Iran October 2005

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Iran October 2005 OCTOBER 2005 IRAN Home Office Science and Research Group COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE OCTOBER 2005 IRAN Country of Origin Information Reports (COI Reports) are produced by the Science & Research Group of the Home Office to provide caseworkers and others involved in processing asylum applications with accurate, balanced and up-to-date information about conditions in asylum seekers’ countries of origin. They contain general background information about the issues most commonly raised in asylum/human rights claims made in the UK. The reports are compiled from material produced by a wide range of recognised external information sources. They are not intended to be a detailed or comprehensive survey, nor do they contain Home Office opinion or policy. ii Disclaimer: “This country of origin information report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 1 July 2005. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents.” OCTOBER 2005 IRAN Contents Paragraphs 1. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT ...................................................................... 1.01 Advisory Panel on Country Information.......................................... 1.11 2. GEOGRAPHY.................................................................................... 2.01 3. ECONOMY........................................................................................ 3.01 Sanctions........................................................................................ 3.11 4. HISTORY.......................................................................................... 4.01 Pre 1979......................................................................................... 4.02 1979 to 1999 .................................................................................. 4.04 2000 to date ................................................................................... 4.12 Student unrest ................................................................................ 4.19 Parliamentary Elections February 2004 ......................................... 4.26 Presidential Elections June 2005 ................................................... 4.30 5. STATE STRUCTURES ........................................................................ 5.01 The Constitution........................................................................... 5.01 Citizenship and nationality.............................................................. 5.02 Political system ............................................................................ 5.05 Political parties............................................................................. 5.08 Judiciary ......................................................................................... 5.13 Juveniles in the justice system ....................................................... 5.33 Court documentation ...................................................................... 5.39 Legal rights and detention .......................................................... 5.41 Death penalty ................................................................................. 5.48 Stoning ........................................................................................... 5.52 Internal security............................................................................ 5.54 Composition of the security forces and their division of labour ...... 5.60 Prisons and prison conditions.................................................... 5.61 Military service ............................................................................. 5.69 Medical services........................................................................... 5.72 Drugs.............................................................................................. 5.73 Drug addiction ................................................................................ 5.74 Psychiatric treatment...................................................................... 5.77 HIV/AIDS ........................................................................................ 5.80 People with disabilities ................................................................... 5.84 Educational system...................................................................... 5.85 6. HUMAN RIGHTS................................................................................ 6.01 6. A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES .................................................................... 6.01 General........................................................................................... 6.01 Freedom of speech and the media ............................................. 6.15 Press law........................................................................................ 6.30 Internet and satellite ....................................................................... 6.43 Freedom of religion...................................................................... 6.54 Legal framework............................................................................. 6.62 Sunni Muslims ................................................................................ 6.64 Christians ....................................................................................... 6.66 Apostasy/conversions .................................................................... 6.69 Jews .............................................................................................. 6.74 Zoroastrians ................................................................................... 6.77 Sabeans (Mandeans) ..................................................................... 