{"id":329106,"date":"2025-03-02T09:48:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T08:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=329106"},"modified":"2025-03-02T09:48:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T08:48:40","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-march-2-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-march-2-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 March 2, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Oil workers in southern Iran protested on March 1, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 9:30 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

Amnesty International Warns About the Imminent Execution of Iranian Political Prisoners<\/h3>\n

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Amnesty International has\u00a0sounded the alarm<\/a>\u00a0over the imminent execution of two Iranian political prisoners, Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, who were sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial. The Supreme Court of Iran\u2019s regime recently rejected their request for a judicial review, paving the way for their execution at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Alborz province. Their case has drawn widespread condemnation due to allegations of torture, forced confessions, and violations of due process.<\/p>\n

Ehsani and Hassani were convicted in September 2024 after a trial that lasted only five minutes, Amnesty International warns in its latest statement. They were found guilty of \u201carmed rebellion against the state\u201d (baghi), \u201cenmity against God\u201d (moharebeh), and \u201ccorruption on earth\u201d (efsad-e fel-arz) due to their alleged ties to the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK).<\/p>\n

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

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Deepening Economic Crises Exacerbate Infighting Within Iran\u2019s Regime<\/h3>\n

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On Tuesday, February 25, in a public session of the Iranian regime\u2019s Majlis (parliament), MP Hamid Rasaee, in a remarkable move, played an audio clip of regime president Masoud Pezeshkian\u2019s voice through the official parliament microphone, in which he says: \u201cAll the policies related to the bank and money that have happened were decided in the meeting of the heads of the branches, and it has nothing to do with the minister at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rasaee then said to Majlis speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf: \u201cMr. Ghalibaf, he said these things in the same meeting that you called confidential. I came and told you, Mr. Ghalibaf, he is talking about you! I am saying from here, Mr. Mohseni Ejei [Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of judiciary], he also talked about you, he said that the situation of the 900,000 rial dollar is the product of us heads [of branches], plus the head of two commissions and his deputies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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The Rising Tide of Resistance Against Iran’s Mullahs<\/h3>\n

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More than 830 executions, almost five per day, have taken place since Masoud Pezeshkian took office as the so-called \u2018moderate\u2019 president of Iran last August. The frenzy of executions, aimed at quelling rising dissent in the rebellious population, has had the opposite effect. Unbridled brutality, suppression, and intimidation have failed to extinguish the spark of revolution, which threatens to ignite the nation. Protests, which began at Tehran University in mid-February following the suspicious death of Amir Mohammad Khaleqi, a 19-year-old student, have spread nationwide to other universities and are spilling out onto the streets. Students hold the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) \u2013 the regime\u2019s Gestapo, and the thuggish Basij militia responsible, chanting: \u201cWe fight, we die, we will take back Iran\u201d and \u201cDeath to the dictator, either the colonial Shah or the reactionary mullahs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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Asieh Ghavi-Cheshm: Execution of a Woman in Mashhad Central Prison<\/h3>\n

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On Saturday, March 1, 2025, seven prisoners, including a woman named Asieh Ghavi-Cheshm, were executed in Mashhad Central Prison (Vakilabad).<\/p>\n

Asieh Ghavi-Cheshm, a 45-year-old mother of two from the village of Khalghabad in\u00a0Mashhad<\/a>, had been arrested on drug-related charges and sentenced to death.<\/p>\n

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and relevant institutions have not officially announced these executions.<\/p>\n

Asieh Ghavi-Cheshm is the fourth woman to be executed in Iran in 2025. Before her, three women were hanged in February in\u00a0Adelabad Prison in Shiraz<\/a>,\u00a0Parsilon Prison<\/a>\u00a0in Khorramabad, and\u00a0Sari Central Prison<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

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Uncertain Fate of Zahra Sharif Kazemi Remaining Two Months in Limbo<\/h3>\n

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More than 60 days have passed since the arrest of Zahra Sharif Kazemi, yet the online activist remains in complete uncertainty, currently held in the women\u2019s ward of Evin Prison.<\/p>\n

No clear information has been released regarding the charges against her, and repeated requests for her temporary release on bail have been denied.<\/p>\n

Zahra Sharif Kazemi, 35, was\u00a0arrested by security forces<\/a>\u00a0in December in Tehran. She was initially detained for two days at\u00a0Shapour Detention Center<\/a>\u00a0before being transferred to the\u00a0women\u2019s ward of Evin Prison<\/a>\u00a0on December 24.<\/p>\n

Following her arrest, her social media accounts, including Twitter and Instagram, were taken over by security forces.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran: Government Managers Enjoy Stellar Salaries While Workers\u2019 Wages Still Undecided<\/h3>\n

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As the Iranian calendar year nears its end (March 21) and the minimum wage for the upcoming year remains undecided, reports of government managers receiving multi-million toman salaries have sparked widespread criticism.\u00a0The state-run ILNA news agency reported: \u201cWorkers ask: What level of expertise, effort, and work has led managers\u2014many with unrelated academic degrees\u2014to receive salaries exceeding 800 million to 1 billion and, more recently, over 2 billion rials (approximately $2,105)?\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, the exchange rate for one U.S. dollar is approximately 950,000 rials. The minimum wage for a worker with two children is around $116.<\/p>\n

ILNA highlighted the leaked salary slip of a senior human resources manager at a state-owned company, amounting to 2.47 billion rials (approximately $2,600). The report noted that part of the company\u2019s shares are linked to a pension fund, and the revelation has triggered a wave of public outrage.<\/p>\n

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

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Critical Shortage of Healthcare Workforce in Iranian Cities<\/h3>\n

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According to academic officials in Hamadan province, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences is facing a critical shortage of nursing and medical staff.<\/p>\n

Behrouz Karkhanei, president of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, warned that the ongoing shortage of personnel is making it increasingly difficult to provide medical services to patients in the province.<\/p>\n

The state-run Khabaronline website quoted Karkhanei as saying that staff shortages and heavy workloads have made it difficult to provide \u201cadequate services\u201d to patients. He emphasized that the university\u2019s situation in terms of nursing and medical staff is \u201ccritical\u201d and that the current payment system for medical personnel is \u201cunworthy of the healthcare workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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Insider Report: Human Rights Violations in Vakil Abad Prison<\/h3>\n

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Vakil Abad Central Prison in Mashhad is one of the most significant centers of repression and human rights violations under the regime\u2019s repressive policies. In recent decades, it has become known as a major site for mass executions. Vakil Abad Prison not only holds ordinary criminals but also serves as a key detention and torture center for political and ideological opponents. The inhumane conditions, particularly in the women\u2019s ward and among political and Sunni prisoners, have drawn the attention of international human rights organizations.<\/p>\n

Vakil Abad Prison was established during the Pahlavi era and was originally built on Arg Street in Mashhad. However, after the 1979 revolution, it underwent major structural changes and was relocated to the Vakil Abad area. Although the prison\u2019s official capacity is 2,500 inmates, it currently holds more than 10,000 prisoners, forcing many to sleep on the floor due to overcrowding.<\/p>\n

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

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Bloody Wednesday in Iran: 20 Criminal Executions in a Single Day<\/h3>\n

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In an unprecedented move, the Iranian regime executed at least 20 prisoners across various prisons on Wednesday, March 27. This wave of mass executions occurred while authorities continue to withhold official statistics and the identities of those executed.<\/p>\n

According to reports, the following names were among those executed:<\/p>\n