Iran's official news agency IRNA tweeted:
"Kermanshah Prosecutor: Most of those arrested during the recent disturbances in the province have been released. Those who set fire to the Bayt al-Abbas congregation hall have been identified and sentenced to severe punishment."
Iran bans English in primary schools after leaders' warning
From Reuters:
Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the language opened the way to a Western "cultural invasion".
"Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, told state television late on January 6.
"This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid," Navid-Adham said, adding that non-curriculum English classes may also be blocked.
While there was no mention of the announcement being linked to more than a week of protests against the clerical establishment and government, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said that that unrest was also fomented by foreign enemies.
ISNA tweeted:
“Tehran prosecutor: 70 of the detained protesters have been released on bail in the past 48 hours. The process of releasing other defendants – with an exception of the main perpetrators of the riots – will continue after obtaining their background checks from security agencies.”
In a speech at a Tehran City Council meeting on January 7, council member Nahid Khodakarami said families of those arrested during antigovernment protests fear a possible repeat of the deadly events in Kahrizak jail in 2009, Iranian media reported.
At least three people died after reportedly being beaten in Kahrizak, where they were held for taking part in street protests following a disputed presidential election. (Read more on Kahrizak deaths.)
BBC Persian posted footage that says was recorded in Tehran’s Babaei Highway on January 7. The footage claims that police “detain anyone who records a video.”
Iran calls for thorough investigation into cause of recent protests
From dpa:
All relevant Iranian authorities must submit complete reports on the causes of the anti-government protests sweeping across the country, as well as on current arrest figures, said a spokesman for parliamentary speaker Ali Larjani on January 7 to Iranian media.
"The government must add the protesters' points to the agenda and carefully review them," said Behrus Nemati.
"We don't want people's rights violated because they had criticism," he added. Any "mistakes" in arrests must be immediately corrected. However, Nemati said, hooligans will not be shown any understanding and must be taken to court.
No official arrest figures were available on January 7. Most estimates put the number between 1,000 and 1,800 across the country, of them 100 students.
Nahid Khodakarami tweeted:
"If more than 24 hours have passed since their detention, have they been charged? Are their families aware of their loved ones' situation? What are their circumstances?"