Reporters Without Borders condemns the 11 April decision of a criminal court in Sanandaj, in Iran’s northwestern Kurdish region, to close the Kurdish-language daily Rouji Ha Lat for good on the grounds that it had received money from abroad. The court took the position that it broke the law by selling copies across the border in the Kurdish part of Iraq.

“It seems that any pretext will do in order to silence independent news media,” the press freedom organisation said. “The Iranian judicial system undermines its own credibility each time it hands down such absurd and iniquitous decisions. A total of 18 newspapers have been suspended since the start of the year in Iran, each time for obviously political reasons.”

The Sanandaj court ruled that, by selling copies in Iraqi Kurdistan, Rouji Ha Lat had acquired an “illegal” foreign source of income since, in Iran, the national news media are not allowed to receive foreign financial assistance.

Three of the newspaper’s journalists who had been charged with “activity against national security” - Farhad Aminpour, Reza Alipour and Saman Solimani - were fined 300,000 toumen (300 euros). They were detained for a month in 2006 before being freed on bail.

Meanwhile on 16 April, a Tehran court ordered the suspension of the newspaper Rah Ayandeh in response to a complaint brought by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Orientation’s press department. The newspaper’s next issue, its ninth, was to have been about Labour Day and the struggle of labour unions in Iran.

Finally, Reporters Without Borders hopes that the weekly Ashtai and the daily Rouzegar will soon be on sale again following court decisions in the past few days lifting the bans that had been placed on them.

On 3 April, the high court of justice overturned the decision of a Sanandaj court on 3 December to order the definitive closure of Ashtai, which had been suspended since August 2005. And on 5 April, a Tehran court rehabilitated Rouzegar, which was suspended by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Orientation on 20 October 2006 for violating its restricted licence by covering political matters.

Kurdish alliance in the Iraqi national assembly will not give up the post of foreign ministry and the KRG reshuffle has not been resolved yet but negotiations are still underway, head of foreign relations office in the Kurdistan region government said in a statement to Sharq al awsat newspaper.

Falah Mustafa, head of foreign relations said the visit of Kurdistan region delegation discussions with the federal government last week over the suspended issues between the Baghdad and Erbil went on in a positive and friendly atmosphere, confirming that for all the problems the two sides had decided to refer to Iraqi constitution.

"I can say the visit was successful" he said.

Concerning the Baghdad government reshuffle, the Kurdish official confirmed that Kurdish alliance would not give up foreign ministry, since it’s the Kurdish list right to have a leading ministry and "the ministry has served so much the political and diplomatic case in Iraq".

Also speaking about the Kurdish government reshuffles, Mustafa said: up to now, the parties have not forged an agreement about the new cabinet, but the negotiations are still underway.

Iraqi government spokesman says the government only targets those in the security crackdowns who break the laws and fight against it not any specific entity, a first formal reaction after the young Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr threatened declaring an open war with the government.

Government spokesman Ali al Dabagh claimed in a statement that the government dealt with all the parties and did not target any entity, asserting that the security operations was carried out only against those groups who threaten the Iraqi people security.

The young cleric Muqtada al Sadr issued a statement on Saturday threatening the government if the attacks on Mahdi militia did not stop the militia would deal with the government as Saddam's government and declare and open war against it.

Sadr pointed out in the statement that it was the last warning from him.

Al Dabagh explained in his statement that the government had no direct contact with the Sadr movement.

He also hailed Muqtada al Sadr's decision to halt militant activities of mahdi army militia, but repeated the call that the militia should be dissolved.
"The state cannot have two military forces; we cannot build the nation if every parliamentary have their military forces" he said.

Sadr movement has so far been defiant to dissolve Mahdi army militia and says dissolving the militia is linked to the withdrawal of U.S led coalition forces from the country.

Sadrists have 30 seats in the Iraqi national assembly, but their ar,ed branch is accused by U.S and Iraqi government of fomenting violence in the already instable country.

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's state-run news agency says four militants and one soldier were killed in clashes near the border with Armenia.

The Anatolia news agency says a soldier was also injured in Sunday's clash in Kars province.

The agency did not say which group the militants belonged to, but private broadcaster Haberturk says they were members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

The group operates mostly in southeast Turkey but is also active in other parts of the country.

