Human rights

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – The latest round of protests across Iran have been violently repressed by security forces. At least five people have been killed and unknown numbers injured and arrested. Security forces continue attacking citizens while Islamic Republic officials are preventing the human rights violations from being reported by cutting and disrupting internet access.  Meanwhile, the international community’s …

Shabtabnews – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today expressed relief that religious prisoner of conscience Golrokh Iraee has been released from prison in Iran. Iraee’s release is accompanied by a two-year restriction on travel and joining political groups. “We are relieved Golrokh Iraee’s detention has ended, yet she and so many other Iranian women continue to endure blatant religious freedom …

Iranwire – A renowned Iranian filmmaker has said that the offices and homes of several filmmakers and other industry professionals were raided and some of them arrested in recent days. Mohammad Rasoulof made the comments on Instagram late on May 14, posting a statement signed by dozens of movie industry professionals. The statement also claimed that security forces confiscated film production equipment …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities have arrested at least 22 demonstrators protesting against price hikes in subsidized food staples in two cities in the southwest of the country. President Ebrahim Raisi this week announced a series of economic measures, including cutting subsidies and increasing the prices of several staples, such as flour and cooking oil.Iranians reacted to the expected price hikes …

VOA – Protests over soaring food prices continued in several cities in Iran on Saturday, according to postings on social media, while an Iranian lawmaker told a local media outlet that one person was killed in a demonstration in the southwest. The protests were triggered last week by a cut in state subsidies for imported wheat that caused price increases …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Four men including an uncle and nephew, were executed on drug-related charges in Shiraz Central Prison last week. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, four men were executed in Shiraz Central Prison (Adelabad) on the morning of May 8. Their identities have been established as Abbas Pajmordeh and his nephew Ali Pajmordeh who …

Shabtabnews – USCRIF recently issued its annual overview of religious persecution. The report stated that “the scale of the global refugee crisis is unprecedented. As of the end of 2021, over 82 million people were displaced worldwide. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that close to 27 million of those displaced are considered refugees. Two-thirds of these …

RFL/RE – As a court verdict looms in Sweden in a case that has implicated high-ranking members of Iran’s clerical regime in war crimes, Tehran appears to be targeting Swedish citizens in Iran as payback.Iran has expressed outrage over the ongoing trial of Hamid Nouri, an alleged former deputy prosecutor and member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who …

RFL/RE – France’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the “baseless arrests” of two French citizens and called for their immediate release after being detained in Iran. The ministry said in a statement on May 12 that French authorities are “fully mobilized” to address the situation after Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced a day earlier that two “Europeans” had been arrested on accusations of seeking …

Iranwire – Feminist and women’s rights campaigns with a focus on Iran have been the subject of a mass cyber-attack this week, with many forced to temporarily switch their Instagram pages to private mode.  The hosts of the Iranian Me Too, Harass Watch and Cheragh Academy, all three of which work to combar sexual violence and harassment in Iran through education and public callouts, reported …