Iranwire – The U.S. State Department will honor 14 “extraordinary” women from Belarus, Iran, and other countries who have demonstrated leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and a willingness to sacrifice for others. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host the annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) awards in a virtual ceremony on March 8 — International Women’s Day — to honor jailed …

Iranwire – The nationwide protests of January2018 and November2019 were arguably turning points in the history of street protests in Iran. Although they were brutally supressed, the ruling establishment is now deeply afraid of further demonstrations. Since then, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s state-sponsored think-tanks and study centers have offered various recommendations to officials on how to prevent a recurrence. The latest of …

Amnesty – The near total Internet shutdowns began as protests got underway on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 after reports and videos surfaced indicating that the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guards Corps had opened fire with live ammunition at a group of unarmed civilian fuel porters near the border city of Saravan in Sistan and Baluchistan province, killing at least 10 people …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – IHR previously reported the execution of Ahmad Araji in Arak. New information reveals that another prisoner, Hamed Mostafaei, was also executed on drug-related charges in Arak Central Prison that day. Iran Human Rights had previously reported the execution of Ahmad Araji, who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) on murder charges on February 26, at Arak Central Prison. Newly obtained …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) –  A prisoner sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder has been executed in Noshahr Prison. According to Iran Human Rights, a male prisoner was executed in the early hours of March 2, in Arak Central Prison. The prisoner whose identity has been established as Fatah Hosseini, had been sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) on murder charges. According to informed sources, Fatah …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Dr Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian scientist on death row in Evin Prison, has spent 100 days in solitary confinement, and only permitted one family visit in that period. According to Iran Human Rights, political prisoner, Ahmadreza Djalali was transferred to the solitary confinement cells of Ward 209, where he has been deprived of his basic …

Al-Monitor – Republican lawmakers on Thursday dug into Colin Kahl, President Joe Biden’s pick to become the Pentagon’s top policy official — a role akin to the defense secretary’s right-hand with responsibility in broad swaths of US national security policy. It was the second contentious nomination hearing in two days as Republicans jockey for leverage in opposition to the White House’s plans to reenter …

Al-Arabia – The UN nuclear watchdog plans to start a “technical” dialogue with Iran aimed at advancing the process of obtaining explanations on outstanding issues such uranium particles found at old, undeclared sites, its chief said on Thursday. “I’m … aiming at having a far more clear understanding of this issue by the summer or before,” International Atomic Energy Agency …

RFL/RE – Dozens of ethnic Baluch rights activists have staged a protest in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi to condemn the killing of their ethnic brethren by Iranian border guards last month. The protest comes amid reports of violent unrest and Internet blackouts in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan Province triggered after security forces killed cross-border fuel smugglers. Human Rights Watch last …

Iranwire – Six years ago on January 18, 2015, the prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found dead in his apartment in Buenos Aires. The prosecutor was hours away from denouncing a criminal plan carried out by the then-national government which aimed to provide immunity to Iranians linked to Hezbollah, who stood accused of having planned and executed the bombing attack against …