We at the Center for Human Rights in Iran mourn the death of our former colleague Ali Ajami, and express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Ali was a university student activist in Iran who paid a heavy price for advocating civil and human rights. He was arrested in June 2009 at the height of a government crackdown on …

CHRI – Human rights attorney Payam Derafshan was denied access to counsel while being tried for the charge of “insulting the supreme leader,” for which he was sentenced to two years imprisonment and suspended from practicing law for an additional two years. “The court did not allow his defense lawyers to be present at the trial,” his lawyer, Saeed Dehghan, …

Al-Monitor – In a rare dawn raid on Monday, Iraqi security forces arrested at least five men affiliated with an Iran-aligned militia accused of shooting at protesters over the weekend.  Police in the southern province of Basra stormed the Thaar Allah office, confiscating weapons and ammunition. A government statement said bullets had been fired at demonstrators Sunday by militiamen inside the building, killing …

Al-Monitor – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said May 11 that the United States has not yet responded to calls for a prisoner swap. The day before, Hassan Rouhani administration spokesman Ali Rabiei made headlines when he said, “We have announced that we are ready to exchange prisoners without any preconditions.” He added that Iran is open to talks on the matter.  The following …

Radiofarda – In a statement on Monday, Iran’s constitution and election watchdog refuted the allegations made against the clerical body and its secretary by an outspoken lawmaker. The Guardian Council’s response which was published in Sharq newspaper called Ali Motahari ill-tempered and hostile and said his allegations that the Council and its secretary Ayatollah Ali Jannati seek to manipulate elections …

Radiofarda – A member of the Iranian parliament has disclosed that “270 billion rials of people’s money” was paid to the United Kingdom as compensation for damages incurred in an attack by hardliners on London’s embassy in 2011 in Tehran. According to the pro-reformist MP Ahmad Mazani, the compensation which amounted to 1.3 million pounds was paid for the restoration …

Radiofarda – The Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan on Sunday said the foreign ministers of Iran and Afghanistan held a phone coversation about “reports of torture and martyrdom of Afghan travelers” allegedly drowned by Iranian border guards. In a statement published on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan said the two ministers have underlined their commitment to starting a joint probe …

Radiofarda – The head of the “Academy of Islamic Sciences” in Iran Mohammad Mehdi Mirbaqeri, says there has been excessive exaggeration about the dangers of the novel coronavirus, and that is an “enemy plot”. Speaking to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)-linked Fars News Agency on Saturday, May 9, he cited unidentified analysts as saying that the coronavirus was a …

Radiofarda – Iran’s stock market is on a historic run as prices increased 190 percent in the twelve months ending March 20 and keep rising, outpacing any other investment opportunity in the country. While the economy has been in crisis for more than two years, the national currency has devalued more than fourfold and U.S. sanctions have brought its oil …

Radiofarda – The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared undecided on the sensitive issue of reopening busy religious sites and shrines during a meeting of the COVID-19 Control Task Force on Sunday May 10. This was Khamenei’s first presence at a meeting of the task force since its inception in February, though virtually and via video …