Human rights

Iranwire – The special forces of the Islamic Republic have raided the political inmates’ ward at a prison in southern Iran. Human rights groups in Iran report that on Tuesday, April 10, special forces raided Ward 5 of Ahvaz Central Prison, also known as Shiban Prison. The ward is designated for political prisoners. The raid involved violent destruction of personal …

RFL/RE – An Iranian political activist who was granted medical leave from Tehran’s Evin prison last year has been sentenced to 74 lashes for what authorities termed “absence and failure to report to prison,” even though he was actually in prison when the case was filed against him. Hossein Razzagh was arrested in July 2022 in the northern Iranian city …

RFL/RE – Iran’s judicial authorities have seized the Instagram page of the popular online program Blind Date, hosted by an Iranian influencer known as Viny, as part of a sweeping crackdown on social-media content. The official announcement, made on Viny’s Instagram page, which has more than 1.2 million followers, said the action was taken by judicial order and the page …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) –  Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and 81 Iranian and international organisations and groups have called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions. They have announced the start of a mass international campaign in this regard. The statement reads: …

Iranwire – Iranian environmental activists Sepideh Kashani and Taher Qadirian, imprisoned since 2016, were released on Tuesday, just hours after the release of two other activists.  The news spread on social networks, accompanied by a photo of them. On Monday, incarcerated environmental activists Niloofar Bayani and Homan Jokar were also freed from Evin prison. Niloofar Bayani, Sepideh Kashani, Homan Jokar, and …

Iranwire –Hossein Razzaq, a political activist currently imprisoned in Iran’s Evin prison, has been sentenced to 74 lashes for an alleged “absence and failure to go to prison” in northern Amol. This sentence comes despite Razzaq’s documented imprisonment since his arrest on August 21, 2022, in Amol.  He was transferred to Evin prison and only briefly released for medical leave …

Iranwire – A 27-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her Ahvaz home by her own brothers amid a rise in “honor” killings.  Local sources reported that the brothers entered the woman’s house and inflicted multiple fatal stab wounds. The men also assaulted the woman’s husband when he tried to intervene, according to Rokna news agency.  No details are available …

Iranwire – Prison authorities of the Islamic Republic have executed another young man amid a significant rise in the use of the death penalty. The inmate convicted of murder was executed at Khorramabad Prison on April 5, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization. The inmate, identified as 30-year-old Hassan-Ali Mirzania, was reportedly found guilty four years ago of …

Iranwire – A 32-year-old Iranian nurse took his own life at a hospital in western Kermanshah on Tuesday.  Sasan worked at the hospital’s poisoning department, which specializes in treating suicide attempts.  His friends and colleagues reported that he ended his life due to mental pressure following the non-renewal of his contract and subsequent unemployment. Mohammad Sharifi Moghadam, Secretary General of …

Iranwire – In an escalation of harassment against Baha’i citizens, a Revolutionary Court has summoned 12 members of the persecuted religious minority to face charges.  Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in northern Sari has called them separately to hear their charges. According to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, the charges center on alleged “deviant educational and propaganda …