Country of origin information report Iran January 2010

Amnesty International (AI) http://amnesty.org

Iran: Election contested, repression compounded, 10 December 2009 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/123/2009/en

Date accessed 10 December 2009
The preamble to the above AI report, accessed from the AI website on 10 December 2009, stated:
“During the widespread unrest that followed the contested election result in June 2009, thousands of people were arbitrarily arrested, dozens were killed on the streets or died in detention, and many said they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated. This report includes cases and moving testimonies of individuals whose rights were abused. It shows that the willingness of the authorities to resort to violence and arbitrary measures to stifle protest and dissent has continued long after the post-election protests subsided.”
House of Commons Library http://www.parliament.uk/

The Islamic Republic of Iran: An Introduction, 11 December 2009

http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2009/rp09-092.pdf

Date accessed: 13 January 2010
The introduction to the above report, accessed from the House of Commons Library website on 17 December 2009, stated:
“This paper provides an introduction to the Islamic Republic, its politics, economy, foreign and defence policies, and nuclear programme. It examines the governmental structure of the theocratic state, analyses the key personalities and forums of decision-making and assesses Iran’s policies at home and abroad.”
Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/en/home

World Report 2010: Iran, 20 January 2010

http://www.hrw.org/en/node/87713

Date accessed: 21 January 2010

The introduction to the above report, accessed from the Human Rights Watch website on 21 January 2010, stated:
“The 612-page report, the organization's 20th annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights trends in more than 90 nations and territories worldwide, reflecting the extensive investigative work carried out in 2009 by Human Rights Watch staff.”
Further recently published reports are also available on the UNHCR’s refworld database: www.unhcr.org/refworld; and the European Country of Origin Information Network database: http://www.ecoi.net/

Background information
Geography
1.01 Europa Worldonline, undated, accessed 3 November 2009, noted “The Islamic Republic of Iran lies in western Asia, bordered by Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the north, by Turkey and Iraq to the west, by the Persian (Arabian) Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south, and by Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east.” [1a] (Location, Climate, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital) It has an area of 1.6 million square km. (636,295 square miles). (US State Department (USSD) Background Note, September 2009) [4u] (Geography) “The climate is one of great extremes. Summer temperatures of more than 55°C (131°F) have been recorded, but in the winter the great altitude of much of the country results in temperatures of −18°C (0°F) and below.” (Europa, accessed 3 November 2009) [1a] (Location, Climate, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital) The capital city is Tehran, with an estimated population of 12 to 15 million. (FCO Country Profile – Iran, 7 May 2008) [26d] Other cities are Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz, Yazd and Qom. The total population of Iran is an estimated 65.8 million (2008 estimate). (USSD Background Note: Iran, September 2009) [4u] (People)
1.02 Europa Worldonline, accessed 3 November 2009 observed that: “The principal language is Farsi (Persian) spoken by about 50% of the population.” [1a] (Location, Climate, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital) Persian and Persian dialects are spoken by about fifty-eight per cent of the population. Twenty-six per cent of the population are Turkic-speaking, Kurdish nine per cent, Luri two per cent, Balochi one per cent, Arabic one per cent, Turkish one per cent and others two per cent. “Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, while about 9% belong to the Sunni branch. Non-Muslim minorities include Zoroastrians, Jews, Baha'is, and Christians.” (USSD Background Note, September 2009) [4u] (People)
1.03 Europa Worldonline, accessed 3 November 2009 observed that “The national flag (proportions four by seven) comprises three unequal horizontal stripes, of green, white and red, with the emblem of the Islamic Republic of Iran (the stylised word Allah) centrally positioned in red, and the inscription ‘Allaho Akbar’ (‘God is Great’) written 11 times each in white Kufic script on the red and green stripes.” [1a] (Location, Climate, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital)
For further details about ethnic and religious groups see Freedom of religion and Ethnic groups below
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Maps

Iran
1.04 Maps: http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/mideastr.pdf [10al]

http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/iran.pdf [10am]
Tehran
1.05 Map: http://mappery.com/searchmap.php?kw=&locLat=35.696216&locLong=51.422945&location=pocket+map+of+tehran [131]
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Calendar

