Al-Arabia – Amnesty International declared that young people in Iran are exposed by the ruling regime in their country to a “systematic violence,” referring to the incident of flagellation of young people on charges of participating in mixed celebrations. Amnesty International condemned in a statement the physical violence sentences issued by Iranian courts against citizens, citing the example of the …

Iranhumanrights.org – The authorities of Evin Prison in Tehran are refusing to transfer imprisoned filmmaker Keyvan Karimi to a hospital outside the prison for urgent medical care, his lawyer, Amir Raeesian, told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “My client called me this morning (Wednesday, January 18, 2017) and said his pulmonary inflammation had worsened and he had thrown …

Iranhumanrights.org – Atena Daemi and Family Still Face Legal Persecution Three of the five new charges brought against imprisoned civil rights advocate Atena Daemi by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) were dismissed after two policemen made official statements supporting her version of events, an informed source told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Agents of the IRGC’s Sarallah …

Iranhumanrights.org – An informed source close to imprisoned civil rights activist Saeed Shirzad said Shirzad ended his hunger strike after 39 days when “Judiciary and Rajaee Shahr Prison officials met with him and gave assurances” about ending the abuse of prisoners—Shirzad’s main demand. “On Saturday (January 14, 2017), [Rajaee Shahr] Prison’s supervising judge and the prosecutor’s representative came to the …

Iranhumanrights.org – Imprisoned political commentator Issa Saharkhiz began a wet hunger strike on January 14, 2017 to protest a newly issued six-month prison sentence for allegedly “slandering the supreme leader.” Saharkhiz is also attempting to highlight the “repeated violations of the law by the Judiciary and security officials,” said his son, Mehdi Saharkhiz. “My father has announced that if the …

Amensty – Iranian prisoner of conscience and human rights defender Saeed Shirzad ended his 39-day hunger strike on 14 January after the authorities at Karaj’s Raja’i Shahr Prison made an oral promise to address his grievances about the inhumane treatment of political prisoners in the prison. He is now in need of specialized medical care. View report in English: http://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1355152017ENGLISH.pdf

Al-monitor – As Iran Air has begun receiving its first brand-new, Western-made airplanes in decades, it seems that President Hassan Rouhani’s efforts to lift sanctions have paid off. However, rejuvenating a long dilapidated industry is different from simply renewing a fleet. AUTHOR Ali Dadpay During the past decades, nothing has symbolized the impact of sanctions on Iran as much as …

Al-Monitor – Iranians are outraged and saddened by the destruction of the country’s oldest high-rise, the Plasco building, which collapsed Jan. 19 after being engulfed by fire. The 17-story structure, completed in 1962, was the center of clothing production in Tehran. The presence of textiles may have led to the rapid spread of the flames along with building managers’ having ignored repeated warnings about the lack of adherence to fire …

PayvandNews – A massive fire erupted on Thursday in a mega mall in downtown Tehran, the city’s most populous area, bringing the whole the 17-story building down. Thirty firefighters have lost their lives, according to IRIB. Death toll is expected to rise. More than 100 people are estimated to have been trapped under rubble. Plasko Shopping Center in Tehran engulfed in …

PayvandNews – On the sidelines of a cabinet session on Wednesday, Rouhani took a tour by some of his ministers to check the products of three knowledge-based companies manufacturing electric cars and motorcycles. The Iranian president was briefed on the capabilities and quality of the products, including the two-seat electric car Yooz, produced by the Islamic Azad University of Qazvin, …