CHRI – More than a month after thousands of people were arrested in Iran after weeklong protests erupted across the country beginning in December 2017, 11 Members of Parliament (MPs) were allowed to visit Evin Prison in Tehran for three hours on January 30, 2018. MP Allahyar Malekshahi told the conservative Mashregh newspaper on January 30 that the delegation was …

Al-Monitor — Many foreign companies returned to Iran’s largely untapped market after the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015. The landmark deal took effect six months later, and lifted international sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. The deal has helped bring economic benefits for Iran, including the opening up of the …

AL-Monitor – During an address marking the 39th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, President Hassan Rouhani, in a nod to recent protests that rocked Iran, warned about the dangers of not listening to criticism about the state of the country. “The previous regime, which thought that its rule would be lifelong and its monarchy eternal, lost everything because it did …

RFL/RE – International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has asked its members around the world to protest against the “harassment” of labor activists and “systematic violation” of workers’ rights in Iran.

RFL/RE – A long-running child sexual abuse scandal, reaching the inner circle of Iran’s Supreme Leader, shows no sign of ebbing.

RFL/RE – The deputy head of parliament’s Judicial and Legal Commission has lambasted Iranian authorities for deploying a swarm of intelligence and security agents at Tehran’s notorious prison, Evin, while a special delegation of MPs was visiting the detention center.

RFL/RE – After previously rejecting it, the Iranian Parliament has approved the general outlines of President Hassan Rouhani’s proposed budget bill for the next Iranian year, starting March 21.

kurdistan24  – Germany on Wednesday criticized the Iranian government’s execution policy accusing Tehran of “unacceptable” violations of international law. The German government’s human rights commissioner, Bäerbel Kofler, condemned Iran’s reported execution of 22-year-old Ali Kazemi on Monday. Kofler said the man, who was 15-years-old when he committed his crime, did not receive a fair trial, adding Kazemi’s attorney had not …

independent – British barristers have written to Iran‘s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to protest against the treatment of lawyers in the country and the ongoing detention of prominent human rights advocates. A letter from the Bar Council urged Iranian authorities to “release all lawyers” and anyone who has been detained for their work defending people’s rights. It highlighted the …

Reuters – France will start offering euro-denominated loans to Iranian buyers of its goods later this year, to help trade flourish outside the reach of U.S. sanctions, the head of state-owned investment bank Bpifrance said. France has been looking to boost trade with Iran ever since Paris, Washington and other world powers agreed in 2015 to lift many sanctions on …