{"id":309942,"date":"2023-07-23T09:33:36","date_gmt":"2023-07-23T08:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=309942"},"modified":"2023-07-24T06:27:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T05:27:23","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-july-23-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-july-23-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 July 23, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

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THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h2>\n

UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET<\/strong><\/p>\n

How Well-Connected Iranians Import Their Goodies<\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

H<\/span>assan is an<\/small> unlikely smuggler. Affable and a bit nerdy, he looks better suited to his old job as an international public-relations adviser. Now he is one of the many shadowy operators who send contraband to Iran. Some reckon goods worth $20bn-25bn evade Iranian border guards each year. His particular specialty is pianos.\u00a0Since Iran\u2019s customs authorities banned the import of musical instruments in 2021, the upright pianos that Hassan (not his real name) buys for less than $900 in East Asia go for $6,000 apiece in Tehran, Iran\u2019s capital. Musical instruments are outlawed, possibly for religious reasons; a member of the parliamentary economic committee said that those who want to tickle the ivories \u201cmust leave Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s Morality Police in New Crackdown on Women<\/h3>\n

\"townhall-logo\"Having learned no lessons from the nationwide uprising that exploded last September following the brutal killing in custody of the young Kurdish girl Mahsa Amini, the Iranian regime\u2019s misogynist morality police are on the move again. Last week, the Tehran Criminal Court sentenced a woman to two months in prison for hijab violations. The judge, Ali Omidi, accused her of \u201canti-Iranian behavior.\u201d In a more sinister outburst, he also ordered that she should be subjected to compulsory health checks, as her failure to wear the hijab was a clear display of \u201cdisease\u201d symptoms that \u201cmust be treated.\u201d Such claims are frighteningly reminiscent of judgments in the former Soviet Union, where people who were considered anti-communist were deemed to be insane and were sent for electric shock treatment in psychiatric hospitals. The morality police tracked her down using images from a \u2018smart\u2019 CCTV camera. Similar cameras have been installed in public places in towns and cities throughout Iran, targeting violators of the mandatory hijab law. Those sentenced will also face a two-year travel ban.<\/p>\n

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The Pendulum Shifts: Iranian Opposition Prevails Over Western Concessions to Tehran<\/h3>\n

\"townhall-logo\"When it comes to Iran, discerning observers are usually fixated on the contentious nuclear issue, as well as Tehran\u2019s unabated sponsorship of terrorism. However, recently, a conspicuous spotlight was cast on the intricate internal dynamics, capturing the attention of the global community. Following engagements with the regime, both European and American governments made a consequential decision to assuage the regime\u2019s sensibilities by ascending to one of its paramount demands: imposing constraints on the activities of the principal opposition. The prompt failure of these efforts has shed light on fundamental realities, deserving of profound contemplation by Western policymakers.<\/p>\n

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UPDATE: 10:00 AM CET<\/strong><\/p>\n

Global Outrage Over the Looming Execution of Iranian Political Prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafa\u2019I Thani<\/h3>\n

\"Javad<\/p>\n

Human rights experts, activists, legislators, and politicians from across the world are calling on the international community to intervene and stop the imminent execution of Mohammad Javad Vafa\u2019i Thani, a 27-year-old political prisoner in Mashhad\u2019s Vakil Abad prison.\u00a0Mr. Vafa\u2019i Thani, 27, a boxing champion from Mashhad, was arrested in March 2020 for taking part in the\u00a0November 2019 nationwide protests<\/a>. He was tortured for a long time to make incriminating confessions. He was sentenced to death on charges of \u201ccorruption on earth,\u201d a bogus crime that the regime uses against dissidents. A court in Mashhad\u00a0upheld his death sentence<\/a> on July 19 and he was subsequently taken to an unknown location. This barbaric sentence, which comes amidst\u00a0a growing wave of repressive measures<\/a>\u00a0by the regime as we near the first anniversary of the September 2022 uprising, has triggered global outrage.<\/p>\n

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The 1988 Massacre in Iran and the Urgent Need for Independent Inquiry<\/h3>\n

