Human rights

Iran-HRM – A glance at the two-month record of Ebrahim Raisi Since the appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as the new chief of Iran’s judiciary, the human rights situation has swiftly deteriorated in the country. Executions At least 44 people were executed since he emerged as Iran’s Chief Justice. One of Raisi’s latest crimes was the flogging and secret execution of …

RFL/RE – Iran said on May 13 that it has sentenced an Iranian citizen who works for the British Council to 10 years in prison on charges of “spying.”Gholamhossein Esmaili, a judiciary spokesman, did not name the person who was sentenced but said the person was in charge of the British Council’s Iran desk.Esmaili said the suspect had made “clear …

VOA — Iranian authorities shut down a reformist magazine that had urged negotiations with the United States, local media reported Sunday. The weekly magazine Seda was handed a suspension order Saturday by a court in Tehran, the reformist newspaper Arman reported. Seda’s most recent front page had shown a U.S. aircraft carrier fleet and the caption “At the crossroads between war and peace.” The magazine …

CHRI – A revolutionary court in the city of Bushehr in southern Iran sentenced seven members of the Baha’i faith to three years in prison each for allegedly answering questions about their religious beliefs to Muslim guests in their homes. From left to right: Minoo Riyazati, Emad Jaberi, Farideh Jaberi, Asadollah Jaberi, Ehteram Sheikhi. On May 6, 2019, they were …

CHRI – Parisa Rafiei, a student at the University of Tehran, was pressured to take a “virginity test” while in state custody and then blocked from lodging a complaint against the inhumane practice, she revealed in an open letter published on May 9, 2019. “In a totally unlawful action during my detention, my interrogator with the approval of the case investigator sent …

Iran-HRM – A young woman identified only as Soudabeh was executed on October 26, 2018, the Iranian state-run ROKNA news agency reported Thursday. It is not clear in which city and prison the execution took place.She had been imprisoned for 12 years on death row on the charge of deliberate murder. The is the 88th woman who is hanged during Hassan …

RFL/RE – Iran is facing a major crisis: Its kids enjoy frolicking to banned music despite years of state indoctrination and denunciation.Amateur video posted online showing Iranian schoolchildren dancing to a song by a U.S.-based underground rap singer has angered conservatives.The critics include a deputy speaker of parliament, Ali Motahari, who has said the schools’ principals should be fired and the …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Four prisoners were executed for drug-related charges at Arak prison on April 29, 2019. IHR can confirm the execution of four prisoners at Arak Central Prison for drug-related charges on April 29, 2019. The news first published by Javaneha Website and IHR could independently confirm it. The four executed prisoners have been identified as Hamidreza …

CHRI – Authorities’ Focus on Political Activists while Violent Individuals Go Unnoticed on Social Media Following the killing of Mostafa Ghasemi, a cleric in the city of Hamedan, by an individual who had displayed his violent intentions on his Instagram account, Iran’s security and military establishments have expressed support for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s demand to impose greater restrictions on the Internet …

CHRI – On May 5, 2019, the Iranian Parliament’s Judicial and Legal Affairs Committee approved a problematic proposal that would allow detainees accused of national security crimes to choose their own lawyer rather than one from a court-approved list. But the proposal, which would have to make it through two other stages before it could become law, would allow the authorities …