1.06 The Iran Chamber Society, undated, accessed 6 February 2009, stated: “The Iranian calendar (also known as Persian calendar or the Jalali Calendar) is a solar calendar currently used in Iran and Afghanistan. It is observation-based, rather than rule-based, beginning each year on the vernal equinox as precisely determined by astronomical observations from Tehran.” [58a] “The Iranian year begins on March 21st, and contains 31 days in each of the first six months, 30 days in the next five months and 29 in the 12th month (30 in every fourth year). The system relates to the Prophet Mohammed’s flight from Mecca in 622 AD, but, unlike the Islamic calendar, follows solar years. The Gregorian equivalent can be found by adding 621 years to the Iranian date. The Iranian year 1388 began on March 21st 2009.” (Economist Intelligence Unit Country Report, September 2009) [24a] (p23)
To convert dates between the Iranian and the Gregorian calendar, please follow the link provided:

http://www.iranchamber.com/calendar/converter/iranian_calendar_converter.php [58a]
Public holidays
1.07 Europa Worldonline, undated, accessed 9 November 2009, observed the following public holidays in 2009 and 2010:
“The Iranian year 1388 runs from 21 March 2009 to 20 March 2010, and the year 1389 from 21 March 2010 to 20 March 2011.
“2009 6 January*† (Tassoua); 7 January*† (Ashoura); 10 February (Victory of the Islamic Revolution); 16 February* (Arbain); 24 February* (Demise of Prophet Muhammad and Martyrdom of Imam Hassan); 26 February* (Martyrdom of Imam Reza); 15 March (Birth of Prophet Muhammad and Birth of Imam Jafar Sadegh); 19 March (Day of Oil Industry Nationalization); 21–24 March‡ (Norouz, Iranian New Year); 1 April (Islamic Republic Day); 2 April (Sizdah-bedar, Nature Day—13th Day of Nowrooz); 28 May (Martyrdom of Hazrat Fatemeh); 4 June (Death of Imam Khomeini); 5 June (1963 Uprising); 6 July* (Birth of Imam Ali); 20 July* (Prophet Muhammad receives his calling); 7 August* (Birth of Imam Mahdi); 11 September* (Martyrdom of Imam Ali); 20 September* (Eid-e Fitr, end of Ramadan); 14 October* (Martyrdom of Imam Jafar Sadeq); 28 November* (Qorban, Feast of the Sacrifice); 6 December* (Eid-e Ghadir Khom); 26 December*† (Tassoua); 27 December*† (Ashoura).
“2010 19 January*† (Tassoua); 11 February (Victory of the Islamic Revolution); 13 February* (Demise of Prophet Muhammad and Martyrdom of Imam Hassan); 15 February* (Martyrdom of Imam Reza); 4 March (Birth of Prophet Muhammad and Birth of Imam Jafar Sadegh); 10 March* (Arbain); 20 March (Day of Oil Industry Nationalization and Martyrdom of Imam Reza); 21–24 March‡ (Norouz, Iranian New Year); 1 April (Islamic Republic Day); 2 April (Sizdah-bedar, Nature Day—13th Day of Nowrooz); 18 May (Martyrdom of Hazrat Fatemeh); 3 June (Death of Imam Khomeini); 4 June (1963 Uprising); 8 July* (Prophet Muhammad receives his calling); 8 August* (Birth of Imam Ali); 9 September* (Birth of Imam Mahdi); 10 September* (Eid-e Fitr, end of Ramadan); 15 October* (Martyrdom of Imam Ali); 16 November* (Qorban, Feast of the Sacrifice); 17 November* (Eid-e Ghadir Khom); 18 November* (Martyrdom of Imam Jafar Sadeq); 16 December* (Ashoura).
“* These holidays are dependent on the Islamic lunar calendar and may vary by one or two days from the dates given.
Ҡ This festival occurs twice (in the Iranian years 1387 and 1388) within the same Gregorian year.
“‡ This festival begins on the date of the Spring Equinox.” [1h] (Public Holidays)

