Iran news in brief, December 28, 2019 Maryam Rajavi Visits Victims of Earthquake in Albania On the eve of the New Year, Maryam Rajavi visited some of the residents of Manzë and Durrës in regions afflicted by the earthquake and expressed her sympathies. Wishing for the recovery of the wounded, Maryam Rajavi expressed hope that the damages and suffering caused by the earthquake would rapidly end in the New Year. The mayor of Manzë, Mr. Muharrem Sula, welcomed Maryam Rajavi and expressed his gratitude for the Iranian Resistance’s solidarity with Albanian citizens and their assistance. Mr. Sula said that since the establishment of Ashraf 3, they had experienced the Mojahedin’s sincere relations and their valuable solidarity. 100 Lawmakers Urge EU’s Chief Diplomat to Press for Halt to Crackdown on Iran Protests Some 100 Members of the European Parliament have called on the European Union’s new foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell Fontelles to urgently press for an end to the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters and the immediate release of detained protesters. "We call on EU heads of state or government and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to strongly condemn the crackdown on demonstrators, urge for the immediate release of all detainees and to support the Iranian people’s uprising for a free and democratic Iran," read the statement. One American Dead, Others Wounded in Iraq Rocket Attack, Iranian-Backed Militias Suspected An American contractor working for the Defense Department is dead and several others were wounded when a base housing the troops was struck by multiple rockets in northern Iraq. U.S. intelligence officials believe Iranian-backed militias to be the culprit. The K-1 Base in Kirkuk was targeted Friday by a barrage of rocket artillery killing a Pentagon contractor and wounding several U.S. service members and Iraqi personnel on-site. Iran: Political Prisoner Brutalized and Sent to Exile to Zanjan Prison Political prisoner Nargess Mohammadi was sent to exile to the Prison of Zanjan. From Zanjan Prison, she wrote, “I would not give up crying out against oppression.” The Warden of Evin Prison had smashed her several times to the wall and in the course of the wrangling with guards, she was injured, and her arms started bleeding. Prison authorities had earlier deprived her from visits and telephone calls due to her sit-in protest. Political prisoner Nargess Mohammadi had earlier written a letter denouncing the regime’s use of force against protesters in Iran and calling on everyone to take a stand for the prosecution of those responsible.