UN expert slams crackdown on journalist and activists in Iran

The United Nations Special Rapportuer on Situation of Human Rights in Iran expressed concern about the arbitrary and unlawful arrest and prosecution of journalists and activists in Iran has warned that their persecution weakens the protection of human rights of all in Iran.

Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, who is mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the situation in Iran said: “Silencing these critical voices is unacceptable – it undermines public debate and deprives Iranians and the rest of world of important information on the reality in the country.”

“The recurrent use of vague references to threats to national security, propaganda against the system and insult to authorities to prosecute and detain journalists or activists is in contradiction to both international norms relating to freedoms of expression and association and the principle of legality,” Mr. Shaheed stated.

The independent expert expressed concern at the arrest, detention of Jason Rezaian, Atena Farghdani and Nargis Mohammadi.

“Human rights defenders play a fundamental role in ensuring a democratic society which respects human rights,” the expert said.

Mr. Shaheed’s call has been endorsed by human rights expert Mads Andenas, who currently heads the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, as well as the UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights defenders, Michel Forst; on freedom of expression, David Kaye; on independence of the judiciary, Gabriela Knaul; and on torture, Juan E. Méndez.

Iraqi Forces Kill 40 IS Jihadists in Al Anbar

BAGHDAD – At least 40 jihadists of the Islamic State, or IS, have been killed in airstrikes carried out by the Iraqi air force in the western of the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, spokesman of Iraq’s Interior Ministry Saad Maan said in a statement on Friday.
The Iraqi aircrafts pounded midnight Thursday a building where IS extremists were meeting in Al-Qaem, a town near the Syrian border and 400 kilometers (248 miles) from the capital Baghdad, Maan added.

Six IS commanders, including two Algerian nationals and a member of Hisba (Islamic police), were among the fatalities.

Al-Qaem is under the control of the IS and has been targeted by the Iraqi army since the beginning of the offensive aimed to regain Al Anbar province.

The main objective of the current military offensive in Al Anbar is to liberate Iraqi city of Ramadi, which was seized by the jihadist group on May 17.

At Least 29 Iraqi Security Forces Killed by IS in Al-Anbar

BAGHDAD – At least 29 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed in a series of attacks by Islamic State militants in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar, security officials told Efe.

“The Iraqi military forces and Shiite militias (the Popular Mobilization Forces) clashed with Islamic State jihadists who attacked security headquarters located between the cities of Fallujah and Samarra,” a security official in al-Anbar told Efe.

“These clashes left at least 17 members of the Iraqi army and Shiite militias dead and eight others wounded, in addition to the death and injury of tens of the IS jihadists,” the official noted.

“Two suicide bombers attacked a military headquarters with two car bombs east of Fallujah. The first bomber blew up a car bomb, claiming the lives of two soldiers and wounding six others, while the Iraqi army successfully defused the second car bomb by destroying it remotely with Russian-made missiles,” the functionary added.

In addition, the security official said four soldiers were killed and nine others were wounded when IS militants bombed a military camp east of Fallujah.

“Six tribal fighters were killed and four others were wounded in an attack on one of their camps by IS extremists in Brunat area (150 kilometers/about 93 miles west of Ramadi),” the official also recounted.

Iraq has been the epicenter of a fierce war with the jihadist organization since last June, when IS proclaimed a caliphate in the areas it controls in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

Iran news in brief, 3 June 2015

Iran: Execution of two women prisoners in Qerchak Prison

NCRI - The Iranian regime’s henchmen executed two women prisoners on May 30 in Qerchak Prison in Varamin. One of the victims, Fatemeh Mehrabani, 39, married with two children, had spent five years in Iranian regime’s prisons before execution. Prior to their execution, the two had been transferred to solitary confinement on May 30.

The Qerchak Prison that is known as “End of the world” among female prisoners is a deserted poultry farm that has been turned into a prison for women in 2011. The deplorable hygienic and nourishment condition and lack of medical care has turned this prison into a concentration camp. This prison holds around 40 women whose children are also held with them in this unbearable condition.

The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance calls on international human rights agencies and defenders of women’s rights to dispatch an investigative mission to look into the condition of prisoners, especially female prisoners, in Iran.

Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
June 4, 2015

Two Security Guards Killed at Mines in Northwestern Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Two security guards employed by a firm hired to protect a mining company’s properties in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa were murdered in separate shootings, state police said.

The murders occurred in the communities of La Rastra and El Carrizo, and both security guards were posted at facilities operated by a mining company in the mountains outside El Rosario, a city in southern Sinaloa, a police spokesman told Efe.

The first killing occurred at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, when the employee was ambushed by gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles as he drove home.

The second shooting happened six hours later as a security guard who had finished his shift was walking through the community.

Gunmen caught up to him and opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles.

Man in Boston held over ‘plot to kill cop’

NEW YORK: A man was arrested in Boston in connection to an alleged terror plot, one day after a knife-wielding suspect was shot dead, officials and media reports said Wednesday.
The US attorney’s office identified the suspect in custody as David Wright and said he would appear in a federal court on Wednesday.


Wright was arrested overnight after police and the FBI shot dead a 26-year-old terror suspect who allegedly closed in on officers while brandishing a military-style knife outside a pharmacy Tuesday. 
The Boston Globe newspaper reported that the two men had conspired to kill a police officer, citing two law enforcement officials.
“We believe the intent was to behead a police officer,” the newspaper quoted the officials as saying.
The New York Times said Usaama Rahim, who was shot dead by police and the FBI on Tuesday, had been planning to behead a police officer.

إعلان

The Times said the shooting was an “unexpected episode” in a larger terrorism investigation, with links to several people, and that Rahim had been radicalized by extremists on social media