Mediaboss Marketing

April 15 (Reuters) - People who encourage women to remove the hijab will be prosecuted in criminal courts and will have no right of appeal against any conviction, Iran's deputy attorney general was quoted as saying on Saturday.

His comments come as an increasing number of women have been defying Iran's compulsory dress code, appearing unveiled in malls, restaurants, shops, streets, and other public areas.

Several female celebrities and activists have also in recent months posted photos of themselves on social media without the veil.

Iranian police on Saturday installed cameras in public places to identify and penalise unveiled women, Iranian media reported. Police announced the plan last week.

"The crime of promoting unveiling will be dealt with in the criminal court whose decisions are final and unappealable," the semi-official Mehr News quoted deputy attorney general Ali Jamadi as saying.

"The punishment for the crime of promoting and encouraging others to remove the hijab is much heavier than the crime of removing the hijab itself, because it is one of the clear examples of encouraging corruption," he added.

He did not say what the punishments might be or what exactly entails promoting unveiling.

A growing number of Iranian women have been ditching their veils since the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman while in custody of the morality police last September. Mahsa Amini had been detained for allegedly violating the hijab rule. Security forces violently put down the protests following her death.

Videos of unveiled women resisting the morality police have flooded social media.

dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.comEditing by Mark Potter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read the original post:
Iran vows crack down on people who promote removing the veil - Reuters

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a procurement network it accused of supporting Iran's drone and military programs, targeting companies and suppliers in China, Iran and elsewhere in the fresh action aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on the head of Irans Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), which was already under US sanctions, and the entity's front companies and suppliers in Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China that Washington said have enabled PASNA's procurement of goods and technology.

It marks the latest move by Washington targeting Iran's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry.

"The network sanctioned today has procured goods and technology for the Iranian government and its defense industry and UAV program," the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement.

"Treasury will continue to enforce its sanctions against Irans military procurement efforts that contribute to regional insecurity and global instability."

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Treasury targeted the managing director of PASNA, accusing him of being responsible for the company's sanctions evasion efforts. It said he used front companies to seek a variety of electronic components from suppliers based primarily in China.

Three China-based suppliers of PASNA were also targeted in Wednesday's action alongside a Hong Kong-based company, a Malaysia-based front company and one based in Iran.

The move freezes any US assets of those hit with sanctions and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those that engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit by sanctions.

The latest US move against Iran comes as efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal have stalled and ties between the Islamic Republic and the West became increasingly strained as Iran's security forces violently put down the protests following the death of a Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police last September.

Read the original here:
US imposes sanctions on supporting Iran's drone, military programs - The Jerusalem Post

Gas and chemical attacks continued in Iran, targeting mostly girls schools Wednesday in several cities, including Tehran, VOAs Persian service reported. Dozens of students were hospitalized.

According to the reports received by VOA and videos posted on social media, at least five schools in different provinces of Iran were attacked with chemical gases.

The serial poisonings of mostly female students began November 30, 2022, in the city of Qom and has continued to spread across the country.

In mid-March, Iran state media reported that than 1,200 Iranian girls from at least 60 schools had become ill in the attacks. Human rights activists in Iran had put the number at more than 7,000 students.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International warned that the "rights to education, health and life of millions of schoolgirls are at risk amid ongoing chemical gas attacks deliberately targeting girls' schools in Iran."

Amnesty accused Iranian authorities of failing to adequately investigate and end the attacks and dismissing the girls symptoms as stress, excitement and/or mental contagion.

On Saturday, an Iranian official blamed the attacks on the mischief of students.

"The few cases of poisoning that occurred in [the] girls' schools were very limited. The mischief of some students was to close the classes," Seyyed Majid Mirahmadi, the deputy interior minister, said Saturday.

On March 7, Mirahmadi said on state television that "a number of people have been arrested in five provinces," according to The Guardian newspaper, though he did not provide details on those detained. On March 15, Iranian police reported the arrests of 110 suspects.

Another senior member of the government, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi, said there was no "solid evidence" to show that students were poisoned.

Visit link:
More School Poisonings Reported in Iran - Voice of America - VOA News

Two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, Irans best-known director, was at the Zurich Film Festival last September when protests following the death of Mahsa Amini erupted in his home country.

Since then, the auteur of A Separation, The Salesman and A Hero has not returned to Iran. Hes been working on a new film in Los Angeles and Europe. Interestingly, he says he plans to go back to his country before he shoots this film, even though he is not 100% sure they will let him out again. Its clearly a risk that the enigmatic Farhadi is willing to take.

Farhadi was in Turin on Monday to give a masterclass at Italys National Museum of Cinema, where he also received a lifetime achievement award. In a rare interview, he took questions via e-mail from Variety.

Where are you living these days? I read that you are working on your next movie in Los Angeles. Can you confirm?

These days, Im frequently traveling between Europe and the U.S. Ive been busy with research and writing a script since last year, which I will continue to do for a few months. It is still too soon to announce the details of the project. The only thing I can say is I spend all my time writing.

Have you relocated to the U.S.?

Im in the U.S. for my new project, which doesnt mean Ive moved there.Like [with] other films I have made in France [The Past] and Spain [Everybody Knows], I spent some time in those countries for the sake of the projects.

You have made several very outspoken statements against the Iranian government and the brutality with which it is punishing expressions of dissent. Do you have anything to add to those statements in the wake of the alleged poisoning of schoolgirls and cameras being put in public places to identify women not wearing a hijab?

What I can add to what I have already said is: The situation will not return to how it was before. And that there is great hope in what happened. And I believe in this extraordinary uprising that occurred in Iran in the last few months. Because, at its core, there is a tremendous humane and legitimate desire.

Do you think your outcry against police brutality in Iran and that of thousands, if not millions, of other protesters is being heard?

I believe that people, especially the new generation, are extremely powerful. They know what their goal is and exactly what they want. I find this uprising very promising, and I believe in it.

Do you think Iran has now reached a turning point? Are the protests so strong that there is no turning back?

Nothing has stopped. Iranian people are continuing to pursue their rightful and legitimate demands, and it is their right. I dont feel that this process has ever stopped. And I am sure this struggle will continue because it is a humane demand, and there is excellent solidarity around the issue. The result will be rewarding.

What I can say with certainty is that these voices were heard by people outside of Iran who followed the news and created solidarity between Iranians and non-Iranians outside of Iran and Iranians within the country, which is invaluable. It was the first time we could see this level of solidarity. Thus, it was very encouraging.

I do not believe you have returned to Iran since your first public statement against the killing of Mahsa Amini. Would you like to return to your country?

The reason I was outside Iran during this time is because of a project that was planned in advance, and I am sure when the films script is finished and the research is done, I will return [to Iran] until the pre-production starts. Then I will go back to the films location, where it is going to be shot.

Are you now banned from making movies in Iran?

Im not officially aware of being banned from working in Iran, but I have heard it unofficially. Moreover, I know that Im officially banned from trading. And again, unofficially, I have heard that I am banned from leaving Iran.

See the article here:
Asghar Farhadi Talks Uprising in Iran: The Result Will Be Rewarding - Variety

Iran's supreme leader on Tuesday ruled out the holding of popular referendums on state policies.

Iran faced calls for a referendum on the Islamic Republic itself during anti-government protests last year, and a moderate former president recently suggested such votes should be held to decide major policies as a way of reducing divisions.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say over such policies, rejected the idea when asked about it during a meeting with university students.

"Where in the world is this done? Is it possible to hold a referendum for various issues of the country?" he asked. "For any single issue, the country would be engaged in debate and arguments and polarization for six months, so that a referendum can be held on that issue."

He appeared to be referring to recent remarks by former President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, who had suggested holding referendums on domestic and foreign policies.

Iran holds regular presidential and parliamentary elections overseen by clerical bodies that vet candidates. Under the constitution, a referendum is only possible if two-thirds of parliament votes for it and a 12-member constitutional body half of whom are appointed by the supreme leader approves.

Iran saw months of nationwide anti-government protests sparked by the death in September of a 22-year-old woman who was detained by the morality police for allegedly violating the country's strict Islamic dress code. The protests rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the ruling clerics, marking a major challenge to their four-decade rule.

The protests died down earlier this year amid a violent crackdown by authorities, though there are lingering signs of discontent.

Iran held referendums to establish an Islamic Republic and approve a new constitution shortly after the 1979 revolution. It held another referendum in the late 1980s to amend the constitution.

Visit link:
Iran's Top Leader Rules Out Referendums on Divisive Issues - Voice of America - VOA News