Four Iranian skiers participating in 2010 Winter Olympic - Iran's ski team consisting of three men and one woman will take part in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The 21st Winter Olympics will be held from February 12 to 28 in Vancouver, Canada. -MNA 02/8/10
Photos: Railway watchman in Tabriz, Iran - The Railway watchman, with a large wrench in hand, walk the rails between stations scanning the railway nuts with their watchful eyes. If they find any problem areas, they're the ones who will have to warn the locomotive's operators. -Photos by Ali Hamed Haghdoust 02/8/10
Call for prosecution of former Tehran Prosecutor - A group of Iranian Members of Parliament called for the dismissal and prosecution of Saeed Mortazavi, former Prosecutor of Tehran and all other perpetrators of the "Kahrizak catastrophe." -Radio Zamaneh 02/8/10
Shiva Nazarahari's Mother: "Release My Daughter, She is Innocent!" - Shahrzad Kariman, mother of imprisoned human rights activist Shiva Nazarahari who was arrested on 20 December 2009, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that her daughter's activities with the Committee of Human Rights Reporters was completely legal and charges such as "association with MKO" are baseless. 02/8/10
Iranian oppsition leader renews call for rally on February 11 - Iranian opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi announced once more that he will participate in the February 11 demonstrations and also that he has no faith in a religious government that uses the Friday Mass Prayers for jubilation in the death of its nation's children. -Zamaneh 02/8/10
Cyrus Cylinder not coming home: Iran cuts all ties with British Museum - Iran has cut all relations and cooperation with the British Museum after the museum refused to lend the country the Cyrus Cylinder for a showcase. The decision to cut the ties was announced during a press conference on Saturday by Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization Director Hamid Baqaii, who is also a vice president. -MNA 02/8/10
Iran unveils new plane, opens drones' production lines - Iran unveiled its first one-man twin-engine airplane dubbed Faez with the presence of Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmand Vahidi on Monday. Iran also inaugurated production lines of advanced drones named Raad and Nazir. -ISNA 02/8/10
Iran 'Informs IAEA' Of Enrichment Plan, Sparking Condemnation - Iran has formally informed the UN nuclear agency that it will start on February 9 to further enrich uranium stockpiles to a level of 20 percent, further fueling Western concerns that Tehran is secretly seeking a nuclear bomb-making capacity. -RFE 02/8/10
Iranian commander urges February 11 marchers to tolerate each other - A military commander has called on people who participate in the Bahman 22 (February 11) rallies on Thursday to tolerate each other, TABNAK news website reported on Sunday. Both pro-administration and reformist groups have invited their supporters to attend the rallies to celebrate the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. 02/8/10
IRAN: Opposition and hard-liners get ready for 22 Bahman confrontations - Iran's hard-line government and the green-themed opposition are gearing up for another confrontation Thursday, this time on the 22nd day of the Persian calendar month of Bahman, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. 02/8/10
The United States and Continuity of Change - Head of the Iranian diplomatic apparatus recently pointed to Hillary Clinton's proclaimed policies in the course of presidential campaigns which caused her to lose ground to Barack Obama and noted that "different voices are heard from Washington which originates from the current problems in US foreign policy. However, it seems that positions taken by Mrs. Clinton are basically different from other voices." -Davoud Hermidas Bavand 02/8/10
Senate Passes AIPAC's Iran Sanctions Bill in Five Minutes - just last week the Senate passed comprehensive sanctions on Iran -- a bill being pushed by AIPAC neocons and the other "usual suspects" -- in record time. It was brought up with only three senators on the floor; there was a five minute debate and it passed by voice vote. Just like that. -Huffington Post 02/8/10
Met Commander Ali Dizaei jailed for corruption - Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei has been sentenced to four years for assaulting and falsely arresting a man in a dispute over £600. -BBC 02/8/10
Photos: Pir Shahriar Ceremony in Oramanat Takht Village, Iran - Pir Shahriar (or Pir Shaliar) is one of the oldest ceremonies which is still celebrated twice a year in the village of Oramanat Takht in Iran's Kurdestan province. According to some historians, the origin of this event goes back to a 1000 years ago. Others believe the tradition is much older than that. -Photos by Nima Dimari 02/7/10
Iran: Refomist Group Issues Demands, Calls For National Poll - The reformist party Etemad-e Melli, headed by opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, has issued a statement on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Etemad-e Melli has analyzed the causes of the current crisis and made comprehensive proposals to resolve the problems country is facing. 02/7/10
