Maryam Rajavi condemns criminal attack in Paris, offers her condolences to French people and government

NCRI - Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, strongly condemned the ruthless terrorist attack on the office of a French magazine in Paris and the killing and injuring of a number of its staff and reporters. She offered her condolences to the bereaved families of the victims of this tragedy and to the people and the Government of France.

In this difficult moment, Mrs. Rajavi emphasized, the Iranian people and their Resistance stand with the people of France and the aggrieved families of the victims of this heinous crime.

Mrs. Rajavi added that attacks on innocent civilians, especially journalists, under whatever pretext or excuse, are terrorist crimes and blatantly contradict the teachings of Islam, which in no way condone such atrocities.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
January 7, 2015

Tribal source: Egyptian Christians held in Libya freed

BENGHAZI, Libya (AFP) -- Thirteen Egyptian Christians held in Libya have been freed, a tribal leader said on Monday after government sources reported they had been abducted by Islamist militants.

However, Muftah Marzuq, head of the council of elders in the coastal city of Sirte, insisted that the 13 had not been kidnapped, but had been detained by people smugglers.

"The Egyptians were held by a group that deals in illegal people smuggling, because of a dispute involving money and transportation to the Harawa region east of Sirte," Marzuq said.

News of their disappearance emerged on Saturday when a source close to the government accused the Ansar al-Sharia Islamist militant group of having kidnapped the 13 Coptic Christians in Sirte.

The source said seven other Egyptian Christians had also been seized over the past few days in Libya.

Marzuq said Sirte city elders negotiated the release of the 13, without giving further details. He also did not mention the other seven.

Thousands of Egyptians work in Libya, mainly in the construction and craft sectors.

They have been targeted as the country has descended into chaos since dictator Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in the 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

Sirte, Gadhafi's home town, is in the hands of Islamist militias including Ansar al-Sharia, which the UN last month added to its terror list over links to al-Qaeda and for running Islamic State group training camps.

More than three years since Gadhafi's overthrow, Libya is awash with weapons and powerful militias, and it has rival governments and parliaments.

The internationally recognized government has been based in the country's remote east since an alliance of Islamist-backed militias, Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn), seized control of Tripoli in August.

In February, the bodies of seven Egyptian Christians who had been shot were found near Libya's second city Benghazi, much of which has been overrun by Islamist militias.

Iranian musician banned from travel because his group includes women

An Iranian musician has been banned from travelling abroad because his musical group includes women.

Regime border police confiscated Majid Derakhshani's passport at Tehran airport, and he now faces prosecution for the 'offence'.

Mr Derakhshani said in an interview: "The border police officers at Tehran airport confiscated my passport and told me that if I wanted to know the reasons for the travel ban, I should ask the passport authority."

Mr Derakhshani said Iranian security officials had regularly summoned members of his group for questioning because it includes women musicians.

His group's first concert in Europe took place in October 2013 with the participation of two women singers.

Regime agents had now told him his prosecution would now be reviewed by a court, he said.

Iran -Three men hanged in public neighborhood -photos

NCRI – Three prisoners were hanged in public in a northeastern town in Iran on Sunday.

The victims identified by their first name and last name initials as Mehdi V, Ehsan K. and Mahmoud V., were hanged in the town of Torghabeh near the city of Mashhad.

The state-media reports said two of the men had been sentenced to death and the third one sentenced to hanging plus 100 lashes in public.

Sunday’s public hanging follows the execution of at least 14 prisoners on the New Year’s Day in several prisons in four cities in Iran.

Four women were among those executed on the New Year’s Day. They were hanged in Shahab prison in the city of Kerman (southern Iran). Another group of seven prisoners were hanged in Shahab prison on the same day.

In Qazvin, a 38-year-old prisoner sent to gallows in Boeen Zahra prison. Two others were hanged in city of Bandar Abbas.

Since Hassan Rouhani became president of the clerical regime, over 1,200 have been executed including many in public.

The Iranian regime carries out public executions in a bid to intimidate the Iranian people.

Kidnappers Murder Journalist and Her Husband in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – A journalist and her husband were murdered by kidnappers in the western Mexican state of Nayarit, a state Attorney General’s Office spokesman told Efe on Monday.

Jazmin Martinez was a former cultural and entertainment reporter for the Televisa network.

The 26-year-old Martinez and her 30-year-old husband, Alejandro Ramirez Topete had been kidnapped last week.

Two of the five suspected members of the kidnapping gang involved in the killings have been arrested.

“They were in the same vehicle when they were deprived of their freedom on Dec. 31 at night” on “the Tepic-Guadalajara highway, near the crossing called Jala, some 70 kilometers (43 miles)” from Tepic, the capital of Nayarit, the AG’s office spokesman said.

The victims were “taken to a rural spot that is near the Nayar bridge, some 10 or 15 kilometers (6.2 miles or 9.3 miles) away” and kept hidden while “they communicated with their relatives to demand a ransom of 2 million pesos,” the AG’s office spokesman said.

