39,000 Deaths Over 10 Years Due to Substance Abuse

The newspaper Shargh published a report on Hassan Rouhani's trip to Qom, referring to the city as "the religious capital of Iran" and emphasizing that the President's goal for this trip is to garner the support of clerics for the policies of the eleventh government. The newspaper Farhikhtegan highlighted statements from the commander of the Cyber Police of the Law Enforcement Force regarding the arrest of "20,000" individuals on charges of "cyber crimes in 4 years," quoting Kamal Hadianfar, who stated that three percent of "cyber crimes" in Iran are "political and security-related." The newspaper Etemad reported on a plan by government critics in the parliament to impeach five ministers. According to this newspaper, discussions about the impeachment of five ministers—those of Culture, Interior, Oil, Education, and Labor and Social Welfare—were simultaneously raised in the Baharestan hall on Tuesday. The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz reported, citing forensic statistics from Iran, that over 39,000 Iranians have lost their lives due to "substance abuse" over the past decade. The newspaper Shahre Vahdat published statements from Mahmoud Hojjati, the Minister of Agriculture, regarding the rising price of chicken, stating: "Mahmoud Hojjati has joined the ranks of those boycotting overpriced sellers" and advised the public not to buy expensive chicken. This newspaper also reported that Mahmoud Nowabi, the Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade and head of the Organization for the Protection of Producers and Consumers, believes that "at least regarding the price increase of chicken, the reason for the rise is the Minister of Agriculture himself." Mahmoud Nowabi emphasized that "people must accept some price increases," telling Shahre Vahdat: "People should not expect prices to remain stable in a competitive area." The newspaper Kayhan criticized Hassan Rouhani's statements about reaching a "zero" inflation rate in Bahman (February) in its editorial titled "Miracle Worker," sarcastically writing: "If we have succeeded in reducing inflation amid the harshest oppressive sanctions and during the intense sabotage of our enemies in selling oil and the unprecedented drop in its price, there would be no problem left to resolve in lengthy meetings with America." Meanwhile, the newspaper Etemad reported on its front page titled "Details of Zero Inflation" that Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president, referred to new criticisms of the government as "ignorance in the economic field" and stated: "We must explain that inflation is announced in three forms; one is the annual inflation, which is 15.7 percent, the second is the monthly inflation, which was announced as zero for Bahman, and the third is the point inflation, which is about 14.4 percent." The newspaper Qanoon focused on statements by Hadi Sadeqi, the cultural deputy of the judiciary, regarding the cases of Mohammad Reza Rahimi and Mehdi Hashemi, quoting him as saying: "Rahimi is among the violators who are considered insiders." According to this newspaper, Hadi Sadeqi stated regarding the conviction of Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first vice president under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that "the actions taken are very valuable because this individual was one of the high-ranking officials in the executive apparatus and had a significant service record. Also, this individual is categorized as an insider politically, and we still consider him an insider, but a violating insider." He added, "We are grateful that the violating individual is serving his punishment, but we wish that a devout person committed to ethics and values would not have violated." The newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, dedicated its front page to Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and quoted the cultural deputy of the judiciary as saying: "The case of M-H has 12 very serious charges." According to this newspaper, Hadi Sadeqi stated: "It is expected that both authority and justice will be executed in this case, but sometimes we see in the media that only one aspect of the issue is observed because some seek authority and do not care about justice, believing that this person should have a heavy sentence, claiming that if Mohammad Reza Rahimi was sentenced to 15 years in prison, this individual should receive a 150-year sentence, which has no legal, rational, or political logic." The newspaper Mardomsalari reported on its front page that the head of the Management and Planning Organization announced that "gasoline will not become more expensive in 94 (2015)." This newspaper quoted Mohammad Baqer Nobakht regarding the parliament's decision to increase the price of petroleum products by 5 percent in 93 (2014), stating: "This 5 percent has always been in the budget law, and now what is