by Staff writer, SF

After security forces arrested her on August 1st, no information has been available regarding the whereabouts of civil rights activist Negisa Shahbazi.

She was arrested after the Iranian regime's security forces raided her residence, and according to her family, no information has yet been made available.

Negisa Shahbazi is an electrical engineer by profession, and she is also an active supporter of civil rights in Iran. She is also a member of the Cower mountain climbing team in Ilam, who played a major role in extinguishing the recent fires on Kabir Kuh — one of the long ranges of the Zagros Mountains near the border of Lurestan and Ilam Provinces in Ilam province, Iran. She was sharp in her criticism of the Iranian government for their inaction in dealing with the fires.

by Staff writer, SF

A controversial announcement last April that the Iranian regime planned to offer 100 of the country’s journalists unrestricted internet access, sparked criticism over the mandate that The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (MCIG) would vet all candidates for loyalty to the regime’s Islamist ideology.

The move was described as “favoritism and hush money” by several Iranian journalists on Twitter. Others tweeted that access to cyberspace “is a right, not a favor.” Many journalists claimed that they would not apply, using the hashtag “I’m not interested.”

by Staff writer, SF

Recently, news reports have begun circulating about the proposed establishment of a NATO-style security and military strategic alliance to confront Iranian expansion in the Middle East.

The alliance, said to be between the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan, will likely be announced by mid-October and will form part of the growing international pressure on Iran.

One of the most important parts of the alliance will be preventing Iran from escalating military, as well as forming an air defence shield to protect the countries involved against a ballistic missile attack from Iran. Both of these goals mean extra pressure on Iran, with less likelihood for a regional conflict that could potentially kill hundreds of thousands. It would also help to stop the Iranian Regime’s Revolutionary Guards from closing the Strait of Hormuz, as they have previously threatened to do, in response to US sanctions on Iranian oil.

by Staff writer, SF

During the nationwide protests that swept across Iran last week twenty-five-year-old Reza Outadi was killed. Now, an overseas-based Iranian news site says Iranian authorities have pressured his relatives to identify the slain man as a pro-government militiaman.

State-run news agency Fars reported that Outadi was shot by an unidentified gunman in a passing car. But, on Tuesday, the IranWire news site, run by exiled Iranian journalists, quoted an unnamed male friend of Outadi as saying Karaj’s governor and pro-government Basiji militiamen attended Outadi’s funeral Monday, and after promising to find his killer, asked family members to identify Outadi as a Basiji martyr.