The PKK — which launches attacks against targets in Turkey from bases in northern Iraq — has been fighting for Kurdish self-rule in Turkey's southeast since 1984. The fighting has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Agency

Security agreement between Iran and Turkey is in the stage of finalization.

Announcing this on Sunday, the deputy interior minister for security affairs stated that the agreement is ready to be signed by the two countries.

Abbas Mohtaj described his recent visit to Turkey as successful, adding that during the visit the security agreement was drawn up.

Referring to the upcoming nationwide run off parliamentary elections on April 25, Mohtaj further noted that full security has been established for the polls.

He added that as in the first round of the elections for the eighth parliament on March 14, the security forces are well prepared for the event.

IRNA

By AMIR SHAH
Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan police clashed with Iranian forces at the southwestern border between the two countries, leaving one civilian dead and two Iranian officers wounded, officials said Sunday.

The incident in the village of Pul-e-Abreshum in Nimroz province happened Saturday after an Iranian patrol entered Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Afghan police dispatched a unit to the village and a gunbattle ensued. A teacher from the village was killed during the firefight, said provincial police chief Gen. Ayub Badakhshi.

Two Iranian officers were wounded, the statement said.

The long and porous border between the two countries is used by smugglers to traffic drugs into Iran. Many Afghans also cross illegally into Iran from the area. Border clashes are common.

Separately, in eastern Kunar province, a rocket attack killed a 15-year old-boy and wounded five other children Sunday, said Abdul Sabur Allayar, the deputy provincial police chief.

He blamed "the enemies of Afghanistan" for the attack, which killed the children as they collected grass for their sheep in the provincial capital Asadabad.

More than 1,000 people, mostly militants, have died this year in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Afghan and Western officials. Many of those killed were civilians caught up in insurgent attacks.

NCRI- People took to the streets on Saturday to protest against detention of Mamousta Ayub Ganji, the Imam of Qaba Mosque, by the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) in the northwestern city of Sanandaj.
The participants demanded the immediate release of Ganji. The State Security Forces (SSF) -- mullahs' suppressive police -- cordoned the gathering fearing that the demonstration might get out of hand but people, in particular the youth, continued with their protest.

In a sermon on January 25, Ganji lashed out against the clerical regime for the death of a student from Sanandaj under torture. Subsequently, he was arrested and brutally tortured by the agents of the MOIS. Fearing widespread riot by the local residents over Ganji's detention, the MOIS released him briefly. However, he was detained for the second time.

A large number of youths participated in the demonstration outside Qaba Mosque, where Ganji preached, and it spread to other parts of Sanandaj.

The Iranian Resistance calls on the UN Secretary General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief and all international human rights organizations to condemn the mullahs' medieval regime and adopt necessary measures to secure Ganji's release.

NCRI - On April 18, two former students of Gachsaran University, a city in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran, will soon face gallows on the murder charges.

However, families of both young men, 26-year-old Mohammad Kishavarz and 25-year-old Hamid Nargose-Nejad, have good reasons to believe that their loved ones have been framed by the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). Both students are held in a prison in Yasuj the provincial capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad.

The families said that in a rear visit to the prison they were informed by their sons that they will soon be executed.

"Both students were very active in anti-government protests during the past year," said one of the family members.

Such conducts have not been isolated by the MOIS in the past in Iran. There have been many reported cases of the similar nature when political prisoners have been arrested on bogus charges.

NCRI- In the past few days, at least four prisoners lost their lives for not receiving proper medical attention at Dasgerd Prison in central city of Isfahan.
 
On Friday, the 35-year-old Ahmad Masali, after suffering from two days of severe pains died in the prison.  His requests for transfer to the prison’s clinic had been denied by the prison warden.

In a separate case, Morad Borak, 48, held in ward four of the prison since March, lost his life since he was on a two week hunger strike protesting to his torturing by the prison guards.

Iranian regime’s State Security Forces (SSF) –mullahs’ suppressive police-- had tortured him to obtain confessions for involvement in drug trafficking.
 
Under the mullahs’ rule in Iran, prisoners are in deplorable conditions.  Not only they are striped of their rights based on the international standards but also they are denied of adequate medical treatment which leads to loss of their lives while in detention.