Iranwire – A Norway-based human rights group says at least 218 rights defenders have been arrested and harassed in Iran since the eruption of nationwide protests more than three months ago. In a report published on December 22, the Iran Human Rights organization says the Islamic Republic’s “systematic” repression of rights activists has dramatically increased in recent years. It adds that the …

Iranwire- Iranian star actor Abolfazl Pourarab has appeared on a live TV program where he called on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to grant an amnesty to those who have been arrested and prosecuted in connection with the ongoing nationwide wave of protests. “I am asking the leader of the revolution to grant amnesty to these people. Forgive them and establish …

VOA – After being arrested for creating antigovernment propaganda in 2010, the Iranian director Jafar Panahi was banned from making films for 20 years. Since then, he’s made five widely acclaimed features. His latest, No Bears, opens soon in U.S. theaters while Panahi is in prison. In July, Panahi went to the Tehran prosecutor’s office to inquire about the arrest of …

VOA – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has condemned the 10-year prison sentences given two Baha’i women in Iran. Both women, 69-year-old Mahvash Sabet and 60-year-old Fariba Kamalabadi, had already served 10-year sentences between 2008 and 2018, along with five other members of Iran’s Baha’i community. The commission says the arrests of the seven stemmed from the women’s …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani has weighed in for the first time on the recent protests in Iran with controversial comments about women who do not wear a hijab. During a televised speech Tuesday, Qaani attacked the United States for the protests that have entered their fourth month. “You made so much noise in Iran,” Qaani said. …

Shabtabnews – In a twitter statement USCIRF commended US sanctions against high-ranking officials complicit in egregious religious freedom violations, and asked US government to ” continue to hold Iranian officials fully accountable & we urge other govs to do the same .” USCIRF Cmmr @Skleinbaum: "USCIRF commends @StateDept and @USTreasury for today's sanctions against high-ranking officials complicit in egregious religious …

Al-Arabia – Nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini have ushered Iran into a new era of deepening crisis between the clerical leadership and society at large.Amini’s family said she was beaten after being arrested by the morality police on September 13 for violating the Islamic Republic’s imposed dress code. Amini died three …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Thursday it had arrested a number of Mossad spies who were planning “terrorist” attacks in the country, state media reported. “Four operational teams of the Mossad were identified and all their members were arrested,” the ministry said in a statement carried by state media. The ministry accused Israel of planning to carry out …

RFL/RE – Iranian actor Hossein Mohammadi is among five protesters to have been handed death sentences over the death of a Basij militia member during unrest triggered by the death in custody of a young woman over an alleged head scarf violation. The cases were decided after just three court hearings spread over six days. Mohammadi’s name was not among …

Iranwire – A semiofficial Iranian newspaper has asked the authorities to “shut down” the Football Premier League after players voiced support for nationwide anti-government protesters. “Maybe time has come to throw away all the rubbish of football, from the presidents to the managers, players, and coaches with correct decisions,” Javan newspaper, which affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), …