Iran news in brief, 16 February 2015

Jordan sentences Brotherhood leader to jail time for Facebook post

 

Published yesterday (updated) 16/02/2015 12:00

Jordan's opposition Islamists rally in support of the Syrian
anti-government protests in Amman in 2013
(AFP/Khalil Mazraawi/File)

 

AMMAN (AFP) -- A Jordanian court Sunday sentenced a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood to 18 months in prison for criticizing a decision by the United Arab Emirates to blacklist his organization.

The state security court in Amman found Zaki Bani Rsheid, deputy head of the Brotherhood in Jordan, guilty of making statements "likely to damage relations between the kingdom and a foreign country."

Rsheid, 57, made no comment after the verdict but his lawyer Saleh al-Armuti said he planned to appeal.

The Islamic Action Front, political wing of the Brotherhood's Jordanian branch, in a statement denounced the verdict as going against "individual liberties and the freedom of expression."

It was "a clear and negative political message," the IAF said.

Rsheid was arrested in November after he criticized the UAE for blacklisting more than 80 Islamist groups including the Brotherhood.

In comments published on his Facebook page, Rsheid described the UAE as "the prime godfather of terrorism," and accused the energy-rich Gulf state of serving US and Israeli interests in the region.

Jordan is a close ally of the UAE and both nations are part of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group that controls swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Organizations blacklisted by the UAE include al-Qaeda, IS, Yemen's Shiite Houthi militia, and the Muslim Brotherhood -- which was formed in Egypt in 1928 and has branches across the region.

The Jordanian branch of the Brotherhood is the main opposition force in the kingdom and has wide grassroots support.

U.N. Security Council tells Iranian-backed Houthi rebels to step down in Yemen

The United Nations Security Council on Sunday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that rebels who are sponsored by the Iranian regime to immediately relinquish control of Yemen’s government.

The resolution sponsored by 10 countries and approved by all 15 council demands that the Houthi rebels “immediately and unconditionally” withdraw forces from government institutions.

The resolution was not under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which would have allowed it to be militarily enforced.

It was the first resolution adopted by the Security Council since the Houthi rebels effectively seized control of Yemen.

Arab countries have been pressing for the use of military force against what they call the rebels’ “illegitimate seizure of power.”

Worried about the Iranian regime’s meddling in Yemen, foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday urged the Security Council to intervene.

They warned that if the world fails to respond, they are prepared to act on their own to maintain regional security and stability.

The UNSC resolution "deplores actions taken by Houthis" and calls on the rebels to adopt the roadmap drawn up by the GCC for a democratic transition in the country.

The council asked all parties, especially the Houthis, to cease all violence, while urging countries to refrain from any kind of interference in the conflict.

The Houthis, who are traditionally based in northern Yemen bordering Saudi Arabia, swept into Sanaa in September and have seized other territory since.

During the past week many officials of the Iranian regime have taken credit for training and arming the Houthis in Yemen.

Yemeni rebels are 'similar to the Lebanese Hezbollah' and 'will come into action against the enemies of Islam', Ali Shirazi, a representative of the regime’s terrorist Qods Force declared.

He told the Defa Press news agency on Sunday: "The Houthi group is similar to Hezbollah, and this group will come into action against the enemies of Islam.

"The Islamic republic directly supports the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the popular forces in Syria and Iraq,” he said.

"Hezbollah was formed in Lebanon as a popular force like Basij. Similarly popular forces were also formed in Syria and Iraq, and today we are watching the formation of Ansar Allah in Yemen," he added.

Update : Ukrainian pilot on hunger strike "checked by doctor "

MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Doctors from Germany have assessed the health condition of Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko as satisfactory, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) reported Monday.

The service told TASS that German medical specialists "checked the dynamics of her health for the entire period of her detention" and examined her.

"There have been no differences in the assessment of her health on the part of foreign colleagues and FSIN doctors," FSIN said. Besides, German experts did not find grounds for an additional examination and treatment.

During a medical board meeting, "foreign specialists assessed the state of her health as satisfactory, noted the professional approach and completeness of Savchenko’s diagnostic and treatment measures in conditions of a FSIN medical unit’s hospital."

