‎

‎Saman Rasoulpour

In Iran, the first week of 2008 began with an execution, gas disconnections in some ‎provinces and hopelessness regarding the freedom of student prisoners.‎

In Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, 8 people are hanged. Ms Rahele Zamani, is one of ‎those executed on charges of murdering her husband. She was almost hanged two weeks ‎earlier but escaped that fate when she was given 2 weeks to acquire the satisfaction of her ‎husband’s family members. She failed, and so was executed two weeks later.‎

Another 3 prisoners on the death row also were given the chance to pay blood money to ‎the family members of their victims, and thus escape death by pardon. At the same time, ‎Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of 21 year old ‘Mohammad and 20 year ‎old ‘Shayan’. The death sentence of another 23 year old man was to be executed on the ‎same day.‎

During the first week of 2008, the cold, and shortage of gas in the northern and Western ‎towns of Iran forces many schools to be shut. Many residents of these towns are ‎hospitalized because of the flue. The program of intensifying the security net ‎implemented in large cities continues. Hubble bubbles continue to be destroyed, and the ‎ban on wearing boots continues. But the government spokesman announces that the ‎administration has nothing to do with these plans, consequentially pointing the finger of ‎blame on the law enforcement agencies. The officials of the law enforcement officials on ‎the other hand expressly revealed of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s orders for ‎implementing this plan.‎

This is still the first week of 2008. In the northern port of Bandar Torkaman, a patrol boat ‎collides with a small local fishing boat, which kills Hessamaldin Khadivar. This leads to ‎a strong reaction by the residents of the region, which leads to clashes with the police, ‎where more people are arrested.‎

Students of Isfahan University who had been on a hunger strike end their strike after 8 ‎days after university officials intervene. The strikers demanded permission to restart the ‎activities of the Islamic Society, the student affairs council, and the suspension of the ‎decisions of the university’s disciplinary committee regarding a group of student ‎activists.‎

A month after the arrest of a large group of ‘leftist’ students, the first week of 2008 ‎witnessed the continuation of their detention despite the promises of government ‎authorities. Saeed Habibi, Behrouz Karimizadeh, Mehdi Gerayeloo, Ali Kolayi and ‎Nader Ahsani are five students who have not been allowed to contact their family ‎members since their arrest.‎

The family members of these detained students wrote this about their children: ‘A month ‎has passed. This was a month of difficulties and cold days in front of Evin prison, a ‎month with insults from prison guards and threats by interrogators, a month of empty ‎promises, nights of tears, cries and tears, We on this side of the wall, while our off ‎springs on the other. Our children in the dark and cold cells of solitary confinement. A ‎month of the same old stories of blindfolds, nightly interrogations, sleepless nights, ‎beatings, etc.’‎

Ehsan Mansuri, Majid Tavakoli and Ahmad Ghasaban were still in prison even though ‎their family members had submitted the necessary bail bonds to judiciary officials. ‎Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, the defense attorney for the 3 prisoners said this when his ‎clients were released: ‘This is a serious tragedy. Lawfulness and enlightenment call that ‎all operational division and judiciary agencies implement the decisions and rulings of the ‎judiciary.’‎

The weekly ‘Kereftoo’ published in the Kurdish town of Sanandaj loses its publication ‎licence. Officials cite the reason to be ‘irregular’ publication of the weekly. Behnoud ‎Shoshhali, an editorial board member of the magazine says the reason is the critical ‎reporting of the journal. Kaveh Javanmard, a reporter of the magazine, is moved from ‎Sanandaj to a prison in the town of Maraghe.‎

And finally, Hessam Firuzabad, who is prisoner Ahmadi Batebi’s physician, is ‎imprisoned on charges of publicity against the state by publicly publishing a letter about ‎the poor health of his patient during his days of incarceration.‎