Shabtabnews – In a twitter statement USCIRF commissioner expressed alarm by reports that officials at Karaj Central Prison are denying Gonabadi Sufi prisoner Dr. Hamid Gharehassanlou hospital care for severe intestinal bleeding. He must be granted proper medical attention immediately. USCIRF Commissioner @SKleinbaum: "USCIRF is alarmed by reports that officials at Karaj Central Prison are denying Gonabadi Sufi prisoner Dr. …

Al-Arabia – A Farsi-language satellite news channel based in London long critical of Iran’s theocratic government said Saturday it had moved its broadcasts to Washington “to protect the safety of its journalists” after reportedly being targeted by Tehran. The alleged targeting of Iran International comes as Tehran also has long harassed members of the BBC’s Persian service for their work …

RFL/RE – Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran, says he and other opposition activists attending the Munich Security Conference want to bring the demands of Iranians to the world. Pahlavi told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that due to state pressure, critics in the Islamic republic cannot express themselves freely. “They want us to deliver their message to the world. …

RFL/RE — A German MP in the European Parliament said it is significant that for the first time Iran is not represented by its foreign minister at the Munich Security Conference but by other political figures who have a different vision for the future of Iran. Hannah Neumann, an MP in the Strasbourg-based Parliament who has been outspoken on Iran …

RFL/RE – Iran’s Education Minister Yusef Nuri says a special team in the Iranian capital has been tasked with investigating the poisoning of students in the central religious city of Qom. Nuri made the comments during a February 16 visit to the Shahid Beheshti hospital in Qom, where some of the students are being treated.Since last December, dozens of students, the majority …

Iranwire – “After being captured, a Muhareb’s (Enemy of God’s) repentance will not be accepted and his punishment is the same as the Quran said. Killing in the most brutal way. …Tazeer (flogging) must tear the skin, pass through the flesh and break the bone.” Mohammadi Gilani, head of the courts of the Islamic revolution, Johmouri-e-Islami newspaper, September 20, 1981 *** …

Iranwire – Recent snowfall in Iran’s southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province has caused building collapses and road blockades, leaving thousands of people stranded in sub-zero temperatures. Despite the provincial authorities’ efforts to reopen roads and assist those affected, the situation remains highly critical for many residents of the provincial capital, Shahr-e-kurd, the city of Kohrang and nearby villages. Residents say …

Iranwire – A female member of the Construction Engineering Organization of Tehran province flung away her headscarf at the election of its board of directors after she was barred from running because she did not wear the mandatory hijab. A video that went viral on social media on February 17 shows the mainly men audience applauding when Zainab Kazempour threw …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have detained a prominent Kurdish labor activist and transferred him to a detention center of the Ministry of Intelligence, IranWire has learned. Osman Esmaili was arrested in the northwestern city of Saqqez on February 8 without a judicial warrant. Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Saqqez told the family he was being held at …

Iranwire – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says Iranian authorities have arrested at least 95 journalists since the eruption of anti-government protests five months ago, and more than half of them, at least 48, had their devices seized. The number of device seizures is believed to be much higher, since Iranian security forces are known to intimidate witnesses to …