The Latest from Iran (22 March): Noise for the New Year

2114 GMT: Human Rights Watch. The United Nations Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur for Iran, Ahmad Shaheed, on Thursday by a 22-5 vote with 20 abstentions.

Russia and China voted against the resolution that expressed "serious concerns" about Iran's human rights record.

2104 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Mohammad Nabi Habibi, the leader of the conservative Motalefeh Party, has echoed the warning of MP Alireza Marandi (see 1220 GMT), "I pray for Ahmadinejad that he ends his term as President on good terms."

MP Asadollah Badamchian adds that the President made the mistake, in his Parliamentary "interrogation" last week, of insulting legislators and callig them unworthy if they wld not give him high marks.

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Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- Celebrating Despite Economic Decline and the Crackdown (Arseh Sevom)

Photo: Picalm.com and BBC PersianLast year was disheartening for many civil society actors in Iran, as the regime shut down organizations, arrested many, and harassed even more. As bloggers are noting, this was a year of stagnation for Iranian activists and civil society groups, such as women and students, due to the excessive suppression and brutality of the Islamic Republic.

Yet, despite the political climate and the deteriorating economic situation, there were still moments of celebration, such as Chahar Shanbeh Suri (sometimes called Fireworks Wednesday), celebrated last week under the heavy presence of security forces in Iran.

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The Latest from Iran (13 March): "Tehran is a Pioneer of Human Rights in the World"

UN Special Rapporteur Ahmad Shaheed's summary of his findings on the human rights situation in Iran

See also Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society, from Women's Activism to Harsh Sentences to Cyberspace
Iran Video Document: Tehran's Larijani to UN "We Are a Benchmark for Human Rights"
The Latest from Iran (12 March): Ahmadinejad Escapes Interrogation?

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1744 GMT: Bank Watch. More on yesterday's story that the Central Bank has seized $1.4 billion from seven Iranian banks, claiming that they did not provide legitimate records for foreign exchange transactions --- Central Bank head Mahmoud Bahmani has defended the action as one "on behalf of the Government".

1733 GMT: Oil Watch. Parliament has extended the rights of the Minister of Oil, Rustam Qassemi, to make deals for "exploration, development, production, repair and maintenance of joint oil and gas fields" without going through formal tenders and processes for compliance.

An EA reader is sceptical:

Iranian oil income is now the personal wealth of Brigadier Qassemi and he can legally, without any Majlis oversight, give it to whomever he wants for wha ever price ---China,Russia, his cousin twice removed, his mother-in-law, you name it because it is more "expedient" this way. Even some of the "principlists" are having a hard time swallowing this one.

In this context, we note the Supreme Leader's statement on Monday, which left us baffled at the time:

Based on the development plan, oil must stop being used as source of income and for funding the country’s budget and instead become a source for the progress and economic might of the country and authorities must pursue this policy ...with determination....It is necessary that we act in a manner that any decision making about our oil production and sales is up to us and based on our interests and of course we have taken good steps in this regard.

On a related matter, MP Asadollah Abbasi has claimed that 4000 Iranian oil experts have "taken refuge abroad" and this could have been stopped by higher payments to staff.

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Iran Video Document: Tehran's Larijani to UN "We Are a Benchmark for Human Rights"

See also Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society, from Women's Activism to Harsh Sentences to Cyberspace

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Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of the human rights section of Iran's judiciary, addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, ostensibly responding to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran's human rights situation.

Even by Larijani's standards for defiance and bold declaration, it is an extraordinary eight-minute statement. He does not actually reposond to the 34-page report --- instead, he gives the sweeping assurance that Iran is a benchmark for political, economic, and scientific progress and then launches an attack on the Rapporteur, Ahmad Shaheed, the "Zionist mafia", and the US and other countries who guide a "terrorist apparatus".Larijani denounces the "chronically weak" UN system and concludes that Shaheed is "biased, ignorant, and perfunctory in his claims".

After Larijani finishes, he is implicitly reminded that "all members of the Council should use appropriate language that is commensurate with the dignity of the discussions...on the human rights issue".

Larijani's statement begins at the 10-minute mark of the video:

Iran Document Special: The UN Report on "Violations of Fundamental Human Rights"

In Wednesday's Live Coverage, we noted the submission of a 34-page report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran, Ahmad Shaheed, on human rights violations in the Islamic Republic.

We now post the full document, which is damning in its general portrayal of injustice and curbs on freedoms and in its specific denunciation of repression pointing to a "fraudulent" Presidential Election in 2009. Shaheed, who was not allowed into Iran and was not given access to Iranian officials, concludes, "The Special Rapporteur has catalogued allegations that produce a striking pattern of violations of fundamental human rights guaranteed under international law."

