Human rights

VOA – Water shortage protests in drought-plagued southwestern Iran appear to have spread to more cities and taken on a sharper anti-government tone as the unrest extended into a sixth night.   Videos shared with VOA Persian and posted to social media showed what appeared to be protesters chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Reza Shah, bless your soul” in the city of Izeh in Iran’s …

Iranwire – At least three civilians were shot dead by Iranian security forces on the sixth night of protests over the water crisis in Khuzestan. Demonstrators again took to the streets in close to 20 cities on Tuesday night to express their fury over the droughts blighting the border province. Both the agricultural community and many ordinary families have been left …

Iranwire – Narges Mohammadi, a prominent human rights activist and deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, has been arrested in Iran. The news was reported on Tuesday a tweet by Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in exile in Paris with their two children. Rahmani wrote that his wife had been arrested by the police, supported by security forces. He …

Iranwire – Residents of the Iranian capital of Tehran have staged an impromptu protest on the Metro, coinciding with ongoing demonstrations against the water crisis in Khuzestan. On Tuesday morning, citizens filled a carriage at the busy Sadeghieh Metro station in the west of the city. Videos published online showed members of the crowd chanting “Death to the Islamic Republic!” as well …

Iran-HRM – Khuzestan water shortage protests continued for the fifth consecutive night on Monday, July 19 in at least 17 cities in the southwest province. Verified video footage and local reports confirm that the state security forces used extreme force, sometimes lethal, against peaceful protesters who were demanding drinking water. Gunshots were heard in several videos. Large numbers of anti-riot …

Iran-HRM -Political prisoner Khaled Pirzadeh transferred to Sheiban Prison’s general ward. Political prisoner Khaled Pirzadeh was moved out of the quarantine of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary to an unknown location on July 14, 2021. Recent reports indicate that he is detained in the general ward 2 of Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz. Mr. Prizadeh’s lawyer in a post expressed concern about the …

Iranwire – Unprecedented protests in Khuzestan over the province’s nightmarish water crisis entered their fifth night on July 18. Protesters gathered outside government buildings and marched in their hundreds through the streets in a number of major cities. Angry demonstrators amassed outside the governor’s office in the provincial capital of Ahvaz, where the city center also witnessed bigger crowds than on previous …

Iranwire – A nationwide strike by workers in Iran’s oil, gas and petrochemical industries entered its fifth consecutive week on Saturday, July 17. Labor activists this week joined a Clubhouse discussion hosted by IranWire to shed light on how this situation came about and the workers’ demands, many of which relate to disparities in contracts under the Ministry of Oil. Among those present were …

Iran-HRM – Khuzestan water shortage protests continued for the fifth consecutive night on Monday, July 19 in at least 17 cities in the southwest province. Verified video footage and local reports confirm that the state security forces used extreme force, sometimes lethal, against peaceful protesters who were demanding drinking water. Gunshots were heard in several videos. Large numbers of anti-riot …

CHRI —The unlawful killings of protesters by state security forces in Iran’s drought-ridden Khuzestan Province should be condemned by the UN and international community to prevent further loss of life from excessive and unlawful state force, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement today. “Iranians are desperately calling for water and electricity and are being answered with …