Iran Human Rights (IHR)- In an open letter to the head of the judiciary, political prisoner Arsalan Khodkam says his convictions are trumped-up charges and asked for his case to be re-examined. The death sentence against Arsalan, who is currently held in Urmia Central Prison on “espionage for dissident groups” charges, was upheld by the Supreme Court. According to Iran …

Al-Monitor – An independent adviser to Canada’s government Tuesday criticized Iran’s handling of the ongoing investigation into the shoot-down of a Ukrainian passenger airliner near Tehran early this year. “The party responsible for the situation is investigating itself, mostly in secret,” read a 74-page report released Tuesday by Ralph Goodale, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appointed special adviser on the incident. Iran …

Iranhr.net- At 24 years old, the Iranian Saba Kordafshari is currently serving a sentence matching her age for merely taking off her hijab on the streets of Tehran. She will spend her youth in prison for standing up for women’s rights in a country that regulates every aspect of a woman’s life. Soon after her arrest, she was joined by her mother, Raheleh …

Iranwire.com – The father of a victim killed in the Ukrainian Airlines flight shot down by Revolutionary Guards in January 2020 has condemned Iran’s foreign minister and a top Guards commander, calling them criminals with blood on their hands. The father of Maryam Malek addressed his accusations to the Tehran Military Prosecutor’s Office, posting a video of his anguished statements on Twitter on December 14. In …

iranwire.com – The dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam was executed in Iran on December 12. Last winter the founder of Amad News was lured from his place of relative safety in Paris to Baghdad, Iraq by the promise of an interview with Ayatollah Sistani, a noted Shia source of emulation. There, he was arrested, kidnapped and spirited back to Iraq by …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s parliament passed a measure on Tuesday to ban dual nationals and holders of foreign residency from running in presidential elections, after speculation that some officials may hold Green Cards from the United States. Read more: Lebanon’s banks impose additional fees on dollar depositors The measure, passed in a session carried live on state radio, still needs to …

Radiofarda – The Iranian government has banned the importing of cars for the past two years, Iranian car manufacturing companies have grabbed the chance to entirely monopolize the local market. However, two developments have raised the possibility of the resumption of car imports next year. The first is allocating a share for importing vehicles in the government’s newly proposed budget. …

Radiofarda – Rouhangiz Soltaninejad — whose husband, Hamid Hajizadeh, and nine-year-old son, Karoun Hajizadeh, were both killed in the Political Chain Murders — has broken her silence after 22 years. Speaking exclusively to Radio Farda, Soltaninejad narrates her husband and nine-year-old son’s murder in graphic details that some might find difficult to read. “Karoun’s eyes were wide open,” she said. …

Radiofarda – Ruhollah Zam, the Iranian media figure who established the AMAD Telegram channel, was hanged in Iran on Saturday, per the IRIB state media channel. The AMAD Telegram channel became one of the most popular Iranian social networks between 2016 and 2017, circulating behind-the-scenes news around the country. Ruhollah Zam established AMAD in 2015, named for the Persian acronym …

RFL/RE – Turkish authorities say they have detained 11 people suspected of spying and abducting an exiled Iranian political dissident on behalf of Tehran.Agents from Turkey’s MIT intelligence service arrested the Turkish nationals two weeks ago following Habib Chaab’s disappearance in Istanbul, the Turkish police said on December 14.Chaab, the former leader of the separatist group the Arab Struggle Movement for the …