Marjan, Iranian actress and singer who became symbol of rebellion, dies at 71

June 12, 2020; The Washington Post

Marjan, a popular singer and actress in pre-revolutionary Iran who, after being imprisoned by the country’s Islamic authorities in the 1980s, lent her voice to the cause of political freedom in her homeland, died June 5 at a hospital in Los Angeles. She was 71.

The cause was complications from surgery, the National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement.

Marjan, the stage name for Shahla Safi Zamir, acted in more than 30 Farsi-language films in the 1960s and 1970s and was one of Iran’s best-known celebrities before the overthrow of the country’s Western-backed leader, or shah, in 1979. She also made hit records, often evoking nostalgic sentiments, that were popular with Iranians.

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Iran: Prisoners killed by security forces during COVID-19 pandemic protests

April 9, 2020; Amnesty International

Around 36 prisoners in Iran are feared to have been killed by security forces after the use of lethal force to control protests over COVID-19 safety fears, Amnesty International has learned.

In recent days, thousands of prisoners in at least eight prisons around the country have staged protests over fears of contracting the coronavirus, sparking deadly responses from prison officers and security forces.

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Iran Has Far More Coronavirus Cases Than It Is Letting On

March 9, 2020; The Atlantic 

The surprising number of Iranian government officials succumbing to COVID-19 offers a hint that the disease is far more widespread than the official statistics indicate.

You are standing before a huge barrel of apples. You can’t see the apples, but you can reach in and pick them out. Most are delicious, but a very small number of them are rotten—just about one in 12,000, your friend assures you. You reach in blindly and miraculously pick out a rotten apple. You reach in again and withdraw a whole heaping bushel of apples, maybe 50 in all. Most are good, but when you look closely you see them: one, two, three, four more rotten apples. One rotten apple is an amazing coincidence. Five means your barrel has lots of rotting apples in it and your friend was lying to you.

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North Texas Iranian-Americans celebrate while anxiously awaiting what happens next after U.S. strike

January 3, 2020; wfaa.com

"We thank President Trump for being decisive against the Iranian regime. The maximum pressure is working greatly," said Homeira Hesami. "It's great news."

DALLAS — The death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani is stirring protests and outrage in Iran and Pakistan and other corners of the Muslim world. But not at the North Texas home of Homeira Hesami.

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Iran Blocks Internet for 3rd Day as Death Toll From Protests Rises to Eight

November 18, 2019; VOA

WASHINGTON - This article originated in VOA's Persian service. Farhad Pouladi and Katherine Ahn contributed to this report.

Authorities in Iran have blocked internet service for a third day as part of a crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests in which at least eight people have been killed since the unrest began Friday.

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