\"ncri<\/p>\n

35 years ago, in the final days of July, the Death Commissions in prisons all over Iran engaged in a quiet yet hurried massacre and genocide. Their goal was to eliminate those who \u2018stood their ground and continued to do so,\u2019 as per Khomeini\u2019s order.\u00a0During this time, the Evin and Gohardasht prisons witnessed the massacre of prisoners, leaving only a few Mojahed prisoners in other cities\u2019 facilities. In some prisons, not a single person survived.\u00a0The 1988 massacre in Iran, deemed\u00a0the most significant crime against humanity<\/a>\u00a0since the Second World War, stands as a stark reminder of the Iranian regime\u2019s complete disregard for the sanctity and dignity of human life. It serves as evidence of the corrupt and repressive regime\u2019s relentless pursuit of power, regardless of the cost.<\/p>\n

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White Suppression: The Latest Phase of Student Repression in Iran<\/h3>\n

\"Iran<\/p>\n

Despite the conclusion of the academic year and the absence of students in dormitories, repressive measures to summon and expel students persist in Iran.\u00a0Student activists have recently shed light on the three stages of student repression over the past decades, revealing the implementation of the \u201cWhite Suppression\u201d project by the security apparatus and university administrators.\u00a0The student union councils of Iran have reported the continuous practice of summoning students to disciplinary committees during the summer, even with reduced educational activities.\u00a0For instance, from July 1 to 9, authorities at Tehran\u2019s Beheshti University of Medical Sciences summoned several students to the disciplinary committee, alleging violations of the dress code.<\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s Position in Global Trade in 2023<\/h3>\n
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\"Irans<\/div>\n
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Iran\u2019s standing in the global trade market has taken a notable downturn in recent years. What factors have resulted in this decline? Discussing the economic policies of Iran\u2019s government is not a straightforward task, mainly due to the lack of clear rules and regulations governing Iran\u2019s economy. This poses challenges in estimating and analyzing Iran\u2019s economic situation using traditional statistical methods.\u00a0In Iran,\u00a0economic statistics\u00a0are released selectively, often to portray an image of success for the\u00a0ruling regime, or to highlight a particular aspect of the statistics that supports the government\u2019s narrative. The rest of the data are usually kept in the dark. This selective release of information makes it challenging to get a clear picture of Iran\u2019s economy and its fluctuations under the current regime.<\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s Stock Market Crisis; Where Did Billions of Tomans of Hot Money Go?<\/h3>\n

\"Iran-Stock-Market\"<\/p>\n

Investigations into the flow of money in and out of the Iranian stock market show that over the past 50 days, more than 300 trillion rials (approximately $6 billion) have been withdrawn from this market since the historic fall of the Tehran Stock Exchange. During these 50 days, the stock market has experienced a continuous downward spiral, and the number of days that the index has been positive is barely in the single digits. Market players and many managers of private companies attributed the repeated decline in the index to a lack of knowledge until the government\u2019s decision to increase the price of gas for industrial usage was announced. They only found out about the underlying reasons for the serial declines in the stock market when the letter attributed to Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was sent to companies, revealing the government\u2019s secret decision regarding the increase in the price of gas for industries and petrochemicals.<\/p>\n

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Sara Nasseri Detained for 7 Months Without Standing Trial<\/h3>\n

\"Sara<\/p>\n

Sara Nasseri, a 41-year-old woman from Mashhad, was\u00a0arrested<\/a> on December 6, 2022, by security forces during the Iran uprising.\u00a0She was confined in solitary at the Department of Intelligence of Mashhad for 20 days, and subsequently transferred to the quarantine of the Central Prison of Mashhad (Vakilabad Prison<\/a>).\u00a0 She is presently detained in the women\u2019s ward of Mashhad Prison in difficult conditions and in violation of the principle of separation of crimes. Ms. Nasseri is accused of collaboration with the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK). Despite the completion of her interrogations, she remains in detention. Her interrogator, Mohsen Gol-Mohammadi Tavallaii, opposes her release on bail.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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Urgent Call to the International Community by the MEK Supporters for Action To Prevent Execution of Political Prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafa\u2019I Thani<\/h3>\n
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Urgent Call by the MEK Supporters for Action to Prevent Execution of Mohammad Javad Vafa\u2019i Thani<\/div><\/div>
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