CHRI – In his latest report presented to the UN Human Rights Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over the rising number of executions in the Islamic of Iran, as well as “patterns of arbitrary deprivation of life due to excessive force used by the authorities against border couriers, peaceful protesters and those in detention, continued with impunity.” The UN press …

Al-Monitor – Israel is headed to its fifth election in just over three years after the collapse of its fragile coalition government. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s surprise decision to step down and disband the Knesset comes weeks before he is due to meet with President Joe Biden, who arrives in Israel on July 13. As we report below, the collapse of the coalition …

Al-Monitor – Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami spoke about the United States and Israel in his latest speech. “Our enemy is in a state of flight and defeat,” Salami said. “Today you see the news of the Zionist regime and how they are in a political collapse, and if you look at the US, …

Al-Arabia – The United Nations on Wednesday urged Iran to halt plans to amputate the fingers of eight prisoners and called on Tehran to do away with any form of corporal punishment. UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said seven of the men were currently being held at the Greater Tehran Central Prison. “We are deeply concerned by the …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Ahead of Biden’s visit, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in a clear message to the US administration and other Western powers, affirmed that any nuclear agreement or future negotiations with Iran must address the Iranians’ “destabilizing behavior in the region, their support for terrorist militias, and their missile program.” “Western countries prefer to talk about upcoming measures, preparing …

RFL/RE – Tensions are soaring between Iran and Israel, its regional foe. This comes as Tel Aviv is suspected of carrying out a recent spate of assassinations and sabotage attacks inside the Islamic republic. Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on June 20 said the death of a Defense Ministry engineer in May was the result of “industrial sabotage,” …

Iranwire – On June 16, Iran’s Economic Security Police announced that a ban on futures trading in foreign currency, gold and other precious metals had come into effect in Iran. Deputy police chief Brigadier General Sohrab Bahrami said officers had arrested 31 “profiteers” running illegal futures dealerships. From now on, he said, all such business was considered gambling and therefore illegal, and …

Iranwire – Waste collection and processing companies working for municipalities in Iran are often employing child laborers, a top judiciary official has warned. Mohammad Fathi, director-general of the judiciary’s Office for Women and Family Affairs, said on Wednesday that recycling plants in particular were known for exploiting young people in “an organized manner”. “Municipal contractors often have children working long …

Iranwire – A new directive issued by the Iranian Health Ministry has criminalized medical professionals acting as “accessories” to abortion. Those found to be “aiding and abetting” illegal abortions will face a heavy fine and disbarment. Saber Jabberi, head of Youth Population Department at the Ministry of Health, said of the policy as it came into effect on June 18: “If a …

Iranwire – In September 2020, ex-top judiciary official Akbar Tabari was sentenced to a  stunning 31 years in prison for “setting up and heading a bribery network”. In a months-long trial hugely publicized by Iranian state media and described as “the mother of all corruption cases”, Tabari and associates had been accused of facilitating serious bribery corruption in the judiciary, going back …