Human rights

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 …

Iran-HRM – Political prisoners in Urmia Prison tortured to make confessions According to recent reports, political prisoners Ebrahim Khalil Sedighi Hamedani and his son, Salar Sedighi Hamedani, were taken to a the detention center of the Intelligence Department of Urmia on October 29, 2021. Several other prisoners were also in their group. The father and son were viciously beaten and …

CHRI – Defense Lawyers Blocked from Accessing Case Files The Two Brothers Were Arrested at Violently Repressed 2019 Protests News of a death sentence and life sentence against two brothers who were denied the ability to defend themselves in court recalls similarly unjust trials against the brothers of an executed champion wrestler. Abbas and Mohsen Deris, both members of Iran’s ethnic …

mei.edu – For thousands of years, Iran has stood out as a culture that prized diversity and a place where religious minorities have flourished as independent communities. The Islamic Republic now seeks to change that, however, by implanting its own leaders inside different faith groups to protect and advance its interests. This approach could doom these ancient minorities to a …

Shabtabnews -Designations Across Three Countries Latest in Week of Actions Leading to Summit for Democracy Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating 15 actors across three countries in connection with serious human rights abuse and repressive acts targeting innocent civilians, political opponents, and peaceful protestors. As part of a whole-of-government commitment to …