being implemented is the same subsidized gasoline at 700 tomans and non-subsidized at 1000 tomans; in fact, 5 percent is deducted and given to the Ministry of Oil," and "there is no need to increase the prices of energy carriers." The newspaper Kayhan quoted Ahmad Salek, the head of the Cultural Commission of the Ninth Parliament, accusing the newspaper Etemad of "insulting Imam Hussein," stating: "If the Ministry of Culture does not deal with the newspaper Etemad, we will deal with [Ali] Jannati." Meanwhile, Elias Hasrati, the managing director of Etemad, in the editorial of the Thursday issue of Etemad, rejected the accusation of insulting the newspaper to Imam Hussein, attributing it to a "misunderstanding." The managing director of Etemad emphasized the "love and belief in Islam and the Imam of Shia," rejecting this accusation from Ebrahim Asgharzadeh and also from the reporters of Etemad, noting that "in an interview dated February 22, 2015, published in Etemad with Mr. Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, it seems that a misunderstanding arose for some of our dear well-wishers regarding the question posed by the reporter." He wrote: "If the type of the reporter's question created suspicion and concern for the dear ones and lovers of the path of Imam Hussein, I feel it is my duty to apologize and to be more careful in publishing news and interviews." This newspaper also quoted Gholamali Haddad Adel, a principlist member of parliament and former head of the Cultural Commission, stating: "The article in Etemad was not an insult to the sacred." Hassan Rouhani's trip to Qom was aimed at garnering support from clerics. The newspaper Shargh published a report on Hassan Rouhani's trip to Qom, emphasizing that the President's goal for this trip is to garner the support of clerics for the policies of the eleventh government. According to this newspaper, Qom, as the fourteenth destination of the President's provincial trips, hosted Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, March 6, and many experts have assessed the effects of this trip at the national level, considering its results important for the continuation of the government's path. The President of the eleventh government "has set out for this city to remove obstacles in the domestic and foreign policy arena and to resolve some misunderstandings in his cultural policies." The newspaper Shargh recalled that the performance of the eleventh cabinet shows that Hassan Rouhani "hopes for the cooperation of scholars in solving the country's problems, as since the government came to power, on average, one cabinet member has traveled to Qom each month, and efforts have been made to reduce the distance that has arisen between the government and scholars." This newspaper pointed out that during the 18 months of the eleventh government's existence, sometimes high-ranking clerics based in Qom have raised criticisms regarding some of the government's actions; criticisms that have intensified in recent weeks, particularly directed at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which is headed by Ali Jannati, the son of the Secretary of the Guardian Council. Shargh reviewed the criticisms of Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani, Naser Makarem Shirazi, Hossein Noori Hamadani, and Mohammad Ali Alavi Gorgani regarding the policies of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, noting that the reactions of these clerics "occurred after the news of issuing permits for female solo singing in this ministry was published," but Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, did not leave these reactions unanswered, stating that "so far, no album featuring female solo singing has received a permit, and whether solo singing is forbidden or permissible is another discussion that should be addressed in its own context." This newspaper also referred to another part of Ali Jannati's responses to the criticisms of some clerics based in Qom, stating that the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance responded to these criticisms by saying: "A current is trying to threaten with forgery and distortion of issues. For instance, they say that Colonel Dowlatabadi's book has received a permit when it has not, or in the cinema sector, they claim that a certain film has received a permit and has been screened, while we are aware of which films are screened and which are not. In the theater and music sectors, all ethical and religious standards are controlled and enforced, and only after that are permits issued. Despite all these statements, we see that the field of forgery, lies, and rumor-making is open." The newspaper Shargh also reminded that "Qom is known as the religious capital of Iran; this is because the largest seminary in the country and the center for managing the seminaries of Iran are located in this city. Additionally, the secretariat of the Assembly of Experts is located in