After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
MOHAMMAD HABIBI, the official spokesperson of the Iranian Teachers Trade Association (ITTA) in Tehran, was arrested by agents of the Islamic Republic security forces at his workplace on Wednesday and taken to ward 209 of Evin prison.
This notorious ward is run by the Ministry of Intelligence and holds high-profile political prisoners, often under conditions of solitary confinement, constant interrogation, and routine torture.
Following Habibi’s arrest, the agents proceeded to ransack his home. According to the Co-ordinating Council of Iranian Teachers Trade Associations (CCITTA), Habibi was arrested where he teaches, in the Shahryar district of Tehran province, on the charge of spreading propaganda against the regime and society as well as conspiring against national security.
Payam Solhtalab talks to GAWAIN LITTLE, general secretary of Codir, about the connection between the struggle for peace, against banking and economic sanctions, and the threat of a further military attack by the US/Israel axis on Iran
The Islamic Republic is attempting to deflect from its own failures with a scapegoating campaign against vulnerable and impoverished migrants, writes JAMSHID AHMADI



