The Latest from Iran (11 January): Remembering Hundreds of Political Prisoners

2100 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The son-in-law of detained journalist Emaduddin Baghi, Ali Maghami, has been released on bail.

Maghami was arrested last month. Baghi, detained in December 2009, was sentenced last autumn to seven years in prison.

Eight students of the Islamic Society of Arak University have reportedly been arrested.

2040 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. On Sunday we noted a speech by former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, marking the anniversary of a January 1978 protest that helped spur the Islamic Republic. A correspondent commented Rafsanjani made his historical parallel to jab directly at Ahmadinejad aide Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai and indirectly at the Supreme Leader: "those who build their power on cobwebs". He pointedly referred to the situation then of "fire under the ashes", a possible reference to the state of protest today, and blamed those who practiced "lies and hypocrisy".

Well, the newspaper Kayhan is not impressed. It has published an editorial asking, "Why has Mr. Hashemi during this long period not issued any statement on the subject? What provoked him to do so?"

1925 GMT: The (Latest) Great Israeli Plot. There have been some details brought out by the authorities to support their general picture of "at least 10" Iranian agents working for the Israeli service Mossad to assassinate nuclear scientists (see 0940 GMT).

On Monday night IRIB aired an interview with Majid Jamali-Fash, who was said to be the main culprit behind the January 2010 killing of Masoud Alimohammadi. Jamali-Fash admitted to being trained in a garrison inside Israel, including in operations such as the attachment of explosives to vehicles.

1615 GMT: Sanctions Watch. An intriguing story out of South Korea....

Korean officials say that, although Iran's Bank Mellat is now allowed to operate in the country, it has not made one large transaction since it renewed business on 10 December.

Under revised regulations, any transaction of $40,000 or more requires Government approval, but not one has been requested as of 11 January.

A Korean diplomatic source noted, “What local company would want to do business with a bank that was forced to close for two months and needs approval for transactions?” The source speculated that Bank Mellat is keeping its Seoul branch open because closure would give the appearance of succumbing to international pressure on sanctions.

1610 GMT: Virtual (In)Security. The head of Tehran police, Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam, has assured reporters that "virtual police" will soon be operating in Tehran and then rolled out over the next year across Iran to "control the virtual space".

1420 GMT: The "Subversive" Publishers. Golnaz Esfandiari follows up on the story, which we reported yesterday, that Iranian authorities are laying out the case for suppression of authors and publishers.

A 64-page document from the Soft Security Strategic Think Tank, reportedly run by the Basij militia of Khajeh Nasir University, accused leading publishing houses of attempting to overthrow the regime.

1330 GMT: The Nuclear Issue. Der Spiegel has a lengthy conversation with Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, about Iran's nuclear programme. The gist of Amano's position comes as he says, "I'm not so sure about" Der Spiegel's contention that Tehran is only a year from a bomb: "Despite all unanswered questions, we cannot say that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program."

1230 GMT: The President's Right-Hand Man. The head of Parliament's Article 90 Commission has confirmed that it will investigate the "extraordinary" case of the remarks of Presidential Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai.

1025 GMT: Mousavi Watch. In a new interview with Kalemeh, Mir Hossein Mousavi discusses his response --- or apparent lack of response --- to recent "lies and slander" by the regime against him, Mehdi Karroubi, and the opposition.

0950 GMT: Nuke Talks. The Foreign Ministry said this morning that the next round of discussions on uranium enrichment will be in Istanbul on 21-22 January.

0940 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch (Sedition Edition). The lawyer for Zahra Bahrami, the Dutch-Iranian woman sentenced to death after she was arrested during demonstrations in December 2009, has filed a plea for clemency.

Bahrami was punished for alleged drugs smuggling. Her lawyer says the plea is based on a call for “Islamic principles such as compassion and mercy” but “it will be difficult, very difficult".

Bahrami's former lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, has just been sentenced to 11 years in prison. And it looks like the regime has moved on to other tales and targets: Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi was concerned today with putting out the current favoured line that an Israeli spy network had been rounded up.

Iran's announcement that it had foiled Mossad had won international headlines, but it is not supported by any details on the "more than 10" who have supposedly been arrested.

0725 GMT: Commenting on Political Prisoners. Britain's Foreign Office, like the US State Department (see 0540 GMT), has denounced Sunday's sentencing of attorney Nasrine Sotoudeh, but it has gone farther with attention to other cases. Minister Alistair Burt issued a statement:

I am deeply disturbed to learn that lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and that journalist Shiva Nazar Ahari has been sentenced to 4 years and 74 lashes on appeal. Both women have been convicted for no more than courageously doing their jobs and working for the constitutionally guaranteed rights of their fellow Iranian citizens. I call on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s authorities to overturn these harsh sentences.

I am also deeply concerned by reports that Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj-Aghaie may be imminently executed for "enmity against God". The United Kingdom condemns the use of the death penalty, and appeals for these sentences to be commuted.

0540 GMT: We begin by noting an effort by activists to document the names and status of political prisoners. More than 800 have now been listed on a searchable database.

One of those political prisoners is now free: Mehdi Ramezani has been released on bail. Ramezani was one of a group of mourners arrested in early December in a raid at Behesht-e Zahra cemetary. Ramezani's son Ramin was killed in post-election conflict.

The US State Department has spoken out on the case of another, denouncing the 11-year sentence handed down on Sunday to detained attorney Nasrine Sotoudeh (see separate entry).

Spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "Her conviction is part of a systematic attempt on the part of Iranian authorities to silence the defense of democracy and human rights in Iran. It is one in a series of harsh sentences targeting the lawyers of Iran's human rights community, which perseveres despite threats, torture, and imprisonment."

Sotoudeh, arrested on 4 September, was also banned for 20 years from practicing law. She was charged with actions against national security, propaganda against the regime, and lack of proper dress (hijab) in a televised interview.