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Iran – Hunger Strike in Second Month, Calling for Release of Ashraf Residents

Hunger Strike Continues in Washington, DC and other European Cities and Ashraf, Iraq Calling for the Release of 36 Abductees
Hunger Strike Continues in Washington, DC and other European Cities and Ashraf, Iraq Calling for the Release of 36 Abductees

Stop Fundamentalism – Hunger strike in Washington, London, Ottawa, Berlin, The Hague and Stockholm and also Ashraf in Iraq continue, calling for the release of 36 Iranian abductees from Camp Ashraf by Iraqi forces.

Hunger Strike Continues in Washington, DC and other European Cities and Ashraf, Iraq Calling for the Release of 36 AbducteesCamp Ashraf, located in Iraq near Baghdad, was attacked on June 28, 2009 by the Iraqi forces as Al-Maliki’s government tried to win favors from the Iranian regime by cracking down on its opposition.  11 camp residents were killed and over 500 wounded as the result of the attack and 36 were abducted by Iraqi forces.

The residents of the camp are all Iranian exiles who have left their country fleeing persecution by the Iranian ruling government.  They form the largest Iranian opposition movement in exile, seeking overthrow of the mullah’s in Tehran.

Iran – Ayatollah: Actions of Government unrelated to Islam

Iran's Grand Ayatollah Montazeri
Iran's Grand Ayatollah Montazeri

Stop Fundamentalism – Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, a top leading Shiite cleric in Iran, has issued a statement on his website declaring that the current government in Iran is exploiting Islamic values for its own purposes.

Iran's Grand Ayatollah MontazeriMontazeri has been under house arrest for over 20 years due to his opposition to the Ayatollah Khomeini.  He was originally named the successor of the Ayatollah when the Islamic revolution succeeded to replace the shah’s regime.  He was later disqualified by Khomeini due to his opposition to mass executions of 1988. Over thirty thousand have been reported executed as the result.

He compared the current situation to the time when Iran was ruled by the late Shah, “They did many wrong things at the time but it was not under the name of religion and they did not use religion as a tool.” But now he said,” People are arrested, persecuted and many other things, all under the name of religion and Islam.”  He expressed concern that this will push young people away from Islam and religion.

Iran – Karubi’s Student Supporters Arrested

Iran unrest
Iran Youth Unrest

Stop Fundamentalism – Five members of a student organization associated to Ferdowsi University in Meshad have been arrested.  The names of those arrested are, Mohsen Sanati-pour, Shayan Saremi, Amin Riyahi, Mehdi Khosravi, and Eftekhar Bozorgian.

Iran unrestThe student activists were all supporters of Mehdi Karubi. Karubi was one of the presidential candidates in the recent election and a member of the ruling clergy in Iran.  He has been rather outspoken regarding the election results.

According to reports, no one knows how and why the students were arrested as well as where their whereabouts are.

Iran – Attack on Basij Members in Tehran

Basij Forces riding motorcycles in Tehran streets in groups to stop the election unrest
Basij Forces riding motorcycles in Tehran streets in groups to stop the election unrest

Stop Fundamentalism, September 1 – Two Basij members were overrun by a car in Tehran while they had stopped a young girl at a street checkpoint for investigations. 

Basij Forces riding motorcycles in Tehran streets in groups to stop the election unrest According to eyewitnesses the Basiji members acted offensively towards the girl when an unknown driver decided to take action to stop them.

The driver, who was apparently offended by the behavior of Basij members, hit the two with his car and then disappeared.

After the incident, while the street was quite busy and there were many witnesses, no one called for an ambulance or the police.

The two are hospitalized in Tehran-Pars Hospital and one of them is currently in a critical condition.

According to our sources, there have been similar incidents of attacks on members of Basij forces by civilians in Iran since the election uprisings.

Ashraf Residents on Hunger Strike for release of 36 Captive Members

Iraqi attack on Ashraf residents on July 28 has claimed the lives of 11 people
Attack on Ashraf

Stop Fundamentalism – Members of Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), the Iranian main opposition movement stationed in Iraq, are on a hunger strike after the attacks of July 28 when Iraqi forces stormed camp Ashraf killing 8 and wounding about 500 members of this community.