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A Monty Python Visits Persia! - Terry Jones one of the Members of the Famous Monty Python Band is also a History Enthusiast. In a Documentary for British TV called "The Barbarians", he introduces us to the Ancient Civilizations which fought the Roman Empire. -Darius KADIVAR 02/7/10
Iran's Mourning Mothers: "Stop The Executions" - Mourning Mothers, a group of wives and mothers who have lost their spouses or children during the post-elections protests or whose spouses or children are currently in prison, have issued a statement, objecting to executions of political protesters and execution sentences for several political prisoners, demanding revocation of death sentences for political prisoners. 02/7/10
Ayatollah Khomeini's Protrayal On Iran TV Condmened By His Grandson - Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late leader of Iran's 1979 Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, lashed out against Iran's National Broadcasting Organization, Seda-va-Sima for the "distorted" portrayal of his grandfather. -Radio Zamaneh 02/7/10
Iranian-American Researcher Produces High Performance Composite Metal Foam - Researchers at NC State have developed, processed, and tested a new high-strength ultra-light material that combines the advantages of metal matrix composites with metallic foams. Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei has produced a new generation of metal foams showing 5 to 6 times greater strength to density ratio and over 7 times higher energy absorption than that of currently available metallic foams. 02/7/10
Iran's Ayaollah Dastgheyb: One Person Cannot Rule 70 Million People - "It is not possible that only one person run the country. There have to be laws and the Supreme Leader is also in the law. There have to be a law because one person cannot rule 70 million people." 02/7/10
Iran: Rights defenders pressured to "confess" - Seven members of an Iranian human rights organization, the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, are being held in detention in Tehran. They are under pressure to "confess" to links with a banned opposition group, in which case they might face charges which can carry the death penalty. -Amnesty International 02/7/10
Iranian authorities arrest "collaborators of Radio Farda" - Iranian Ministry of Intelligence arrested seven people accused of "ties with Radio Farda." While the announcement by the Ministry does not refer to the identity of the detainees, it does claim that they "had gone through the hiring and training process in Dubai and Istanbul." 02/7/10
Ahmadinejad Orders Higher Enrichment Of Uranium - Speaking at an exhibition on laser technology in Tehran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad asked Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, to begin enriching uranium up to 20 percent. -RFE 02/7/10
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Unite for human rights in Iran on February 11th - February 11th is Victory of the Revolution Day in Iran. Equivalent to the Fourth of July in the United States, it is a day commemorating liberty, independence and freedom...That is why we are asking everyone to show their solidarity online on February 11th – whether it's on your blog, website, or social networking profile. -Amnesty International 02/7/10
Please Release Our Children - One evening last week at the Free Library of Philadelphia, I met Alex Fattal. I saw pain on his face, as he came up to me. A nice, kind young man, he told me who he was. I learned that he is the brother of Josh Fattal who, along with two of his friends, was on a hiking vacation in Iraqi Kurdistan before they were arrested by the Iranian authorities. -Fariba Amini 02/7/10
Iranian opposition websites under cyber attack - Amir Kabir Newsletter and Advar News, two independent student websites in Iran were attacked by internet hackers, the Iranian Cyber Army. The two sites are amongst the few remaining sites that report from within Iran, independent from the government. The organizers of the two sites have been amongst the many targets of government crackdown on post-election protesters. 02/6/10
Banned thought-provoking Iranian films come to Tehran's black market - Official restrictions on screening films have added a new category to Tehran's black market, once the exclusive domain of porno flicks, home video footage and bootleg copies of onscreen Iranian and foreign films. -MNA 02/6/10
Photos: Isfahan's Historic Kamal Zourkhaneh Demolished - The historic Kamal Zourkhaneh in Isfahan's Sabzeh Meidan district, built during Qajar dynasty, has been demolished to be replaced by a commercial complex. Zourkhaneh, literally meaning house of strength, is the Iranian national sport also called varzesh-e pahlavani (sport of heroes) or varzesh-e bastani (sport of ancients) played in an Iranian traditional gymnasium. -Photos by Aulieh Sa'adatpour 02/6/10
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Labor Protests Held In Several Iranian Cities - A series of labor protests have taken place in several Iranian cities this week, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. Protests and strikes have been held in recent months over unpaid salaries and other work-related demands, but the past few weeks have seen an exceptional amount of such actions. -RFE 02/6/10