Russian and German doctors "exchanged opinions on further tactic of patient management, noting that psychologic work should be conducted with the accused aimed at termination of her hunger strike and continuation of cooperation between medical specialists of Russia and Germany."

E. Ukraine Truce on Verge of Collapse

A new cease-fire in Ukraine is teetering on the brink of collapse as Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia separatist rebels are accusing each other of violating the truce around a key town which each side claims as under its control.

The Ukrainian military said on Monday that its forces have come under fire 112 times in the past day, with 88 attacks registered on the railway town of Debaltseve, a critical transport hub in Ukraine's east Donetsk region.

Five soldiers have been killed and 25 wounded in the latest attacks, which occured despite a European-brokered truce that went into effect Saturday at midnight.

On Sunday, pro-Russian rebels battling Ukrainian forces said the terms of cease-fire did not apply to Debaltseve, where thousands of government troops are said to be encircled by separatist fighters.

Iran news in brief, 15 February 2015

Iran- 17 yr old beaten and arrested (Given no lawyer ) to be Executed

Amnesty International is appealing to halt the execution of an Iranian arrested at the age of 17 and tortured for 97 days in a bid to force a confession of membership of an armed opposition group.

Saman Naseem is due to executed on February 19, after being arrested on July 17, 2011, after a gun battle between Revolutionary Guards and an armed opposition group.

After his arrest he was held in a Ministry of Intelligence detention centre without any access to his family or a lawyer.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a press release: "That the Iranian authorities are preparing to put to death a young man who’s been tortured for 97 days to ‘confess’ when he was 17 years old beggars belief.

"With less than a week left before he is due to be executed, there is no time to waste. Saman’s execution must be immediately stopped and his case thoroughly reviewed.

"In a letter seen by Amnesty International, Saman Naseem, now 22 years old, described how he was kept in a 2 x 0.5 metre cell and constantly tortured before being forced while blindfolded to put his fingerprints on 'confession' papers. He was forced to admit to acts that lead to his conviction for membership of an armed opposition group and taking up arms against the state. He was 17 years old at the time.

"With less than a week left before he is due to be executed, there is no time to waste. Saman’s execution must be immediately stopped and his case thoroughly reviewed.

"This is the reality of the criminal justice system in Iran, which makes a mockery of its own statements that it does not execute children and upholds its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

In the letter, Saman said: "During the first days, the level of torture was so severe that it left me unable to walk. All my body was black and blue. They hung me from my hands and feet for hours. I was blindfolded during the whole period of interrogations and torture, and could not see the interrogation and torture officers.

"They repeatedly told me that they had arrested my family members including my father, my mother, and my brother. They told me that they would kill me right there and would cover my grave with cement.

"When I wanted to sleep during nights, they would not let me rest by making noises using different devices, including by constantly banging on the door. I was in a state between madness and consciousness. I could not have any contact with my family during this time. During the trial, even the presiding judge threatened me with more beatings a number of times and my lawyers were removed under pressure."

Amnesty said Saman was arrested on July 17, 2011, after a gun battle between Revolutionary Guards and armed opposition group Party For Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), in the city of Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province.

After his arrest, he was held in a Ministry of Intelligence detention centre without any access to his family or a lawyer.

His family members were not informed of his arrest and first learned about it through a video clip of Saman aired on state TV, in which he 'confessed' to taking part in armed activities against the state. Court documents indicate that during the fight, a member of the Revolutionary Guards was killed and three others wounded.

Amnesty added: "In January 2012, Saman was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court after being convicted of 'enmity against God' and 'corruption on earth' because of his alleged membership of PJAK and taking part in armed activities against the Revolutionary Guards.

"During the trial, he retracted his earlier 'confession' and said that he fired into the air and not towards the Revolutionary Guards. He also told the judge he was tortured but he dismissed this and relied on his “confessions” as admissible evidence. His lawyers have been prevented from pursuing his defence.

"In August 2012, the Supreme Court had overturned the death sentence and sent his case to a lower court for a retrial on the grounds that he had been under 18 at the time of the crimes of which he had been convicted.

"However, Saman was sentenced to death in April 2013 by a criminal court. The Supreme Court upheld this death sentence again in December 2013."