Iran Update
Volume: 2 - Issue:  9107 February 2011
Iran Update
Dear Friend,

We are delighted to present you with the current issue of Iran Update, a publication of International Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran (ISDCI).    

Concerns raised at the US Senate hearing about Camp Ashraf .

ISDCIRAN
07 Februaryr 2011
In a hearing at the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services on February 3, Mr. James Jeffrey, US Ambassador to Iraq, gave testimony on the US policy toward Iraq.

During the hearing, Senator John McCain raised concern about the plight of Camp Ashraf residents and said: "There is a place in Iraq that is inhabited by Iranian refugees called Camp Ashraf and it has been under the protection of American troops. I am concerned about the welfare and well-being and security of these people. I hope that we can address this issue in a way that would reassure them of America and Iraqi's government's commitment to their security

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Report: Iran executes 2 in torture deaths

(AP)
06 February 2011

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A pro-government web site says Iran has executed two prison officials convicted of the 2009 torture deaths of three anti-government protesters.

Sunday's report by the Khabarnameh Daneshjooyan web site says the executions were reported by Abdolhossein Rouhalamini, the father of one of the victims and a prominent conservative figure.

The torture deaths had sparked an outcry even among influential government supporters. The case drew some of the fiercest criticism against the government over its treatment of protesters in the turmoil following 2009's disputed presidential election.

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In Tehran, trial begins of Americans held as spies .
 
The New York Times   
06 February 2011

By WILLIAM YONG

Shane Bauer, left, and Josh Fattal attend their trail in Tehran Photo: AP

TEHRAN - The trial of the three American hikers accused of espionage and illegally entering Iran began behind closed doors on Sunday, and not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf, their lawyer said.

 

The lawyer, Masoud Shafiee, said that no decisions were rendered in the case and that the trial would continue at a date to be determined.

Only two of the Americans, Joshua F. Fattal and Shane M. Bauer, both 28, appeared in court on Sunday. The third American, Sarah E. Shourd, 32, who is Mr. Bauer's fiancée, was released on bail in September for medical reasons and returned to the United States. The three were arrested near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan in June 2009.

 

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Iran envoy summoned over hanged Dutch woman's burial


THE HAGUE (AFP)

07 February 2011

 The Netherlands said on Monday it had summoned Iran's ambassador in The Hague in protest against the hushed burial of a Dutch citizen, after she was executed by the regime in Tehran.

A foreign ministry spokesman said the Dutch ambassador to Tehran was also being brought back to The Hague for consultations after Zahra Bahrami was buried in the absence of her family who had wished to be present.

"We were taken aback by the manner in which Mrs Bahrami's remains were treated, and we want to protest the lack of respect shown to her family," the spokesman Bengt van Loosdrecht told AFP.

The Iranian ambassador, Kazem Gharib Abadi, was summoned to the Dutch foreign ministry in The Hague, where he met a senior official on Monday morning, said the spokesman.

"The meeting took place, and we relayed our message," Van Loosdrecht said, declining to go into further detail.

The Netherlands had also decided to consult its own ambassador, Cees Kole, on the matter. Kole would seek a meeting with Iran's foreign minister and report back in The Hague on Thursday.

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we need to find a solution to avert a humanitarian crisis of Camp Ashraf - Bill Richardson .

ISDCIRAN
05 February 2011

Former US Energy Secretary and Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Bill Richardson who was Governor of New Mexico until the beginning of this year addressed the 'International Conference on Camp Ashraf and Policy on Iran' in Brussels on January 25 underlining "the need to find a solution to avert a humanitarian crisis of Camp Ashraf." He emphasized that solution means more American security. Excerpts from his speech follow:

 

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, my thanks to Mrs. Rajavi, all of the organizers of the event. I want to also pay tribute to the European leaders that are here. Obviously the European Parliament, the EU, have been moving in the right direction, Struan, Dirk, Alejo. By the way, Alejo I noticed there are a lot of Spaniards here with the great standing ovation you got. You got it because of your actions. I want to also say to the audience that I don't expect a standing ovation after I speak because I'm going to say some things that you may not agree with. I think it's important that I [applause] Thank you very much. I want to talk about first the areas that I think we agree. And I'm going to try to give my perspective as a member of, an American former official. I've been governor in New Mexico for the last eight years. So I haven't been totally involved in foreign policy. I've been running a State. But previously I had quite a bit of foreign policy experience.

I want to just list the areas and I think there are five, where I sense common agreement, at least from my perspective.

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Thank you for your reading Iran Update. We welcome your comments. 
 
 
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ISDCI News Group
In This Issue
Concerns raised at the US Senate hearing about Camp Ashraf .
Report: Iran executes 2 in torture deaths
In Tehran, trial begins of Americans held as spies .
Iran envoy summoned over hanged Dutch woman's burial
we need to find a solution to avert a humanitarian crisis of Camp Ashraf - Bill Richardson .
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