Human rights

Iran-HRM – Prison sentence against the vice-President of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Ebrahim Madadi was upheld by Tehran’s Appeals Court.

Amnesty – The Iranian authorities have waged a sweeping crackdown against the Ahwazi Arab ethnic minority, arresting hundreds of people in Khuzestan province, southern Iran, in recent weeks, said Amnesty International.

Iran-HRM – Human rights lawyer Mohammad Najafi began his three years prison sentences in Central Prison of Arak.

Iran-HRM – Daughter of recently arrested teacher, Abbas Vahedian, has written an open letter about her father’s unlawful arrest, protesting the authorities failing to provide any response to her inquiries on her father’s case.

RFL/RE – Internet freedom continues to wane worldwide under pressure from attacks on informed democratic debate and notions of privacy, with “a cohort of countries…moving toward digital authoritarianism,” U.S.-based democracy monitor Freedom House has warned.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – In their continued persecution of Azerbaijani activists, security forces attempting to extract confessions have reportedly battered two of them severely, landing one in the hospital with broken teeth and injured fingers.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – On the morning of Wednesday, October 31st, Baha’i Sanandaj resident Zabihollah Raoufi, age 69, went to Sanandaj Prison to begin his one-year prison sentence.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)- Over the past few days, more Ahwazi Arab citizens in the cities of Ahvaz, Hamidiyeh, and Shush were arrested by security forces and transferred to undisclosed locations.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – A 50-year-old man died within a day of his arrival to Zahedan Central Prison on October 27th due to untreated gastrointestinal issues.

Al-Monitor – Soheil Beiraghi’s “Cold Sweat,” an award-winning film based on a real story of a woman’s struggle to play futsal (indoor soccer), has raised the ire of the Iranian hard-liners who accuse the film of being unsuitable for families and undermining family values.