RFL/RE – The UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Asma Jahangir Reformists in Iran are under pressure, detainees face torture and abuse, and people are being executed at an “alarming” rate, a UN monitor studying human rights in the tightly controlled country says. The bleak picture presented to the UN Human Rights Council on March 13 …

Aljazeera – Despite recent backstage talks, Egypt and Iran are unlikely to re-establish full diplomatic relations any time soon, Iranian analysts said. A recent string of diplomatic overtures has suggested a thaw in the relations between the two countries. Last week, Yasser Othman, head of Egyptian interest section office in Tehran, met Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament’s foreign …

Al-Arabia – A jailed US-Iranian and his wife have been formally charged with hosting parties in Tehran, while another couple were given the death penalty for running a ”cult”, the Tehran prosecutor said Monday. No names were given, but the dual national and his wife are thought to be the high-profile owners of an art gallery in the capital that …

Al-monitor – The 89th Academy Awards saw Iranian director Asghar Farhadi win his second Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. His controversial absence at the Feb. 26 awards ceremony, in protest of US President Donald Trump’s travel ban, paved the way for a domestic celebration organized by the Iranian House of Cinema. AUTHOR Zahra Alipour Iran’s Ministry of Culture and …

Iran Human Rights – An unidentified prisoner was reportedly executed in public on murder charges. According to a report by the state-run news agency, Jaame Jam Online, the public execution was carried out on Thursday March 9 in the city of Yazd in front of the parking lot of Mullah Ismail mosque. The report claims that the unidentified prisoner and …

Al-Arabia – US CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Joseph Votel, asserted that Iran poses the greatest security threat in the whole Middle East. Votel told the Senate Armed Committee Thursday that Iran seeks to be the regional hegemon, pointing out to its clout in Iraq and Syria, adding that Tehran is playing a pivotal role in supporting the Syrian regime and …

Iranhumanrights.org – “Don’t let me remain in this prison as an innocent man.” Robin (Reza) Shahini, an Iranian-American dual national sentenced to 18 years in prison in October 2016 during a visit to Iran, has proclaimed his innocence in a letter urging human rights groups and international organizations to work for his release. “I came to Iran to visit my …

Iranhumanrights.org —Serious and baseless new charges have been brought against Karan Vafadari and Afarin Nayssari, the dual-national Iranian-American and his wife who have been imprisoned in Iran’s Evin Prison without any evidence of wrong doing or due process for almost eight months. The couple, art gallery owners in Tehran who are prominent in the Iranian artistic and cultural community, were …

Al-monitor – On Feb. 26, the Iranian government got the go-ahead from parliament members to sell a total of 10 trillion rials ($308 million) worth of excess properties owned by the ministries of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as well as Labor and Social Welfare in the upcoming Iranian fiscal year, which starts March 21. The raised money is expected …

themediaexpress -Iran is drawing international attention for its human rights violations, but as International Women’s Day this week, attention is being given to the lack of rights for women in Iran. The Iranian government accepted 27 of 60 recommendations regarding the rights of women in its 2014 UPR review. These included recommendations regarding gender discrimination, early marriage, access to health …