Iran-HRM – Reports on social media indicate that civil activist and former prisoner of conscience Hossein Ronaghi has been arrested by security forces. Ronaghi is an advocate for human rights and Internet freedom, and has spent several years in prison for his peaceful activities. Officials have not yet responded to reports of his arrest. Meanwhile, his brother, Hassan Ronaghi tweeted …

Iran-HRM – A female civil rights activist was beaten by a non-political inmate who has the support of an official in Kachuei Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran. Reports indicate that civil rights activist Yasaman Ariani was attacked by several prisoners detained for common crimes on Wednesday. The women’s rights activist is imprisoned for her opposition to the Iranian regime’s …

CHRI – A proposed bill that would drastically increase the Iranian authorities’ ability to censor and surveil activity on the internet in Iran has taken a significant step forward, with the passage of the outlines of the bill by a parliamentary committee on February 22, 2022. If ultimately passed, the Bill for the Protection of the Rights of Cyberspace Users, also referred to as the …

RFL/RE – Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator has called on Western partners in the nuclear talks in Vienna to “take certain decisions” to seal a deal on reviving a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement. “Being near the finish line is no guarantee to crossing that. It requires extra caution, much perseverance, additional creativity and balanced approach to take the last step,” Ali …

Iranwire – A full-scale Russian military invasion of Ukraine began at 4am local time this morning. Missile strikes struck the capital, Kyiv, military bases and other cities including Kharkiv. It came not 48 hours after President Vladimir Putin recognized the Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent “People’s Republics” and finally positioned close to 100 per cent of the …

Iranwire – On the morning of May 12, 1990, female students filing through the gates of Martyr Bahonar High School in Salehiye, Tehran province, discovered that everything was in turmoil. The classmates of Melody Jamali were in fits, shouting and screaming. They had just received news of her suicide. Melody was one of 1,400 students, but had incurred the special …

Iranwire – A court in Mahshahr has sentenced Farzaneh Ansarifar, sister of slain protesters Farzad to 4.5 years of prison for demanding justice for her brother, killed during the 2019 protests. According to the verdict issued by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Mahshahr, Farzaneh Ansarifar was sentenced to four years and six months in prison on charges of …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Civil activist and former political prisoner, Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki has been forcibly disappeared according to his relatives who say he may have been arrested. Hossein had received threatening calls in the days preceding his disappearance. Hossein Ronaghi is a blogger and freedom of speech activist who fought for internet freedom and had previously served a total …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Five men who were on death row for murder, have been executed in Rajai Shahr Prison. According to Iran Human Rights, five men were executed in Rajai Shahr Prison on the morning of February 23. All five men were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. The identities of two of the men have been established as Hamed …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – A man only identified as Reza.Gh was executed on murder charges in Mashhad Central Prison. According to Khorasan newspaper, a man was executed in Mashhad Central Prison on February 21. He has only been identified as 30-year-old Reza.Gh who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. Arrested in November 2018, he was accused of stabbing his friend …