Daily Archives: November 24, 2023

Life and death in Iran’s prisons – Index on Censorship

Posted: November 24, 2023 at 8:32 pm

Narges Mohammadi is locked in a vicious circle. The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner has been held in Tehrans notorious Evin prison since September 2022 and the Iranian authorities seem determined to keep the prominent human rights activist there.

Mohammadibecame active in fightingagainst the oppression of women in Iran as a student physicist in the 1990s and has promoted human rights ever since, including campaigning for an end to the death penalty in a country where 582 were executed last year alone.

In her nomination for the Peace Prize, Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said: Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes.

During her current detention, Mohammadi has been summoned to the courts on numerous occasions to face new charges. Yet Mohammadi argues thatthe revolutionary courts are not independent judicial bodies and she has also stopped lawyers attending on her behalf for that same reason.

Some of these charges relate to her ongoing human rights work from inside prison, including smuggling out an article which was published in the New York Timeson the anniversary of Mahsa (Jina) Aminis death in custody, the event that sparkedthe Woman, Life, Freedom protests that erupted inIranin 2022. Mohammadis message from prison was: The more of us they lock up, the stronger we become.

At the beginning of last week, the woman human rights defender started ahungerstrikein protest against delayed and neglectful medical care for sick prisoners, as well as the rule which makes wearing the mandatory hijab a condition for the transfer of the women prisoners to medical facilities.Then, earlier this week Mohammadi heard that she was to face a series of new charges, but after refusing towear hijab the prosecutor prohibited her from attending court. As a result neither Mohammadi nor her lawyer know the nature of the new charges levelled against her. She has now ended her hunger strike.

The regime will be infuriated with her refusal to engage with the justice system, while Mohammadi knows that each time she doesnt attend it draws yet more attention to her plight.

Mohammadi knows only too well the methods the authorities use to break prisoners. Index has recently been given a video made by Mohammadi just before she returned to jail, shot by the Iranian film-maker Vahid Zarezadeh. In it she says that people should not be surprised if, in the event that she dies in jail, the authorities blame an undiagnosed health problem, perhaps a dodgy heart.

This system sets up the conditions for the prisoners death, she says.

In sharing the video, she has put the regime on notice that they are being watched. You canwatch the video here.

Zarezadeh tells me, It was filmed at the time when she was rushed from the prison to the hospital due to the blockage of her heart veins, which were opened through angioplasty. She was on medical leave and not in good health. Shortly after this video, she was returned to Qarchak womens prison.

He says, Qarchak Womens Prison is a notorious facility designed for women, where many human rights activists and opponents of compulsory hijab are held. The prisons lack of adequate drinking water, as well as poor hygiene and medical care, leads to the spread of various diseases among inmates. Originally used as a livestock centre, Qarchak has been expanded over time. Numerous reports highlight human rights violations in this prison, yet Iranian judicial authorities show no inclination to change the conditions of detainment.

Irans appalling human rights record has also come under scrutiny at this weeks Alternative Human Rights Expo, whichhighlighted human rights issues related to the suppression of freedom of expression and assembly in the Middle East and North Africa.The virtual event, hosted by the Gulf Center for Human Rights and its partners, washeld to focus attention on the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) to be held from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in the United Arab Emirates. It featured artists, poets, writers and singers from the region including Iranian poet Fatemeh Ekhtesari.

Ekhtesari performed her poem She is Not Woman as part of the event (which is available to view here) which includes the following lines:

Were sick of queuing for the gallows Clotted grief in our blood Trouble is all thats left Rage is all we own

Narges Mohammadis rage is clear for everyone to see. It is high time that she and other human rights defenders in Irans jails are unconditionally released.

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What You Need to Know About the New SAG-AFTRA Agreement … – Casting Networks

Posted: at 8:31 pm

With the 118-day strike finally resolved and a new collective bargaining agreement obtained, there is a lot to digest and understand about how things will be moving forward. With that in mind, Casting Networks is producing a series of articles in which we will break down particular parts of the new agreement and discuss how it affects you.

