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Reporters Without Borders protests warrant for newspaper editor
Reporters Without Borders yesterday issued a statement condemning a warrant issued for the arrest of Mohammad Javad Haqshenas on Tuesday. Haqshenas is the managing director of the reformist newspaper, E’temad-e Melli. They called the warrant another example illustrating the tightening of press freedom in Iran and stated, “The room for freedom in Iran … continues to get smaller by the day and the president is increasingly being regarded as untouchable.”
The warrant for Haqshenas’ arrest was issued after the publication of an article in the newspaper that was critical of statements made by President Ahmadinejad in which he suggested he was being supported by the Hidden Imam.
Iran says 4 prisoners in Israel are still alive
Iran’s embassy in Lebanon said Thursday that four Iranians, kidnapped during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, are still alive and being held by Israel.
Mojtaba Ferdowsi, charge d’affaires at the embassy, called for the prisoners’ release during a news conference in Beirut.
The embassy’s statement follows the Wednesday statement made by the leader of Lebanon’s Shi’ite Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, saying that his group was seeking information on the fate of the four Iranians. He added that a UN-appointed German mediator should soon receive a final report from the Israelis on the case.
Three hung for murder in Tehran’s Evin Prison
Asr-e Iran News website reports that Iran executed three convicted murderers yesterday morning in the yard of Tehran’s Evin prison.
According to the report, 33-year-old Ramin had been found guilty of stabbing to death a 33-year-old driver in Tehran.
Hamidreza, 29, was hanged for stabbing to death a 21-year old man, and a finally 25-year-old shepherd named Naqibollah, convicted of murder after killing his friend.
According to an Amnesty International count, the three executions bring the total in the Islamic Republic to 117 this year.
“New Trend” in Nuclear Talks
The United States said yesterday that Iran needs to follow through on positive words with positive actions after Iran’s foreign minister said that he saw “a new trend” in nuclear negotiations with the six major powers.
“While these are positive words, we have not seen a history of their following through with any positive words,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack.”
His comments followed earlier statements by Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, who said saying Tehran is studying a P5+1 package of incentives meant to persuade it to suspend uranium enrichment in a “constructive” manner, and will give a response “very soon.”
