HRW – No one was expecting the recent protests in Iran, which spread quickly across the country despite the absence of any clear or coordinated leadership. Tens of thousands of ordinary Iranians were motivated to join by their own extensive grievances, including bleak economic opportunities, unmet expectations in the wake of the nuclear deal, and a perception of widespread corruption.

Iran Human rights – Two prisoners, each charged with rape, were hanged at Karaj Central Prison.

CHRI – Intelligence Ministry Pressures Families To Refuse Media Interviews Kianoosh Zandi, 24, has been named the second victim in a shooting case involving conflicting accounts over how and why two young men were killed by security forces amid protests in the city of Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan Province, in early January 2018.

CHRI – Iranian singer Salar Aghili performed in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on January 12 and 13, 2018, without the female members of his band due to interference by local officials at the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned.

Al-Monitor – On Dec. 22, Tehran police announced that they had arrested 230 individuals in raids on two parties marking the Iranian holiday of Yalda, a celebration of the winter solstice. Police said that the parties were of mixed gender and that the guests were dancing and consuming alcohol.

Al-Arabia – Many have congratulated Iran that its recent crisis has come to an end and some even traveled to Tehran to congratulate officials face to face. However, the crisis has not ended and it’s actually very complicated. 

RFL/RE – A 70-kilogram, gold-plated replica of a ship inscribed with the entire Koran wowed clerics at its unveiling in Iran’s holy city of Qom this week.

RFL/RE – Iranian media say a 34-year-old man had a hand chopped off as punishment for stealing livestock in the northeastern province of Razavi Khorasan. The local, state-sponsored newspaper Khorasan reported that the amputation took place on January 17 in the central prison in the provincial capital, Mashhad. The man, referred to as A. Kh., was transferred to a medical …

RFL/RE – The biggest challenge to Iran’s establishment in years fizzled out after a couple of weeks of violent demonstrations, but while widespread discontent has been quieted for now, the calm won’t last forever. The roots of the protests — frustration among the youth over their lack of freedoms and opportunities — remain just below the surface. And with the …

Amnesty – Iranian teenager Abolfazl Chezani Sharahi remains at risk of execution after his execution scheduled for 17 January was postponed. He was 14 years old at the time of the crime of which he was convicted. Since 2014, he has been subjected to the anguish of being transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution four times. To …