Iran
Funeral in Marivan turns into anti-government protest
Iran, Aug 26, 2018 – Despite heavy presence of security forces, the people of Marivan, Kurdistan, gathered for the funeral of six people who had died in yesterday’s incidents and staged demonstrations against the government.
On Saturday, bombings by the Revolutionary Guards resulted in fires in Marivan forests. Also, the explosion of an undetonated projectile resulted in the death of six environmental activists. Subsequently, the people of Marivan protested to the killing of their fellow citizens.
On Sunday morning, people from Sanandaj and other cities of Kurdistan province headed for Marivan to attend the funeral of the six victims
To prevent news of the potential protests from spreading, the Iranian regime has obstructed access to internet in the area. But the measure hasn’t prevented activists from posting pictures and video of the ceremony and the protests online.
Pilot killed in Iran F-5 fighter jet crash
An Iranian F-5 fighter jet crashed in southern Iran on Sunday killing its pilot, state media reported.
The jet, a training aircraft, crashed as it attempted to land in Dezful in the southwestern Khuzestan province, the official IRNA news agency said.
Its pilot was killed but his co-pilot survived and was hospitalised.
The cause of the accident was unknown.
Iran bought its F-5 fighters from the United States before the 1979 Islamic revolution and still has 48 in service, according to the latest estimates by Jane’s IHS Markit.
Last week, Tehran unveiled its first domestically built fighter jet, which is closely modelled on the F-5.
Iran Parliament Dismisses Another Minister In Scramble To Face Sanctions
The Iranian Parliament has impeached and dismissed a second minister from President Hassan Rouhani’s cabinet on August 26, in another blow to his government in less than a month.
Iranian media reported that 137 of the 290-member parliament voted for economy minister Masoud Karbasian’s dismissal, while 121 MPs supported him. The other 12 abstained or were absent.
As Iran’s economy faces serious challenges and the country braces for the full impact of U.S. sanctions, the ruling elite scrambles to find solutions or at least appear to be addressing the country’s problems.
Iran earthquake injures hundreds, fatalities reported
A shallow earthquake struck early Sunday about 26 kilometres (16 miles) southwest of the city of Javanrud in Iran’s Kermanshah province, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Local media reported that at least two people were killed and 241 were injured.
The quake struck at 2:43 a.m. local time (2213 UTC) at a depth of about 10 kilometers, the USGS said.
It was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including two that measured above 4.0 on the Richter scale.
Rescue teams were sent to the city of Tazehabad, where most of the casualties were reported.
Iraqi state television said the jolt was felt as far away as Baghdad, some 350 kilometers further west.
More than 50 cases of Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever fixed in Iran
August 25. KazTAG – Over 50 cases of Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever have been fixed in Iran, reports Rospotrebnadzor.
“According to the official report of the Veterinary Organization of Iran , 56 cases of Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever have been registered in Iran since May 2018, 7 have been fatal,” reads the report.
As noted, the disease is constantly registered in neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.
Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever is an acute human infectious disease transmitted through tick bites caused by the hemorrhagic fever virus.
Western Iranian Communities to Mark 30th Anniversary of Political Prisoner Massacre
Iranian communities in 20 major cities and capitals throughout Europe and North America will be marking the 30th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran with a simultaneous interactive conference, where they will call on the international community to support the prosecution of the mullahs responsible for the massacre and the ongoing Iranian uprising.
The gathering, to take place on Saturday, will begin at 5 pm CEST and 11 am EST and be broadcast live in Persian, English, French, and Arabic on the Iranian Resistance’s social networks and websites, bringing thousands of members of the Iranian Resistance and their supporters across the world together.
It is part of a campaign to get justice for the 30,000 victims of the massacre, mostly members and supporters of resistance group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), launched by the leader of the Iranian Resistance, Maryam Rajavi, in 2016.
Jailed Iranian Rights Lawyer Starts Hunger Strike
A prominent human rights lawyer in Iran says she has started a hunger strike while in jail on accusations of antigovernment activities.
The hunger strike by Nasrin Sotoudeh was announced on August 25 on the Facebook page of her husband, Reza Khandan.
The Facebook posts said the move was motivated by authorities’ pressure on Sotoudeh’s relatives and friends, as well as a failure by officials to respond to her requests.
Authorities arrested Sotoudeh, 55, in June to serve a five-year sentence issued against her in absentia in September 2016 for allegedly carrying out “activities against national security in collaboration with domestic and foreign antirevolutionary elements,” according to Human Rights Watch.
International rights groups and the U.S. government have denounced the arrest of the lawyer, who earlier in 2018 represented several women detained for publicly protesting the compulsory hijab.
