Human rights

Iranwire – A group of female students may face prosecution after dancing at their graduation ceremony in southern Iran, warned the university president. A video of female students at Al-Zahra University in Bushehr celebrating their graduation with music and dance went viral last week. The university president, Zahra Hajiani, threatened legal action against the participants and the video’s creator. Hajiani …

Iranwire – A father has reportedly murdered his young daughter amid a rising trend of “honor killings” in Iran.  Rokna news agency reported on April 7 the murder of a 21-year-old girl by her father in one of the villages of southern Abadan. According to Rokna’s report, the murder was reported to the police of this city. In the police …

Iranwire – The Court of Appeal of East Azerbaijan province has sentenced Ismail Ahmadi, a labor activist, to nine months in prison and 70 lashes. The 32nd branch of the Court of Appeal of East Azarbaijan province confirmed the sentence issued by the lower court against Ahmadi. Previously, Branch 101 of the Criminal Court had also sentenced the Azeri labor …

Iranwire – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence agents in central Isfahan have arrested Fahimeh Soltani, a student rights activist and law student. According to the HRANA news agency, Soltani was arrested on April 7 after being summoned to the intelligence department.  She was then taken to an undisclosed location. Soltani had previously been called to the university on …

Iranwire – Rasool Galleban, a Kurdish journalist and media activist from northwestern Urmia, has been arrested by the Iranian security forces. Galleban is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Urmia 24 news channel on Telegram.  One of the channel’s latest posts, tagged “#Citizen’s Voice,” covered the recent Tractor FC match and the display of Turkish flags on April 6.  Another …

Iranwire – Prominent Iranian political prisoner Fatemeh Sepehri has been accused of “supporting Israel” for condemning the Hamas attack on Israel in October last year. Asghar Sepehri, Fatemeh’s brother, uploaded a video explaining the situation on his X account.  In the video description, he wrote that Fatemeh condemned the Hamas attack in a video just two weeks after undergoing open-heart …

iranintl.com – Iranian police arrested the relatives of a commander of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan accusing them of being “senior members of ISIS” in the city of Karaj near Tehran. Sources close to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) have revealed that the detainees are actually relatives of a slain commander of the NRF, which is at …

rferl.org – Iran has pardoned and is set to release four environmental activists who were jailed in 2016 on chargest of espionage they deny. Their lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, confirmed their pardon on April 7. Taher Qadirian, Sepideh Kashani, Nilofar Bayani, and Homan Jokar were among members of the Parsian Wildlife Institute arrested in 2016. Several members have been released in …

iranintl.com – In his first program following last week’s stabbing attack, Iran International television host Pouria Zeraati expressed gratitude to Iranians and all those who condemned the incident. Zeraati hosted Aliasghar Ramezanpour and Mehdi Parpanchi, Iran International TV editors in his popular program, “Last Word” aired on Friday. In the beginning of the program, Zeraati expressed his gratitude to all the people who …

rferl.org – Saeed Madani, a prominent Iranian sociologist serving a nine-year sentence in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, has reportedly been transferred to a facility on the city’s outskirts in an attempt, his wife says, to further isolate him. In an interview with RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, Mansureh Ettefaghstated said her husband was moved to Damavand prison under the directive of the …