Iran Events

Location of Baluchi Activist Arrested at Mass Rape Protest Concealed From His Family

The location of detained Baluchi ethnic rights activist Abdollah Bozorgzadeh remains unknown three weeks after he was detained in the Iranian city of Iranshahr in Sistan and Baluchistan Province.

Bozorgzadeh was taken into custody on June 17, 2018, during a rally to protest the alleged rape of dozens of women, a source close to the family told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on July 9, 2018.

“Twenty days after he was arrested, and after his father stood in protest outside the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] in Iranshahr, Abdollah called his mother at 1 a.m. last night [July 8] and with a trembling voice said that he was feeling well but did not say who detained him or where he is being held,” said the source who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Germany Charges Iranian Diplomat Detained In Bomb Plot Against MEK Rally

An Iranian diplomat suspected of involvement in a bomb plot against an Iranian opposition rally in France, was charged in Germany on Wednesday with activity as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit murder.

Assadollah Assadi, a Vienna-based diplomat, is suspected of contracting a couple in Belgium to attack an annual meeting of an exiled Iranian opposition group in Villepinte, near Paris, German federal prosecutors said.

He allegedly gave the Antwerp-based couple a device containing 500 grams of the explosive TATP during a meeting in Luxembourg in late June, prosecutors said in a written statement.

In their statement, German prosecutors allege that Assadi was a member of the Iranian intelligence service “Ministry of Intelligence and Security,” whose tasks “primarily include the intensive observation and combatting of opposition groups inside and outside of Iran.”

Belgian authorities also accuse Assadi of being part of an alleged plot to set off explosives at a rally of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq group, or MEK, in neighboring France, and want him extradited.

German prosecutors said their investigation would not hinder Belgium’s extradition request for the suspect.

Suspect in ‘plot’ to bomb Iran opposition in Paris handed to Belgium

A French court on Wednesday gave the green light for a suspect in an alleged bomb plot against an Iranian opposition rally to be handed over to Belgium.

The suspected plan to target a gathering of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in a Paris suburb came to light a few days after the June 30 event.

Belgian police believe the man arrested at a hotel in Paris, identified only as Merhad A. aged 54, is an accomplice of a husband and wife team caught in Brussels in possession of 500 grams of the powerful explosive TATP and a detonator.

Separately, German police swooped on an Iranian diplomat based in Vienna who has been named as Assadollah Assadi.

German prosecutors believe Assadi, believed to be an intelligence agent, ordered the couple to attack the rally and had handed them the explosives at a June meeting in Luxembourg.

Belgian authorities requested the extradition of both Assadi and Merhad A.

Iran: Young man flogged 80 times for drinking alcohol as a child

The public flogging on Tuesday in Iran of a young man convicted of consuming alcohol when he was just 14 or 15 years old over a decade ago highlights the inhumanity of a justice system that legalizes brutality, said Amnesty International today.

“The circumstances of this case are absolutely shocking, representing another horrific example of the Iranian authorities’ warped priorities. No one, regardless of age, should be subjected to flogging; that a child was prosecuted for consuming alcohol and sentenced to 80 lashes beggars belief,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

Brussels Summit Declaration has mentioned the concern over Iran’s missile tests

We are concerned by Iran’s intensified missile tests and the range and precision of its ballistic missiles and by Iran’s destabilizing activities in the wider Middle East region. We call upon Iran to refrain from all activities which are inconsistent with UNSCR 2231 — including all annexes. We are committed to permanently ensuring that Iran’s nuclear programme remains peaceful, in line with its international obligations and commitments to never seek, develop, or acquire a nuclear weapon. We underscore the importance for Iran to continue to fully cooperate in a timely manner with the IAEA. We condemn all financial support of terrorism, including Iran’s support to a variety of armed non-state actors. We also call upon Iran to play a constructive role by contributing to efforts to counter terrorism and achieve political solutions, reconciliation and peace in the region.

Yemen Files Complaint to Lebanon over ‘Hezbollah’ Support to Houthis

The Yemeni government filed on Wednesday a complaint to the Lebanese government protesting over the “Hezbollah” party’s support for the Iran-backed Houthi militias, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

“Hezbollah”, which is also backed by Iran, has been accused by the Saudi-led Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen of providing arms to the Houthis.

The Yemeni government condemned “Hezbollah” chief Hassan Nasrallah for recently calling on the Lebanese people to support the Houthis against the legitimate government of President Abdrabbou Mansour Hadi.