Latest report on Iran regime’s involvement and casualties in Syria

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Iranian regime in quagmire of war with Syrian people; extensive casualties of IRGC and its mercenaries

5000   revolutionaryguards, elements of Hezbollah, thousands of Iraqi hirelings, and thousands of Afghan and Pakistani mercenaries in Syria

Names of 16 IRGC brigadier generals killed in Syria so far

NCRI - Pursuant to the November 28 statement by the NCRI Security and Anti-terrorism Committee about Qassem Soleimani, the criminal Commander of the terrorist Qods Force (QF), getting wounded in Syria, the following supplementary information from inside the revolutionary guards (IRGC) about the presence of IRGC forces or other Iranian regime’s mercenaries in Syria and the casualties that they constantly suffer is worth noting:

-Following its consecutive defeats in Syria that escalated in winter of 2014, the Iranian regime sought Russian assistance to advance under the umbrella of Russian aerial bombardment with its revolutionary guards, the Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, Afghan and Pakistani mercenaries, and the remainder of Assad’s army. However, two months into some of the most intense bombings where thousands of civilians have been killed, the regime has little to show for it, plus it has been dealt serious defeats in some areas forcing it to retreat.

- The foremost objective of the IRGC was to conquer the liberated sections of Aleppo. Qassem Soleimani personally oversaw the criminal operations south of Aleppo. In the first days of Russian attacks, he had told the IRGC that if you do not allow the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to occupy further areas, the other forces will conquer Aleppo in three days. The first stage of the plan was to overrun the Damascus-Aleppo Highway, but the IRGC was forced to retreat from after suffering heavy casualties. Just in one of the villages of that area, fifteen revolutionary guards lost their lives in the recent days. At this front, in addition to the IRGC, there are Hezbollah elements and Iraqi and Afghan mercenaries.

-Due to the importance of Latakia to the Assad regime and Russia, there are IRGC forces stationed there to take the northern suburbs of Latakia that have been liberated in order to prevent Latakia’s fall. In the recent days, along with intense Russian bombings, the revolutionary guards and the Assad army staged intense attacks to the liberated areas, but were defeated. In addition to Aleppo and Latakia, the IRGC and its mercenaries are also present around Damascus, Dara and Idlib. Among their priorities is to stop FSA advance to Damascus.

The IRGC is mostly fighting the FSA and Jaish al-Fatah and the forces associated with it and they are not present in regions where they could come into contact with ISIS. Qassem Soleimani has clearly spelled out to the revolutionary guards that the forces they confront are the FSA and not ISIS.

- Beside Qassem Soleimani, in the recent months, the clerical regime has dispatched some of the highest ranking QF and IRGC commanders to Syria. Some of these commanders are:

The daughter of an Iranian political prisoner warns of a looming Threat to her father

Hejrat Moezi and her father, political prisoner, Ali Moezi

'My father is a political prisoner facing an imminent threat to his life in prison in Iran'

 Describing a person’s life is never easy, especially when that person is someone you cherish. Ali Moezi is my father, he is a political prisoner in Iran, and I fear losing him with each passing second, Hijrat Moezi wrote as it published in World Post

Before I was even born, my father experienced the mullah’s prisons. In 1980, when the theocratic dictatorship took control of Iran, my father was arrested and tortured. He had been among those who stood in opposition to their tyrannical rule, and paid the price with several years of torture in the regime’s prisons.

My father was educated at the University of Karaj in agricultural engineering, and could have worked towards building up his homeland; Instead, he has spent years, off and on, behind bars. The theocracy has made it such that everyone finds himself leading a life unsuitable to their vocation: our scholars rest imprisoned while thieves and criminals are in government.

I recall asking him, when I was a child,What happened to your knee?’ to which he responded, 'it was hit by a bullet.' Only when I was older did I learn that he participated in peaceful demonstrations in Tehran in June1981and during his escape, he was shot and then subjected to hours of painstaking torture.At the time, my father would have been the same age I am now, 26The whip marks left by his torturers can still be seen on the soles of his feet and his back.

Throughout my childhood, the thought of my parents’ arrest was my greatest nightmare. But one day, I myself decided to stand up against this government. I moved to Camp Ashraf and left my country for Iraq, where thousands of refugees and Iranian dissidents lived in a place that was our only hope for freedom. I remember, on my last day in Iran, looking into my father’s eyes and asking if I’d ever see him again...

Iran: Cartoonist and her lawyer on trial for “indecency” for shaking hands

Atena Farghdani

Satirical cartoonist Atena Farghadani and her lawyer will be on trial on the charge of “illegitimate sexual relations falling short of adultery” after they shook hands in their meeting.  Atena Farghadani and her lawyer Mohammad Moghimi may face up to 99 lashes if found guilty! 

Amnesty International believes Farghdani has been detained solely for exercising her right to freedom of expression. “It is clearly both absurd and a violation of the right to privacy to consider a man and a woman shaking hands as a criminal offence,” said Raha Bahreini, Amnesty International’s researcher.

“These charges are politically motivated and they are a blatant attempt by the Iranian authorities to harass Atena and hinder her lawyer’s work representing her. Instead of subjecting this young prisoner of conscience to further harassment and intimidation, the Iranian authorities must immediately and unconditionally drop these charges and free her.”

 Amnesty International has learnt that Atena Farghadani is going to tomorrow’s hearing without having secured a lawyer of her own choice and fears that she won’t receive a fair trial.

Atena Farghadani and Mohammad Moghimi were charged with “illegitimate sexual relations short of adultery” after they shook hands in prison after her trial on 13 June. Mr. Moghimi was arrested, and released three days later after he had paid a bail amounting to around $60,000.

In June, Atena Farghdani was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison for multiple offences including insulting MPs and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after publishing a series of satirical cartoons depicting legislators as monkeys, cows and other animals.

Her conviction also stemmed from her speaking out publicly on the rights of the families of victims of the massive crackdown following 2009 presidential elections in Iran.

(Amnesty International- October 2, 2015)

Iran: Criminal attacking woman with acid, is released on bail

SimaAfshar, 25, became victim of an acid attack in the Central Park of Dehdasht, in Kohgiluyeh (western Iran) on September 21, 2015.

Due to severity of injuries, she was taken to the special burns hospital in Ahwaz, but shortage of facilities and lack of proper care compelled Sima's brother to take her to Tehran for better treatment and surgery.

The woman who had splashed acid on Sima was released on bail, shortly afterwards, a measure that has outraged Sima's family. Her sister said in protest, "If law does not deal with this incident, such behavior will become institutionalized and the message to people is this: nothing can be done to counter acid attacks."

It should be noted that none of the criminals who previously carried out acid attacks on women have been arrested and punished so far. This time, the attacker is released, despite being identified and arrested. Apparently, the law enforcement authorities in Iran have not received instructions to punish these dangerous criminals who carry out one of the worst forms of violence against women.