Iran news in brief, March 1, 2019

Iran news in brief, March 1, 2019

UN Publishes Amnesty's Call for Probe Into Iran's 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners

An investigation into a dossier of crimes committed by the Iranian dictators has been called for, as a result of a statement issued by Amnesty International and published by the United Nations General Assembly.

According to the statement, “Between late July and September 1988, the Iranian authorities forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed thousands of prisoners for their political opinions and dumped their bodies in unmarked individual and mass graves… Since then, the authorities have tormented the relatives by refusing to tell them when, how and why their loved ones were killed and by keeping their remains hidden. To reinforce secrecy, they have also destroyed mass grave sites and forbidden commemorations.”

The United Nations Human Rights Council should see into the impunity enjoyed by mullahs’ officials following this crime against humanity in Iran.

Young Iranian Woman Arrested For "Improper Hijab" Battered in Prison

According to a human rights group, a young woman who was arrested on the street for “improper hijab” was severely beaten and mistreated in a prison in northwestern Iran.

The website of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that 25-year-old Zahra was arrested on Sunday in a street in central Khoy in West Azerbaijan Province for not observing the mandatory hijab. She was then transferred to prison for arguing with the judge.

At 10pm on Tuesday night, when Zahra was helping another female inmate with her child, she was first verbally abused by a prison agent because she was making too much noise and “not observing the lights out”.

After arguments ensued between the two, other agents stepped in and severely beat Zahra. The human rights group said that the beatings were so violent that Zahra’s clothes ripped and her prosthetic leg came out. 

Asia's Iran Crude Oil Imports Dips to 2-Month Low in Jan; To Rebound in Feb

Asia's crude oil imports from Iran dipped in January to the lowest in two months after top buyers China and India slowed down purchases and as Japan recorded zero imports for a third month, government and trade data showed.

Asia's top four buyers of Iranian crude - China, India, Japan and South Korea - imported a total 710,699 barrels per day of crude from Iran in January, 49 percent lower than the same month in 2018, the data collated by Thomson Reuters showed. U.S. sanctions on Iran that took effect last November have severely reduced its exports to Asia even though Washington gave waivers to eight countries allowing them to import lower volumes of Iranian oil for six months.

8 Killed in Iran's Bus Accident Near Tehran

 At least eight people were killed in a passenger bus accident near Iran's capital Tehran on Friday morning, Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported.

The accident happened as the bus, moving from Iran's central Kerman city, turned over on Tehran-Qom highway, according to the report.

In the accident, 36 other passengers were injured.