Social and Political

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Mehdi Mohammadifard, an 18-year-old protester in Noshahr, has been sentenced to two executions for charges of efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) and moharebeh (enmity against god). Writer and artist, Mehdi Bahman has also been sentenced to death for charges of “espionage and contact with Israel.” Furthermore, in a statement issued today, the Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of six …

Al-Arabia – Iranian police have resumed warnings that women must wear mandatory headscarves even in cars, media reported Monday, as unrest continues following the death of Mahsa Amini. Protests have gripped Iran since the September 16 death of Iranian-Kurdish Amini, 22, after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women. Tehran …

RFL/RE – The interest of Russian intelligence services in Germany continues to increase the longer the war in Ukraine lasts, according to Germany’s domestic intelligence service. The head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, also counts China and Iran among the states whose intelligence services are active in Germany. “Russia’s intelligence interest here in Germany …

VOA – Germany has warned Iranians living in the country who have been critical of the Iranian government to be careful about traveling to Iran. Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, told the Germany Press Agency that for some years the Iranian government has worked to identify critics, and that those people could …

Iran-HRM – On Thursday, December 29, 2022, in Semirom, Isfahan Province, people attended funeral ceremonies. They had participated in large scales to commemorate Ali Abbasi who was killed by Iran’s security forces during protests on November 2022. On the next day, Iran’s security forces torn down photos and posters of Semirom’s slain protesters. This event provoked outrage among the people. …

RFL/RE – Iranian journalist Keyvan Samimi has been released from prison after being jailed last year owing to his presence at a protest rally in May 2019, according to a reformist newspaper. The Sharq daily on January 1 reported Samimi’s release from Semnan prison, 200 kilometers east of Tehran. It did not say on what date the 73-year-old, who is a member …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities have arrested soccer players who attended a mixed party east of Tehran, local media reported on January 1 without identifying them or giving their exact number. “Several current and former players of one of Tehran’s prominent football clubs were arrested last night (December 31) at a mixed party in the city of Damavand,” Tasnim news agency …

VOA – Politicians in several European countries and Canada are sponsoring Iranian prisoners. The lawmakers’ sponsorship means they are using their political heft in communicating with Iranian ambassadors, other politicians and human rights organizations in bringing attention to the plight of individual Iranian prisoners. The hope is that the attention given to the prisoners will prevent Iranian judges from handing …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Since the revolution, the percentage of Iranians living below “absolute poverty” has increased from 7 percent in 1977 to 18.4 percent in 2022. The nation’s labor market has plunged from one crisis to another. There are several areas in which the Iran is world number one. According to International Monetary Fund, with over 150,000 highly-educated Iranians choosing exile …

VOA – An Iranian writer-illustrator has been sentenced to death by the country’s Revolutionary Court. Mehdi Bahman was arrested in October for a television interview with an Israeli TV station in April. He was reported to have been critical of Iran in his interview with Channel 13. Details about his sentence have not yet been released, according to VOA’s Farsi …