HRW – The undersigned human rights organizations are deeply concerned about arrests of family members of activists, journalists and political prisoners by the Iranian government. These arrests fit a pattern of intimidation and harassment often undertaken by the Iranian authorities to silence dissidents and civil society activists inside and outside Iran. On September 24, 2019, Masih Alinejad, a U.S.-based journalist …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Despite a mass gathering of civil activists in front of Sanandaj prison to win the plaintiffs’ consent, a 24-year-old prisoner was hanged for murder charges this morning. He was the father of a 3-year-old child.  Razgar Zandi, 24, was hanged this morning at Sanandaj Prison, Kurdistan province. Razgar Zandi was sentenced to death for murdering …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Has French President Emmanuel Macron forgotten that he is helping and appeasing a state leading in human rights violations? In 2018, according to Javaid Rehman, the UN expert on human rights in Iran, at least 273 people were executed in Iran, and 6,000 over ten years, according to Iran Human Rights. In addition, the use of cruel and …

cartoonbrew.com – In a major development for Iran’s budding animation industry, an animated feature from the country is set to qualify for the Oscars for the first time. The Last Fiction, the debut feature from the Tehran-based Hoorakhsh Studios, will play in Hollywood’s Arena Cinelounge (6464 Sunset Blvd) the week of October 18–24. With this theatrical run, it will become eligible …

Reuters -Iran’s oil minister sought to defuse tensions with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, calling his counterpart in Riyadh ‘a friend’ and saying Tehran was committed to stability in the region.Iran and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly clashed at OPEC meetings over output policies, and tensions between the two countries have flared as Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for an attack on Saudi …

Radiofarda – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday confirmed reports that he evaded a proposed telephone conversation with Donald Trump, saying that Trump’s motive was to use the call for his domestic political needs. At the same time, Rouhani thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his efforts to try to arrange the doomed phone meeting adding, “Neither Paris nor Tehran …

Radiofarda – A member of the Iranian parliament says the Iranian car manufacturer, Iran Khodro, has invested $100 million in Senegal, without producing any vehicles or making any gains. “Iran Khodro is still paying the expenses related to its Senegal investment. Therefore, it adds the expenses on the price of its vehicles manufactured in Iran for the local market,” Amir …

Radiofarda – A newspaper in Iran says a clergyman committed suicide in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison’s special ward for the clergy. Qanun (Law) newspaper adds that the reason for the suicide was hardships prisoners and their families face. Qanun has not named the victim and has not published any further details. But former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s adviser Abdolreza Davari has tweeted that …

Radiofarda – Iranian news outlets have widely denied reports that Baghdad has ordered the Iraqi consulate to suspend its activities in Iran’s second-largest city, Mashhad. Speaking to the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA), the deputy Governor-General of Mashhad Hassan Jafari said late Tuesday, October 1, that the Iraqi consulate was still operating as usual and reports about its closure …

Radiofarda – Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law ratifying the controversial Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, on Tuesday, October 1. Duma, the Russian parliament, had already passed the convention on September 19. The international treaty between Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan was signed in Aktau, Kazakhstan on August 12, 2018, pending endorsement by respective …