Human rights

Iranwire – On Wednesday, December 9, the names of three Iranians accused of playing a key role in state-sponsored hostage-taking were read out by British parliamentarians as part of a drive to see them sanctioned in the UK. One of these names was Ali Rezvani. Perhaps the man born Kambiz Rezvani Ghamishloo, an interrogator-journalist for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, was hoping that like …

Iranwire –Weeks after his arreston September 1, 2021, and later his temporary release, Iranian Baha’i citizen Arsalan Yazdani and his family continue to experience threats and pressure from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. Yazdani was released after 45 days on a one billion toman bail. The charges against him have not yet been announced. Yazdani was released from Evin Prison after 45 days, on a …

Iranwire – Coronavirus is yet again tearing through Evin Prison and two members of the Iranian Writers’ Association have come down with Covid-19, a political prisoner told IranWire in a phone call. Baktash Abtin and Keyvan Bajan were both summoned to begin their six- and three-and-a-half-year sentences in September 2020, while the pandemic was still raging. Abtin was transferred to Tehran’s Taleghani …

Iran-HRM – On World Human Rights Day, Iran Human Rights Monitor overviews the human rights situation in Iran in 2021. The following information reflects a small part of the ongoing reality. The clerical regime’s lack of transparency and censorship makes it difficult to access information. Iran Human Rights Monitor calls on the international community to condemn and hold the Iranian regime …

Amnesty – To mark Human Rights Day, Amnesty International today launches its first-ever Persian-language website to increase access to information on rights violations in Iran amid an escalating crisis of impunity – and what amounts to an all-out assault on human rights across the country. The new website offers an overview of Amnesty International’s calls for justice, equality and freedom around the …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – 23 human rights organisations have signed a joint letter demanding the immediate release of health rights defenders Mehdi Mahmoudian, Arash Keykhosravi, and Mostafa Nili. They have been arbitrarily detained by the Iranian authorities since August 14, 2021. We, the undersigned civil society and human rights organizations, call for the immediate release of prominent human rights defenders Mehdi …

Iranwire – The names of three Iranians accused of playing a key role in state-sponsored hostage-taking have been read out by British parliamentarians as part of a drive to see them sanctioned in the UK. Evin Prison official Ali Ghanaatkar, former prison director Gholamreza Ziaei and state TV producer Ali Rezvani were identified among a list of 13 human rights abusers from around …

Iranwire – Former hostages and political prisoners have accused Ali Ghanaatkar Mavardiani, an official formerly based at Evin Prison, of playing a key role in their detention. He was one of three Iranians named for their part in state-sponsored hostage-taking during a debate in the UK parliament on Wednesday. Ali Ghanaatkar has been variously described as a judge at Branch 33 (Sub-Branch …

Iranwire – Some call him a ghoulish “adventurer”, others the “wrong man for the job”. Both and a great deal more may be true. Gholamreza Ziaei was named in the UK parliament on Wednesday as a key accomplice to state-sanctioned hostage-taking in Iran. MPs and campaigners want him and others to be subject to Magnitsky sanctions in a bid to hold them accountable …

Iranwire – “FIFA insists the match between the Iranian national football team and Iraq at Azadi Stadium, which could become a celebration of [Iran] reaching the World Cup, be attended by both men and women.” So writes the Iranian state-controlled ISNA news agency of a forthcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifying match set to be hosted by Iran on January …