Short news summary for Saturday, October 7, 1397. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the seventh day of Mehr 97 here moment by moment.
Latest updates: 22:28 7.7.1397 Request from 2222 doctors and civil activists for attention to Farhad Mithaemi's condition. Concurrently with reports about Farhad Mithaemi's poor physical condition, 2222 doctors and civil activists sent a letter to the Ministers of Culture and Health and the heads of the cultural and health commissions of the parliament requesting attention to his situation. The authors of this letter emphasized that this type of treatment towards Mr. Mithaemi is "not only unworthy of a teacher, a doctor, and a publisher" but also "unworthy of any opponent in a Shia country." This civil activist and 48-year-old doctor was arrested on the 9th of Mordad and has been on hunger strike since then in protest against his arrest and "unjust accusations," according to his mother. Sediqeh Pishnamaz, Mr. Mithaemi's mother, stated in an interview with Radio Farda that the reason for her son's arrest was having several badges that read "I protest against compulsory hijab." Meanwhile, Mohammad Moghimy, Mr. Mithaemi's lawyer, announced that his client's physical condition is "very alarming," his weight has dropped to 57 kg, and his blood pressure is 6/5 over 5. Reza Khandan, the husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, also reported from prison that Mr. Mithaemi was forcibly transferred to a room in the medical unit of Evin prison on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 4, but continues to "refuse to drink water, take medication, and receive IV fluids."
21:09 7.7.1397 Tehran Prosecutor: CEO of Sekeh Saman and his wife have fled. Abbas Jafari Dolat Abadi, the Tehran prosecutor, announced that the CEO of the Sekeh Saman Institute and his wife have left Iran, but "all of his accounts and assets," including "real estate and several luxury cars, have been seized." Previously, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, stated that 600 people have filed complaints in this case. ISNA news agency also previously reported that "according to unofficial information, there are three thousand investors and 15 trillion tomans of assets seized in the Sekeh Saman case."
19:28 7.7.1397 Iran's response to Adel al-Jubeir's statements at the UN. The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry reacted to the statements made by the Saudi Foreign Minister at the UN General Assembly regarding the "terrorist activities" of the Islamic Republic in the region, calling the country the "most notorious supporter of terrorism in the world." According to IRNA news agency, Bahram Qasemi emphasized that the "roots and origins of terrorism" in the world and the region "are nowhere but Saudi Arabia and the extremist thoughts that are promoted, propagated, and financed by this regime."
14:12 7.7.1397 Makarem Shirazi's attack on Sufism followers: Advertising these sects must be countered. Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a source of emulation in Qom, recently deemed Sufis and their beliefs as a "danger" and called for countering their propaganda in the country. The Shafaqna news website, which introduces itself as an "international platform for Shia news cooperation," quoted Makarem Shirazi saying that "Sufis are considered a danger both politically and religiously, and their propaganda must be countered in the country."
13:18 7.7.1397 1 million 400 thousand people in Iran are infected with hepatitis B. The head of the Hepatitis Network of Iran announced in an interview with Mehr news agency that 1 million 400 thousand people are infected with hepatitis B in Iran. According to Moayed Alavian, "1 million 400 thousand people are estimated to be infected with hepatitis in Iran. Most of the infected individuals live normally, and 60% of them are unknown until identified during check-ups and blood tests."
12:17 7.7.1397 Amal Clooney calls for Suu Kyi's intervention in the Reuters journalists' case. Amal Clooney, a human rights lawyer and wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, called on Myanmar's leader to intervene in the case of Reuters journalists to rectify this "injustice." According to Ms. Clooney, the key to the release of two Reuters journalists sentenced to prison in Myanmar lies in the hands of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the country. The two Reuters journalists were sentenced to seven years in prison this month for violating Myanmar's state secrets law while reporting on the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in the country. The announcement of their conviction has sparked ongoing international reactions and increased pressure on Aung San Suu Kyi.
10:26 7.7.1397 ISNA: "There are no bombs here in Torqozabad!" In response to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's remarks at the UN General Assembly about the existence of a secret warehouse in Torqozabad near Tehran, several media outlets and news agencies in Iran have visited this location. Among them, the ISNA news agency reported with a photographic report, including pictures of the site, stating: "Here in Torqozabad, there are no bombs!"
10:06 7.7.1397 "Negligence caused the Ahvaz terrorist incident." A week after the deadly incident in Ahvaz that left at least 24 victims, reactions from Islamic Republic officials continue. On Saturday, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament deemed "negligence" as the cause of this "terrorist" incident. Hashmatollah Falahatpisheh stated: "It is absolutely unacceptable that several terrorists used this negligence to shoot at the people, and on the other hand, the one behind the sniper rifle did not confront them and waited for his commander's order."
09:32 7.7.1397 The number of alcohol poisoning victims has reached 16. ISNA news agency reports from Bandar Abbas that the number of alcohol poisoning victims in this city has reached 16. In the past week, a total of 23 people in Iran have died for this reason. The director of public relations and international affairs of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences reported an increase in the number of patients visiting treatment centers due to alcohol poisoning in Bandar Abbas to 168. According to this official, eight people are also "in critical condition." Thus, the likelihood of this number increasing is also present. According to Fatemeh Noorouziyan, "So far, 90 of these [poisoned] individuals have undergone dialysis, and several others are waiting for dialysis."
01:47 7.7.1397 Murder of Iraqi model and social media star in Baghdad. Iraqi security officials announced that Tara Fares, an Iraqi model and social media star, was shot dead in Baghdad. According to a statement from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, Ms. Fares was killed on Thursday following multiple shots fired by two motorcyclists. Tara Fares, who was 22 years old, had high hopes in the Miss Iraq competition. She had previously been crowned Miss Baghdad. Following this incident, Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, ordered an investigation.