Short news updates for Saturday, August 18, 2018. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the 27th day of Mordad 1397 here moment by moment.
Latest updates
22:57 27.5.1397 Long prison sentence issued for the manager of the Thamen al-Hojaj financial institution. Gholamhossein Esmaeili, head of the Tehran judiciary, announced on Saturday that a 'long-term' prison sentence has been issued for Abolfazl Mir Ali, the manager of the Thamen al-Hojaj financial institution and son-in-law of the former Friday prayer leader of Sabzevar. Mr. Esmaeili did not mention details of this sentence or the sentences of other defendants in the financial corruption case of this institution. Robabeh Ebrahimi, daughter of the former Friday prayer leader of Sabzevar and wife of Abolfazl Mir Ali, is another member of the board of directors of this institution and the second defendant in this case.
22:10 27.5.1397 Donald Trump, the President of the United States, accused social media of discrimination against Republicans and conservatives in a series of tweets on Saturday. In these tweets, without mentioning a specific social media platform, he stated that these platforms engage in censorship, but his administration will not allow this to continue. Trump's attacks on social media come two weeks after Facebook and YouTube removed pages related to Alex Jones, a radio show host and supporter of Trump. Twitter also suspended Jones's account this week for violating the platform's rules regarding violent threats.
15:44 27.5.1397 Marriage of a thousand girls under 18 in four months in Kurdistan province. Hossein Soumi, the head of the Civil Registration Office of Kurdistan, told ILNA news agency that in the first four months of this year, more than 4,500 marriages were registered in this province, of which 970 cases (equivalent to 21%) involved girls under 18 years old. According to Mr. Soumi, 36 cases also involved boys under 18 years old. Last month, during the review of the details of the 'Child Rights Protection' bill, provisions related to formalizing the minimum age of 18 for marriage and imposing penalties on parents who force their children to marry at younger ages were removed from this bill.
15:41 27.5.1397 The Supreme Court confirmed a five-year prison sentence for Mohammad Ali Taheri. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, lawyer for Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of the 'Ring of Gnosis' school, told ILNA news agency that the Supreme Court rejected his objection and confirmed the previous five-year prison sentence for his client. However, Mr. Alizadeh told ILNA that they hope Taheri will be released this week as he has served more than half of his sentence and is eligible for release. In Bahman 1390, the Revolutionary Court sentenced Mohammad Ali Taheri to five years in prison for what it called 'insulting sacred beliefs and making claims without any expertise and claiming inspiration and sharing this knowledge with others.' However, last September, the possibility of a death sentence for him was raised. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai also stated that due to Mr. Taheri's insistence and despite having served half of his sentence, he will request a retrial.
13:57 27.5.1397 Three protesting lawyers arrested in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. An informed source told Radio Farda that Ghasem Shole Saadi, a lawyer and political activist, along with Arash Kikhavari and Masoud Javadiyeh, were arrested on Saturday during a political protest in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran. Some Twitter users also confirmed this news by sharing a short video. Mr. Shole Saadi announced on Friday via a video that he would be present in front of the Assembly on Saturday. This lawyer stated that he was going to the Meydan-e Baharestan in protest against the supervisory oversight.
13:55 27.5.1397 In Iran, there are 2,300 news agencies. The official IRNA news agency quoted the director of press affairs in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance as saying that there are 2,300 news agencies in Iran, of which 1,000 are inactive. The existence of such a significant number of news agencies in the country comes while Iran has ranked very low in global press freedom rankings for several consecutive years. Iran has also been repeatedly referred to as one of the largest prisons for journalists. According to the press official of the Ministry of Culture, there are 7,000 printed publications [newspapers] in the country, of which 3,200 are 'active.' According to Mohammad Reza Darbandi, 'Out of the 3,800 active publications in the country, 300 are newspapers, 1,800 are weekly publications, and 1,900 are monthly publications.' He added: 'Moreover, 1,400 publication managers in the country are women, and 150 publications belong to the Sunni community.' In Khordad this year, Hassan Rouhani, the president, criticized the popularity of foreign media among the Iranian people and acknowledged that domestic media are not 'the reference' for the people and that 'in fewer places' is attention given to foreign media compared to Iran.
12:45 27.5.1397 Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, passed away. Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died on Saturday at the age of 80 due to illness. The French news agency reported the death of this prominent diplomat, citing Mr. Annan's foundation. Leading an independent inquiry into human rights violations against the Rohingya people in Myanmar was among Mr. Annan's last activities.
12:45 27.5.1397 Raid by intelligence agents on Nasrin Sotoudeh's home. Reza Khandan, the husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a jailed human rights activist, reported that intelligence agents raided her home and 'turned the entire house upside down.' Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch strongly criticized the recent ruling against Nasrin Sotoudeh, stating that such a ruling reflects the judiciary's approach in the Islamic Republic towards 'criminalizing' human rights activities. Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested on June 13, and according to her husband and lawyer, three new cases have been opened against her, one of which involves 'espionage' charges.
12:03 27.5.1397 Dust particle concentration in Zahedan reached 'eight times the permissible limit.' ISNA news agency quoted the head of the forecasting and rapid warning group of the meteorological organization of Sistan and Baluchestan province as saying that in the past 24 hours, the speed of the 120-day winds in Zahedan reached 97 kilometers per hour, causing the concentration of dust particles in the air of this city to reach eight times the permissible limit. Ali Malashahi further stated that in the cities of Zabol and Hirmand, the wind speed also reached about 70 kilometers per hour, with the intensity of dust in Zabol being higher than other areas in the north of the province, reducing horizontal visibility in this city to two thousand meters.
11:51 27.5.1397 Water storage in Tehran's dams decreased by 250 million cubic meters. The Ministry of Energy announced that the volume of water stored in the five dams of Tehran province at the end of August is 742 million cubic meters, indicating a decrease of 250 million cubic meters compared to the previous water year. An examination of the latest status of water resources in Tehran province indicates a 22% decrease in rainfall compared to last year. The amount of precipitation in Tehran province since the beginning of the water year (beginning of Mehr 96) has reached 252 millimeters, which shows an 8% decrease compared to the long-term average.