Homeland Security News and More

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Iran News ( Dead BLOGGER'S mother told to be silent or "else" ) Satter Beheshti

Iran: Family warned by regime to stop probing their blogger son's death

Details: Published on Thursday, 11 April 2013 11:42

NCRI - The family of slain blogger Sattar Beheshti has been put under pressure from the regime to keep silent about his death, an Iranian MP has revealed.
The mother of Sattar told MP Ali Motahari that she had been threatened to prevent her from talking about her son's death.
Mr Motahari said in parliament on April 9: "In a ceremony held to mark 40 days since Satar's death, his mother said that she was forced to sign and give her consent " about the way his son's case had been handled by "showing an arrest warrant for her dauther."
He said Satar's mother told him: "I didn't want the further sorrow of losing my daughter, so I had to sign it."
Iranian interior minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar who is in charge of the case defended closing the investigation in Satar's death, adding: "Satar Beheshti engaged in activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran on the internet and Facebook by posting writings under a fake name.
"He also had connections with and collaboration with dissident political activists and foreign countries. He fed dissidents and the enemy by sending them false information on the political and social condition in the country.
"After studying the case, the cyber-police of greater Tehran demanded a judiciary official to issue an arrest warrant for Satar to prevent the spread of more destructive elements against the government on the internet."
Sattar Beheshti later was slain while in custody.

Iran breaking news ( Warrior poet and blogger -released from prison ) Update on my article

Imprisoned blogger and poet Reza Akvanian released

Keywords : Political Prisoners

فارسى

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Reza Akvanian, blogger, poet, writer and human rights activist has been released from Yasuj prison.

According to CHRR, Reza Akvanian, who was detained 17 days ago by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and was subjected to violent interrogations, was released on 100 million tomans bail from the Central Prison of the city of Yasuj on Wednesday, April 10th.

Security agents detained this human rights activist on Sunday March 24, 2013 at approximately 3am at his residence. The agents violently raided his home and after conducting a massive search they confiscated Akvanian’s personal items such as his laptop computer, external drive, scanner, printer, mobile phone, and his writings. Akvanian was held incommunicado for the first 2 weeks while detained and his family had no knowledge of his condition or whereabouts. When his family was finally able to see him, they reported visible signs of bruising from interrogations on his body.

Reza Akvanian is a writer for the blog “salhaye khoobe zendegi” (life’s good years) who was arrested earlier on February 1, 2010 by agents from the Ministry of Intelligence. Judge Tahmasabi presiding over Branch 1 of the Yasuj Revolutionary Court handed Akvanian a one-year prison sentence and a 5-year suspended term on the charges of “insulting the leader and the president in blog content” and “association with outsiders by sharing news reports.”

Nigeria ( Riyom - Shots fired over missing cows -five people injured )

Five persons, including three soldiers, were reportedly injured in Riyom, Plateau, on Wednesday when civilians clashed with soldiers who had gone to aid a search for missing cows.
The incident led to the blockage of the Jos-Abuja road as protesting youths and women took over the highway.

Capt. Salisu Mustapha, Media Officer of the Special Task Force (STF) maintaining the peace in Plateau, who confirmed the incident to NAN, said three soldiers were injured in the fracas after women protested against the search.
Mr Emanuel Danboyi, a leader of the Riyom community and former member of the Plateau House of Assembly, also told NAN that two youths allegedly shot by STF during the clash had been hospitalised.
Mustapha said STF received intelligence report that cows said to have been rustled were sighted in the Farin-Lamba area of Riyom and went in search of the animals.
“But to our surprise, when we approached the area for the assignment, women and some youths of the area attacked our personnel, which led to the injury of three soldiers.
“Some of the youths fired gunshots into the crowd which led to the casualties recorded,’’ he said
Mustapha described the incident as “unfortunate’’ and wondered why people should seek to stop STF personnel from carrying out “a very routine exercise’’.
He claimed that there had always been reports of cattle rustling in the area.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke with NAN, alleged that the STF personnel were resisted because they allegedly “stormed’’ the community with an armoured tank in search of the cows.
“It was when the women and youths of the area resisted the STF men that the road was blocked,’’ the source, who pleaded anonymity, said.
Also, Mr Timothy Dem, the Majority Leader of Plateau House of Assembly, who confirmed the incident, faulted STF for visiting the area without notifying him or other key stakeholders in Riyom.
“STF made a serious mistake in taking that step without notifying us. Perhaps such incident would not have happened.
“We are not happy with what happened in our community today, especially the casualties recorded as a result of such a grave mistake,’’ he said.
Dem expressed concern over the continuous clash between STF personnel and his people and alleged that his people were “always at the receiving end’’.
Mustapha, however, faulted Dem’s opinion that the STF should have notified stakeholders of the council before embarking on the search.
“Why should we notify somebody we are accusing of being in possession of some missing property when we want to conduct a search?
“When you do that, the search will not yield any positive result for us,’’ he said.
Mustapha said that his men had dispersed the youths and cleared the Abuja-Jos highway, while law and order had been restored.
“Law and order has returned to the affected area and our men are keeping vigil,’’ he said. (NAN)

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Iran News ( 35 Human rights reporters released from Evin Prison ) Unexpectedly

Dozens of political prisoners released from Evin prison

Keywords : Political Prisoners

فارسى

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – On the afternoon of Tuesday April 9th around 35 political prisoners were unexpectedly released from Evin prison.

