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UPDATE: 1:00 PM CEST
Iran Pays Millions in Ransom to End Massive Cyberattack on Banks, Officials Say
A massive cyberattack that hit Iran last month threatened the stability of its banking system and forced the country’s regime to agree to a ransom deal of millions of dollars, people familiar with the case say. An Iranian firm paid at least $3 million in ransom last month to stop an anonymous group of hackers from releasing individual account data from as many as 20 domestic banks in what appears to be the worst cyberattack the country has seen, according to industry analysts and western officials briefed on the matter.
A group known as IRLeaks, which has a history of hacking Iranian companies, was likely behind the breach, the officials said. The hackers are said to have initially threatened to sell the data they collected, which included the personal account and credit card data of millions of Iranians, on the dark web unless they received $10 million in cryptocurrency, but later settled on a smaller sum.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CEST
Zahra Merrikhi: Like The Shah, The Mullahs’ Regime Will Be Defeated By Iran’s People
Zahra Merrikhi’s Speech, Secretary General of the PMOI, on the 58th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) – September 2023
In her speech marking the 58th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), Zahra Merrikhi, the Secretary General of the PMOI, celebrated the organization’s unwavering commitment to the overthrow of Iran’s oppressive clerical regime. Merrikhi emphasized the pivotal role the PMOI played in the September 2022 uprisings, which were marked by immense sacrifice from the Iranian people, including the loss of 750 lives and the imprisonment of thousands. She argued that the regime’s harsh repression, rather than quelling dissent, has only strengthened the resolve of the PMOI and the broader Iranian resistance.
Iranian Regime’s Smear Campaign: Professor Rehman Responds
Professor Javaid Rehman, a former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, has vehemently denied recent accusations made against him by the Iranian regime and its supporters. The false allegations, which include claims of receiving payments for attending a conference and accusations of bias and political corruption, have been labeled by Professor Rehman as a “smear campaign” designed to discredit his work and evade accountability for the Iranian regime’s atrocities.
“The accusations against me are a smear campaign,” Professor Rehman stated in a recent statement. “They are designed to discredit my work and to help the Iranian regime avoid accountability for its atrocities.”
U.S. Calls on Tech Giants to Help Iranians Evade Censorship
The Iranian regime’s internet censorship has become a major point of contention in the fight for global information access. To counter this, the White House is urging American tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft to assist with bandwidth expansion for government-funded tools that help users bypass these restrictions. Iran has a long history of internet censorship dating back to the early 2000s. The Iranian regime, wary of dissent and maintaining control over information, established a complex system to filter and block access to websites and online services deemed politically or socially sensitive. This includes popular platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Yasra Aref, an Afghan Woman, and Her Infant Face Inhuman Conditions in Iran’s Evin Prison
Detained since early 2024, the mother and child have been subjected to harsh and unsuitable conditions, raising significant concerns about their health and well-being. The dire situation of this mother and her child is emblematic of broader issues within the Iranian regime’s treatment of detainees.
Yasra Aref and her husband were arrested by Iranian security forces in Pakistan when their child was just two months old. Following their arrest, Yasra and her baby were transferred to Iran, where they spent five months in a solitary confinement cell with a locked window, depriving them of adequate ventilation and sunlight.
Iranian Political Prisoner Denied Medical Care Amid Deteriorating Health
Iranian authorities continue to deny medical care to Ayoub Pourkar, a 69-year-old political prisoner suffering from multiple severe health conditions. Pourkar, who has been imprisoned for 16 years, faces critical heart, gastrointestinal, and severe arthritis issues, particularly in his knees. Despite his dire condition, prison officials have refused to transfer him to a hospital for necessary treatment.
Ayoub Pourkar, a supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), was arrested in January 2009. His arrest followed an unlawful search of his personal emails and phone records, which allegedly revealed contacts with members of the opposition group. Pourkar was subsequently subjected to torture during his detention.
Alarming Surge in Executions in Iran Sparks Concern Among UN Experts
On September 4, 2024, Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, raised urgent concerns in an X post regarding the rising number of executions in Iran. She revealed that at least 93 individuals were executed in August 2024 alone. Sato’s post further underscored the lack of transparency, stating that only a fraction of these executions were officially reported by Iranian authorities, raising serious questions about the scope of the country’s execution practices.
This troubling revelation comes just days after a September 2, 2024, statement from a group of UN experts, including Sato and other prominent Special Rapporteurs, expressing alarm over the sharp increase in executions. The experts reported that 81 executions were confirmed for August 2024, nearly double the 45 recorded in July. This brings the total number of executions in Iran this year to over 400, including 15 women.
Vienna, September 4, 2024: MEK Supporters Celebrate PMOI Founding Anniversary
Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in Vienna, Austria on September 4, 2024, to commemorate the beginning of the 60th year since the MEK‘s establishment.
MEK Supporters Rally in Berlin to Mark the Anniversary of the People’s Mojahedin Organization’s Founding
Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in Berlin, Germany on September 4, 2024, to commemorate the beginning of the 60th year since the MEK‘s establishment.
Lucerne, Switzerland—September 5, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Lucerne, Switzerland — September 5, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)organized an exhibition to protest the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime. They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in the prisons of the mullahs’ regime in Iran and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.