Martinez and Ramirez Topete, who were beaten to death with a stone, were apparently murdered due to “a lack of coordination” among the kidnappers, the official said.

“The ones who were holding them captive decided to kill them without knowing whether the negotiations were progressing,” the AG’s office spokesman said.

The murders “were something that happened, it’s something unrelated to journalistic activity,” the official said in response to a question from Efe about any possible links between the crime and Martinez’s work.

Martinez was “currently providing her knowledge to a Boy Scout troop,” the AG’s office spokesman said.

Ramon Cruz Aguilar, an 18-year-old identified as Martinez’s killer, and Luis Alberto Espinosa, another 18-year-old who served as the gang’s lookout, are under arrest.

“The other three have been fully identified, but they are fugitives,” the AG’s office spokesman said.

Over the weekend, officials in the Gulf state of Veracruz said they were trying to find a journalist who worked as a stringer for several newspapers and had been reported missing.

Moises Sanchez Cerezo’s whereabouts is not known since Friday, Veracruz Attorney General Luis Angel Bravo Contreras said.

The journalist covers the news and posts stories about local corruption and community issues on social networks, media reports said.

Sanchez Cerezo works as a reporter in the city of Medellin de Bravo, writing stories and taking photos for his small weekly, La Union, the Cronica de Xalapa newspaper reported.

He is also a community activist in several neighborhoods, where residents have banded together to fight crime, the newspaper said.

The Martinez and Sanchez Cerezo cases are the first two involving attacks on the press this year in Mexico, which is considered one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America for journalists

Hassan Rouhani remarks exposes Iranian regime ‘crisis and deadlock’: Interview

NCRI - The Sunday’s remarks by Hassan Rouhani, has exposed the Iranian regime’s 'weakness and internal conflicts' in the clerical regime, Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee, said in an interview.

Mr Mohaddessin's scathing assessment of the Iranian regime comes after Hassan Rouhani addressed the Iranian Economy Conference in Tehran on January 4.

Below is the full text of the English translation of the interview:

Q: Remarks by Hassan Rouhani, the president of the clerical dictatorship in Iran at a conference in Tehran has prompted analysis and various comments at both the national and international level, what is your view on that?

Mohammad Mohaddessin: Hassan Rouhani’s remarks offered a comprehensive picture of the crisis that the regime is engulfed in and the internal power struggle that has crippled the clerical regime. Once you carefully consider what is said and what is not being said in his speech, the regime’s fatal deadlock becomes evident.
Hassan Rouhani clearly acknowledges that after 16 months assuming the presidency not only has he been unable to solve any of the regime’s problems, but also none of the promises he made during the so-called “election period” have been realized and the situation has become more critical from every angle.

Of course, Rouhani who during the 35 year rule of the clerical regime, has been a part of the Iranian regime’s machinery of war, repression and killings, has never claimed he would improve the situation of human rights or social and political freedoms, and in this regard the situation has become worse in his tenure. His record of over 1200 executions since taking office is much higher than other regime appointed presidents over the past 25 years.

Rouhani claimed that he would resolve the problem of a dismal economy and the nuclear deadlock, and now in this speech, he admits that he has failed in both areas.

Question: So, in your view, referendum in this regime has no meaning?

Mohammad Mohaddessin: In Iran, only one referendum has meaning, a referendum to change the despised and worn regime of Velayat-e faqih and establish a pluralistic republic based on people’s votes, a referendum not in the framework of this regime, but under the supervision of the United Nations. Within the framework of the Velayat-e faqih regime neither election nor referendum has any meaning and will be used as tools for further repression and consolidation of the religious, fascist rule in Iran. If the regime stops torture and executions even for one day, the Iranian youth and women will dismantle its dictatorship. A referendum under the supervision of the UN would also mean the end of the regime.

Q: In your view, what could be the message of this speech to the international counterparts?

Mohammad Mohaddessin: I think Rouhani’s speech above all else, shows weakness of clerical regime and its severe internal conflicts, which take away any possibility of agreement or reform in the regime. At the same time, it shows that what brought the clerical regime to this point at the negotiating table was neither compromise nor concession, but a firm policy and no shortcomings regarding nuclear sanctions. If this policy continued with the same trend, it would have definitely been more effective in stopping the regime's nuclear program and in forcing the regime to abandon its ongoing nuclear bomb production program.

Q. So why has he resorted to the slogan of referendum?

Mohammad Mohaddessin: Look, the clerical regime is suffering from a crippling power struggle within. This power struggle reflects the impasse that the regime finds itself in and its confrontation with the people. As the economic crises flare up, this power struggle will exacerbate. This was the case when the Vienna nuclear talks failed. In this ongoing power struggle since one and a half years ago, Khamenei and his faction have increasingly attempted to limit the authority of the regime’s President Rouhani and turn him into a puppet that simply obeys orders.

