Social and Political

Iranwire – The Iranian judiciary says five people have been sentenced to death for allegedly killing a member of the paramilitary Basij force during a demonstration near Tehran last month. The Basij has had a key role in the bloody crackdown unleashed by Iranian security forces on 12 weeks of nationwide demonstrations triggered by the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa …

Iranwire – Protesters seeking the downfall of Iran’s clerical regime took to the streets of dozens of cities on December 5, eyewitness reports and videos published on social media show, as many shops shut their doors following calls for a three-day nationwide strike. Iran has been rocked by unrest following the September 16 death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa …

VOA – The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has again emphasized her opposition to Iran’s participation on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. In a post on Twitter on Sunday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “The Iranian government should not be on the @UN_CSW – an international body dedicated to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Removing Iran from the …

gatestoneinstitute.org – In one demonstration at Beijing’s Tsinghua University earlier this week, students were recorded chanting the slogan “Democracy, rule of law and freedom of speech.” Yet, rather than supporting the brave protesters who are defying the tyranny of their Communist masters, the Biden administration appears reluctant to comment on the turmoil. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken …

Amnesty – The Iranian authorities’ vague and conflicting statements on the supposed disbanding of Iran’s so-called “morality police” must not deceive the international community about the continuing violence against women and girls embedded in compulsory veiling laws and fuelled by ongoing impunity for those violently enforcing them, said Amnesty International today. During a press conference on 3 December 2022, Iran’s …

Iranwire – Iranian protesters have begun three consecutive days of protests and nationwide strikes as the judiciary continues to follow through on a government crackdown by issuing three more death sentences in its response to unrest sparked by the death of a young woman while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly. Reports from across the country …

Iranwire – With the uprising of the Iranian people triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of morality police well into its 11th week, Iranian security forces continue to use everything at their disposal to savagely suppress the protests. In two previous special reports, we took close look at the equipment used to suppress the demonstrations and at the individuals and …

Al-Monitor — Iran’s state-run Al-Alam news network dismissed reports that the Islamic Republic’s controversial morality police, in charge of implementing mandatory hijab rules, has been abolished.   Al-Alam was addressing extensive coverage of remarks by Iran’s hard-line Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who appeared to suggest that hijab police was no longer operating.   “The morality police has been closed down by the very institution [Interior …

Al-Arabia – Protesters in Iran called on Sunday a three-day strike this week as they seek to maintain pressure on authorities over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, with protests planned on the day President Ebrahim Raisi is due to address students in Tehran.Raisi is expected to visit Tehran University on Wednesday, celebrated in Iran as Student Day. To …

RFL/RE – Iran has cancelled its dreaded “morality police” in the wake of continuing protests following the September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, the country’s chief prosecutor has said. Iran’s state IRNA news agency on December 4 quoted Mohammad Jafar Montazeri as saying, “the morality police have nothing to do with the judiciary.” Montazeri was responding to the question …