6.79 Baha’is............................................................................................ 6.80 Ahl-e Haq (Yaresan)....................................................................... 6.95 Freedom of assembly and association ...................................... 6.96 Disclaimer: “This country of origin information report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as iii at 31 August 2005. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents.” OCTOBER 2005 IRAN Employment rights....................................................................... 6.105 People trafficking ......................................................................... 6.109 Freedom of movement................................................................. 6.110 Refugees in Iran ........................................................................... 6.121 6. B HUMAN RIGHTS SPECIFIC GROUPS .................................................... 6.129 Ethnic minority groups ................................................................ 6.129 Kurds .............................................................................................. 6.130 Arabs .............................................................................................. 6.137 Baluchis.......................................................................................... 6.147 Azeris ............................................................................................. 6.151 Women .......................................................................................... 6.155 Honour killings................................................................................ 6.166 The Hijab ........................................................................................ 6.175 Marriage ......................................................................................... 6.178 Mehriyeh......................................................................................... 6.180 Divorce ........................................................................................... 6.182 Abortion .......................................................................................... 6.189 Children......................................................................................... 6.192 Child care arrangements ................................................................ 6.195 Homosexuals/transsexuals ......................................................... 6.199 Political dissent ............................................................................ 6.212 Mojahedin-e Khalq MEK/MKO or PMOI (Peoples Mojahedin of Iran) 6.218 Rastakhiz Party and Monarchists................................................... 6.224 Savak ............................................................................................. 6.227 Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI)........................................ 6.228 Komala ........................................................................................... 6.233 6. C HUMAN RIGHTS OTHER ISSUES ......................................................... 6.235 Adultery......................................................................................... 6.235 Illegal drugs situation .................................................................. 6.242 Exiles/dissidents outside Iran..................................................... 6.249 ANNEXES Annex A – Chronology of events Annex B – Political organisations Annex C – Prominent people Annex D – List of source material Return to Contents iv Disclaimer: “This country of origin information report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 31 August 2005. Older source material has been
Recommended publications
  • Biden, Congress Should Defend Missile Sanctions Imposed on Iran
    Research memo Biden, Congress Should Defend Missile Sanctions Imposed on Iran By Richard Goldberg, Matthew Zweig, Behnam Ben Taleblu, and Saeed Ghasseminejad April 27, 2021 Introduction During a March 2021 appearance before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged not to make any concessions to Iran regarding its missile program while persuading Tehran to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).1 Less than one month later, however, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price refused to rule out missile-sanctions relief as an inducement for the regime to rejoin the deal.2 Offering Iran missile-sanctions relief without first addressing the Islamic Republic’s robust missile program should be alarming to Congress. The JCPOA imposes no limits on Iran’s missile development and proliferation; instead, the deal schedules UN restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missiles to expire in 2023.3 During the years the United States participated in the JCPOA (2015 to 2018), Iran launched at least 27 ballistic missiles as part of tests or military operations.4 Last year, the clerical regime fired ballistic missiles at military bases in Iraq housing American personnel.5 Iran’s terrorist proxies use Iranian-supplied ballistic and cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to target and harass U.S. forces and allies across the Middle East. Between all of this and Tehran’s ambitions 1. Rachel Oswald, “Blinken tells House panel to expect firmness toward Iran, China,” MSN, March 10, 2021. (https://www.msn.com/ en-us/news/politics/blinken-tells-house-panel-to-expect-firmness-toward-iran-china/ar-BB1esGEX); U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • IRAN COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service