Iran Nuke Deal, Rise Of China Are Hot Topics At Munich Conference - The biggest news at this year's Munich Security Conference came in the dead of night. When Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki made a surprise appearance at the annual gathering of international luminaries on February 5, organizers scrambled to reorganize the schedule to give him a forum, adding an impromptu late-night panel that stretched past midnight. -RFE 02/6/10
Aref Qazvini's memoirs on Constitutional Movement published - Personal memoirs of the Iranian national poet Aref Qazvini on the Constitutional Movement were recently published by Nashr-e Sokhan Publications.Abolqassem Aref Qazvini (1882- 1934) was an Iranian poet, lyricist, and musician. He was a revolutionary during the Iranian Constitutional Movement and composed many political and pro-revolutionary songs. 02/6/10
Domestic Iran onsortium ink $10B deal to develop Kish gas field - National Iranian Oil Company and a domestic consortium led by Bank Mellat signed a $10 billion contract on Saturday to develop Kish gas field, southern Iran. The Kish gas field aims at daily producing 85 million cubic meters of gas and 30,000 barrels of gas condensates. -MNA 02/6/10
Iranian Opposition Leader Mahdi Karroubi: 'This Government Is Unworthy' - In an interview with SPIEGEL, opposition politician and former president of the Iranian parliament Mahdi Karroubi, 72, discusses allegations that he has bowed under pressure from the government in Tehran. 02/6/10
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Iran starts production of two new missiles - Iran has begun production of the Qaem anti-helicopter missile and the Toofan 5 anti-armor missile. The Toofan 5 (Typhoon 5 in English) has two warheads and is one of the most advanced anti-armor missiles, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Saturday at the inauguration ceremony for the missile production lines. -MNA 02/6/10
Iranian authorities dismiss protesters turn up on February 11 - Iranian authorities are dismissing the protester turn up on February 11 and maintaining that they have made no preparations to confront them because there will be no need for it. Tehran Governor, Morteza Tamddon told ISNA they have taken "no particular security measures" because "rioters" will be "ineffective" on this day. -Zamaneh 02/5/10
Iranian American 2010 Census Project Coalition Gains Momentum - Now at 19 partners and counting, the coalition was formed to ensure maximum and consistent participation by Iranian Americans in the 2010 U.S. Census. The addition of these new organizations strengthens and expands the coalition's outreach and penetration, providing it with more resources and a larger platform for educating Iranian Americans nationwide and encouraging their participation in the Census. 02/5/10
Iran: Qhoba Mosque in Shiraz Attacked by Basij Militia - Reformist website Jaras reports Basij forces attacked frequenters of Ghoba Mosque in Shiraz and injured them with rocks and stones. Shiraz's Ghoba Mosque has been witness to numerous altercations between pro-government forces and supporters of Ayatollah Dastgheib in the past months. 02/5/10
Rumi Puppet Opera: Gharibpur dedicates performance to Shajarian - The Wednesday performance of the Rumi Puppet Opera Show was dedicated to the giant of traditional Iranian music Mohammadreza Shajarian. Composed by Behzad Abdi, music for the opera was recorded in the Ukraine. The puppet show troupe Aran performs it using more than 100 puppets. -MNA 02/5/10
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Iranian official's remarks on hijab outrage top cleric - According to some unofficial sources, Shamaqdari questioned the necessity of the Hijab in his response to a person criticizing the alleged difficulty of wearing the hijab by Iranian and foreign guests of the 28th Fajr International Film Festival. -MNA 02/5/10
Internet access heavily obstructed in Iran - At the threshold of February 11 protests, internet access has become more and more precarious in Iran. Internet users report that Gmail and Yahoo mail are consistently disrupted and in some cities internet access has been completely cut off for many hours during the day. -Zamaneh 02/5/10
U.S.: Iran, Not Russia, Drives Revamped Missile Plan - The United States is offering assurances that a new missile-defense plan that would involve the deployment of interceptor missiles in Romania is not aimed against Russia but against a potential threat from Iran. Russia has not yet made any official comment on the plan, announced on February 4. 02/5/10
Iran: Tehran Friday Sermon Becomes More Conciliatory - Tehran's Friday Prayers took a more conciliatory note this week with the sermons of Ayatollah Emami Kashani calling on demonstrators to refrain from chanting "particular slogans" and to pull away from those who might choose to do so. 02/5/10
Iranian reformists rally Green Movement supporters - Iranian reformist organizations called out to supporters of the Green Movement to join the February 11 demonstrations for the anniversary of the Revolution to once more announce their protest to the alleged fraud in the June presidential elections. -Zamaneh 02/4/10
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Bistro: A fresh health food cafe in Tehran owned and run by women - At the top of the Mirzaye-Shirizi Avenue before the Motahari intersection is a small café, Bistro, which has been opened by two young ladies Maryam and Pooneh. Maryam has quit her full time job in order to devote her time and energy to what she finds fun, interesting and what she has wanted to do for a long time. 02/4/10
Iran: Harsh Words on Both Sides Make Bloody Showdown Likely February 11 - Both the government and the opposition are looking to February 11, the 31 year anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, to bring the post-election unrest out of its current stalemate by staging massive shows of force in the streets of Iran's cities. -Shayan Ghajar, insideIRAN 02/4/10
Court Rebukes Dutch Policy on Iranian Scientists - A court in The Hague has dealt a blow to the Dutch government's controversial attempts to keep sensitive nuclear technology out of the hands of Iran. Its policy to ban Iranian-born students and scientists from certain master's degrees and from nuclear research facilities in the Netherlands is overly broad and a violation of an international civil rights treaty, the court ruled today. -Science Magazine 02/4/10
Iran: Leading Human Rights Activist Arrested - The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran denounced the arrest today of Kaveh Ghasemi Kermanshahi, a leading human rights activist, member of the Central Council of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan, and journalist. 02/4/10
Pooya Aryanpour and Morteza Darehbaghi at MEEM Gallery in Dubai - Meem Gallery and Mehrnoush Fatholahi are pleased to present the opening of a joint exhibition displaying the work of Iran's leading contemporary artists Pooya Aryanpour and Morteza Darehbaghi on 22 February. 02/4/10
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My Visit to Iran - I went to Iran, the country of my birth, in November of 2009 and stayed there for two months after being away for 30 years. I had left Iran right before 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah. Before I left for my visit back to Iran, I was feeling very agitated and depressed about the way things are here in the USA and I felt like I needed to get away for a while. -Azita Ebrahimi 02/3/10
Iran unveils three new home-made satellites - Iran on Wednesday continued hailing its aerospace advancement by uncovering three new home-made satellites: Tolou, Mesbah 2 and Navide Elmo Sannat (Ya Mahdi) -ISNA 02/3/10
Iran Fires Satellite Carrier Into Space - Iran on Tuesday test-fired the Kavoshgar 3 satellite carrier, sending its third explorer - with living organisms onboard - into space. The Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer) rocket, carrying an experimental capsule, transfers telemetric data, live pictures and flight and environmental analysis data. 02/3/10
Renowned director presents her Prix Henri Langlois award to Mourning Mothers of Iran - Renowned Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad received the Prix Henri Langlois at the French festival for her collection of cinematic productions. "I dedicate this award to all the mourning mothers of my land", she said at picking up her award. 02/3/10
Ahmadinejad's Budget Hikes Funding For Hard-Line Think Tanks - Ahmadinejad has proposed increasing funds for hard-line think tanks by 143 percent in his draft government budget. If passed by the parliament, hundreds of millions dollars more than the previous year would be directed to ideological institutes -- mostly run by close associates of Ahmadinejad -- that are trying to prepare the country for the imminent return of the "Hidden Imam." -RFE 02/3/10
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CHINA ACTION DAY: Demand China end support for Ahmadinejad and Basij Militia - China is supporting Ahmadinejad's crackdown against the Iranian people, most recently by arming the Basij with anti-riot equipment and crowd control vehicles. These Chinese arms pose a lethal threat to the millions of Iranians who plan to protest for freedom and democracy in Iran on February 11th. 02/3/10
Nonproliferation Expert Discusses Iran's Nuclear Offer - Shannon Kile: I personally think that President Ahmadinejad genuinely wants to reach some sort of fuel-exchange deal. I think part of the problem in reaching the deal with the 5+1 states [Editor's Note: permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany] has in fact been the inability of President Ahmadinejad to get all of the leadership in Tehran on board, in particular the conservatives in the Iranian parliament. -RFE 02/3/10
Photos: Ajigol Wetland in Northern Iran - February 2 is World Wetlands Day -- The internationally-protected Ajigol Lagoon in Golestan province in northern Iran is home to migratory birds. The Ajigol Lagoon and the nearby Almagol and Alagol lagoons were designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1975. -Photos by Aboutaleb Nadri 02/2/10