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Economy

2.01 The Congress Research Service paper, Iran’s Economic Conditions: US Policy Issues, dated 15 June 2009, provides an overview of the country’s economic situation:
“Since [financial year] FY2000, Iran’s economy has experienced real economic growth rates of about 6.4% on average annually. The annual change in real [Gross Domestic Product] GDP reached a high of 7.8% in FY2007… Recent economic growth has been driven by government spending on priority sectors, expansionary monetary and fiscal economic policies, increased growth in credit, and private consumption. Despite high international oil prices in recent years, the contribution of the oil and gas sector to economic growth has been more modest. The oil economy has been faced with low levels of production and inadequate investment. U.S. and U.N. sanctions levied against Iran, along with the poor domestic business environment, may contribute to low levels of investment. Iran’s economic growth is expected to slow in 2009 and 2010, owing to the decline in international oil prices in late 2008, domestic economic mismanagement, and limited oil revenue savings to weather the recent global economic turndown.
“Iran’s economic growth has been hampered by consistently double-digit rates of inflation. Although high inflation is widespread among the oil-exporting countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, Iran has one of the highest. Iran’s average Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation reached 17.1% in FY2007 and is projected to grow to 28.0% for FY2008. By some estimates, Iran’s inflation level is over 30% presently. Iranians struggle with the rising cost of basic foods, such as rice, chicken, and eggs, and housing prices, which have eroded real wages. The poor are hit hardest by inflation. It is the poor, mainly from rural areas, who supported President Ahmadinejad in the 2005 presidential election. Support for Ahmadinejad weakened marginally during the March 14, 2008 parliamentary elections, despite Iran’s economic difficulties.
“Domestic factors contributing to the rise in inflation include expansionary government economic policies and growing consumption demands. External factors include international sanctions against Iran and rising international food and energy import prices. Inflation levels have been associated with Ahmadinejad’s efforts to curb banking interest rates for loans to sub-inflation levels. The Central Bank has opposed these hikes. Inflation levels are expected to ease in the coming months due to the decline in international prices for oil and other commodities.
“The unemployment rate remains high, reaching an estimated 12.5% in 2008. Some observers contend that the unemployment rate is higher than figures reported by the Iranian government. At least one-fifth of Iranians lived below the poverty line in 2002. Iran has a young population and each year, about 750,000 Iranians enter the labor market for the first time, placing pressure on the government to generate new jobs. The emigration of young skilled and educated people continues to pose a problem for Iran. The IMF reported that Iran has the highest ‘brain drain’ rate in the world.” [78c] (p4-5)
2.02 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office country profile of Iran, updated on 19 March 2009, reported:
“GDP (2006): [US] $184.5 billion