    IRAN COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service Date 28 June 2011 IRAN JUNE 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN IRAN FROM 14 MAY TO 21 JUNE Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON IRAN PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 14 MAY AND 21 JUNE Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.04 Iran ..................................................................................................................... 1.04 Tehran ................................................................................................................ 1.05 Calendar ................................................................................................................ 1.06 Public holidays ................................................................................................... 1.07 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Pre 1979: Rule of the Shah .................................................................................. 3.01 From 1979 to 1999: Islamic Revolution to first local government elections ... 3.04 From 2000 to 2008: Parliamentary elections
    [Show full text]
  • Supreme Leader Appoints Members for the New Term of the Expediency Council - 14 /Mar/ 2012
    Supreme Leader Appoints Members for the New Term of the Expediency Council - 14 /Mar/ 2012 In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful I am thankful to Allah the Exalted that with Allah’s grace, the Expediency Council managed to finish another 5-year term with an acceptable record and hopefully the outcomes and benefits of the legal measures of the council will produce good results in managerial areas of the country – the three branches of government, the Armed Forces and other organizations – and everybody will see the outcomes. I would like to thank all of the esteemed members, the chairman and the secretariat of the council and for the new 5-year term, I hereby assign the following legal and natural persons under the chairmanship of Hojjatoleslam wal- Muslemin Hashemi Rafsanjani: The legal persons are as follows: Heads of the three branches of government Jurisprudents of the Guardian Council The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council The minister or chairperson of the relevant organization The chairperson of the relevant parliamentary commissions The natural persons are as follows: Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mr. Hajj Sheikh Ahmad Jannati, Mr. Vaez Tabasi, Mr. Amini Najafabadi, Mr. Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Mr. Movahedi Kermani, Mr. Ali-Akbar Nategh-Nuri, Mr. Hajj Sheikh Hasan Sanei, Mr. Hasan Rouhani, Mr. Dorri Najafabadi, Mr. Gholam-Hossein Mohseni, Mr. Mahmoud Mohammadi Eraghi, Mr. Gholam-Reza Mesbahi Moghaddam, Mr. Majid Ansari, Mr. Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh, Mr. Ali Agha-Mohammadi, Mr. Mohammad-Javad Iravani, Mr. Mohammad-Reza Bahonar, Mr. Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Mr. Hasan Habibi, Page 1 / 2 Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Clinical Laboratory Doctors
    Laboratory & Diagnosis Official Journal of Iranian Association of Clinical Laboratory Doctors Editorial Manager: Dr. Mohammad Sahebalzamani, DCLS Editor in Chief: Dr. S. Mahdi Bolourchi, DCLS Editorial Board Members: Dr. Mohammad Reza Bakhtiari, DCLS, PhD Dr. Davood Behravan, DCLS Dr. S. Mahdi Bolourchi, DCLS Dr. Behzad Poopak, DCLS, PhD Dr. Majid Jalilzadeh Khoei, DCLS Dr. S. Mohammad Hasan Hashemimadani, DCLS Dr. Ali Sadeghitabar, DCLS Dr. Mohammad Sahebalzamani, DCLS Dr. Mohammad Javad Soltanpour, DCLS Executive Board Members: S. Farzaneh Bathaei Sara Tondro Abolfazl Yousefian Navid Ghahremani Tahereh Komasi Circulation: 3000 Copies Address: No.29, Ardeshir Alley, Hashtbehesht St., Golha Square, Fatemi Ave, Tehran 1414734711 – Iran. Telefax: (+98 21) 88970700 Laboratory & Diagnosis Vol.3, No14, Suplememt Issue Massage of Congress Chairman After several months passed over the 4th international and 9th national congress on quality improvement in clinical laboratories, also gaining valuable experiences and reviewing over benefits and disadvantaging points, now there is a new chance to pro- vide The 5th international & 10th national congress, and all these opportunities are available now because of GODs grace. Congress efforts are done to improve quality of laboratory services by providing appropriate environment for intellectual agreement, information exchange, presenting the results of different researches and sharing updated scientific information of Iranian and abroad professors, elites, colleagues. Extending and optimizing laboratory services in different branches of clinical laboratory sciences as desired of society requirement are the main objectives of congress. We hope all those who are involved in various fields of laboratory sciences either in Iran or abroad consider to take part in this splendid scientifically stage and give us this chance to take advantage of their knowledge and experiences.
    [Show full text]
  • Major General Hossein Salami: Commander-In-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps October 2020
    Major General Hossein Salami: Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps October 2020 1 Table of Contents Salami’s Early Years and the Iran-Iraq War ................................................................................................... 3 Salami’s Path to Power ................................................................................................................................. 4 Commander of the IRGC’s Air Force and Deputy Commander-in-Chief ....................................................... 5 Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC.................................................................................................................. 9 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 11 2 Major General Hossein Salami Major General Hossein Salami has risen through the ranks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since its inception after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. He served on the battlefield during the Iran-Iraq War, spent part of his career in the IRGC’s academic establishment, commanded its Air Force, served as its second-in-command, and finally was promoted to the top position as commander-in-chief in 2019. Salami, in addition to being an IRGC insider, is known for his speeches, which are full of fire and fury. It’s this bellicosity coupled with his devotion to Iran’s supreme leader that has fueled his rise. Salami’s Early Years and the Iran-Iraq War Hossein
