Iranwire – The years 1988 to 1994 witnessed the stratospheric rise of Ebrahim Raeesi from middling to senior member of the Iranian judiciary. His membership on Ayatollah Khomenei’s death panel, which sent thousands of political prisoner to their deaths in 1988, effectively turbo-charged the now-presidential frontrunner’s career. It appears, however, that Raeesi himself is conflicted about his decisive role in the massacre. The …
Read More »Monthly Archives: May 2021
Former Prisoners Sue Iran Over Solitary Confinement
Iranwire – Sixteen political and civil activists who had previously been held in solitary confinement in prison have filed a lawsuit against Islamic Republic officials responsible for their treatment, the Center for Human Rights Defenders reported on Thursday, May 27. The case emphasizes that holding people in solitary confinement for prolonged periods is considered to be torture under international law, and …
Read More »Prominent activist accuses Iran interrogators of sexual abuse
Al-Monitor – “It is a targeted practice. The interrogators are given special training to systematically break the morale of jailed women,” stated Iranian rights advocate Narges Mohammadi. She was recounting details of how dissident women are subject to various forms of mistreatment during interrogation by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Addressing a meeting on the social media …
Read More »Lebanon will never regain sovereignty with Hezbollah’s current status: David Hale
AL-Arabia – Lebanon will never regain true sovereignty or regain its strength until Iran-backed Hezbollah is prevented from acquiring weapons and it changes its destabilizing behavior, the former number three diplomat at the US State Department said Wednesday. “The state of Lebanon will never regain strength or achieve true sovereignty, so long as one faction can accumulate dangerous weapons and undertake smuggling and other …
Read More »Iran’s hard bargaining tactics raise the stakes at Vienna nuclear negotiations
arabnews – Escalation of nuclear activity and other moves seen as part of strategy to get US sanctions removed Experts warn that a return to 2015 deal could give Iran a pathway toward developing atomic weapons WASHINGTON, DC: The ongoing parley in Vienna between Iran and five signatories of the 2015 nuclear accord has begun to look like the proverbial …
Read More »Senate Republicans Move to Mandate Congressional Approval for New Iran Deal
freebeacon – A measure in the Senate would require the Biden administration to obtain congressional approval before inking a deal with Iran, according to a copy of the draft amendment obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The amendment would establish a significant roadblock in the Biden administration’s bid to reenter the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. As negotiations in Vienna with …
Read More »Ebrahim Raeesi: The Bloodstained Early Years
Iranwire – Ebrahim Raeesi is now the frontrunner in Iran’s June 2021 presidential election, all of whose credible conservative rivals have been disqualified by the Guardian Council. This report examines some of the more under-reported details of his life and career to date, from birth in a famous district of Mashhad to becoming a member of Ayatollah Khomeini’s infamous death …
Read More »Ex-Women Prisoners Speak Out About Sexual Abuse in Jail
Iranwire – Days after being hit with another risible 30-month jail sentence, veteran Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has taken to Clubhouse to speak out against the abuse of female prisoners by the Iranian regime. Speaking on Wednesday night in a chatroom entitled “Female Political Prisoners: from Humiliation and Sexual Assault to Corporal Punishment”, Mohammadi told the audience about …
Read More »Disowned by Their Families, Iranian Trans Women Turn to Sex Work
Iranwire – “I was born into a religious family, and was 13 or 14 years old when I realized. I don’t know how my family didn’t notice – or maybe they did, but they pretended not to. Unlike the other boys, who loved cars, balls and boisterous play, I always liked playing with dolls.” Shahnaz is a transgender woman in …
Read More »Ebrahim Raeesi: The Hanging Judge Set to Become Iran’s Next President
Iranwire – With the announcement of the final list of seven presidential candidates, most observers now believe that Ebrahim Raeesi, the current head of the Islamic Republic’s judiciary, is the regime’s principal choice. Even with the changes in political weather that tend to happen in the days right before the vote, Raeesi is widely expected to have an easy win on June 18. …
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