Iraqi attack on Ashraf residents on July 28 has claimed the lives of 11 peopleThe number of those killed has risen since the event from 8 to 11, the organization announced yesterday.

PMOI has called for the release of its 36 members who have been incarcerated by Iraqi forces.  The organization believes that they are in danger of being extradited to Iran where they will face inhuman treatment at the hands of the Iranian regime and it is concerned that the 36 members are physically and mentally in a very bad condition.

The members in camp Ashraf continue their strike to oppose the crimes committed against them on July 28.  They demand departure of the Iraqi forces from the camp and freedom of arrested members.  They also call for legal action against those who have participated in the attack.

Ali, a camp resident says, “our strike continues while food and medical supplies are blocked from entering the camp by Iraqi forces.” The strike participant adds, “The 36 members who have been abducted are injured and some are in critical condition and we worry about them.”

Iran – Arrest of Woman Jurnalist, Hengameh Shahidi at Evin Concerns Family

Hengameh Shahidi - Woman Jurnalist
Iran - Hengameh Shahidi

Stop Fundamentalism – According to sources, Mrs Hengame Shahidi, a member of the Etemad Meli Party which is headed by Mehdi Karubi, has been subject to inhuman torture and abuse in prison since her arrest.

Hengameh Shahidi - Woman JurnalistShahidi who is a reputable journalist was arrested after the unrest errupted following June 12 elections in Iran.

The sources say that in order to break her, she has been given false death sentence.   To show her that the sentence is not a bluff, she has been taken for executions many times and they even put the noose around her neck.

Iran – Representative Calls to Prosecute Mehdi Karubi

Mehdi Karubi, former presidential candidate in the recent elections in Iran
Mehdi Karubi

Stop Fundamentalism, 17 August – A representative of Ali Khamanie, the so called supreame leader of the Islamic Republic, in Revolutionary Guards Forces in Ghazvin, called for the arrest and punishment of Mehdi Karubi, former presidential candidate in the recent Iranian election.Mehdi Karubi, former presidential candidate in the recent elections in Iran

Morteza Hoseini told Sahar news Monday that Karubi should be heavily punished for the letter he wrote to Rafsanjani, the head of Iranian expediency council.

Karubi, in an open letter sent to Rafsanjani, unearthed horrifying news of torture, rape and killings of young women and men in Iranian prisons.

Iran – Prisoners Tortured by Electric Shock

Artist Portray of a political prisoner
Prisoner

Stop Fundamentalism – A member of the Iranian Islamic Parliament (Majlis) who wanted to stay anonymous, reported Amir-Kabir Newsletter on 15 August, said that electric shock is used to torture prisoners in Iran’s notorious prisons.

Artist Portray of a political prisonerThe MP detailed that he went to Evin prison with a group of MPs to investigate torture of political prisoners. 

“We went to the women ward asking who had been in Kahrizak?” The MP said asking women prisoners to provide details of their treatment there. 

“One of the woman said that she was stripped bare in Kahrizak and was told to enter a barrel of water where she was administered electric shocks. “

Details of horrifying treatment of prisoners was unearthed by former presidential candidate, Mehdi Karubi, last week as he wrote of men and women prisoners being raped viciously by prison officials and investigators.

Karubi said that many of the young arrestees who are released show signs of depression and some have committed suicide.

Iran – Daily closed; protests continue

Iranian Protest Against Dictatorship in thier country
Young people in Iran are the main thriving force of the protests

Stop Fundamentalism, 18 August 2009 – An Iranian news website reported Monday that many gatherings throughout the country took place to commemorate those killed during the past two months of people uprisings. 

Iranian Protest Against Dictatorship in thier countryReports indicate that families of prisoners gathered in front of the notoriuse Evin prison on Monday demanding immediate release of their loved ones.  The crowed chanted anti-government slogans and over 40 members of the families of prisoners started a hunger strike.

Iranian Exiles in Ashraf Under Attack by Iraqi Police

Stop Fundamentalism – We were notified by an statement from the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran today 28 July at 15:00 Baghdad time, that the Iraqi police has started an attack on the Ashraf residents by firing pepper gas.

Loaders have destroyed side-fences and walls to this Iranian opposition community in Iraq.  The city is under attack from various directions. 

Iranians all over the world hold the United States government solely and directly responsible for what happens to the residents of the camp Ashraf.