Ostanwire Regional News Round-up

What's going on around Iran this week? Authorities raid opium dens, complain of joblessness breeding fraud, arrest corrupt city council members, and tackle high rates of women's drug addiction. Details below in our weekly round-up of news from Iran's provinces.

Authorities Raid Opium Dens in Fars

The Fars province Police Chief Cyrus Sajadian announced that law enforcement authorities have raided 29 opium dens, Mehr News reports. “In the past year, police operations discovered 29 residential properties which were transformed into opium dens. In addition, 60 stores fronts in which the owners and operators were taking part in the distribution of illegal drugs were identified and [those involved] have been arrested,” Sajadian reported during World Anti-Drug Week. In reference to the discovery and confiscation of 30 tons of narcotics in the past year, he added: “Over 60 percent of the arrests made were as a result of leads given by the general public, which is unprecedented.”

High Unemployment is Breeding Fraud, Lorestan Chief Says

The chief justice of Lorestan province has reported a 19 percent increase in cases of fraud, totaling 287 instances in the last year and overwhelming the court system, Brogerd News reports. “Unfortunately, all of our country's current problems is a result of unemployment. One can say that the majority of crimes relating to addiction and drugs stems from unemployment,” Chief Taheri said. “We currently have a shortage of judges and judicial staff,” he said, explaining why prosecution is not moving forward on many cases. Iran's Central Bank estimates unemployment at 11 percent in 2012, but independent economics say the actual rate is closer to 20 percent, with young unemployment estimated at 30 percent.

Bandar Abbas Port Traffic Struck By Sanctions

Thirty international cargo companies have dropped Port Shaheed Rejaee in Bandar Abbas as a docking destination, according to Vice President of Tidewater Middle East Co., Ali Reza Cheshmajahan, in remarks to ISNA. The Shaheed Rejaee Complex accommodates 90 percent of Iran's container traffic, and the new restrictions by shipping companies follow sanctions imposed by the United States Treasury on Tiedwater Middle East Co., which is controlled by the Revolutionary Guards Corps. But Cheshmajahan sought to downplay this link:  “[It is false to claim that the reason] international cargo companies have been prohibited from docking on our port is due to the fact that the Revolutionary Guards Corps. is the owner of the operating facility. The ban would still be in effect regardless of who would be operating Port Shaheed Rejaee,” he said.

Gilan Arrests Corrupt City Council Members

The chief justice of the province of Geelan has announced the commencement of legal proceedings against several city council members in Rasht charged with embezzlement and bribery, Fars News reported. Chief Justice Mahmoudjavad Heshmati reported a loss of $5,709,625 due to embezzlement and said that seven city council members have been released while three remain in custody.  Eight city council member, two former mayors and seven city workers of Rasht were arrested, justice Heshmati told Fars News.

Divorce Rate Jumps in East Azarbaijan

The chief justice of Marand in the province of East Azarbaijan has expressed concern over the leap in the number of divorces in the past year, Fars News reported. “In regard to divorce, 2,780 petitions were filed in the past year and 710 marriages were dissolved as a result, meaning that every five days four divorces are finalized,” Chief Justice Ali Masoomi said, reporting an overall 13 percent increase in Marand's divorce rate. “These statistics reflect how divorce is a shaking the foundation of the lives of the people of this city.  Our lifestyle must be patterned according to Islamic criterion and families must pay special attention to this matter,” he said.

Judiciary Official Says Judiciary Will Have More Media Oversight

“In the near future, all broadcast television stations, news media and print media will be established through Iran's judiciary,” announced the Assistant Director of Strategic Planning of Judiciary Mohamad Bagher Zolghadr, while in the province of Kerman. According to Mr. Zolghadr, Iran's Judiciary will  select and launch domestic media agencies in order to ensure the accuracy of information communicated to the Iranian people, Naseem News reported.

Provinces Grapple with Women's Drug Addiction

The head of the Department of Drug Abuse Prevention and Rehabilitation in the province of Khorasan Razavi says that women and girls in low income families are more susceptible to exposure, use and addiction to drugs, Fars News reports. “The result of the latest statistics show that over 1,350,000 people in Iran suffer from drug addiction; nine percent of them are women,” Firoozeh Jaafari said at a woman's drug addiction conference at Ghadeer Academy in the city of Mashhad. “Our research shows that women who use drugs were exposed to it through a family member such as  their husband, brother or father who is a user and that is how they fall into the vicious circle of addiction,” Ms. Jaafari continued.  “In low income families, women are in greater danger of being lured to drugs because of a threatening and unstable living environment and physical abuse which will cause them to gravitate toward drug abuse.”