Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Ali Doust Barahouyi, a Baluch man sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed in Zahedan Central Prison. According to Hal Vash, a Baluch man was executed in Zahedan Central Prison on 8 June. His identity has been reported as 45-year-old Ali Doust Barahouyi who was sentenced to qisas for the murder of his wife. He was arrested in …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Iran’s Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “used the Islamic concept of ‘Taqiyya’ to describe the regime’s decision to accept the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal with the West. Taqiyya means the permissibility to deny or conceal one’s real beliefs to secure a worthy goal.” — iranintl.com, May 20, 2023. “Khamenei’s emphasis on “expediency” as the third principle in foreign …

Al-Monitor — Senior UK politicians have expressed concern after an expose on Thursday revealed that several British universities are helping Iran’s government develop technology that can be used in its drones and fighter jets.  At least 11 UK universities, including Cambridge University, Imperial College London and aerospace specialist college Cranfield University, worked on Iran-related projects, with staff producing at least 16 studies …

Al-ARABIA – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern with Houthi actions that are cutting off Yemenis from “much-needed resources,” the State Department said Thursday. Blinken made his comments during a meeting with Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) President Rashad al-Alimi in Riyadh, according to a readout of the meeting.

RFL/RE – For the second time in just months, Baku has warned its citizens against traveling to Iran in the wake of a deadly attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran in January that it blamed on the “unstable situation in the Islamic republic.” In what has become a habit in recent weeks, Iranian officials have been angered over the …

RFL/RE – Iran’s judiciary has handed down a five-year discretionary imprisonment sentence to labor activist Davood Razavi for organizing protests demanding better wages and working conditions. The Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Workers’ Union announced the sentence — which also came with a two-year ban on online activities and participation in political groups and parties — on June 7, saying it was …

Iranwire – The second “suspicious death” was reported at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University in a week, sparking outrage among students. The university’s student union council reported that Yousef Sweizi, a master’s student in mining engineering, died on June 7 after experiencing a cardiac arrest in his dorm room.  Sweizi was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him, …

Iranwire – A relative of executed Iranian protester Majid Kazemi has blamed security agents for vandalizing the grave of the young man on the eve of his birthday. The relative, Mohammad Hashemi, posted on June 8 a picture of the desecrated grave on social media, saying it was set on fire by officers at around midnight.  The family had received a phone …

Iranwire – Well-respected Sunni Baluch cleric Molavi Abdulmajid Moradzahi has been languishing in solitary confinement for the past four months without any formal charges. The 63-year-old man, known for his influential role as an advisor to Molavi Abdulhamid, the country’s most prominent Sunni cleric, was arrested on January 30 during anti-government protests in the restive south-eastern city of Zahedan. The …

Iranwire – In a continued tightening of supervision of the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code ahead of the summer season, the commander of Iran’s police force has announced that electronic surveillance systems will be used to identify “norm-breaking” women who flout mandatory hijab rules on the beaches. State media reported on May 8 that commander Ahmadreza Radan urged the governors …