Social and Political

VOA — Scattered protests, along with a heavy police presence in many places were reported Wednesday across Iran, one day after the first round of new U.S. economic sanctions went into effect.

Following a wave of mass arrests in response to largely peaceful protests across Iran over the past week, Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian authorities to release any individual held solely for peacefully taking part in them.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Arash Sadeghi, a civil rights activist imprisoned in Karaj’s notorious Rajai Shahr Prison, has written an open letter following the assassination of Eqbal Moradi, a political activist in Iraqi Kurdistan and the father of political prisoner Zanyar Moradi. Mr Sadeghi points out the history of the Islamic Republic’s assassination campaigns inside and outside the …

gatestoneinstitute – The European Union has announced a new regulation aimed at shielding European companies from the impact of US sanctions on Iran. The measure, which has been greeted with skepticism by the European business media, is unlikely to succeed: it expects European companies to risk their business interests in the US market for interests in the much smaller Iranian …

CHRI – A bill in the final stages of Iran’s legislative process addresses the country’s legal vacuum regarding the abuse of children with disabilities but includes loopholes that put those children at risk, according to experts.

Al-Monitor – In February 2011, Iranian opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi — leaders of the Green Movement protests that followed the disputed 2009 presidential election — were placed under house arrest. Now, for the first time, there is serious talk about their potential release. There are also reports that former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) will soon meet with Supreme Leader …

Al-Montior – “Iran is not your private property. Put talks with the US to a referendum!” That’s what a hand-held sign says in a photograph that went viral after President Hassan Rouhani touched on Article 59 of the constitution, which allows referendums on deeply divisive issues, in an Aug. 6 televised interview.

Radiofarda – In a shocking statement, a representative of Sistan and Baluchistan Province in the Supreme Council of Provinces (SCP) says, “The drought has impoverished the people of the province to the extent that children go to school “without breakfast” and some of the “people have not seen a piece of meat for months and feed themselves with pieces of …

Radiofarda – Following the re-imposition of United States’ sanctions against Iran on August 7, the US has been adamant to exert its utmost pressures on Tehran to enter comprehensive negotiations with Washington, while the EU has been following measures to salvage the Iran nuclear deal US pulled out of in May.

Radiofarda – Islamic Republic’s parliament gave a no-confidence vote to Labor Minister Ali Rabiei in its August 8 meeting, after giving him a chance to defend his record.