Iranwire – The Court of Appeal in Khorasan Razavi province has upheld a verdict and sentence against Roya Malakoti, a Baha’i citizen, who is currently being held at Mashhad’s Vakil Abad Prison. The first branch of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, Judge Hadi Mansouri presiding, sentenced Malakoti to six years in prison on the charge of “forming an illegal gathering or …

Iranwire – Iranian security police officers have arrested Jan Mohammad Ahmadi, a retired teacher and union activist in the province of Fars. Ahmadi was apprehended with an arrest warrant at his residence in the city of Mamasani, and then was brought to the City Prosecutor’s Office, where he was explained the charges he faced. The activist was subsequently transferred to …

Iranwire – A Revolutionary Court in the northern Iranian city of Rasht has sentenced political and social activist Tina Deljo to one year in prison for “propaganda against the system.”  According to a reliable source close to her family who remains anonymous for security reasons, the sentence was delivered after a court session last month that lasted no more than …

VOA – In the last three months, Iran and Pakistan have forced around 850,000 undocumented Afghan nationals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, officials reported Sunday. The crackdown on Afghans illegally residing in the neighboring countries is ongoing, despite warnings by the United Nations that a harsh winter and an uncertain future await returnees in their crisis-ridden, impoverished nation. Abdul Rahman …

VOA – Iran has reinforced its air defense capabilities by adding combat drones equipped with air-to-air missiles to its arsenal, state media reported Sunday. “Dozens of Karrar drones armed with air-to-air missiles have been added for air defense in all border areas of the country,” the official IRNA news agency said. The drones, said to have an operational range of …

alarabiya – The Nobel Peace Prize will be handed out in Oslo on Sunday but with the notable absence of winner Narges Mohammadi, currently in prison, who will be represented by her children. Iranian activist Mohammadi — a staunch opponent of the mandatory wearing of the hijab for Iranian women and of the death penalty in her home country — …

alarabiya – The EU’s top foreign policy chief on Sunday renewed calls on Iran to free a Swedish EU diplomat after his trial began in Tehran, adding Brussels was chasing more details. Johan Floderus, 33, was arrested on April 17, 2022, at Tehran airport as he was returning home from a trip with friends. The Swede, who works for the …

iranintl – As Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nargess Mohammadi remains imprisoned, her children express apprehension about the possibility of reuniting with their mother. In a press conference held in Oslo, Mohammadi’s children expressed immense pride in her unwavering advocacy for women’s rights as they prepared to accept the prestigious award on her behalf. The 17-year-old twins, residing in Paris, …

iranintl – The UN Special Rapporteur on Iran says the levels of killings, torture, and brutality against the Baluch minority in Iran are “shocking”. Speaking at an event in London on Saturday, Javaid Rehman revealed that more than half the total number of people that were killed since the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests were from the Baluchis and Kurdish-populated …

iranintl – Controversy has erupted in Iran after hardliners demanded specifically designed gowns conforming to hijab rules to be made compulsory in hospitals and operating rooms. Twelve versions of Islamic surgical gowns have been designed for female patients in the operating room to comply with Sharia rules, announced Mohammad-Hossein Taheri-Akerdi, the secretary of a state body responsible for promotion of Islamic …