Iran: Jailed Rights Defender Ailing

On January 24, authorities transferred Iraee and Atena Daemi, another human rights defender, from Evin prison in Tehran to Qarchak prison

 Iranian authorities should immediately release Golrokh Iraee, a human rights defender hospitalized in Tehran, Human Rights Watch said today. Iraee was sentenced to six years in prison in April 2015 on charges solely related to her peaceful activism, after an unfair trial.
Iraee was transferred to a hospital from prison on April 3, apparently suffering medical complications from a hunger strike. The authorities allowed her family to visit on April 9.

“Iranian authorities are apparently so threatened by human rights defenders that they imprison them for years,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of making prison conditions worse, Iran should start listening to defenders’ demands for more rights and freedom for all citizens.”

On January 24, authorities transferred Iraee and Atena Daemi, another human rights defender, from Evin prison in Tehran to Qarchak prison in the city of Varamin, which is reputed to have worse conditions than Evin. On February 3, Daemi and Iraee embarked on a hunger strike to protest their transfer from Evin, activists’ families reported. Daemi ended her hunger strike on February 26, but Iraee continued hers until she was transferred to the hospital on April 3.

On April 3, Iraee’s family had traveled to Varamin in the hopes of visiting her in prison. When they arrived, authorities told them that she had been transferred to a hospital in Tehran but refused to provide the family any information about her location or condition. On April 9, authorities finally allowed Iraee’s father to visit her at a hospital in Tehran. A source who wished to remain anonymous told Human Rights Watch on April 9 that the visit lasted about an hour, and it was apparent that Iraee had lost a significant amount of weight.

On September 6, 2014, authorities from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Service arrested Iraee along with her husband, Arash Sadeghi, also a human rights defender, and two other people, and sent them to Evin prison. In April 2015, Judge Abdolghassem Salavati, from Branch 15 of Tehran’s revolutionary court who has sentenced dozens of activists to unfair prison sentences, sentenced Iraee to six years in prison on charges of “insulting the sacred” and “propaganda against the state.” Authorities used an unpublished story Iraee had written about stoning that was confiscated at the time of her arrest as evidence to convict her.

Human Rights Watch had previously documented the couple’s lack of access to fair legal representation during their trial. Other human rights defenders have experienced similar conditions at their trials.

“There is nothing to suggest that Iraee has committed any genuine crime and keeping her one more day behind bars is illegal,” Whitson said. “She should be released immediately.”

Maryam Rajavi hailed deprived farmers in Isfahan for their perseverance

Maryam Rajavi, the president elect of the Iranian Resistance

Maryam Rajavi , the president elect of the Iranian Resistance hailed the underprivileged farmers of Esfahan who, despite a widespread presence of oppressive security forces and their deterrent measures, continued their demonstrations and insisted on their legitimate demands.
Farmers chanting: 'Canons, tanks, machine guns, are no longer effective' and 'farmers will rather die, than to accept humiliation.'

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi also cheered protesters in half a dozen major cities in Iran. She said: 'Hail to my fellow Iranians in Tehran, Mashhad, Rasht, Ahwaz, Kerman, Koohdasht, and Pars Abad Moghan, who staged demonstrations in protest against their assets being looted by institutions affiliated with the Iranian regime.'
Maryam Rajavi called upon all Iranians, specially the youth, to support their fellow neighbors

Trump, Macron vow ‘strong, joint response’ to Syria chemical attack

President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron said both leaders ‘agreed to exchange information’ on the nature of the attacks and coordinate a joint response.

 US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron vowed Sunday a 'strong, joint response' to a suspected chemical attack that left dozens dead in Syria's rebel-held town of Douma, the White House said.

'Both leaders strongly condemned the horrific chemical weapons attacks in Syria and agreed that the Assad regime must be held accountable for its continued human rights abuses,' a statement read after Trump and Macron spoke by telephone.

'They agreed to exchange information on the nature of the attacks and coordinate a strong, joint response.'

Sen. McCain urged Trump to respond decisively against Assad for poison gas attack

Sen. John McCain thinks the US needs to retaliate forcefully against Bashar Assad after a chemical attack against civilians

 Sen. John McCain says President Donald Trump “emboldened” the Syrian government to commit a suspected chemical attack on its people by signaling last week that the U.S. planned to withdraw its troops from the country.
The Arizona Republican said Sunday that Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian supporters heard Trump and, “emboldened by American inaction, Assad has reportedly launched another chemical attack against innocent men, women and children.”
Opposition activists and rescuers say Saturday’s attack in Douma killed at least 40 people. Assad’s government has denied responsibility.
McCain says Trump “responded decisively” last year by targeting a Syrian air base with cruise missiles after a poison gas attack. McCain urged Trump to respond decisively again to “demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes.”

EU Calls for Response to 'Yet Another Chemical Attack' in Syria

The evidence points towards yet another chemical attack by the regime the EU said

The evidence points to the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces against a besieged rebel-held town in Syria, the European Union said on Sunday, calling for an international response.
'The evidence points towards yet another chemical attack by the regime,' the EU said in a statement. 'It is a matter of grave concern that chemical weapons continue to be used, especially on civilians. The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the use of chemical weapons and calls for an immediate response by the international community.'

Protest movements in Iran by different strata of the society against the Mullahs' oppression and plundering in various cities

In Shushtar, , a group of workers form the Karoon livestock food company and Karoon fish company

Retired workers of the Steel and Mining Industry in the Iranian capital Tehran, nearby Karaj and suburbs, gathered on Sunday, April 8, 2018 in Tehran to protest against not having received any answers to their demands.
In the city of Gazvin, north west of the capital, workers of the Iran Metallurgy Powder factory gathered to protest in front of the provincial government's office, against 4 months of delays in receiving their salaries.
In the city of Ahwaz, south west of Iran, which has been the stage for widespread demonstrations and violent clashes with the security forces for the past two weeks, laid off Medical Science University employees gathered to protest against the non-renewal of their contract in the new year.
Also in the city of Ahwaz, people plundered by the 'Arman Vahdat' financial institution gathered in front of one of the branches of the organization and closed it down, to protest against being looted by this establishment.
In Hamidiyeh, Khuzestan Province, city workers quit work and went on strike to protest against a 4 month delay in their salaries.
Textile workers in the city of Khameneh, north west of Iran, protested in front of the factory against 32 months of delayed salaries.
In Mazandaran, northern Iran, wood factory workers protested against several months of delay in receiving their salaries.
In Shushtar, south west of Iran, a group of workers form the Karoon livestock food company and Karoon fish company, demonstrated against the company's shut down and the workers getting laid off. They demanded a solution to their problem by gathering in front of the regime's governorate building in their city.

Sen. Ben Cardin Wants to Sanction Russia, Iran Over Chemical Attack in Syria

Senator Ben Cardin says the Syrian regime under Assad cannot exist without Russias support and the activities of Iran

 US Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat from the state of Maryland, has called on additional sanctions against Russia and Iran in connection chemical attack on the town of Douma in Syria's Eastern Ghouta.

Cardin, who serves on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CBS's Face the Nation weekly news show on Sunday that 'The Syrian regime under ... Assad cannot exist without Russia's support and the activities of Iran,'.

'The United States, the international community, need to take action against Russia and Iran for what they're doing in Syria […] we need to take a pretty strong response for another use of chemical weapons,' he urged.