Human rights

Iranwire – Students at the Faculty of Psychology of Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University have decided to boycott classes to protest the security measures recently put in place by the university’s administration. According to Iran’s Union of Student Councils, the students refused to enter the classrooms on November 21, vowing to defend their “most fundamental rights.” On November 20, independent student sources, …

Iranwire – Former political prisoner and civil activist Hossein Ronaghi says he has been summoned by the Iranian judiciary to face new accusations. On November 21, Ronaghi posted an image of the summons on the social media platform X, accompanied by a caption stating: “I have been summoned to Branch 1 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office regarding new charges and …

Iranwire – Maryam Shokrani, the economic editor of Iran’s Shargh newspaper, has announced that a new legal case was filed against her. Shokrani said on Instagram on November 22 that the case was referred to Branch 1058 of the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office “without investigation.” The journalist also said she hadn’t been given a chance to present her defense. …

Iranwire – IranWire tracked 56 instances of hate speech across social media over the past week and found that 49 of these were dedicated to broadcasting violent antisemitic language that attacked both Israel and Jews around the world. Posts by social media influencers with thousands of followers, calling Jews “animals” and that “killing Jews” was the same as “killing animals,” …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Siamand Bukani, a Kurdish man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Ardabil Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a Kurdish man was executed in Ardabil Central Prison on 20 November. His identity has been established as 40-year-old Siamand Bukani (Ostovar) from the village of Dangaz. He had two …

Iranwire – Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who is incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison, has been taken for a third time in two weeks to a hospital without a mandatory headscarf. According to a post on Mohammadi’s Instagram account, which is run by her family, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner was “wearing a coat …

Iranwire – Three teachers’ union activists have been arrested in Iran to serve their prison sentences, as the authorities continue their crackdown on organized labor. The Coordinating Council of Teachers Unions in Iran reported that Mohammad Ali Zahmatkesh, Afshin Razmjooei and Mojgan Bagheri were apprehended at their homes on November 20. Zahmatkesh and Razmjooei were sentenced to five years in …

Iranwire – Sepideh Rashnu, a writer and artist who became known in Iran for her vocal opposition to compulsory hijab rules, is in the BBC’s 2023 list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world. Twenty-eight “climate pioneers,” attorney and former US First Lady Michelle Obama, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and Ballon d’Or-winning footballer Aitana Bonmatí were …

Iranwire – Iranian actress Azadeh Samadi was at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport on November 20 to catch a flight and attend a film festival in Goa, India, when her passport was confiscated. Samadi, a versatile actress in film, theater, and television, was told by Iranian authorities she was not allowed to leave the country. No reason was given for the …

Iranwire – The UN General Assembly’s committee on social, humanitarian and cultural issues approved a Canada-drafted resolution earlier this week that condemns the widespread and serious human rights violations being committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The resolution highlighted the plight of Iranian women who face systematic discrimination and oppression.  One of the most egregious examples of this oppression …