Radiofarda – A British-Iranian woman serving a five-year prison term in Tehran for sedition was released from jail for two weeks on Tuesday, her husband said. “The Free Nazanin Campaign is pleased to confirm — as has long been promised — that Nazanin (Zaghari-Ratcliffe) was this afternoon released temporarily on furlough for two weeks until 4 April 2020,” Richard Ratcliffe …

Radiofarda – The chaotic situation of coronavirus information dissemination in Iran has given rise to many controversies as the performance of Iran’s state-run TV has invited criticism by citizens, as well as artists, journalists and political activists. Amir-Hossein Rostami, an Iranian actor asked critical questions on a live TV program Monday evening, including why the government delayed announcing the coronavirus …

Iran-HRM – Despite official cover-ups on the death toll of the Coronavirus outbreak, the state-run ILNA news agency reported on March 12, 2020 that on the orders of the governor of Khaf, in Razavi Khorassan Province, a large number of graves have been dug on the foothills of Khajeyar Mountains to bury the victims of Coronavirus. The preparations contradict official announcements …

RFL/RE – An Iranian national arrived in Texas on March 14 from Georgia as part of an extradition procedure for allegedly exporting sensitive military equipment from the United States to Iran, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release on March 17. Merdad Ansari, 38, arrived in San Antonio to face federal charges “in connection with a scheme …

CHRI – At least three political activists in Tehran’s Evin Prison have joined prominent imprisoned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh’s hunger strike demanding “freedom for all political prisoners” amid the country’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. Sotoudeh’s husband, Reza Khandan, who lives in Tehran with their two children, told CHRI that his wife is aware …

Al-Monitor – As of March 17, the coronavirus epidemic in Iran had killed nearly a thousand people and infected over 16,000 others. For a theocracy like the Islamic Republic, closing down religious sites as a measure to slow transmission is a tough decision, leaving the authorities stuck between a rock and hard place. Yet with the epidemic showing no sign of abating, the Iranian authorities chose …

PayvandNews – Iranian state television has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could kill “millions” in the Islamic republic if the public keeps ignoring health measures as the death toll spiked to almost 1,000. The warning was broadcast on March 17 in the afternoon, after the Health Ministry said 135 more people had been killed by the new coronavirus over the …

Shabtabnews – On 16th March 2020, IOPHR sent an open letter to Mrs Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, requesting the IMF not to provide direct funds to the Iranian regime for combating Coronavirus , but instead pay the funds directly to international NGO’s. In there letter IOPHR points out that given the widespread corruption and level …

Radiofarda – Dr. Rick Brennan, Director of Emergency Operations in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new Emergencies Program has said that Iran’s coronavirus (COVID-19) death toll is underreported due to testing being restricted to sever cases and the toll can be potentially five times higher. “The number of cases reported could represent only about a fifth of the real numbers. …

Al-Arabia – Iran has temporarily freed about 85,000 prisoners, including political prisoners, a spokesman for its judiciary said on Tuesday, in response to the coronavirus epidemic.“Some 50 percent of those released are security-related prisoners … Also in the jails we have taken precautionary measures to confront the outbreak,” said Gholamhossein Esmaili.On March 10, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights …