News Update - October 17, 2009

Stop Child Executions

Newslinks

Interrogations in the classrooms (Farsi) | باز جویی در کلاس های درس!

Selected headlines from the Tehran Bureau

Threats against Karroubi are a political tug of war (Farsi) | تهدید کروبی طناب‌کشی سیاسی است

Iran may declare dead protester Neda a martyr

Mottaki to Clinton: Avoid ‘useless slogans’ used in Bush era

Moghiseh appointed as the head of committee for probing mistreatment of detainees and those harmed in prison (Farsi) | محمد رضا مقیسه، رییس کمیته پیگیری امور بازداشت شدگان و آسیب‌دیدگان حوادث اخیر بازداشت شد

Worse than Shah-era Capitulation Laws

Iran releases foreign Newsweek reporter on bail

Chavez says Iran helping Venezuela find uranium

Ali Motahari: conservatives should admit their wrongdoings (Farsi) | مطهری: احمدی نژاد آغاز كننده فتنه بود و باید عذرخواهی كند
Summary by anonymous: "The conservative representative of the people of Tehran in the Parliament and the son of the Martyred Ayatollah Motahari, Ali Motahari, in an interview stated that the conservatives should admit to the wrong doings of Ahmadinejad and should consider ...the facts without prejudice and judge fairly. He said that some of the pro-Ahmadinejad hardliners are insisting that there should be no national unity unless the “leaders of the conspiracy” (referring to reformist leaders) admit to their mistakes and apologise to the people or even be prosecuted, but they should pay attention to the fact that Ahmadinejad started the “conspiracy” by his remarks during the election campaign in the presidential debates when he accused others who were not present to defend themselves and he also provoked people by this “victory” speech. Motahari added that the pro-Ahmadinejad hardliners should at least admit that for a national unity both parties should come together but there are some who see the current situation to their benefit and that is why they oppose to the national unity plan and there are also other are too biased to see the truth."

IRGC's agenda for early retirement of Iran-Iraq war evidence (Farsi) | تصفیه نیروهای قدیمی سپاه پاسداران
Summary by anonymous: RouyadNews reported that there is an agenda in the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) to force old personnel, who are mostly those that defended the country during the 8-year imposed Iran-Iraq war, to accept early retirement by offering them lucrative incen...tive packages and replace these forces by new personnel who will have passed “certain screenings”.

Families of victims of recent events meet at Laleh park (Farsi) | /اختصاصي سلام/
درگيري عصر امروز در پارك لاله با گاز اشك آور پايان يافت
Summary by anonymous: According to a report by SaalamNews, similar to previous weeks a group of mothers and family members of the victims of the recent events were going to hold a gathering and to meet with a number of artists in Laleh Park in Tehran today (Saturday, 17 O...ct 2009) but this peaceful gathering was confronted by police and security forces. Police and security forces have attacked the protesters and used teargas to scatter them.

Iran’s FM to visit Yemen

How Accurate are Public Opinion Polls in Iran?

Khamenei is alive and well, it seems

The Executives of Construction Party of Iran, Hossein Mara'shi says conservatives should distance themselves from Ahmadinejad (Farsi) | مرعشی: باید تمام تخلفات احمدی‌نژاد توسط مراجع صالحه مورد بررسی قرار گیرد
Summary by anonymous: Hossein Mara'shi, the spokesman of The Executives of Construction Party of Iran (Kargozaran Sazandegi, reformist) in an interview said that the conservatives should distance themselves from Ahmadinejad and clear their positions with respect to h...is actions as giving an easy ride to Ahmadinejad is not in the best interest of conservatives. He added that the problem is that a high cost is being paid from country’s resources for the benefit of a group that don’t deserve it as their association to revolution and establishment is not proven at all. He stressed that all of Ahmadinejad’s illegal acts during the election and his incompetence should be review by just and qualified authorities, because many have serious doubts about Ahmadinejad’s competence and these questions should be answered. He also emphasized that Ahmadinejad should not be considered above the law even as a president.

From Misc. Sources

- Hassan Qashqavi stepped down as Foreign Ministry Spokesperson because his family members participated in the massive Qods day protests, and some were arrested.

From Tweets

- Saeed Hajarian has been sentenced to 5 years suspended sentence.

- Iran says it will soon exclude the U.S. dollar from the country's foreign revenues and reserves, state media reports

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