According to news provided to CHRR, Saman Hamidi, Amir Gorshasabi, Ghourbian, Sedaghat, Lahouti, Ali Shariati, Abolfazl Ghasemi, and Javad Zakeni are among the released. Seyed Alireza Seyedian and Davar Hosseini’s 2.5-year prison sentences were commuted.

These prisoners were mostly arrested in 2009 during the mass upheaval following the contested presidential elections. They were released on Tuesday with no explanation or clarification about whether they were being granted temporary or permanent release.

In the past few weeks, a number of political prisoners were granted temporary release for the Nowruz holidays. Among those released on furlough were Emad Bahavar, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Mehdi Khodayi, Nasim Soltan Beigi, Alieh Tabrai, Hassan Zeidabadi, Ali Akbar Mohammadzadeh, Mohammad Rezai, Shahabeddin Mortazavi, Kamyar Parsa, Mehrdad Ahankhah, Saman Hamidi Azadi, Majid Sedaghat, Hassan Farji, Behzad Hooshmand, Hassan Khodavari, and Mostafah Badkoobei.

Iran News ( Denmark stops aid to Iran 's fight against Drug trafficking- because of Executions )

Denmark Stops Aid to Iran’s Fight Against Drug Trafficking-

Tuesday 9 April 2013

[English] [فارسى]

Iran Human Rights, April 9: The Danish government has decided to cut its aids to Iran’s anti-drug program, say Danish newspapers today.
Denmark was one of several western countries providing financial aid to Iran’s war on drugs. The aid is provided to Iranian authorities though the UNODC (United Nation’s office for drugs and crimes).
Many of those in Iran who are issued drug related charges are executed. According to the Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty in 2012, at least 76% of all executions (438 out of 580 executions) in 2012 were for drug-related charges.
In the past few years several human rights organizations have urged the UNODC and donor countries to stop contributing indirectly to the increase in executions in Iran.
Danish newspaper Politiken reported that "Denmark has the past two years given five million dollars annually to a counter-narcotics program in Iran."
“During the same period, the Iranian authorities executed hundreds of suspected drug offenders, and on this basis, Development Minister Christian Friis Bach (Radikale) has now decided to immediately discontinue support for the program”, reported Politiken Tuesday.
– “It is a signal to Iran that the use of the death penalty is unacceptable and something that we in no way can vouch for”, he told Politiken.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR welcomed Denmark’s decision and said: "We still haven’t heard the details through official channels, but given that the news is true, we are very glad and hope other countries providing aid to the UNODC’s cooperation with Iran will follow Denmark’s move. This aid should go to programs promoting human rights and not to programs contributing to the death penalty."

Iran News ( Blogger gets 6 months in jail - For making comment about the Supreme Leader ) 28 dollar fine

Iran: Blogger jailed for branding Khamenei speech 'strange'

Details: Published on Wednesday, 10 April 2013 13:54

NCRI - A pro-Khamenei blogger has been jailed in Iran for six months for describing a comment by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as 'strange', in the latest example of the suppression of free speech in the regime.
Mojtaba Daneshtalb made the 'subversive' remark while commenting on Khamenei's plans to change the presidential election process.
The Supreme Leader had said he was considering changing the election process from public vote to electing the president through a parliamentary vote only.
Daneshtalb - also fined 100,000 Tomans ($28) - branded the idea 'strange in his blog in October 2011, noting that Khamenei has stated this after his differences with Ahmadinejad had been revealed.
The blogger wrote at the time: "The remarks by the leader create fear among the people. They fear that developments behind the scenes are moving so fast that the people will eventually be left without any will of their own at all.
Daneshtalb also described Khamenei's election proposals as 'much darker than present system'.
At the time he was detained and held briefly after publishing an apology on his blog. Before leaving to serve his six-month sentence in Tehran's Evin prison, he wrote on his blog that he had not intended to be 'anti-revolutionary' and had not meant to cause offence.

Navajo Nation ( Happy Birthday Irene Eskey " Crystal Woman " 107 yrs old ) Uncommon Wisdom

Guy Atchley's Arizona

Navajo grandmother turns 107

CREATED Apr. 9, 2013

Image by kgun9.com
The view of the Painted Desert out Irene Eskey's front door ... Image by Guy Atchley
Irene's sheep on the Navajo Reservation north of Joseph City, Arizona ... Image by Guy Atchley
Irene Eskey's home is a few miles down this dirt road on the Navajo Reservation ... Image by Guy Atchley
A home belonging to one of Irene Eskey's neighbors on the Navajo Reservation north of Joseph City, Arizona ... Image by Guy Atchley
Another home on the Navajo Reservation ... Image by Guy Atchley

Reporter: Guy Atchley
Web Producer: Laura Kittell
Irene Eskey, a Navajo grandmother also known as “Crystal Woman” turned 107 years old on April 7th.
She still cooks, herds sheep, and her daughter Liz says that she can chop wood – if she has to!
A large party was held in Irene’s honor at the Navajo Reservation, north of Winslow on April 7th... When asked how she lived so long and remain healthy for so long, she said “Hard work and living clean.”

You can read about Irene’s life and the inspiring lessons that she has learned during her 107 years in a new book, just released, called UNCOMMON WISDOM: the Inspiring Lifetime Stories of 12 Extraordinary People.
Local author Thomas Whittingslow has collected the life stories of twelve exceptional people: ranging from a Nobel Prize Winner, to a man who lived for two years hooked to an artificial heart machine. At the end of each story they share the most important lessons that they have learned in life.

UNCOMMON WISDOM: the Inspiring Stories of 12 Extraordinary People should be available on Amazon books by May 1st. However; you can reserve an autographed copy of the book by contacting the author at twhittingslow@gmail.com.