January 2011
UN concerned over delays in launching Afghan Parliament
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan expressed concern over delays proposed in the opening of the Afghanistan parliament which was elected in September.
The newly elected Afghan Parliament was set to convene on Sunday, January 23 but President Karzai accepted a request from the special election court to delay the opening for a month until the results of the court’s investigations about the fraud allegations are finalzed.
Iran says arrest of Iranian-Dutch woman "drug-related"
Following European Parliament's resolutions on human rights violations in Iran and the mention of Zahra Bahrami's case in the approved document, Iranian foreign ministry slammed foreign interference in its judiciary cases saying Bahrami is accused of "possession of over a kilo of drugs."
Talks between Iran and world powers ends in Istanbul
The two day talks between Iran and G5+1 delegations in Istanbul ended today without any concrete agreements.
Catherine Ashton, European Union’s foreign policy chief says Iran called for lifting of international sanctions and recognition of their right to uranium enrichment as preconditions for continuing negotiations which according to Ashton are “unacceptable for Iran’s interlocutors,” Associated Press reports.
EU parliament adopts resolution on Iran and case of jailed lawyer
The case of jailed Iranian lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh and the situation of human rights in Iran were included in the resolutions adopted in the first 2011 plenary session of the European Parliament yesterday.
Jailed Iranian-Dutch woman visited by daughter in Tehran prison
Iranian authorities allowed Zahra Bahrami, the Iranian-Dutch woman sentenced to death, a visit from her daughter, Radio Farda reports.
Bahrami was arrested in Tehran at the Ashura Day anti-government demonstrations in December 2009 in protest to the controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential elections.
Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers resume
Nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers resumed today in Istanbul despite insistence of Iran’s representative in the IAEA that their uranium enrichment efforts are non-negotiable.
Karzai visits Russia to expand cooperation initiatives
Hamed Karzai, Afghan president set out for Moscow on Thursday for an official visit with the Russian president, Dmitri Medevedev and Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin.
Another political execution in Iran looms large
The death sentence of Jafar Kazemi, Iranian prisoner who is accused of “ties with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran and enmity against God” has been sent to the enforcement branch of the judiciary.
Iranian lawyers warned against media interviews
Iranian judiciary once more condemned lawyers who give out interviews to the media maintaining that such activities detract from the Islamic Republic system.