“GDP per capita: (2008) [US] $5.247

“GDP Growth (2006): 4.7%

“Inflation: (est) 11.2%

“Unemployment: (est) 11%
“Major Industries: Oil provides about 80% of export earnings and 50% of government revenue. Other main trading areas are gas, petrochemicals, mining, agriculture, car manufacturing, mineral products, metal fabrication, and food processing.” [26d]
2.03 The exchange as of 30 October 2009 was £1: 16,295 Rial (IRR). [40a]
See also Employment rights
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History
Pre 1979
3.01 The US State Department Background Note: Iran, updated September 2009 stated that “The ancient nation of Iran, historically known as Persia, has traditionally been a major power in the region. Despite invasions by Arabs, Seljuk Turks, and Mongols, Iran has always reasserted its national identity and taken pride in its unique cultural and political heritage.” [4u] (History)
3.02 The USSD Background Note: Iran, updated September 2009, reported that:
“Many date the beginning of modern Iranian history to the nationalist uprisings against the Shah in 1905 and the establishment of a limited constitutional monarchy in 1906. The discovery of oil in 1908 would later become a key factor in Iranian history and development.
“In 1921, Reza Khan, an Iranian officer of the Persian Cossack Brigade, seized control of the government. In 1925, after finally ousting the Qajar dynasty, he declared himself Shah and established the Pahlavi dynasty.
“Reza Shah forcibly enacted policies of modernization and secularization in Iran and reasserted government authority over the country’s tribes and provinces. In 1935, Reza Shah Pahlavi changed the country’s name to Iran to accentuate Persia’s Aryan roots. During World War Two, the Allies feared that the Shah’s close relations with Nazi Germany would jeopardize Iran as a source of oil and a vital supply link to the Soviet Union. In September 1941, following the occupation of western Iran by the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, Reza Shah was forced to abdicate. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ascended to the throne.” [4u] (History)
3.03 The same source observed: “In 1978, domestic turmoil turned to revolution driven by several disparate groups--nationalists, Islamists, Marxists, and students--who joined together in opposition to the Shah.” [4u] (History) “By the end of 1978 anti-Government protests were widespread, involving both left-wing and liberal opponents of the Shah, as well as Islamist activists.” (Europa, accessed 20 October 2009) [1b] (Recent History) “In January 1979, the Shah left Iran for Egypt and later traveled to the U.S. to seek medical treatment for cancer; he died in exile in Egypt one year later.” (USSD Background Note, September 2009) [4u] (History)
from 1979 to 1999
3.04 The Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2009 report, Iran, covering events in 2008, released in July 2009, (Freedom House Report 2009) noted:
“In 1979, a revolution ousted Iran’s monarchy, which had been marked by widespread corruption and misguided modernization efforts. The revolution mobilized much of the population and brought together diverse political interests, but under the leadership of the previously exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, democratic and secular elements were largely subsumed. The constitution drafted by Khomeini’s disciples provided for a president and parliament elected through universal adult suffrage, but an unelected body, the Council of Guardians, was empowered to approve candidates and certify that the decisions of elected officials were in accord with Sharia (Islamic law). Khomeini was named supreme leader [Vali-e-Faghih] and vested with control over the security and intelligence services, armed forces, and judiciary. Soon after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein launched an invasion to settle a long-running border dispute. The conflict, which lasted from 1980 to 1988, cost over a million lives.
“After Khomeini’s death in 1989, the title of supreme leader passed to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a middle-ranking cleric who lacked the religious credentials and popularity of his predecessor. The constitution was changed to consolidate his power and give him final authority on all matters of foreign and domestic policy.” [112g]
3.05 The US Library of Congress Federal Research Division (LOC/FRD) report of May 2008 stated that:
“During the presidency of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1989–97), reformists controlled a majority of seats in parliament until 1992 and supported Rafsanjani’s policies for economic reform and the normalization of relations with neighboring countries. The conservatives won a majority of seats in both the 1992 and 1996 parliamentary elections and subsequently used their position in the legislature to weaken or stop outright many reforms proposed by the Rafsanjani government. The administrations of Rafsanjani’s successor, Mohammad Khatami (in office 1997–2005), encountered the same resistance. Reformists won a majority of seats in the 2000 parliamentary elections and then enacted several notable pieces of reform legislation in the ensuing term. Having lost control of the parliament, conservatives tried to use their influence in the judiciary and bureaucracy to impede reforms they perceived as threatening their positions. Conservatives regained control of the parliament in the 2004 elections.” [79a]
3.06 After a second term Rafsanjani was succeeded in 1997 by Sayed Muhammad Khatami. (Europa, accessed 20 October 2009) [1b] (Recent History) In March 1997 Rafsanjani was appointed Chairman of the Council to Determine the Expediency of the Islamic Order (which arbitrates in disputes between the Majlis [parliament] and the Council of Guardians), the upper house of the legislative process, for a five-year term and thus continuing his influential role in political life. [1b] (Recent History)
3.07 In August 1997, President Sayed Muhammad Khatami, regarded as a ‘liberal’, and supported by the Servants of Iran’s Construction, intellectuals, professionals, women’s and youth groups, was inaugurated following a landslide victory in elections held in May. (Europa, accessed 20 October 2009) [1b] (Recent History)
3.08 The Freedom House Report 2009 noted “Under his [Khatami’s] administration, more than 200 independent newspapers and magazines representing a diverse array of viewpoints were established, and the authorities relaxed the enforcement of restrictions on social interaction between the sexes. Reformists won 80 percent of the seats in the country’s first nationwide municipal elections in 1999 and took the vast majority of seats in parliamentary elections the following year, with student activists playing a major role in the success of reformist politicians.” [112g] As president from 1997 to 2005, Khatami was known for promoting political openness, press freedom, and reducing tensions with the United States. (RFE/RL, 13 March 2008) [42aj] Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, continued to denounce the West’s military and cultural ambitions, particularly those of the USA and Israel. The divergent messages between the two men were interpreted by Western commentators as indicative of the conflict between Iran’s ‘moderate’ and ‘conservative’ factions. (Europa, accessed 20 October 2009) [1b] (Recent History)
3.09 President Khatami’s attempts to introduce reform continued to meet resistance. “The issue of press censorship had increasingly become a focus of the political rivalries between ‘conservatives’ and ‘reformists’.” (Europa, accessed 20 October 2009) [1b] (Recent History) These tensions erupted into violence:
“In July [1999], the closure of Salam, a ‘reformist’ newspaper with close links to President Khatami, triggered a small demonstration by students at the University of Tehran, which was dispersed with considerable violence by police. This action, in conjuction with a raid on student dormitories by security forces, aided by militant vigilantes of the Ansar-e Hezbollah (in which at least one student was killed), provoked five days of rioting in Tehran and other cities, resulting in some 1,400 arrests. Within a year both the national and the Tehran chiefs of police had been dismissed, while as many as 100 police officers had been arrested for their role in the campus raid.” (Europa, accessed 20 October 2009) [1b] (Recent History)

