The Latest from Iran (26 October): Judiciary to Ahmadinejad "Your Irrational and Illegal Attacks"

See also Iran Feature: "Britain Rebuffs US Pleas to Use Its Military Bases for Attack"
The Latest from Iran (25 October): Ahmadinejad v. the Judiciary, Continued

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1745 GMT: Loyalty Watch. The Supreme Leader's office has put out the reminder:

No one can disobey the decree of the Leader using the pretext that the decree is or may be a mistake....All the people, including the elites and experts, must obey the orders of the Leader.... Everyone is allowed to criticize the law or decrees of the Leader, but criticism is one thing and disobedience another, just as there is a difference between being critical and actively looking for excuses.

But why issue this statement now? And who should be taking notice?

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Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- From Economic Crisis to Nasrin Sotoudeh's Hunger Strike (Arseh Sevom)

Detained lawyer Nasrin SotoudehEconomic instability continues to rock Iran while executions for drug offenses continue despite international protest. The work of children’s activists is recognized internationally, and gender segregation becomes more widespread. Sanctions against the banking center have left many in Iran without access to needed medication and imprisoned lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh begins a hunger strike.

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The Latest from Iran (24 October): The Interrogation of Ahmadinejad?

See also Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- From Economic Crisis to Nasrin Sotoudeh's Hunger Strike
The Latest from Iran (23 October): Ahmadinejad v. the Judiciary

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1735 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. British Foreign Secretary William Hague has called on Iran to reconsider the "outrageous" and "deplorable" detention of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is in the second week of her hunger strike.

Sotoudeh is serving a six-year prison sentence, with a 20-year ban on legal practice, on charges of "acting against the national security" and "propaganda against the regime".

"Imprisoning Nasrin Sotoudeh on the outrageous basis of 'co-operation with Shirin Ebadi's Centre for the Defence of Human Rights' is deplorable," Hague said. "We urge the Iranian authorities to review her case urgently. We will continue to stand up for human rights defenders in Iran."

A spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also intervened, "We are following the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh and other human rights defenders in Iran with great concern. We will continue to campaign for the charges against them to be dropped, and look to Iran to respect the human rights obligations it has signed up to."

1733 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani has jumped into the latest dispute around the President, "Creating tensions and rifts within political factions is poison for Iran and its system."

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Iran Feature: A Letter from Detained Journalist Jila Bani Yaghoub to Her Imprisoned Husband

Jila Bani Yaghoub & Bahman Ahmadi AmouiMy dearest Bahman, what I find most attractive about this prison is that individuals with a variety of backgrounds and apposing points of view are coexisting peacefully. We sit together, share meals, have discussions and arguments. I find this peaceful coexistence extremely gratifying. My experience here behind bars has made me hopeful that I may someday witness a similar model implemented across our society at large. I look forward to the day when men and women with a variety of political and religious beliefs live together without the need to eliminate one another, or become enemies as a result of their differences of opinion, religion, or political ideologies.

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Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society (Arseh Sevom)

The weekly round-up of developments inside Iran from Arseh Sevom, an NGO devoted to human rights and civil society:

In this week’s review, a former IRGC general writes a letter (1) which reads like a confession over the mass executions of the 1980s, the nuclear issue, and the flawed 2009 presidential elections. International sanctions combined with economic mismanagement are causing pain in Iran as families find themselves on the streets (2), paychecks go unpaid, workers strike (3), and projects “sleep". Reporters without Borders protest the detention of journalists in Iran (4), and the 12-year-old daughter of imprisoned lawyer Nassrin Sotoudeh receives notice that she cannot travel abroad (5). Iranians campaign against mandatory hijab (6) and a young woman writes a letter to an Ayatollah questioning its purpose: “Does this covering mean that I cease to exist in the society?” (6)The chief of the morals police calls for an end to State TV programming showing people eating chicken (7). One mosque encourages its members to voluntarily give up their satellite dishes and receivers (8).

Activists Protest for Release of Iranian Journalists

A demonstration organized by activists from Reporters without Borders outside Iran Air office in the Champs Elysees in Paris attracted attention as it raised questions about the well-being of the jailed journalists in Iran.

