Iranhr.net – According to Iran Human Rights’ (IHR) annual report on the death penalty in Iran at least 530 people were executed in 2016. With 296 executions Drug offences accounted for the majority of executions in 2016. In 2016, the Iranian Judiciary’s  High Council of Human Rights stated in a report that 93% of all executions are based on drug-related charges. …

IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS -A 21 years old man was hanged in public in the city of Babol (Northern Iran). One man was hanged publicly in the city of Babol Saturday morning April 22, reported the state run Iranian news agencies. The state controlled YJC news agency reported that the 21 year old man was identified as H.R. sentenced to qisas …

CHRI – One month before Iranians head to the polls, a senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has revealed that President Hassan Rouhani opposed pressure to ban the popular Telegram application’s newly released “Voice Calls” service. “In a meeting with Rouhani, we emphasized that allowing Telegram to initiate a voice calling service in Iran would prevent us …

CHRI – Seven Baha’i citizens were arrested by the Intelligence Ministry in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, southern Iran, on April 18, 2017, an informed source told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Mahnaz Jannesar, Nasim Ghanavatian, Maral Rasti, Farhad Ameri, Arash Rasekhi, Mehrallah Afshar and Omid Afaghi are being held on unknown charges in the ministry’s detention …

CHRI – Seventy-two student organizations from universities throughout Iran have issued a joint statement asking President Hassan Rouhani to end the security climate on campuses, halt the rising cost of education, and stop discriminatory practices against female students. “It’s possible that the increasing pressure on students has something to do with fears that they could have an impact on the …

Al-monitor — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is aiming for another term in office, and as such the May 19 elections in Iran pose an ultimate vote of confidence. Rouhani’s aides do not seem to doubt his prospects as they believe this government has done almost everything it could to make the situation in the country better than it was four …

Al-Arabia – Abdullah al-Maalami the Saudi Permanent Representative in the United Nations, said that Iran supports sectarian militias and tries to replicate the Hezbollah model wherever it gets an opportunity.

RFL/RE – The U.S. envoy to the United Nations has accused Iran and its ally Hizballah of conspiring to destabilize the Middle East during an open meeting of the UN Security Council on April 20. Nikki Haley, who is chairing the council this month, said Iran and Lebanon’s Hizballah have trained “deadly militias” that they use to fuel conflicts in …

RFL/RE –U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Iran of “not living up to the spirit” of its nuclear agreement with world powers and said the United States would soon have a response. At a White House news conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on April 20, Trump repeated his criticism that “it was a terrible agreement…as bad as …

VOA – Iran’s former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been disqualified from running in next month’s presidential election. The Guardian Council, a clerical body tasked with vetting the candidates, on Thursday did approve the candidacy of incumbent President Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani, a relative moderate, will face off against a field that includes two prominent hard-liners: Ebrahim Raisi, who is considered …