    [Show full text]
  • Nuclear Proliferation Policy Debate a Discussion of Nuclear Technology’S Impact on Foreign Policy
    WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Nuclear Proliferation Policy Debate A Discussion of Nuclear Technology’s Impact on Foreign Policy Stephen Kressaty, Justin Torres, Mathew Skerritt 3/2/2012 1 Table of Contents Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Nuclear Proliferation in Iran ........................................................................................................................ 6 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Understanding Present Day Iran ............................................................................................................. 13 The Iranian People .................................................................................................................................. 19 Sponsored Terrorism............................................................................................................................... 25 Beyond Hezbollah ................................................................................................................................... 29 An Illicit Program ..................................................................................................................................... 34 A Possible Arms Race ............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Iran, Country Information
    Iran, Country Information COUNTRY ASSESSMENT - IRAN April 2003 Country Information and Policy Unit I SCOPE OF DOCUMENT II GEOGRAPHY III HISTORY IV STATE STRUCTURES VA HUMAN RIGHTS - OVERVIEW VB HUMAN RIGHTS - SPECIFIC GROUPS VC HUMAN RIGHTS - OTHER ISSUES ANNEX A - CHRONOLOGY ANNEX B - POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS ANNEX C - PROMINENT PEOPLE ANNEX D - REFERENCES TO SOURCE MATERIAL 1. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1. This assessment has been produced by the Country Information and Policy Unit, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Home Office, from information obtained from a wide variety of recognised sources. The document does not contain any Home Office opinion or policy. 1.2. The assessment has been prepared for background purposes for those involved in the asylum/human rights determination process. The information it contains is not exhaustive. It concentrates on the issues most commonly raised in asylum/human rights claims made in the United Kingdom. 1.3. The assessment is sourced throughout. It is intended to be used by caseworkers as a signpost to the source material, which has been made available to them. The vast majority of the source material is readily available in the public domain. 1.4. It is intended to revise the assessment on a six-monthly basis while the country remains within the top 35 asylum-seeker producing countries in the United Kingdom. 2. GEOGRAPHY 2.1. The Islamic Republic of Iran Persia until 1935 lies in western Asia, and is bounded on the north by the file:///V|/vll/country/uk_cntry_assess/apr2003/0403_Iran.htm[10/21/2014 9:57:59 AM] Iran, Country Information Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, by Turkey and Iraq to the west, by the Persian Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south, and by Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east.
    [Show full text]
  • Ahmadinezhad's Cabinet: Loyalists and Radicals
    PolicyWatch #1571 Ahmadinezhad's Cabinet: Loyalists and Radicals By Mehdi Khalaji August 21, 2009 On August 19, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad submitted his list of cabinet nominees to the Majlis (Iran's parliament). The president's choice of individuals clearly shows his preference for loyalty over efficiency, as he fired every minister who, while strongly supportive of him on most issues, opposed him recently on his controversial decision to appoint a family relative as first vice president. Ahmadinezhad's drive to install loyalists involves placing members of the military and intelligence community in the cabinet, as well as in other important government positions. Despite the president's positioning, Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, remains in firm control of the country's vital ministries. Cabinet Approval On August 23, the Majlis will either approve or challenge the president's cabinet appointments. Ahmadinezhad has a relatively free hand to choose the majority of cabinet seats, but the country's key ministries -- intelligence, interior, foreign affairs, defense, and culture and Islamic guidance -- are, in all practical terms, preapproved by Khamenei before the president submits their names. As such, the Majlis is all but guaranteed to accept these particular individuals. The president is also empowered to directly appoint the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security (SCNS) -- the individual responsible for Iran's nuclear dossier and negotiations -- but because this position is of particular importance to Khamanei, it also must be preapproved. Economic and Foreign Affairs Ahmadinezhad's nominations suggest that he is not bothered by the ongoing criticism of his foreign policy and economic agenda, since the ministers of foreign affairs, industries and mines, economic affairs, cooperatives, and roads and transport will remain unchanged.
