Iranwire – Bahman Nasiri, a member of the Iranian national rowing team, has emigrated to the Republic of Azerbaijan. The news was confirmed by Alireza Sohrabian, president of Iran’s Canoe, Sailing and Rowing Federation, after it emerged that Nasiri had asked for his name to be removed from the roster. Unlike other Iranian sports federation bosses, Sohrabian did not take …

Iranwire – Five Kurds who were arrested in the city of Baneh are still in custody after six months, and security agencies in Iranian Kurdistan continue to block their release on bail. Behzad Pezeshki, 32, Rafiq Pezeshki, 40, Karim Pezeshki, 50, Saeed Rashidi, 60, and Jamal Morovvati, 46, were arrested on November 11, 2021, during a spate of arrests in the city …

Iranhr.net – According to reports gathered by IHRNGO, at least 126 people were executed for drug-related offences in 2021. This represents a five-time increase of the number of drug-related executions compared with the previous three years. None of the executions were announced by the official media, all were confirmed by IHRNGO sources. Read full report. Facts about the drug-related executions in …

Al-Monitor – In a rare moment of political outreach, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi met with a group of political activists from a diverse group of views for an iftar gathering. According to the activists at the May 1 gathering, those in attendance were able to discuss various topics and issues in an open atmosphere. Mohsen Hashemi, the head of the Executives of …

Al-Arabia – Iran oil minister Javad Owji is making a rare trip to Venezuela that includes visiting oil facilities and signing energy deals between the two US-sanctioned nations, said people with knowledge of the situation. Owji and more than a dozen delegates arrived in Caracas on Saturday, according to the people, who asked not to be identified. Owji and his …

RFL/RE – Tehran says it summoned Sweden’s ambassador over “baseless and false allegations” made against a former Iranian official, Hamid Nouri, at a trial relating to the mass killings ordered by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1988. Swedish prosecutors have requested a life sentence for Nouri, , who has been charged with international war crimes and human rights abuses relating to the murders …

RFL/RE – An Asiatic cheetah gave birth to three cubs in Iran, the head of the environment department said on May 1, calling it a first in captivity for the endangered species. The cheetah — named Iran — delivered three “healthy” cubs by cesarean section, Ali Salajegheh told the official government news agency IRNA. “This is the first birth of …

RFL/RE -Teachers have held protests in several Iranian cities on May Day, which coincided with Teachers’ Day in Iran. Ahead of the protests, the Iranian Teachers Trade Unions Coordination Council said authorities arrested at least four union activists in Tehran on April 30. Three other activists were reportedly arrested in the western city of Marivan, while a number were reportedly …

Iran’s supreme leader will pardon or commute the jail sentences of 1,542 convicted prisoners in a gesture marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, his website said Saturday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of 1,542 convicts” for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy month, it said. The …

Iranhr.net – The number of executions in 2021 doubled in the 6 months after the presidential elections compared to the preceding 6 months. A similar increase was observed after the presidential elections in 2013 when Hassan Rouhani started his first presidential term, the JCPOA talks to reach an agreement between the P5+1 countries and the Islamic Republic on its nuclear …