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Human Rights Council, Nineteenth session

Agenda item 4

Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention

Summary

The present report, the first to be submitted to the Human Rights Council, is submitted pursuant to Council resolution 16/9 and covers the human rights developments since the commencement of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on 1 August 2011

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The Latest from Iran (23 January): Hibernating While The Currency Falls

1944 GMT: Sanctions Watch. Fars, citing an "informed source", dismisses today's sanctions adopted by the European Union, which included a ban on oil imports starting 1 July and an immediate tightening of restrictions on deals with Iran's Central Bank.

"One of the sanctions announced recently was blocking the Central Bank's assets in the European countries, while the CBI does not have even one single Rial (Iran's currency unit) in Europe," the source said.

Fars, reflecting the regime line that the dollar can be bypassed (see 1325 GMT), insists, "During the last two years, Iran has been replacing dollar with other currencies in its trade with the outside world."

Iranian officials have said that arrangements have been made for trade with Russia in rubles and the Iranian Rials, and Tehran is pursuing exchange with India in yen as well as rupees.

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The Latest from Iran (29 December): Ahmadinejad on the Campaign Trail

See also Iran Feature: Why Tehran Can't Cut Off Oil Through The Straits of Hormuz
The Latest from Iran (28 December): Look! State-of-the-Art Torpedoes!

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2200 GMT: And A Bit More of a Break. Apologies to readers, but we are going to extend the holiday overnight. We'll be back by 0700 GMT with a feisty opening to Friday's LiveBlog.

1722 GMT: A Break from Propaganda. We are on a holiday break at the moment --- all we are missing, we think, is another round of bluster about fake war from the Iranian media, "Iran Bombers Pound Mock Targets".

1319 GMT: Sedition Watch. One of the showpieces this week of the regime's "victory over sedition campaign", celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the counter-rally against the Green Movement, has been a report for Parliamentary outlining an attempt at "velvet revolution" involving the US, Israel, Britain, and Iranian politicians such as former President Mohammad Khatami and Mehdi Hashemi, the son of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani.

There has been a glitch in the proceedings, however. Conservative MP Ali Motahari, a staunch foe of President Ahmadinejad, has declared, "If we accept the Article 90 Commission's report on the 2009 elections, we have to accept the report of Ahmad Shaheed [the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights] as well."

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Iran Interview Special: What Has Happened to the 1000s Wounded After the Election?

Mohammad Yeganeh TabriziI always ask myself, what if Neda Agha Soltan had also been injured and not killed? What percentage of Iranians would go looking for her and her family? How many foreign reporters would interview her? How many people would go to visit her? How many journalists would write reports about her ? Would her family get information out to help to save her life? Or would she, too, die in obscurity and utter anonymity for the sake of some rational excuse by her family and the media?

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Latest from Iran (11 September): Arrest and Protest

2030 GMT:Political Prisoner Watch. News of four detainees who have been released....

Hashem Khastar, a retired teacher in Mashhad who spoke publicly about the poor conditions in Vakilabad Prison, released after posting bail of about $100,000;

Journalist Masoud Lavasani, arrested on 26 September 2009, originally sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison, later reduced to two years;

Student activist Moein Mohammad Beigi, who served half of his 2 1/2-year sentence;

Nima Pour Yaghoob, an activist at the University of Tabriz, arrested in June.

Meanwhile, detained student activist Ali Malihi has said recently-released political prisoners have not recanted their political views, despite claims by Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi.

In a letter published by Advar News, written from inside Evin Prison, Malihi declares:

In view of some of the rumours in the media in recent days, I feel it necessary to explain that in my 20 months in prison, I have applied to the judiciary for various legal provisions available to detainees, including the appeal of a preliminary sentence, reduced sentencing,a conditional release and furloughs. But at no time have I ever repented of my beliefs and actions, and I have complete faith that the green path of hope that the Iranian people are following will continue.

Malihi was arrested in February at his home and charged with assembly and collusion against the regime, propaganda against the regime, participation in illegal gatherings, publishing falsehoods, and insulting the President. In August, he was sentenced to four years in prison and a cash fine.

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Iran Document: 500 Activists Condemn Escalation of Violence Against Women

This week 500 activists and supporters of the women's movement in Iran issued a statement protesting the “systematic violence against women,” “constant insults and humiliation,” and “the blaming of victims for acts of sexual violence against them” by regime officials. The signatories demanded that authorities be held responsible for sexual violence and rape against male and female prisoners, and they defended a woman’s right to choose her clothing.

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