Well-explained regarding each actor in the Iranian Regime and where they stand and their motivations. “The Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict and Its Implications for Iran,” Arvin Khoshnood and Ardavan Khoshnood, BESA, October 16, 2020.
They’re headed to Evin Prison for 44 months. “On October 15, the Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners reported that Shahla Jahanbin and Shahla Entesari, two female signatories to Khamenei’s resignation statement, were sentenced to four years and two months in prison with a two-year ban on membership in parties, political and social groups each, in October 2019 by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Iman Afshari.” See “Two Additional Women Summoned To Prison For Calling On Khamenei To Step Down,” Radio Farda, October 16, 2020.
Mohammadi served 8.5 years of a 10-year sentence before release—because she contracted Covid in prison.” See “UN Experts Welcome Iranian Human Rights Advocate’s Release,” Radio Farda, October 16, 2020.
“A new blow to Iran’s forgotten Jews,” Rafael Medoff, San Diego Jewish World, October 16, 2020.
“UN Secretary-General Decries Iran’s Human Rights Violations,” Radio Farda, October 16, 2020. “In his annual report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described “repeated and serious violations” of human rights in Iran as a “grave concern.” The report published on Wednesday was prepared for submission to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) two months ago. Guterres’s report, which covers the period from September 2018 to the summer of 2020, underlines “repeated serious violations” of human rights and “violent repression” of widespread protests in Iran.”
“Source: 2 Baha’i Women in Iran Report to Prison to Begin Sentences for Practicing Their Faith,” Michael Lipin and Ramin Haghjoo, VOA, October 16, 2020.
While so welcome, this move by the Guardian Council could clear the way instead for hardline women to run for president. The article below is the best written on this breaking news. “Iran’s all-male Guardian Council, after four decades of barring women from the presidency, has reversed course to allow women to run in 2021. The step has been largely welcomed as a positive sign by women’s rights advocates, although the constitutional watchdog tasked with overseeing Iran’s electoral process screens all candidates’ eligibility for elected government positions. In a press conference on October 10, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, the spokesperson of the ultra-conservative body, which operates under the aegis of the Supreme Leader, surprised reporters by saying there was no prohibition on women running for the presidency in next year’s elections. No explicit legal provision blocked women’s path to the presidency previously in Iran. Article 115 of the Islamic Republic Constitution stipulates that the president should be picked from among the country’s political and religious rijal who is a national of Iran, pledges allegiance to the principles of the Islamic Republic, enjoys a favorable public reputation and subscribes to the country’s official religion, Shia Islam. Originally an Arabic word, rijal literally means “men,” and the Guardian Council lawyers, for more than four decades, have taken the word at its face value in their exegesis of the constitution, denying women the right to become president. Critics of the council say rijal in the context of the constitution was meant to denote political and religious figures in general, not necessarily male personalities. Yet neither the constitution was ever amended to polish the cryptic wording, nor did the Guardian Council back away from its position disenfranchising women from assuming the highest elected office. Iranian women, however, are represented on other levels of public administration, including vice-presidency, cabinet ministers, ambassadors, MPs and provincial directors. The announcement by the powerful, rearguard council, marking a notable reversal in its hardline policies since 1979, is probably an appeal to Iranian women and youths on behalf of the establishment to reconcile them with the ballot box as more Iranians appear to be disillusioned with the political elites failing to handle the Covid-19 pandemic and a full-blown economic crisis exacerbated by merciless US sanctions. The February legislative elections recorded the lowest turnout of any elections since the 1979 revolution in Iran, causing authorities to fear that people were incensed at the government. The nationwide turnout was announced to be 43%, while in Tehran, only 22% of eligible voters cast their ballots. Now the leadership is hoping that the prospect of a woman being elected as the nation’s chief executive may inspire more Iranians to vote in next year’s polls, reinvigorating the state’s legitimacy. A lecturer in Islamic civilizations at Dublin’s Trinity College and expert on women studies said the announcement was a “welcome acknowledgment of gender equality.” “The Guardian Council’s announcement on women and presidential candidacy is as much political strategy as it is a substantial corrective to past injustice. Of course, women should be eligible to run in presidential elections in Iran and should have equal access to leadership positions on par with their male peers,” said Professor Roja Fazaeli. See “Iran clears path for women to run for president,” Kourosh Ziabari, Asia Times, October 16, 2020.