Iranwire – The Iranian presidential election of June 18, 2021 is set to be characterized by a mass boycott. Among the high profile non-voters are both Mir Hossein Mousavi, a 2009 election candidate still under house arrest, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his populist then-rival. All the polls suggest that turnout on Friday will be low. But in a speech on Wednesday, …

VOA – Iranians go to the polls Friday to choose a new president. But with international monitors banned, critics say the election will be far from free or fair — and as Henry Ridgwell reports, public discontent could lead to a low voter turnout.

Iran-HRM – Ill-treated prisoner of conscience Hossein Sepanta denied medical care Hossein Sepanta a critically ill prisoner of conscience in Adelabad prison in Shiraz, Fars province, has been denied medical access in Shiraz, Fars Province. Sepanta, who has been serving a 13.5-year prison sentence since 2013, suffers from a disorder in his spinal cord, causing him severe pain, numbness, loss of coordination, …

gatestoneinstitute.org – In retrospect, Germany’s much-vaunted Hezbollah ban appears to have been little more than a publicity stunt aimed at silencing critics of the German government’s pro-Iran foreign policy. Hezbollah has effectively evaded the ban by transferring many of its activities to charities and cultural centers controlled by Iran. Iran’s main base of operation in Germany is the Hamburg-based Shiite …

Al-Monitor – Amid intensifying speculation over a prisoner exchange between the United States and Iran, the family of Siamak and Baquer Namazi is appealing to President Joe Biden to secure their release. A Twitter webpage calls for freeing the Namazis. – Twitter/FreeTheNamazis Elizabeth Hagedorn@ElizHagedorn As the United States works to bring Iran back into compliance with the nuclear accord, the family of …

Al-Monitor – In his final speech before Iran’s presidential election on June 18, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians to vote. Polls have repeatedly shown that this year’s election will likely see the lowest voter turnout in recent history. One of the reasons for the low voter turnout is the high number of disqualifications that have left a small number of candidates to run. …

RFL/RE – One of two reformists approved to run in Iran’s June 18 presidential election has withdrawn his candidacy. Iranian media report that Mohsen Mehralizadeh, a 64-year-old former vice president, withdrew on June 16 — the last day of the election campaign. He was one of only two reformists permitted to run in the election to replace President Hassan Rohani, …

Iranwire – “I am worried about the judgment that posterity and history will pass upon us.” These words were spoken by Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri, a leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and close associate of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. After the revolution, Montazeri had officially become Khomeini’s deputy and heir apparent. He was called “the hope of the Imam [Khomeini] …

Iranwire – In November 2019 protests erupted across Iran, prompted by Iranian authorities’ sudden decision to raise the price of gasoline threefold. Police and security forces were mobilized to suppress the demonstrations, which spread quickly. According to Iran’s official figures, more than 250 people were killed, though Amnesty International has stated that at least 304 people lost their lives during …

Iranwire – Mohammad Pourmand lived and worked his entire life as an air conditioner repairman in Iran. Then he was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence agency, and sentenced to 22 months in prison for a string of tweets criticizing the government. Now living in exile in Turkey, Pourmand spoke to IranWire’s sister website Journalism is Not a Crime about the …