Human rights

Iranwire – The Iranian judiciary has announced that the trials of Elahe Mohammadi and Niloofar Hamedi, two women journalists who are being prosecuted for covering the events surrounding Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody, will start on May 29 and 30, respectively.  These two journalists have been behind bars for more than eight months. According to sources close to them, their court …

Amnesty – The horrific misuse of tear gas by security forces during brutal crackdowns on protests in Iran, Peru and Sri Lanka last year are among many new incidents detailed in Amnesty International’s updated Tear Gas: An Investigation. The interactive website now includes details of 30 new incidents in 13 countries where police and security forces caused harm by inappropriately using …

RFL/RE – Sepideh Rashno, a 28-year-old Iranian writer and student arrested last year for refusing to wear the mandatory hijab, has said she has been summoned to appear before the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office in relation to a supposed new case against her. Rashno announced the development by publishing a photograph of the official judicial notice on her Instagram page. “A new case has …

iranintl – Over 80 families of those killed by the Iranian regime called for immediate global action to stop the recent execution spree in Iran. In a statement on Saturday, the petitioning families called the recent wave of executions in Iran a revenge by the Islamic Republic on the people for anti-regime protests. They also called on all activists and …

RFL/RE – The authorities in Iran have drafted a new bill that would impose stiffer penalties against women who violate the Islamic dress code, including fines, imprisonment, and even the deprivation of rights. But hard-liners have blasted the “hijab and chastity bill” as too lenient, saying the proposed legislation will not deter women from flouting the mandatory hijab, or Islamic …

RFL/RE – A leading member of one of Iran’s legal associations says more than 100 lawyers from across the country have been summoned to Tehran’s security court, even though there is no mention of any charges against them. Adel Moghaddas, a member of the board of directors of the Bushehr Bar Association, said on May 25 that the summons began arriving last …

Iranwire – Thousands of protesters descended to the streets of the south-eastern Iranian city of Zahedan amid heavy security presence, in the 34th consecutive Friday of demonstrations against the Islamic Republic. Haalvsh, a group that monitors rights violations in Sistan and Baluchistan province, said on May 26 that military personnel and plainclothes officers arrested at least 10 protesters in Towheed …

Iranwire – The Isfahan Revolutionary Court has sentenced Heshmatullah Tabarzadi, a well-known opponent of the Islamic Republic, to 45 years and six months in prison, his lawyer says. “This unjust conviction is not final and can be challenged. However, my client refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic’s courts and therefore does not protest,” the lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, …

Iranwire – A bill containing Iran’s Chastity and Hijab law has been presented to parliament, legislation that many see as a continuation of the government’s oppression of women and human rights. State media reported on May 24 that provisions of the bill refer to failure to comply by the compulsory head scarf as “nudity,” with progressively stiffer penalties that run up to …

Iranwire – The Yemeni Houthis, armed agents supported by the Islamic Republic, carried out an attack on a peaceful gathering of Baha’is in the city of Sana’a yesterday, detaining and disappearing 17 individuals including 5 women. The assault took place on June 4 and the detainees’ whereabouts and wellbeing remain unknown. The attack occurred as a group of Baha’is had gathered …