CHRI —The Iranian judiciary should immediately free ailing trade unionist Reza Shahabi, who recently suffered a stroke in Rajaee Shahr Prison, and allow him to receive full medical attention, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement today. Shahabi, a board member of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (UWTSBC), was …

CHRI – Islamic Republic Has Long History of Forcing False Confessions in Politically Motivated Cases December 18, 2017—The forced confession broadcast December 17 on Iranian state TV and used to validate the death sentence against Ahmadreza Djalili is completely illegitimate and in no way validates the unlawful judicial process used to convict the Iranian-born Swedish resident on espionage charges. The …

CHRI – Iranian director Abdolreza Kahani cancelled a screening of one of his films in Canada after Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance threatened to ban his next film if he refused to comply, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. The film, “Delighted” (2016), which was banned in Iran for its depiction of three carefree …

Al-Monitor – Nearly three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union and following 26 years of tough negotiations, a solution to the legal status of the Caspian Sea appears to be on the horizon. Speaking after the recent summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states’ foreign ministers in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “We have found solutions …

Al-Monitor – On Dec. 14, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, gave a speech from a US military base in Washington standing in front of what she claimed was an Iranian missile delivered to Houthi rebels in Yemen. Haley claimed that the delivery of such weapons violated a 2015 United Nations Security Council resolution, vowing stronger action …

PayvandNews – There is a fear that the United States might become embroiled in war in 2018 with Iran, North Korea, or possibly both. By Shireen T. Hunter (source: LobeLog)   In view of the inflammatory rhetoric directed by the United States and North Korea toward one another over the past several months, it would appear at first glance that …

PayvandNews – Iran’s aviation officials have played down speculations that the administration of US President Donald Trump would block sales of planes to the country and say they expect purchases to move ahead faster because mechanisms to fund the campaigns are being worked out by plane-makers, themselves. Photos: 2nd purchased Airbus plane arrives in Tehran on March 2017 On the …

CHRI – Political prisoner Narges Mohammadi has criticized Iran’s judiciary and security organizations for holding detainees in solitary confinement for prolonged periods without charge while trying to build a case against them. Iranian Political prisoner Narges Mohammadi In an open letter from Evin Prison published on December 12, 2017, Mohammadi discussed the cases of journalists Sasan Aghaei and Yaghma Fashkhami, …

sputniknews – French President Emmanuel Macron said that the international coalition will have won in Syria in February and that France will seek a political solution to the crisis. Syrian President Bashar Assad will stay in power after the Syrian conflict is over and the West will have to speak to him, French President Emmanuel Macron said. “Bashar al-Assad will …

AP – The International Monterrey Fund is predicting a steady growth in Iran’s economy but cautions it still faces a number of challenges, including the need to reduce government debt and red tape. The IMF says growth is expected to top 4 percent in the coming fiscal year while other Mideast oil exporters are facing close to zero percent growth. …