Human rights

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Death-row prisoner Alireza Sa’daei was hanged at Zanjan prison on March 11, 2020.  According to IHR sources, Alireza Sa’daei was executed on the morning of Wednesday, March 11, at the central prison of Zanjan city, Iran. He was sentenced to qisas (retribution) for murdering his cousin four years ago. The plaintiff was Alireza’s own paternal …

RFL/RE – The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) says that at least three political activists in Tehran’s Evin prison have joined imprisoned human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh’s hunger strike demanding freedom for all political prisoners. Sotoudeh’s hunger strike was launched after Iranian judicial officials announced the temporary release of 85,000 inmates to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, which …

Amnesty – Responding to the announcement by the Iranian authorities that pardons will be granted to prisoners convicted of “security” offences who have a five-year prison sentence or less, and that those who have been granted leave in recent weeks will not be returned to prison, Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director, said: …

Radiofarda – The Chairman of Iran’s Society of Zoroastrians has said that coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted the small Zoroastrian community in Yazd very hard with a fatality rate much higher than the general population. In a tweet on Tuesday Sepanta Niknam who is also a former representative of Zoroastrians in Iran’s Parliament said the community accounts for 30 percent of …

Radiofarda – Despite the deadly outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Islamic Republic Judiciary has refused to release four jailed Iranian Christians on bail, a website advocating Iranian Christian rights, Article 18 reports. The Christian converts, Yousef Nadarkhani, 42, Mohammad Reza (Yohan) Omidi, 46, and Zaman (Saheb) Fadaei, 36, have made several requests for release on bail since their appeal …

Radiofarda – The chaotic situation of coronavirus information dissemination in Iran has given rise to many controversies as the performance of Iran’s state-run TV has invited criticism by citizens, as well as artists, journalists and political activists. Amir-Hossein Rostami, an Iranian actor asked critical questions on a live TV program Monday evening, including why the government delayed announcing the coronavirus …

Iran-HRM – Despite official cover-ups on the death toll of the Coronavirus outbreak, the state-run ILNA news agency reported on March 12, 2020 that on the orders of the governor of Khaf, in Razavi Khorassan Province, a large number of graves have been dug on the foothills of Khajeyar Mountains to bury the victims of Coronavirus. The preparations contradict official announcements …

CHRI – At least three political activists in Tehran’s Evin Prison have joined prominent imprisoned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh’s hunger strike demanding “freedom for all political prisoners” amid the country’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. Sotoudeh’s husband, Reza Khandan, who lives in Tehran with their two children, told CHRI that his wife is aware …

PayvandNews – Iranian state television has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could kill “millions” in the Islamic republic if the public keeps ignoring health measures as the death toll spiked to almost 1,000. The warning was broadcast on March 17 in the afternoon, after the Health Ministry said 135 more people had been killed by the new coronavirus over the …

Shabtabnews – On 16th March 2020, IOPHR sent an open letter to Mrs Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, requesting the IMF not to provide direct funds to the Iranian regime for combating Coronavirus , but instead pay the funds directly to international NGO’s. In there letter IOPHR points out that given the widespread corruption and level …