Iran To Execute Nine More Protesters, As Opposition Leader Denounces 'Dictatorship' - The deputy head of Iran's judiciary says nine more protesters are to be executed soon over the unrest that erupted following the controversial June presidential elections. Iran's Fars news agency quoted Ebrahim Raisi as saying that the nine were linked to counterrevolutionary groups and planned to topple the Islamic regime. -RFE 02/2/10
No Information About Jailed Iranian Artist Mehraneh Atashi - Internationally recognized photographer Mehraneh Atashi, along with her husband Madjid Ghaffari, were arrested on 12 January 2010 in their home in Tehran and detained, apparently in solitary confinement in ward 209 of Evin prison, but authorities have released no information about charges against them, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported today. 02/2/10
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Iran: Mousavi says he will continue fight for reform - In a statement posted on Kaleme website, Mousavi said the 1979 Islamic Revolution had failed to achieve most of its goals. He said politically motivated arrests of protesters were illegal and that the constitution should be changed to secure people's rights. His comments constitute one of his strongest challenges to the government. 02/2/10
Khatami: The response to civil protests is not repression, prison and execution - Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, former president, on the first day of the ceremonies for the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Republic, in a meeting with some political figures, said that he hopes that this year all the Iranians participate in 22-Bahman (Feb 11th) rally that will be held to commemorate the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. 02/2/10
Politics and Religion Collide: The Attempt to Defrock Ayatollah Sanei - In early January, following the demise of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, the Society of Teachers and Researchers at Qom Seminaries, a pro-statel clerical body, announced that it did not acknowledge cleric Yusuf Sanei as an ayatollah. The reason for such a decision, like many other seemingly religious decisions of the Islamic regime, was rather political. -Rasool Nafisi 02/2/10
Iran Judiciary Chief Reveals Political Pressures to Execute Detained Protesters - Sadegh Larijani, Head of Iranian Judiciary, said on Sunday that a group in Iran are demanding "accelerated" punishment of protesters arrested during the post-elections events in Iran. He has added that such demands are politically-motivated and illegal. 02/2/10
IRAN: WHAT LIES AHEAD? THE MOVEMENT, SANCTIONS AND THE WEST - The exciting, powerful and determined resistance movement, which emerged during last summer's election fall-out, has created one of the most serious political crises in Iran since the revolution of 1979. And it refuses to go away. Meanwhile, Western leaders talk of increasing sanctions, repeating hypocritical accusations of Iran's nuclear programme. 02/2/10
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Iranian participants in 1st International Exhibition - poster for a Healthier World - Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture and Design, Mexico. At this time, Institute's mission as journalists is to educate parents and those interested in the welfare of children and people in general about health and prevent developmental problems caused by exposure to toxic substances, but also educate the media, policy makers and general public on the fact that environmental health is a key determinant of public health. 02/1/10
Exhibition by Reena Kallat and Sara Rahbar: Never Run Away - The two artists in this exhibition, Reena Kallat and Sara Rahbar, live on different continents, Asia and North America, or sometimes on the same one, namely Asia (India and Iran), from where their observations about the nature of power as it effects belonging informs their individual practices. 02/1/10
Photos: Iranians Celebrate "Sadeh" Ancient Persian Fire Fest - Thousands of Iranians gathered at dusk against a snowy mountain backdrop to light giant bonfires in an ancient mid-winter festival dating back to Iran's pre-Islamic past that is drawing new interest from Muslims. 01/31/10
Photos: Jask Villagers Have a Dream --- Water - Many villages in the vicinity of the Iranian port city of Jask still lack safe drinking water. Two tankers deliver water to 60 villages is the area every two months. When the village children see water, they think they've reached heaven... -Photos by Abdolhossein Rezvani 01/31/10
Iran: Members of Committee of Human Rights Reporters Under Pressure to Make Forced Confessions - Different sources told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today that the arrested members of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters are under pressure to deliver forced confessions about the Committee's affiliation with the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO). 01/31/10
