Saturday, 2 January 2016
Iran regime plans to forcibly turn Tehran church grounds into mosque
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| church-iran |
Authorities in Tehran are planning to transform
illegally-confiscated church grounds into an ‘Islamic prayer center.’
The land belonging to the Iranian Assyrian community’s Chaldean
Catholic Church in Tehran’s Patrice Lumumba Street (in Western Tehran) was
illegally confiscated two years ago under the pretext of constructing an
Islamic prayer hall and the authorities have refused to hand it back, a member
of the regime's Majlis (Parliament) was quoted as saying by the state-run
newspaper Sharq on Wednesday, December 30.
Repeated complaints about the illegal confiscation of the church
grounds have fallen on deaf ears despite repeated pleas by the representatives
of the Christian minority, said Jonathan Bet-Kelia, a member of the regime’s
Majlis.
Bet-Kelia told Sharq that he had approached Ali Younesi, special
assistant to the regime's President Hassan Rouhani on ethnic minorities
affairs, on this matter but was told that nothing could be done about it.
Younesi is a former Minister of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and is
personally responsible for ordering numerous arrests and assassinations of
dissidents.
Commenting on the regime's admission that it had usurped church
grounds to build its own prayer hall, Ali Safavi of the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said: “The
brazen admission displays first and foremost the discriminatory and sectarian
policies of the regime vis-à-vis Iran’s religious minorities. At the same time,
it speaks to the failure of Western policy to accommodate the regime in the
futile hope that it will promote moderation and tolerance on the domestic
front.”
Friday, 1 January 2016
Aylan Kurdi’s relatives arrive in Canada to start all over again
 |
| Aylan Kurdi’s |
Montreal, AFP, 29 December 2015 - Relatives of Aylan Kurdi -- the toddler whose lifeless body was washed ashore on a Turkish beach and has become a heartbreaking symbol of the Syrian refugee crisis -- arrived Monday in Canada where they hope to rebuild their shattered lives.
Canadian media showed the boy’s aunt Tima Kurdi, who now lives in Vancouver after emigrating to Canada in 1992, in tears as she welcomed her brother Mohammed, his wife Ghousun and their three children, at the airport.
Tima Kurdi, from Canada, stands next to a painting of her late nephew, Aylan on a board outside of EU headquarters in Brussels
'Thank you to the Canadian people,' Kurdi said.
'Thank you to our Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau for opening the door and showing the world how everyone should welcome refugees and save lives. Thank you very much for doing this.'
The refugee policy became a political issue some months back, when the Canadian government earlier was accused of refusing asylum to some members of the family who since drowned. Ottawa said it never received the applications.
Abdullah Kurdi, 40, father of Syrian boys Aylan, 3, and Galip, 5,
Trudeau’s Liberal government has pledged to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February.
The prime minister earlier this month personally welcomed the first group to arrive at the Toronto airport aboard a military transport plane.
Syrian refugees are greeted by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on their arrival from Beirut at the Toronto Pearson International Airport
Happy New Year!
Hope
2016 brings us Peace & Success in defeating extremism in D World specially
in #Iran and #Syria.
#HappyNewYear
Wishing everyone happiness. Hope 2016 will end evils of war, Islamic extremism,
so peace & freedom heralds in #Iran and the ME.
Happy
2016
Year
of victory of democracy& #Humanrights over fundamentalism under Dname of
Islam&its epicenter.
U.S. House Republicans want panel to investigate Iran deal - The Hill
 |
| capitol_hill |
Some
two dozen Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives want to
create a Congressional committee to provide oversight of the Iran nuclear deal,
The Hill reported on Thursday.
Rep.
Todd Young (R-Ind.) has introduced legislation to create the Select Committee
on Oversight of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after lawmakers
were unable to block the agreement earlier this year despite opposition from
majorities in both chambers.
"We cannot lose
sight of the threat posed by a nuclear Iran, which is why we need an oversight
body in the House that can mimic this role and sound the alarm when Iran cheats
the deal," Young, who is running to succeed retiring Sen. Dan Coats
(R-Ind.), said in a statement.
The
committee would be able to investigate compliance of the nuclear deal and give
an annual report that would include any enrichment activities, uranium
stockpile levels, the oversight of the deal by the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) and sanctions compliance, The Hill reported.
The
move comes as the deal heads toward implementation day, when sanctions against
Iran's regime will be lifted. While U.S. officials have suggested that
implementation day likely won't occur until mid-2016, the Iranian regime's
officials have suggested it could happen in January.
Young
added that the House committee, which would be able to subpoena administration
officials, would help keep members informed and prepare lawmakers with
potential next steps if Tehran violates the agreement.
The
House committee would also look into research and development of the Iranian
regime's missile program and any attempts by Tehran to buy conventional weapons.
Recent
ballistic missile tests by Iran's regime have drawn frustration from lawmakers
in both parties. The administration is expected to announce new sanctions
against companies and individuals involved in missile development.
Iran regime refusing to hold my daughter’s court hearings, mother says
 |
| Atena Daemi |
The
mother of civil activist Atena Daemi, sentenced to 14 years behind bars, said
nearly 8 months have passed since this ruling was issued for her daughter yet
the appeals court hearings have not been held.
In
response to their follow-ups, regime officials have been postponing the court
hearing date one week at a time.
“Atena has suffered severe headaches and serious vision loss since
she was detained in solitary confinement. Despite the fact that she was sent to
a brain-nerve-eye specialist the reason behind her illness was not revealed.
However, physicians have said stressful conditions in prison are very dangerous
for Atena. Her lawyer and us have time and again requested her release on bail
but every time they turn down our request,” said Masoume Ne’mati.
Atena
Daemi is a civil and children’s rights activist arrested on October 21, 2014 by
the Revolutionary Guards intelligence organization and transferred to Evin
Prisonon
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