August 20. He is accused of <dissemination of false information through speeches, defamation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's system, and acting against national security.> The detention of this prominent cleric, renowned for his support of nationwide protests, has sparked an extensive reaction from Sunni scholars and citizens across cities in the province. On the evening of August 21, demonstrators congregated in the cities of Zahedan, Sarbaz, Rask, and Dashtiari, expressing their dissent towards the Islamic Republic through protest chants. The protesters disrupted communication routes by torching car tires while demanding the immediate realises of Naqshbandi. Video footage obtained by IranWire from Rask shows that shops were shuttered throughout the restive city on Tuesday afternoon. Molavi Abdulhamid, the Friday imam of Zahedan, added his voice to the chorus of objections against the arrest of Naqshbandi, urging for his swift release. <The arrest of Molavi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, the respected Friday imam of Rask and prominent public figures and scholars, for criticizing the performance of the authorities, will spread discontent and have negative consequences. His release as soon as possible is in everyone's interest,> Molavi Abdulhamid said in a tweet.
Molavi Abdul Ghafar Naqshbandi, the son of Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi and a fervent critic of the Islamic Republic, responded to his father's detainment by the security forces. <Assuming that holding my elderly father captive will compel us to forsake the pursuit of justice for the martyrs of Zahedan and throughout Iran is a miscalculation. Our dedication extends beyond my father,> he said. Makhzan-al-Uloom Seminary of Khash city also released a statement unequivocally condemning the arrest of Naqshbandi. They issued a resolute demand for his <immediate release,> along with that of other detained clerics like Molavi Abdul Majid Muradzahi and Molavi Fazal Rahman Kohi, as well as various political prisoners.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/119724-businesses-stage-strikes-to-protest-sunni-cleric-arrest/

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