Qom," and this city is considered the second pilgrimage city in Iran after Mashhad; a city that, due to its significance, has recently been upgraded to a province, and "has always been of high importance for Iranian statesmen in political and cultural arenas, to the extent that it seems that in order to become a province, five other counties have been annexed to it." The statistical record of the Cyber Police; arrest of 20,000 individuals over four years. The newspaper Farhikhtegan focused on the statements of the commander of the Cyber Police of the Law Enforcement Force regarding the arrest of "20,000" individuals on charges of "cyber crimes in 4 years," quoting Kamal Hadianfar, who stated that three percent of "cyber crimes" in Iran are "political and security-related." According to this newspaper, Kamal Hadianfar, the head of the Cyber Production and Information Exchange Police, stated on Tuesday that "32,000 cyber crime cases have been examined since the establishment of the Cyber Police," saying, "27,000 cases were discovered, and during this time, 20,000 cyber criminals were arrested by the police." Hadianfar noted that "the detection power of the Cyber Police in cyber crimes has been around 83 percent," stating, "This year we achieved a 92 percent detection rate for crimes in cyberspace." The head of the Cyber Police also mentioned the "causes and motivations of cyber crimes in Iran," stating: "81 percent of the causes are financial crimes, 12 percent are immoral, 3 percent are political-security, and 2 percent are for entertainment." Farnaz Estad Noubari, a reporter for Farhikhtegan, wrote: "Since 2010, when the Cyber Police began operating to combat cyber crimes, four years have passed, and now Kamal Hadianfar states that "32,000 cyber crime cases have been opened, and among them, 27,000 cases have been discovered." The newspaper Farhikhtegan emphasized that "90 percent of cyber crime cases are fraud," stating that Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, the commander of the Law Enforcement Force, said on Tuesday at the inauguration of the new Cyber Police building that "through the Cyber Police, we can prevent fraud that many of which occur through the misuse of people's photos, as frauds are either financially motivated or non-financially motivated, and many individuals extort others using cyberspace. The Cyber Police is working to prevent any kind of fraud and abuse using modern technologies." Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam also stated: "95 percent of the actions of the Cyber Police are in favor of the people, and the remaining five percent indirectly benefit the people. We protect people's property and information in cyberspace, and the Law Enforcement Force safeguards the people's possessions with information oversight; this work is to prevent the actions of traffickers and criminals and does not mean controlling the people." However, media and cyberspace expert Javad Oftadeh emphasized that "people's media literacy must be improved," telling Farhikhtegan: "In many places, even in the national media, it is not easy to mention the names of some filtered sites, or for example, in a program where an internet expert answers people's questions, it is not possible to talk about a site like Facebook. Therefore, this issue leads to users' ignorance of this space, and in this way, the spaces that should exist for public awareness are gradually diminishing." This media and cyberspace expert also stated: "Today's user is no longer caught up in filtering, and we now see that despite the existing filters, these social networks have many users who are using them daily, and these filters only create a business for those who sell VPNs." Design of impeachment for five ministers in parliament. The newspaper Etemad reported on the plan by government critics in parliament to impeach five ministers. This newspaper noted that "the barrier of the presidency remains firm, but the pressure for impeachment proposals behind this barrier has increased," writing: "These days, five new impeachment proposals are being circulated among representatives; proposals that are not all serious. However, a small indication from the presidency to announce the receipt of some of these proposals is enough for one or two cabinet ministers to enter a life-and-death game. A game that, although not yet initiated, already shows the upper hand of the critical faction in it; including for the ministers of energy and education." Ehsan Badaghi, a reporter for Etemad, wrote: "On Tuesday, discussions about the impeachment of five ministers were simultaneously raised in the Baharestan hall; the ministers of Culture, Interior, Oil, Education, and Labor and Social Welfare," while "a week prior, Behrouz Namati, the spokesperson for the presidency, had announced that a proposal for the impeachment of the Minister of Energy had been prepared, which he himself was also one of its signatories.