RFL/RE – Human rights watchdog Hengaw says Saman Darvishi, a Kurdish prisoner held at Iran’s Evin prison, has died with the cause of death attributed to assault and torture by Iranian security forces. Darvishi’s death, which Hengaw said occurred on May 9, follows a year of reports that he suffered severe beatings and torture while incarcerated for theft and allegedly injuring …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have released two French citizens jailed in separate cases and they are both now returning to France, French officials say. Bernard Phélan , who also holds Irish nationality, and Benjamin Brière were freed from their prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad and are “on their way to France,” Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. “Finally Freed. Benjamin Brière and Bernard Phélan will …

Iranwire – An Iranian teacher who was arrested this week while on her way to participate in a teachers’ rally has gone on hunger strike to protest her incarceration, the Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Union said on May 11. Ateke Rajabi was arrested on May 9 after leaving her home to take part in a protest in the north-eastern city of Mashhad. Teachers staged …

Iranwire – Prosecutors in Tehran’s Evin prison summoned a number of human rights lawyers in the past few days without saying which specific accusations they are facing, Shargh newspaper reported on May 11.  The newspaper quoted an unidentified lawyer as saying that at least 20 lawyers were summoned this week to appear before Branch 7 of Evin’s Prosecutor’s Office.  Most of them had protested the unlawful arrests of …

Iranwire – The Iranian judiciary has sentenced social media activist Ramin Alinia Tazehkand to a total of six years in prison, according to reports received by IranWire, as the Islamic Republic is stepping up its clampdown on dissent and the media.  Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Tazehkand to five years and one year in prison on charges of “gathering and …

Iranwire – A Iranian man who lost an eye in the security forces’ brutal clampdown on nationwide protests last year says the authorities are not allowing him to get treatment.   Hossein Hosseinpour is among hundreds of protesters who sustained severe eye injuries after being hit by pellets, paintball bullets or other projectiles used by security forces amid a bloody crackdown on …

VOA – German prosecutors on Thursday charged a German Iranian dual national in an attempted arson attack near a synagogue on the orders of the government in Tehran. Babak J. was instructed by an intermediary “acting on behalf of unknown Iranian state agencies” in November 2022 to carry out an arson attack on a synagogue in the region of North …

Amnesty – Six men – Ali Mojadam, Moein Khanfari, Mohammad Reza Moghadam, Salem Mousavi, Adnan Ghobeishavi and Habib Deris – from Iran’s persecuted Ahwazi Arab minority face imminent execution. A Revolutionary Court used their torture-tainted “confessions” to sentence them to death in February after a grossly unfair trial. Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld their convictions and sentences, meaning they could …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – At least 12 political prisoners are currently at risk of execution in Iran. The cases highlighted are those currently at the most risk of execution in Iran. It is important to note that no evidence of guilt has been presented in any of the cases, instead, authorities relied on torture-tainted forced confessions in grossly unfair …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – More than a dozen rights organisations including Iran Human Rights condemned the appointment of the Islamic Republic as Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Social Forum of the Human Rights Council.  “We are also profoundly disappointed by other regional groups’ failure to offer alternatives to this nomination by proposing their own candidates.” The statement calls on the United …