THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 1:30 PM CEST
UN Committee Raises Alarms Over Racial Discrimination and Human Rights Violations in Iran
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has published a report highlighting “serious concerns” over racial discrimination and human rights abuses in several countries, including Iran. The Committee pointed to reports of “grave human rights violations and abuses” committed by law enforcement against protestors from ethnic and ethno-religious minority groups during protests in November 2019, July 2021, and September 2022, particularly in provinces where these groups predominantly reside.
The Committee called on the regime in Iran to “immediately conduct impartial investigations into allegations of violations and abuses of human rights committed by State actors during these protests” and urged the government to provide reparations to the victims. Additionally, the report noted that ethnic and ethno-religious minorities are “overrepresented in the criminal justice system” and face disproportionate rates of arbitrary detention and death sentences under broadly defined offenses.
To address these issues, the Committee urged Iran to “review its legal framework, repeal vaguely worded criminal offenses punishable by death,” and ensure fair legal proceedings for minority groups. It also recommended establishing a moratorium on the death penalty with the ultimate goal of abolishing it.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST
The President of Iran’s Regime Reveals The Ugly Truth about The Selection of Cabinet Members
On August 21, after five days of chaos and disputes over the members of the cabinet proposed by President Massoud Pezeshkian, the Majlis (Parliament) of the Iranian regime approved all his ministers and appointees. This approval came only after the regime’s president repeatedly and disgracefully emphasized that all the ministers were chosen by the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei himself.
A look at what Pezeshkian said during this session reveals a clear picture of the absolute dictatorship under the rule of the Supreme Leader. Pezeshkian, referring to the ministers of the main ministries, said: “We didn’t choose these individuals without coordination; we coordinated with both the committees and the higher authorities.” He added, “We did nothing without coordination, whether with the lower committees or with the higher-ups [Khamenei]; we coordinated with all those we needed to, including the security agencies, the IRGC, the intelligence organization, and everyone else we had to agree with.”
Iranian Hackers Targeted Whatsapp Accounts of Staffers in Biden, Trump Administrations, Meta Says
WASHINGTON (AP) — The same Iranian hacking group believed to have targeted both the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns tried to go after the WhatsApp accounts of staffers in the administrations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Meta Platforms said Friday.
Meta said it discovered the network of hackers, who posed as tech support agents for companies including AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google, after individuals who received the suspicious WhatsApp messages reported them. Meta’s investigators linked the activity to the same network blamed for the hacking incident reported by Trump’s campaign.
The FBI this week said a hack by Iran of the Trump campaign and an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign was part of a broader Iranian effort to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.
Iran’s Nurses Show Their Power and Determination in Nationwide Strikes and Protests
For more than two weeks, Iran’s hardworking nurses have risen in protest, demonstrating and striking against the oppressive working conditions and their stolen wages. Regarding the scale of these protests, the state-run Khabar Online news website, on August 19, 2023 quoted the Secretary-General of the state-affiliated Nurses’ House and wrote “The protests are so widespread that everyone has lost count.”
In this unified protest movement, thousands of nurses from various provinces across the country have joined together, expressing their anger and protest the anti-people regime. They shout, “Nurses, shout out! Cry out for your rights.”
The working conditions for nurses are extremely oppressive and inhumane, and the salaries they receive are several times below the poverty line. A full-time nurse with 10 years of experience earns a fixed salary of approximately 140 million rials (around $280) per month.
The Unrealistic Vision: Iran’s 20-Year Development Plan and Its Shortcomings
As Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, takes office, he has declared the 20-year vision document as one of the major economic goals and guiding principles of his government. This claim has been met with widespread criticism, as the document is set to expire in just one year. How can a nearly obsolete plan serve as the foundation for economic progress and growth? Mohammadreza Aref, Pezeshkian’s first deputy, acknowledged this criticism but argued that the government cannot move forward until the goals outlined in this document have been achieved. However, even among regime officials and experts, there is serious doubt that four years will be sufficient to reach the declared objectives, given the performance of governing institutions over the past nineteen years. From its inception, the document faced objections due to its ambitious and unrealistic outlook.
Average GPA of Iranian High School Seniors Drops to 10.89/20
The head of the Iranian regime’s Education Evaluation and Quality Assessment Center says that the average GPA for the three main fields of Experimental Sciences, Mathematics, and Humanities in the 12th grade, the final year of high school, is “10.89” (out of 20).
On Wednesday, August 21, Mohsen Zarei, evaluating these scores as “satisfactory,” stated: “There has been a 0.55 increase in scores across the three fields.”
Mr. Zarei also announced that the average GPA for 12th graders in the Experimental Sciences field has reached “12,” in Mathematics “11.82,” and in Humanities “9.13.”
Minimum Price of Land and Housing Construction in Tehran is $1,134 Per Square Meter
Farshid Pourhajat, the Secretary of the National Association of Mass Builders of Iran, stated that the “minimum cost” of housing construction in Tehran, considering land prices and excluding ancillary costs such as permits, is at least 680 million rials (approximately $1,134) per square meter. On Thursday, August 22, Pourhajat told the Entekhab website that the inability of the middle and lower classes to purchase homes was evident from the beginning of this year (March 21) due to “the continued inflation in housing.”
The Real Estate Consultants’ Union had also predicted in March of this year that with the rise in the dollar exchange rate, there is a likelihood of repeating the experience of stagflation in the housing market this year.
Paris, August 21, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Alongside the photo exhibition, a book display featured publications that documented the history of the Iranian resistance movement and the efforts of the PMOI/MEK in advocating for a democratic and secular Iran. Attendees could engage with these resources, gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the Iranian people and the sacrifices made in pursuit of their fundamental rights.