Iranwire – An Iranian court sentenced a 19-year-old protester to death on December 20 on the charge of “waging war against God,” at the end of a trial held online.  Security forces arrested Ali Makan Davari during an October 10 anti-government rally in the northern city of Langarood. Davari was accused of “disruption of order, collusion, waging war against God, …

Iranwire – British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said that Russia plans to give Iran “advanced military components” in exchange for hundreds of drones. “Iran has become one of Russia’s top military backers,” Wallace told parliament on December 20 as part of a statement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “In return for having supplied more than 300 kamikaze drones, Russia now …

Iranwire – The head of the UN’s top human rights body has appointed the members of the recently established fact-finding mission on human rights abuses committed by Iranian authorities in their bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. The president of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, Federico Villegas of Argentina, has picked Sara Hossain of Bangladesh, Shaheen Sardar Ali of Pakistan and …

Iranwire – The commander Iran’s elite Quds Force has said that all journalists who have been critical to the clerical regime will be “hit” sooner or later, amid a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests and media workers. “We have recorded all the enemies’ actions. All of them will be hit without exception. Anyone who has done media work against Iran, …

Iranwire – Iranian police arrested a member of Iran’s persecuted Baha’i religious minority on December 10, IranWire understands. Armed agents raided the home of Massoud Momzat, in the southeastern city of Shiraz, confiscated personal electronic devices, and took him to an unknown location. No further information on Momzat’s condition has been forthcoming since his arrest.  The Iranian authorities’ crackdown on members …

VOA – Iran’s foreign minister said on Wednesday he spoke with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of a conference in Jordan the previous day, the highest-level encounter reported between officials from the rival states since they cut ties in 2016. The Middle East’s leading Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran have been on opposing sides of …

VOA – Iranian director Asghar Farhadi on Tuesday urged the release of Taraneh Alidoosti, who has starred in four of his films, after the actor’s arrest for supporting the three-month protest movement. Alidoosti, 38, was arrested on Saturday, official media said, after making a string of social media posts supporting the protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death — including removing …

standard.co.uk – Rishi Sunak has said he is “increasingly concerned” about Iran’s behaviour after the country’s security forces launched a brutal crackdown on protesters. In his first interrogation by the Commons Liaison Committee since becoming Prime Minister in October, Mr Sunak told MPs on Tuesday afternoon that the treatment of protesters by Iran’s security forces in recent months was “abhorrent”. He added: “Whilst Russia and Ukraine remains our number …

CHRI – The sentencing of theater actor Hossein Mohammadi to death in Iran after a show trial, and the arbitrary detentions of more than 100 film and theatre industry workers including superstar Taraneh Alidoosti, mark the latest chapter of the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown on dissent three months into the anti-state protests that have rocked the nation. “The international community, including film …

Al-Arabia – Iranian authorities have released one of the country’s best known dissidents after he spent three months in jail as protests shook the country, his brother said. Majid Tavakoli was released on bail from Tehran’s Evin prison after 89 days behind bars, his brother Mohsen wrote on Twitter late on Monday. Tavakoli had been arrested shortly after the start …