One of the complaints that SAG-AFTRA members had voiced before the strike was the feeling of exploitation around self tape auditions. The COVID-19 pandemic closed casting rooms for years, resulting in a self tape boom, with increased expectations for actors. This was one of the more contentious parts of the negotiations, according to some reports.

Sides and casting calls must be distributed no less than 48 hours before the submission deadline, giving performers plenty of time to look over and prepare using the required materials. If a role is cast, a producer must alert performers of this if they ask about it.

Those who had issues with needing to learn too many pages for an audition had their concerns addressed, with an eight-page limit for a first self tape and 12 pages for any further callbacks.

Memorization has also been nixed.

Performers are no longer required to memorize materials for an audition, nor will they be penalized or prohibited from using sides or some kind of prompting device.

Performers with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations for materials in a format accessible to the performer.

One downside of the new agreement is that companies are not required to compensate performers for any self tape audition. That seems more than reasonable, however, when one considers the gains in this area.

For one thing, the quality of the self tape is no longer so high as to provide a prohibitive cost to the performer, who may not be asked to record at a resolution higher than 720p (quick tip: the action mode of a late model iPhone captures 1080p).

At the same time, producers are not allowed to use any uploading or delivery site for self tape that is not free. Nor can they demand actors use any editing software or specific equipment. No charges can be made to performers, in fact, for any general casting call or anything related to one.

Exploitation of performers in the form of nude scenes has been especially egregious, but that will no longer be an issue. No performer may be requested to appear nude or wearing anything more revealing than a bathing suit that could be the word at a public pool.

Stunts are also out. Performers can no longer be asked to perform them in an audition.

The amount of information required of a performer in an audition or self tape has also changed.

From now on, a producer is only allowed to ask the following in a slate: name, height, city of residence, current location, information about special skills and a head and shoulders and/or a full body shot in portrait orientation. For minors, a producer can ask about age and birthday.

Overall, the protections have improved across the board, and while the audition process might not be any easier than it was, the process will cost you less money and demand less of you.

Casting directors use Casting Networks every day to discover people like you. Sign up or log in today to get one step closer to your next role.

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Premiership Rugby Highlights Show | Be on TV – ITVX

Posted: at 8:31 pm

Thursday 23 November at 1:14pm

We want you to send us your videos of great grassroots rugby action by posting them to @premrugby and @RFU on X (formerly Twitter) using the hashtag #grassrootsbeauts

Please post before 23.59 on 2 June 2024 and they could be shown in the Premiership Rugby highlights show, and be commentated on by our commentators and presenters. The chosen videos might also be used by ITV Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) on our social media channels and websites or in other ways.

By uploading your content, you agree to the following: You are aged 18 or over and have obtained the consent of all people featured in the Submission to ITVs use of the Submission in accordance with ITV General Participation Terms. Players shown must also be aged 18 or over. You have made the people featured in the Submission aware of the ITV Broadcasting Privacy Policy and Premiership Rugbys, the RFUs and 3 Rock Productions Privacy Policies (see links below). You are aware that this video could be shown on-air, online and on social channels, and you are aware of the effects of this and you have no concerns about it. Nothing in the video will bring ITV, Premiership Rugby or the RFU into disreputeWhen taking and submitting your content, please bear the following in mind:Do Shoot the videos in good light, ideally landscape Make it fun capture the spirit of rugby Ensure everyone featured in the video is 18 or over Make sure you have permission of the relevant club/sDon't Post videos that are blurry and out of focus Take videos of people without their express permission Have any branding in shot Take images of original artwork (unless you produced the artwork) Endanger yourself or others, or break any laws

Terms and Conditions & Privacy:

By responding to any invitation by us to submit a video, you'll be agreeing to our General Participation Terms.Any content that you submit or post in response to our call out, or that you post using #grassrootsbeauts may be treated by us as a "Submission" under our Terms. Any personal data provided (including personal details and content/videos) as part of your submission will be used and processed by ITV in accordance with the ITV Broadcasting Privacy Policy

If you have any questions about how we use your information, contact privacy@itv.com. It will also be used by Premiership Rugby Limited and the RFU in accordance with their Privacy Policies. Production Privacy Policy can be found here.

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