Iranwire – The brother of a prominent political activist imprisoned in Iran for calling for the resignation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has raised alarm about his sister’s deteriorating health. Fatemeh Sepehri has lost approximately 15 kilograms since her arrest eight months ago, her brother Asghar tweeted on May 16. Over the past 48 hours, Sepehri has experienced intestinal bleeding, further compounding her suffering following a …

VOA – Executions worldwide increased by 53% in 2022 from a year earlier, with a significant rise in Iran and Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International said in an annual report Tuesday that also criticized Indonesia as having one of the highest numbers of new death sentences in Asia. Amnesty said 70% of the executions in the Middle East and North Africa …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Two unidentified Afghan men were executed for murder charges in Qezel Hesar Prison on 10 May, increasing the number of executions at the prison that day to five. According to HRANA news agency, two Afghan men were executed in Qezel Hesar Prison on 10 May. The unidentified men were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. At the …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) –  Mohammad Paydar and Peyman Akbari-Birgani have been executed for drug-related charges in Khorramabad Central Prison. An unidentified man’s execution was postponed. According to Hengaw, two men were executed in Kerman Central Prison on 15 May. Their identities have been reported as Mohammad Paydar and Peyman Akbari-Birgani (pictured), both Shoushtar natives. They were sentenced to death for …

Iran Human Rights – Official state media have reported the execution of an unnamed man for murder in Fereydounkenar Prison in Mazandaran province. According to IRNA, a man was executed in Fereydounkenar Prison on 15 May. Sentenced to qisas(retribution-in-kind) for murder, he has only been identified by the initials M.A. The report states he was sentenced to death for the murder …

Al-Monitor — Russia’s navy commander Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov visited Tehran on Tuesday where he discussed boosting bilateral cooperation with his counterpart Shahram Irani,    The Iranian navy chief called for a joint committee to be set up for “further interaction in training and technical fields,” according to the state-run IRNA news agency.  “The enemy is pushing to disrupt the Iran-China-Russia triangle and block the trilateral …

Al-Arabia – Azerbaijan arrested at least nine of its nationals, suspected of being linked to Iranian secret services and of plotting a coup and assassinations, officials said on Tuesday. The latest round in tensions between Baku and Tehran, whose relations have traditionally been strained, came after the expulsion of diplomats from both countries. On Tuesday, Azerbaijan’s law enforcement forces arrested people …

RFL/RE – Relatives and supporters of three detained Iranian protesters have rallied outside the prison in Isfahan where they are being held in a desperate bid to halt their possible executions. Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeid Yaqoubi were implicated in an incident on November 16, 2022, during which two Basij paramilitary force members and a law enforcement officer were …

Iranwire – In a quiet corner of north-eastern Iran, a concerned mother shares the challenges her daughter faces as she grapples with sleep problems and profound anxiety that prevents her from using lifts. This mother’s testimony offers a glimpse of the ongoing mental health issues that many Iranian girls and women are going through, due to  societal pressures and the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody eight …

Iranwire – Some 93 percent of Iranians have thought about emigration outside the country at some point in their lives, according to a recent poll conducted by the collaborative initiative Iran Open Data among social media users. The group presented the main findings of the survey in an article on May 15, saying that about half the respondents said that they have taken practical steps to …