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Controversy over Tehran Symphony performance in Rotterdam - Iran has sent Tehran Symphony Orchestra to Europe to perform the "Peace Symphony" by Majid Entezami. The performance has stricken up a wave of controversy as domestic musicians questioned the artistic merits of the composition and Persians in exile question the Islamic Republic's intentions in funding a performance abroad under the name of "peace" while it is engaged in executing dissidents in Iran. -Pejman Akbarzadeh 01/30/10
Yasmin Siraj Takes the Silver at the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships - Thirteen year old Iranian American Yasmin Siraj took home the silver medal for junior ladies at the 2010 Figure Skating Championships in Washington. In her perfonrmance, Siraj captivated the audience with her beautiful performance to Rimsky-Korsakov's Song of India. Siraj is a full time student who practices during her lunch break and is also a competitive pianist. 01/30/10
Anahita Temple avoids destruction - The construction project that caused damages to the Anahita Temple in Kangavar in Kermanshah Province was halted last week. The decision to halt the project was made following publication of a report on the mess at the Parthian era site by the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency. 01/30/10
'You Can't Punish Someone Before He Commits A Crime' - Nineteen-year-old Arash Rahmanipour was executed in Iran on January 28 after being convicted of waging war against God and attempting to overthrow the Iranian regime. The charges against Rahmanipour related to his alleged role in Iran's postelection unrest. His father, Davoud Rahmanipour, told Radio Farda broadcaster Baktash Khamsehpour about what he called an unjust sentence against his son. 01/29/10
Silencing The Opposition: Five More Executions Pending Approval in Iran - Tehran prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi announced that five Ashura Day detainees have been handed the death sentence and their file is currently at the stage of appeal. Iranian Students News agency (ISNA) reports that Dowlatabadi also announced that the public trial of a number of other people charged on Ashura Day will take place on Saturday. -Zamaneh 01/29/10
Iran Hangs Two Sentenced In Postelection Trials - Today at dawn, 37-year-old Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and 19-year-old Arash Rahmanipour were hanged after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the Iranian regime. The two were among over 100 detainees who were put on trial following street protests that erupted in Iran following the disputed reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE 01/28/10
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Exhibition: Tehran, Virtual and Real - In Memory of "Mehdi Sahabi" - I am incapable of registering what I am witnessing these days. My city and I are intertwined. It is a city that is fighting; and as much as the government crackdown is now widespread, so is the people's struggle. Close to the hours of demonstrations, all mobile phones are disconnected, and all SMS messages are barred. It is a misery to try to find out the news. Despite all that, the progressive Greens are present everywhere and the entrenchments are alive. 01/28/10
Zahra Rahnavard: We don't compromise or recognize Ahmadinejad's government - Fighting for freedom and peace has always been an integral part of my life. That is why I am not afraid to die. As I said before, we have made a shield of our chests and I am personally ready for any attack or terror. 01/27/10
Photos: Turquoise Mine in Neyshabur, Iran - For at least 2,000 years, the region once known as Persia, has remained an important source of turquoise. This deposit, which is blue naturally, and turns green when heated due to dehydration, is restricted to a mine-riddled region in Neyshabur, the 2,012-metre (6,600 ft) mountain peak of Ali-Mersai, which is tens of kilometers from Mashhad, the capital of Razavi Khorasan province, Iran. -Photos by Amin Khosroshahi 01/25/10
Merci Monsieur Gurdjieff - As an Iranian translator of Gurdjieff's teachings starting with Ouspensky's In Search of Miraculous (published four years ago), translating all of Gurdjieff's own books exactly in the way he instructs (all waiting to get the required official publication permit), while wandering in a kind of Nietzsche-ian no-where land under Islamic Republic (symbolizing any religious rule with certain nuances), ... -Roya Monajem, Tehran 01/25/10
Another vicitm of torture at Iran's notorious Kahrizak prison identified - Abdolhosein Ruholamini revealed the identity of another Kahrizak torture victim and called for the resignation of Saeed Mortazavi, former Tehran Prosecutor. Abdolhosein Ruholamini is the father of Mohsen Ruholamini, another Kahrizak victim. He announced that Ramin Aghazadeh Ghahremani is the fourth detainee who died from the severe injuries he suffered in Kahrizak. 01/23/10
Photos: Tent Living - Kahoum Village, Zahedan - The village of Kahoum is located by the hillside of Birak Mountain in the province of Sistan o Baluchestan in southeast Iran. About 40 families live in this village under primitive conditions in tents called kapar. The residents are deprived of schooling, healthcare and clean water. -Photos by Sadeqh Souri, Mehr News Agency 01/18/10