Activists in Paris used mock injuries and shackles to express solidarity with their Iranian peers behind bars.(Click to tweet)

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Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- From #SaveMaleki to the "Shoot the Apostate" Video Games (Arseh Sevom)

Hossein Ronaghi MalekiArseh Sevom, the NGO promoting civil society in Iran, posts its latest review of events inside the country:

In a week dominated by reports of cyber-warfare waged against Iran, families of prisoners of conscience managed to celebrate the birthdays of loved ones stuck behind bars. Rapper Shahin Najafi remains in the spotlight, as he becomes the target of virtual assassination in on-line games. A Twitter campaign highlights the plight of detained blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki. Seventeen NGOs call on the Islamic Republic to recognise and uphold academic freedom, and the sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat provide a twinkling of hope.

#SaveMaleki

Concerns over the health of Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, a blogger and human rights activist imprisoned in Tehran, were expressed in a Tweet storm, as #SaveMaleki became a trending topic on Twitter.

Maleki suffers from kidney failure and has been denied proper care in prison. Amnesty International has asking people to write to Iranian officials to call for his release:

His father, Ahmad Ronaghi Maleki, has said that the government Medical Examiner and the physicians have ordered special post-operation medical care for Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, including medical leave – provided for under the Prison Regulations – though the prison authorities have not approved this request. His parents have told journalists that their son has told them he is under pressure to "confess” in order for his request for medical leave to be approved.

On the basis of the evidence available to Amnesty International, Hossein Ronaghi Maleki appears to be a prisoner of conscience, held solely on account of his peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and the organization is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.

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Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- The Regime's Attack on Publishers (Arseh Sevom)

The Islamic Republic’s clash with private publishers has reached alarming levels. According to a recent report in Kalemeh, authorities have warned active publishers that they are working “due to the benevolence” of officials and “had they wanted to punish all offending publishers, many more of their publishing houses would have been closed". The closures are reportedly part of an organised attempt by the state to intentionally cause a crisis in this sector and further weaken it.

Some have expressed concern that the publishing guild is insufficiently strong to defend its members from government pressure.

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Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society, from Women's Activism to Harsh Sentences to Cyberspace (Arseh Sevom)

One of the video testimonies in "Women Speak Out Against War"

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

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Arseh Sevom, the non-government organisation promoting civil society in Iran, presents its weekly review of developments in the country:

A New Year Greeted with Empty Pockets, Joy, and Trepidation

The celebration of Iranian New Year (Norooz), which falls at the moment of the Spring Equinox (5:14 am UTC or GMT, March 20), has managed to survive every political regime and every change of religion. It remains autonomous of state control and an example of “the configuration in which society stands apart from the state.” Its continuing celebration in Iran represents a requisite of a civil society.

The fast approaching new year is causing a mixture of apprehension and excitement. This will be a difficult Norooz for many suffering from the bad economic situation in Iran where a combination of run-away inflation, poor economic management, and sanctions are really taking their toll.

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Iran Feature: The Bluster That Hides Human Rights (Ebadi)

It's clear that the leadership in Tehran is wracked by internal strife, with divisions deepening between Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies. Iran's economy is in tatters, with inflation and unemployment soaring thanks to decades of mismanagement. While popular discontent is not at a high pitch as it was after the June 2009 presidential election, the fundamental conflict between citizens and dictators continues to smolder. Externally, the regime's defiance of international norms—such as this week threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz—have left Iran more isolated than ever.

In response, the regime has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, renewing its crackdown against students, civil society leaders and human-rights defenders like my friend and colleague Nasrin Sotoudeh.

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Iran Video: Free Nasrin Sotoudeh

Nasrin Sotoudeh is a prominent human rights lawyer who was arrested in September 2010 and sentenced in December to 11 years in prison --- later reduced to six years on appeal --- with a 20-year ban on legal practice. The official charges included spreading propaganda, conspiring to harm state security, and failing to wear hijab. Her real "crimes" were daring to defend many political prisoners, including those seized after the June 2009 Presidential election, and speaking to foreign media about the situation in the country.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has posted this video campaigning for her release: