Human rights

iranwire – By the time Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei announced his approval for Iran to import British and American coronavirus vaccines, it was too late for thousands of families. For those whose loved ones died waiting for a vaccine — people held prisoners to the stubborn arrogance of Khamenei’s misguided policies —  it was a bitter moment. The Supreme Leader made his …

Iranwire – A group of traditional Muharram mourners, who mark the 7th century deaths of the Imams Ali and Husayn each year during the Islamic month of Muharram, has set up tents in Tehran’s Armenian Square and near a sanctuary of Armenian Christian monasteries. The Armenian monastery of Doulab is one of these – it is nearly 200 years old and …

Iran-HRM – Political prisoner Hossein Ghashghaeii who has come out of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary for a brief leave has exposed the corruption prevailing in that prison. Hossein Ghashghaeii posted a thread of tweets in which he divulged a corrupt ward director in the Greater Tehran Penitentiary who sexually assaults inmates in his ward. Political prisoner Hossein Ghashghaeii is sentenced to two …

nufdiran – Use Frozen Assets for Vaccines Mr. President, The people of Iran are facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. While the world struggles with COVID-19, the Iranian people are struggling under a regime condemning them to death by banning the American-made vaccines which could save their lives. This is just the Islamic Republic’s latest crime against the people of Iran. …

iranwire – Recently a driver in Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan, took exception to the way two passing women were dressed in public. He ran them over with his car and drove away from the scene. A few hours later police reported that the man had been found and arrested. The incident prompted uproar both inside Iran and on …

iranwire – The “Iran Without Hate” social media campaign, in Persian and in English, was to address discrimination against Iran’s Baha’i community and to help reduce this discrimination in Iran. A Twitter storm with the #StopHatePropaganda hashtag in English and, in Persian, #Iran_Without_Hate, attracted the support of influential figures around the world. How can the campaign reduce hatred against religious minorities in Iran? IranWire spoke with the organizers and …

CHRI —The unlawful arrests of six prominent lawyers and civil rights activists in Tehran as they were preparing to file a lawsuit against state officials for their gross mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic is an indication of the worsening human rights situation under the newly inaugurated President Ebrahim Raisi and new Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei. “Instead of addressing the skyrocketing numbers of COVID-19 infections …

Iran-HRM – Reliable sources say the protesters arrested during the protests in Khuzestan are detained under torture and pressure. An informed source said: “The intelligence services take the arrestees to an uncertain location. Those arrested say, ‘they cannot distinguish day from night.’ ” According to the same source, “To intimidate and terrorize the arrestees, the torturers and interrogators cover their …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Seven lawyers and civil activists were arrested by security forces yesterday when they went to file a complaint against the National Task Force Against Coronavirus and the Supreme Leader at the Tehran Citizen’s Rights Protection Association. Two of the arrestees were released hours later but five remain in custody. Iran Human Rights strongly condemns their …

RFL/RE – With a new victim of the coronavirus dying every two minutes, deaths are soaring in Iran, with infections from the new Delta variant skyrocketing and hospitals overfilled. There are also widespread shortages of oxygen cylinders and other materials as many Iranians are furious with their leaders over a vaccination campaign that lags far behind other countries. “The situation …