Human rights

Radiozamaneh – As the elections draw near, Iran’s Supreme Leader warned that any “rebellion” in the course of the elections would provoke a “slap” from state security forces. Meanwhile 37 candidates who had been previously vetted by Iran’s Election Committee have been banned from running for City and Village Councils Election in Iran. Farhad Tajari, a spokesperson for the Central …

CHRI – A week after incumbent President Hassan Rouhani criticized Iran’s hardline judiciary, its spokesman has announced that dozens of government officials will face possible prosecution for unspecified election campaign violations. “More than 60 managers in the government and executive branch, including those at the city, county and provincial levels of government, have made election violations and their cases are …

CHRI – A member of the Women’s Citizenship Center, a non-governmental organization in Tehran, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that women’s rights activists are increasingly using their leverage as an important voting block to put forth their demands during elections. On May 6, 2017, more than 180 women’s rights activists signed a declaration stating their demands …

CHRI – Prominent Kurdish rights activist Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand was freed from Evin Prison in Tehran on May 12, 2017 after serving 10 years for his peaceful activism. However, the founder of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan has another conviction that could put him back behind bars. “I had a 10-year prison sentence that ended three days before I …

CHRI – The family of Tahereh Riahi, an editor who has been detained since December 2016 without charge, is calling on President Hassan Rouhani to “keep his word on individual liberties and the rights of citizens” and facilitate Riahi’s release, an informed source told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). “Now that Mr. Rouhani is delivering slogans on freedom and the rights of …

CHRI – Ali Tajernia, a reformist politician and former member of Iran’s Parliament, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that his last-minute disqualification from the Tehran City Council election, following pressure by “military organizations,”  is “illegal” and he will file a formal complaint. Ali Tajernia “I and Mr. (Abdollah) Momeni were approved by the monitoring committees at the …

CPJ – Iran has a history of cracking down on the independent press ahead of elections, with authorities arresting journalists and forcing reformist outlets to shut down. As Iranians prepare to vote in presidential and city council elections on May 19, authorities have turned their attention to Telegram, arresting several channel administrators for the app. With mainstream social media platforms such as …

einnews -Nine years ago, seven leaders of Iran’s Bahai community were arrested and convicted of espionage, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic Republic for activities related solely to their belief in and practice of their faith. They were unjustly sentenced to 20 years in prison. Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfahm, and …

Iran Human Rights – A prisoner identified as Koroush Langroudi was reportedly hanged at Bandar Abbas Central & Tabriz Prisons on murder charges. According to close sources, the execution was carried out on Tuesday May 9 and the prisoner was 36 years old at the time of his death. Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have not …

CHRI – Esmail Abdi, the imprisoned former leader of Iran’s largest teachers’ union, is suffering from a severe drop in blood pressure and vertigo after nearly two weeks on hunger strike in Evin Prison. “If something happens to my client, I will hold the judiciary chief, the Supreme Court, the prosecutor general, the Tehran prosecutor, the head of the Prisons …