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From 2000 to 2008
3.10 Europa Worldonline, accessed 20 October 2009, stated:
“In July 2000 the former Tehran chief of police and 17 co-defendants were acquitted on charges arising from the police invasion of student dormitories [see paragraph 3.09 above], but two police officers received custodial sentences, having been convicted on relatively minor charges. Of the student demonstrators tried for alleged crimes relating to the unrest, four suspected leaders had their initial death sentences commuted to 15 years’ imprisonment in April 2000, 45 were given custodial terms, and another 20 were acquitted.” [1b] (Recent History)
3.11 The Freedom House Report 2009 observed:
“The 2000 parliamentary elections prompted a backlash by hard-line clerics that continued through 2006. Over the four years after the polls, the conservative judiciary closed more than 100 reformist newspapers and jailed hundreds of liberal journalists and activists, while security forces cracked down on the ensuing student protests. Significant political and economic reforms were overwhelmingly approved by the parliament only to be vetoed by the Council of Guardians. Despite being reelected with 78 percent of the vote in 2001, Khatami did not challenge the conservative clerics. He ignored pleas by reformist lawmakers to call a referendum to approve vetoed legislation, and implored citizens to refrain from demonstrating in public.” [112g]
3.12 Europa Worldonline, accessed 20 October 2009, stated:
“In 2002 the Iranian administration denied accusations by the USA that it was permitting fleeing al-Qa’ida and Taliban fighters to cross the Afghan border into Iran. Relations deteriorated abruptly in January, when, in his annual State of the Union address, the US President referred to Iran as forming (together with Iraq and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea—North Korea) an ‘axis of evil’, explicitly accusing Iran of aggressively pursuing the development of weapons of mass destruction and of ‘exporting terror’. Bush’s remarks were denounced in the strongest terms by the Iranian leadership, with President Khatami accusing his US counterpart of ‘warmongering’.” [1b] (Recent History)
3.13 The Freedom House Report 2009 observed:
“Popular dissatisfaction with the reformists’ failures, coupled with the Council of Guardians’ rejection of the candidacies of most reformist politicians, allowed hard-liners to triumph in the 2003 and February 2004 parliamentary elections. Emboldened by the victories, the clerical establishment moved to further restrict public freedom and attacked the country’s last refuge of free expression – the internet. In October, the head of the judiciary announced that ‘anyone who disseminates information aimed at disturbing the public mind through computer systems’ would be jailed. The government also launched a crackdown on ‘social corruption,’ deploying thousands of morality police and vigilantes to enforce dress codes and prevent public mingling of men and women.” [112g]
3.14 The same source noted: “The Council of Guardians ensured a reactionary outcome to the June 2005 presidential election by rejecting the candidacies of popular reformists, but the victory of Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over other approved candidates reflected popular desires for change.” [112g]
See also Presidential Elections – June 2005.