Human rights

Iranhr.net – For over four decades, Iran has been one of the few countries to carry out executions publicly. Public executions have been repeatedly criticised by the international community and domestic civil society in Iran. Both the UN Secretary General and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran have expressed concern about the continued …

RFL/RE – People who encourage women to remove the hijab will be prosecuted in criminal courts and will have no right of appeal against any conviction, Iran’s deputy attorney general, Ali Jamadi, was quoted as saying on April 15. His comments come as an increasing number of women have been defying Iran’s compulsory dress code, appearing unveiled in malls, restaurants, …

Iranwire – The office of a prominent Iranian Sunni cleric who has been missing for four months accused the Islamic Republic of hypocrisy, saying that it is organizing rallies in support of the Palestinians while cracking down on its own people. A statement published by Molavi Abdulghaffar Naqshbandi’s office called the state-sanctioned annual rallies marking Quds (Jerusalem) Day on April 14 a …

Iranwire – Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric again used his Friday sermon to preach religious tolerance and to criticize the policies of the country’s Shia leadership, amid popular calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The ideologies of those “closed-minded individuals who hold positions of power” have “hindered progress and led to irrational decisions,” Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday …

Iranwire – Iranian lawyers are challenging the authorities’ claim that removing hijab in public, including in private cars, is a “crime” that should be punished, amid heated debate over mandatory headscarf rules. All women in Iran must conceal their hair with a headscarf and wear loose fitting trousers under their coats while in public. But a growing number of women …

Shabtabnews – In an open letter the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights (IOPHR) on the 50th day Mr. Vahid Beheshti’s hunger strike  urged “the UK Government to implement the views of a large section of the general public who are endangered by the threats posed by the IRGC, and also the views of the majority of MPs, who on …

Iranwire – An Iranian academic group says more than 400 students have been suspended or expelled in the wake of recent nationwide protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September while being held for allegedly violating the strict Islamic dress code for women. The Union Council of Iranian Students said on April 13 that 435 students had …

Iranwire – The Bahramian family from the city of Semirom, in the central Iranian province of Isfahan, has faced increasing pressure from security agencies for months. One of its members, Morad, was killed by security forces during protests in the city in mid-November. His brother Fazel has not been officially charged since he was taken into custody on January 1, …

Iranwire – Iranian intelligence forces have launched a wave of house searches against Baha’is in the southern city of Kerman in an apparent escalation of recent crackdowns by the authorities on the Baha’i community. Kerman Intelligence Department agents searched the homes of Nasrin Dowlat and Hedayat Hakimian on Thursday, seizing their electronic devices, including mobile phones, laptops, and tablets, without …

Iranwire – On April 9, while the Islamic Republic continued to harass and suppress Iranian women over their defiance of forced hijab, the Iranian parliament approved the general outlines of a draft bill called “Preventing harm to women and improving their safety against maltreatment.” The bill was initiated around 12 years ago and was repeatedly sent back and forth between …