    [Show full text]
  • Crown Biomass Relationships of Lebanon Oak in Northern Zagros Forests of Iran
    Original scietific paper – Izvorni znanstveni rad Crown Biomass Relationships of Lebanon Oak in Northern Zagros Forests of Iran Sheyda Khosravi, Manouchehr Namiranian, Hedayat Ghazanfari, Anoushirvan Shirvani Abstract – Nacrtak Allometric relationships for estimating the biomass of the crown of Lebanon oak (Quercus libani Oliv.) have been developed through using biometric parameters such as the diameter at breast height, tree height, crown length, and crown width. The study was conducted in Ar­ mardeh forests in Iran’s northern Zagros mountains; for a long time the local people have been pollarding the crown of oak trees in these forests for their traditional uses. After the local people entirely cut the crowns of 48 sample trees, the weight of the crowns and their constitut­ ing components (leaves and branches) were measured. The results showed that the amount of the crown biomass of Lebanon oak at the stand level is about 4.98±0.81 tons ha–1 (95% confi- dence interval), 79% of which are branches and the rest are leaves. All the equations, represent­ ing the relationships between biometric parameters and the biomass of the crown or its com­ 2 ponents, were highly significant p( <0.001), and the adjusted coefficient of determinationR ( adj) was in the range of 0.51–0.65. The most suitable relationship was a multiple regression between the crown width and the tree height, as independent variables, with the crown biomass, as the 2 dependent variable (Radj = 0.65). These relationships can be helpful for evaluating the crown biomass production of Lebanon oak, and can be useful for planning a sustainable forest man­ agement.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran COI Compilation September 2013
    Iran COI Compilation September 2013 ACCORD is co-funded by the European Refugee Fund, UNHCR and the Ministry of the Interior, Austria. Commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Division of International Protection. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author. ACCORD - Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation Iran COI Compilation September 2013 This report serves the specific purpose of collating legally relevant information on conditions in countries of origin pertinent to the assessment of claims for asylum. It is not intended to be a general report on human rights conditions. The report is prepared on the basis of publicly available information, studies and commentaries within a specified time frame. All sources are cited and fully referenced. This report is not, and does not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Every effort has been made to compile information from reliable sources; users should refer to the full text of documents cited and assess the credibility, relevance and timeliness of source material with reference to the specific research concerns arising from individual applications. © Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD An electronic version of this report is available on www.ecoi.net. Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD Wiedner Hauptstraße 32 A- 1040 Vienna, Austria Phone: +43 1 58 900 – 582 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.redcross.at/accord ACCORD is co-funded by the European Refugee Fund, UNHCR and the Ministry of the Interior, Austria.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran March 2009
    COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT IRAN 17 MARCH 2009 UK Border Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE IRAN 17 MARCH 2009 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN IRAN, FROM 2 FEBRUARY 2009 TO 16 MARCH 2009 REPORTS ON IRAN PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 2 FEBRUARY 2009 TO 16 MARCH 2009 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 1.01 Maps .............................................................................................. 1.03 Iran............................................................................................. 1.03 Tehran ....................................................................................... 1.04 2. ECONOMY ............................................................................................ 2.01 Sanctions ...................................................................................... 2.13 3. HISTORY ............................................................................................... 3.01 Calendar ........................................................................................ 3.02 Pre 1979......................................................................................... 3.03 1979 to 1999 .................................................................................. 3.05 2000 to date................................................................................... 3.16 Student unrest .............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Survey of Epidemiology and Bacteriology Features of Cholera In
    Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine (2010)45-47 45 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine journal homepage:www.elsevier.com/locate/apjtm Document heading Survey of epidemiology and bacteriology features of cholera in Iran Mohammad Rahbar1*, Mohsen Zahraei2, Aboulgasm Omidvarnia2, Mohammad Taqi Afshani2, Mostafa Glami1, Rogaeieh Sabourian1, Shahla Farsi1, Hosein gholami1, Saeid Mahdavi1 ,Parisa Islami3, Mona Mohammad Zadeh3, Massoud Hajia1, Azar Valipour1, Rana Amini1 1Department of Microbiology, Iranian Reference Health Laboratory, Hafez Street, Zartoshteian Ave, Keikhosrow Shahrookh Alley, No 48, Tehran, Iran 2Department of Food Borne Disease Control, Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Iran, Hefez Street, Tehran, Iran 3Department of Microbiology, Central Laboratory , Milad Hospital, Hemmat High Way Tehran, Iran ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Objective: Vibrio (V.) Article history: cholerae To determine epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibilityMethods: patterns of Received 18 June 2009 O1 biotype EL Tor in summer outbreak of 2008 in Iran. Stool samples were Received in revised form 19 July 2009 collected from patients suspected to have cholera admitted to hospitals and clinics. Specimens Accepted 16 August 2009 examined by conventional bacteriological methods. All isolates were sentResults: to cholera reference Available online 20 January 2010 laboratory for further confirmation, stereotyping and susceptibility testing. A total of 220 patients were diagnosed as cholera.V. cholerae All cases confirmed by Iranian reference health laboratory. One hundred ninety nine of 220 serotypes were Inaba and 21 serotypes were Ogawa. All Keywords: cases were reported from thirteen provinces. The majorities of cases were from Tehran, Qum and Zahedan provinces with 56, 26 and 25 cases respectively.
    [Show full text]