Iranwire – On the evening of June 11, tragedy struck as Pouya Molaei-Rad, a 19-year-old student, met his untimely demise due to gunfire from security forces.  The government’s narrative surrounding his death has been plagued by many contradictions, as previously shown by IranWire. New information is now shedding further light on the circumstances surrounding this murder. Among those called in for questioning …

Iranwire – Iranian political activist Majid Tawakoli says he has been sentenced to a total of six years in prison on charges of “gathering and collusion against the security of the country” and “propaganda activity against the system.” Branch 28 of Tehran Revolutionary Court also banned Tawakoli from using social media and from traveling for a period of two years. …

Iranwire – Celebrated Iranian actress Leila Bolukat has been sentenced to one year in prison and banned from acting for two-year for flouting the Islamic Republic’s mandatory headscarf rules. Branch 1088 of Tehran’s Second Criminal Court also slapped a two-year travel ban and a five-year ban from using social media on Bolukat. The actress is also required to read a …

HRW – Many Middle East and North Africa countries still prevent women from moving freely in their own country or traveling abroad without the permission of a male guardian. Women in the region are fighting rules that authorities often claim are for their protection, but that deprive women of their rights and enable men to control and abuse them at will. All …

Al-Monitor – The Pentagon is sending high-end F-35 fighter jets and a Navy destroyer to the Middle East to fend off increasingly aggressive maneuvers by Russian pilots over Syria and to deter a recent spate of attempted seizures of commercial fuel tankers by Iran. The deployment of the F-35s follows the arrival of stealth F-22s to Jordan from Europe last month on a …

rferl.org – Protests have erupted in the northern Iranian city of Rasht following an attempt by government officials to arrest three women over violations of mandatory hijab rules amid reports that the country’s leadership has ordered the resumption of so-called “morality police” patrols. Reports suggest that the situation escalated late on July 16 when some sections of the crowd began …

voanews – Iranian authorities have shuttered an educational center accused of “inciting riots” during last year’s mass demonstrations triggered by the death of a young woman while in police custody, state media reported Monday. Nationwide protests rocked Iran following the September death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, Mahsa Amini, in police custody after her arrest over violating the Islamic republic’s …

voanews – The family of a German-Iranian political dissident sentenced to death in Iran is expressing concern over his condition after a phone conversation with him Sunday. Ghazaleh Sharmahd, the daughter of Jamshid Sharmahd, wrote on Twitter “After five months, today we had our first phone call with my father, Jamshid Sharmahd. It is concerning that he was deprived of …

amnesty.org – On 2 May 2023, the Court of Appeal of Mukaza in Bujumbura, Burundi, upheld the conviction of Burundian journalist Floriane Irangabiye for “undermining the integrity of the national territory” and her 10-year prison sentence. The appeal court failed to provide a remedy for violations of her right to a fair trial. She has been in detention since her …

rferl.org – Iran will reportedly resume so-called morality police patrols aimed at enforcing the country’s laws on women wearing head scarves, or hijab. Iranian police spokesman Saeed Montazerul-Mahdi said on July 16 that the patrols will crackdown on those wearing “extraordinary clothing” in public and who “insist on breaking the norms.” The statement came amid a flurry of unconfirmed social …