HRANA – The nationwide protests of last November are the most significant events of 2019. During the November protests that lasted more than 10 days simultaneously in 719 spots in the country, at least 7133 people were arrested, hundreds died on the streets, and many protesters got gunshot wounds. 1. The trial of four residents of Kermanshah was on February 10, 2020. Three of them …

Al-Arabia – A US Senator held secret meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last week, according to an unnamed source briefed by the French delegation to the Munich Security Conference, reported the Federalist. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy is the latest Western official to meet Iranian regime officials in the months after Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane …

Amnesty – Report reviews human rights in 19 MENA states during 2019 Wave of protests across Algeria, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon demonstrates reinvigorated faith in people power 500+ killed in Iraq and over 300 in Iran in brutal crackdowns on protests Relentless clampdown on peaceful critics and human rights defenders At least 136 prisoners of conscience detained in 12 countries …

RFL/RE – Iran’s judiciary says it has issued prison sentences for eight environmental activists, including an Iranian who also has British and U.S. citizenship, on charges of spying for the United States and acting against Iran’s national security.Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili says an Iranian appeals court issued “final verdicts” in their cases on February 18.Two of the activists, Morad Tahbaz …

RFL//RE — Ukrainian officials have unveiled a monument at Kyiv’s international airport to commemorate the victims of a Ukrainian airliner that was shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Tehran last month. People lay flowers at the new memorial to the victims of Flight PS752 at Boryspil airport. The Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737-800 was shot down …

This is Amnesty International’s annual report on the state of human rights in Iran during 2019, subdivided by key human rights themes. It is part of a regional review of the state of human rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Choose a language to view report https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1318292020ENGLISH.PDF

Radiozmaneh – The 11th round of parliamentary elections in Iran will be held on February 21, 2020, with 290 seats to be filled for a four-year term through a nationwide vote. The Iranian Parliament is called “the Islamic Consultative Assembly” or “Majlis.” According to article six of the Islamic Republic’s constitution, the country’s affairs must be administered by reliance on …

VOA – An Iranian man accused of violating U.S. sanctions and detained in Germany has been freed and has returned to Iran after diplomatic efforts by Tehran, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday. The man, Ahmad Khalili flew home with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had been in Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference, Iranian state …

VOA – Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who is getting the cold shoulder from Gulf Arab states, on Monday met Iran’s parliament speaker, the first senior foreign official to visit since Diab’s government took office. The heavily armed Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, is a main backer of Diab’s Cabinet, which took office last month after efforts failed to strike …

Radiofarda – A prominent jailed attorney in Iran, who defended political prisoners, started a full hunger strike Sunday after one week of subsisting on a liquid diet. Amirslar Davoudi received a 30-year sentence and 111 lashes in June 2019 and now has gone on a full hunger strike to protest prison conditions. He was tried in an “Islamic Revolutionary Court” by …