Friday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 7.22.2005:

Martial Law Declared in Mahabad, Tension is Striking High

DozaMe.org:

13 days after the killing of Shivane Qadri, demonstrations are raging on in the city of Mahabad in [northwestern Iran]. Two more Iranian soldiers have been reported killed by demonstrators.

The Iranian government has now declared martial law and curfew in the Kurdish city. ... the Iranian military is now setting up bases inside the city... Clashes between people and military are increasing and there is no more tranquility in the city...

Iranian security forces have also cut off the water ... Security forces have until now arrested more than 200 demonstrators and few who have been released report intensive torture of arrested protesters, including themselves.

Iranian soldiers and police are now patrolling the streets in hunt for demonstrators. ... groups more than three are being arrested. READ MORE

Persian news sites have been reporting for days now that cities throughout in the region are under martial law. This a major problem for the regime since it cannot indefinitely sustain large security forces in major cities like Tehran and at the same time in the entire Kurdish region. If unrest occurs in Tehran or spreads to other areas, such as the Balouch region, the regime will be in a very dangerous predicament. Radio Free Europe has more.

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Amir Taheri, Arab News suggested that Akbar Ganji could be Iran's Boris Yeltsin. A must read.
• Farideh Nicknazar, Iran Scan reported that Mr. Ganji's situation in the hospital is even worse than in prison and that Iranian officials are intentionally releasing false information to the media in order to confuse the public.
• Islamic Republic News Agency reported a demonstration is planned for Sunday, in front of the University of Tehran to support Political Prisoners and demand their immediate release. In related stories they also reported Ganji has told his wife that they can not return my living body to prison.
• FrontPageMagazine published excerpts of a letter by Iranian political prisoner Akbar Ganji, smuggled out of prison.
• NY Daily News reported on Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji saying, the world seems largely unconcerned about the fate of one courageous man.
• Iran Focus reported that Iran will resume uranium enrichment activities August 1st.
• Reuters reported that Rafsanjani said, giving up Iran's nuclear fuel program would be a "shameful stain" on the country.
• The Guardian reported that the already demoralised Iranian reform movement had been dreading: the dawn of a new era of political repression.
• The Red Herring reported on a roundtable at Harvard University on bloggers who are fighting censorship, the threat of jail time, and often physical violence and whether Western technology companies can be pressured to maintain U.S. speech protections.
• Arutz Sheva reported that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called upon the international community to impose sanctions on Iran.
• Shaheen Fatemi, Iran va Jahan produced a Profile in Courage: Akbar Ganji.
• Yahoo News reported that French President Jacques Chirac warned Tehran the UN Security Council will have to become involved if agreement cannot be reached on Iran's nuclear program.
• MEMRI released a short video clip with first-hand evidence that the Terrorist Islamic Republic of Iran have trained and mobilized some 40,000 human bombs to target the U.S. and Israel.
• Detroit Free Press reported House intelligence committee chairman Rep. Peter Hoekstra and Rep. Curt Weldon met secretly in Europe last week with an Iranian exile who CIA dismisses.
• Iranian blogger, Mehrdad Sheibani, Roozonline discussed a military attack on Iran.
• Iranian blogger, Aras Hassan-Nia, Roozonline reported that trading in Tehran's Stock Market took a deep dive last week and analysts expect more black days ahead.
• Business Week reported that Royal Dutch Shell PLC disclosed in a filing this week that it faces risks of U.S. sanctions in Iran.
• Mehr News reported that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will take part in President-Elect Mahmud Ahmadinejad's inauguration ceremony, August 4th.
• And finally, Payvand reported four Iranians received Hellman/Hammett awards this year, in recognition of their courage in the face of political persecution.