In the realm of foreign policy he only makes the calls in minor matters. He even lacks the authority to shake hands with the U.S. President. In the nuclear negotiations all of the decisions are made by Khamenei with the government and the Foreign Ministry just carrying out his orders. Likewise, the Middle East policy is entirely in the hands of the Qods Force; Rouhani and his government just provide logistics for the atrocities of the Qods Force in Iraq and Syria.

Relatively, the only realm in which he was supposed to have the authority to make the decisions was the economy; and he is now saying that he even has no authority there. Examine what he says: “It is not that the Executive Branch is controlling everything; it isn’t even controlling the economy. There are also others who are active in the economy. Can the government make any decision with regard to the economy? There are places where we need legislation. We have to go to the parliament. Can we make the decision on the annual budget? It is the parliament that makes the final call. It is not even the parliament alone; the Guardians Council has to ratify. Thus the government, the parliament, the Guardians Council and the Judiciary they all need to cooperate with us.”

Thus, even the slogan of referendum is not a realistic policy for Rouhani since he knows all too well that such a thing is impossible under this regime. It is just a political maneuver against Khamenei’s faction in the hope of extracting concessions.

Q. What has been Rouhani’s achievement in the economy?

Rouhani himself has played the key role in creating this economic crisis. Look at next year’s budget (20 March 2015 to 20 March 2016) that Rouhani has presented to the parliament. While the oil income has been slashed by 45%, the official budget for the Revolutionary Guards has increased by 30%. The budget that has been officially allocated to countries such as Syria and Iraq is twice the budget allocated to all of the country’s universities with two million students. Set aside the fact that the true budget spent on Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq are never accounted for in country’s official budget.

You may argue that Rouhani does not determine these budgets. This is exactly the impasse of this regime and its inability to undergo any reform. If Rouhani wanted to live up to his slogan of moderation, then he should have told people the truth. He should have told them that this government has wasted the assets of the nation in wars and suppression, in Syria and Iraq and Yemen, and in the nuclear weapons program. He should come out and say that the tyranny, suppression and slaughter have caused a brain drain and also resulted in capital leaving the country. He should say that it is the regime of Velayat-e faqih that is causing all these problems. But talking about any of these would undermine him because he is part and parcel of this regime and part of the problem.

Q. So you are saying that referendum has no meaning in this regime?

Mohammad Mohaddessin: There is only one referendum in Iran that has any meaning and that is the referendum to change the ominous and worn out regime of Velayat-e faqih and to establish a pluralistic republic based on people’s votes; a referendum not in the framework of this regime, but a referendum by the United Nations. In the framework of the Velayat-e faqih regime neither elections nor referendums have any meaning. These are just tools for oppression and bolstering the dominion of the religious fascism.

This regime is even incapable of abandoning torture and execution for a single day since its tyrannical system will be overthrown by the Iranian youth and women, let alone acquiesce to a real referendum conducted under UN supervision.

Q. In your view, what may international parties surmise from these statements?

Mohammad Mohaddessin: In my view, this speech demonstrated the feebleness of the clerical regime and the extent of its internal schism that makes impossible any chance for a reform or agreement.

Meanwhile, this speech shows that up to this point, what has brought the clerical regime to the negotiating table and talks is not conciliation with this regime or offering concessions to it, but a resolute and firm policy regarding the sanctions. Had this policy continued, it would have surely been more effective in compelling the regime to forgo its nuclear program for production of the atomic bomb.
Naturally, going forward, it will be a policy of firmness that can contain regime’s nuclear threat and not a policy of appeasement and further concessions.

Journalist Reported Missing in Mexico

XALAPA, Mexico – A journalist who works as a stringer for several newspapers in the Mexican Gulf state of Veracruz has been reported missing, state prosecutors said.

Moises Sanchez Cerezo’s whereabouts is not known since Friday, Veracruz Attorney General Luis Angel Bravo Contreras said.

Bravo Contreras said he was personally coordinating the search for the missing journalist.

Sanchez Cerezo covered the news and posted stories about local corruption and community issues on social networks, media reports said.

Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte, for his part, said investigators were trying to determine what happened to Sanchez Cerezo, who he described as a “taxi driver and neighborhood activist.”

“Our priority is to find him and reunite him with his family,” Duarte told Mexican media.

Sanchez Cerezo works as a reporter in the city of Medellin de Bravo, writing stories and taking photos for his small weekly, La Union, the Cronica de Xalapa newspaper reported.

He is also a community activist in several neighborhoods, where residents have banded together to fight crime, the newspaper said.

Sanchez Cerezo’s relatives contacted several Veracruz and national media outlets via e-mail and reported his disappearance.

The journalist had received “prior threats,” relatives said.

Veracruz, Mexico’s third most populous state, has been plagued by a turf war between rival drug cartels that has sent the murder rate skyrocketing in the past few years.

The Gulf, Los Zetas and Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartels, as well as breakaway members of the once-powerful Familia Michoacana criminal organization, are fueling the violence in the state.