Social and Political

RFL/RE – A 16-year-old girl beaten by security forces in the northwestern Iranian city of Ardabil for refusing to sing a pro-regime anthem when her school was raided by agents has died of her injuries. The Coordinating Council of Teachers Syndicates in Iran confirmed in a post on its Telegram channel that Asra Panahi died following a raid by security forces on …

Iranwire – Elnaz Rekab, who did not wear a hijab at an international sports competition and was tricked into entering the Iranian embassy in Seoul, South Korea, was due to arrived in Tehran at 330am Wednesday morning, IranWire can report.  She reportedly departed the Qatari capital of Doha after midnight yesterday on flight QR490 to Tehran. Her family, meanwhile, had …

Iranwire – The death toll following the fire and riots in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison on Saturday night has risen to 13, IranWire can report. At least four political prisoners are currently in hospital. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said on Monday that four prisoners had died from their injuries on Sunday night, bringing the total number of deaths to eight. Mizan …

Iranwire – Reports sent to Iranwire show that nationwide anti-government protests continued for their fifth consecutive week across Iran on Monday, October 17. These protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police last month. The resulting demonstrations have become Iran’s longest anti-government protests since the 1957 revolution. The unrest has …

Al-Monitor – spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanani, condemned sanctions slapped by the Council of the European Union on a number of Iranian entities and officials in response to their involvement in repressive measures against protesters at home.   Kanani dismissed the “unilateral” sanctions as “unconstructive,” saying they violated international law, were a case of obvious meddling in Iran’s internal affairs …

Al-Monitor – The families of US citizens detained by Iran are urging the Biden administration to move quickly to secure the release of their loved ones after a deadly fire over the weekend engulfed the notorious prison facility that is holding them.  A massive fire erupted late Saturday at Evin Prison, where hundreds of protesters have been sent after more …

RFL/RE – The European Union has put sanctions on Iran’s information minister, the country’s “morality police,” and other senior officials over the death of a young woman while in custody and the brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that have followed. The bloc published the list of those it hit with sanctions — including 11 persons and four entities — in its official …

Iranwire – The Baha’i faith, one of the world’s youngest religions, was founded in Iran in the nineteenth century, but its followers have long faced persecution in the country, especially since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Dozens have been arrested, imprisoned and attacked. As recently as July, several preschool teachers were detained in a series of raids by intelligence …

Iranwire – Day 30 of the recent round of protests against the government in Iran was marked by further protests, an intensified crackdown, and continuing confusion about a fire in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison that left at least eight dead, and perhaps many more. Fire and blood in Evin The Iranian authorities claim there was a “riot” in Evin on …

gatestoneinstitute.org – “[T]his relationship [between the US and Saudi Arabia] should be based on reciprocity. If Washington is looking for its own interests, as with the Iran nuclear deal or the cancellation of the [Iranian-backed] Houthi group’s designation as a terrorist group, Saudi Arabia also has the right to seek its own interests….” — Rami Al-Khalifa, Syrian author, Elaph, October …