Human rights

Iranwire – In real terms Ali Motahari, a former deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, holds views on women’s rights and compulsory hijab that are not dissimilar to those of other officials of the Islamic Republic. But in his case, every time he repeats them, his words do not fail to astound. In a recent tirade on the social networking …

Iranwire – An Iranian academic and prominent theater professional has provoked a backlash after he said people from the LGBTQ community “did not observe the cultural sanctity” of an Iranian theater in the capital and called for it to be cordoned off. Activists and artists soon rallied, releasing a joint statement on Petition condemning artist Ghotboddin Sadegh’s insults, accusing him of hate …

Iran-HRM – Jailed social media activist Zohreh Sarv was flogged 74 times on Monday, April 5, before temporary prison leave. The flogging was carried out while the sentence has already been converted into a fine and after paying the fine, this part of the case was declared closed. However, authorities at Gharchak Prison told the activist that she would not be allowed …

Radiozamaneh – Zamaneh Media’s 16th Labor Rights Report, covering major labor rights issues, protests, and trends between January and March 2021 is available for download.  One year after the onset of the new coronavirus pandemic, a new wave of the disease begun in Iran in Feb 2021, hitting Iran’s economy hard; an economy that has been already stagnant due to …

Amnesty – This is Amnesty International’s annual report on the state of human rights in Iran during 2020/21, subdivided by key human rights themes. It is part of Amnesty International’s annual 2020/21 Report on the State of the World’s Human Rights. https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1339642021ENGLISH.PDF

gatestoneinstitute.org – Companies are being pressured to scrub from their websites language about corporate policies on human rights, reverse decisions to stop buying cotton produced in Xinjian, and remove maps that depict Taiwan as an independent country. In October 2020, the Geneva-based Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), an influential non-profit group that promotes sustainable cotton production, suspended licensing of Xinjiang cotton, …

Iran-HRM – Four Iranian Baha’i women in northeastern Iran were taken to prison to serve their sentences for following the banned faith. Nika Pakzadan, Sanaz Eshaghi, Nakisa Hajipour and Naghmeh Zabihian along with another Baha’i woman, Farzaneh Daneshgari were summoned on March 27 to serve their prison terms in Mashhad, northeastern Iran. They were told to present themselves within 10 …

Amnesty – The global pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination and oppression and paved the way for the devastation wrought by COVID-19 globally and within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Amnesty International said in its annual report published today. Amnesty International Report 2020/21: The State of the …

Al-Arabia – Iran-backed militia are using disguises to carry out their war of violence in Syria, local residents have told Al Arabiya as part of a new documentary. They plant sleeper cells and use bribery and brutal force to build their army and gain a further stronghold across the Middle Eastern war-torn country, according to sources. For all the latest …

dailywire- The Chinese Communist Party is reportedly detaining Christians in secret facilities and forcing them to renounce their faith or face being tortured for months. “A member of a Christian ‘house church’ in the southwestern province of Sichuan who asked to be identified by a pseudonym Li Yuese said he was held in a facility run by the ruling Chinese …