Social and Political

Iranwire – Along with the lowest-ever turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic, Friday’s presidential election broke a second record: that of “invalid” votes. So great was the number of spoiled, blank or otherwise inadmissible ballots that they cumulatively took second place in the final results after president-elect Ebrahim Raeesi. According to the official figures, close to 29 million …

Iran-HRM – The brother of executed wrestling champion Navid Afkari said his sister’s phone was confiscated by intelligence agents. Just hours later all of Elham Afkari’s Instagram posts were removed and videos of Navid’s forced confessions were posted. According to the Afkari family, following her arrest outside Shiraz Central Prison where her brothers Habib and Vahid have been held in solitary confinement …

(HRW) – The victory of Ebrahim Raeesi, Iran’s judiciary chief, on June 19, 2021, in a presidential election that was neither free nor fair raises serious concerns about human rights and accountability in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. Raeesi has had a long career in the country’s judiciary and served on a four-member committee that ordered the execution of thousands of political …

CHRI —As Ebrahim Raisi ascends to the presidency in Iran, after a sham election in which almost all other candidates were disqualified, the international community should closely monitor the human rights situation in the country given the seating of a man who is guilty of crimes against humanity. “This was not an election, it was a selection,” said Hadi Ghaemi, …

RFL/RE – Negotiators are set to resume talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal amid reports of disagreements on several key issues. The June 20 talks are part of the latest round of negotiations involving Iran and six world powers that have been going on in Vienna since April. Iran’s top negotiator, Abbas Aqaqchi, said the sides had moved closer …

RFL/RE – Hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi has been declared the presumptive winner of Iran’s June 18 presidential vote, which was marred by the disqualification of prominent moderates that paved the way for Raisi’s path to presidency. Concerns have been raised that Raisi’s rise to power could bring more social and political restrictions for Iranians, who already face strict limitations on their lives, …

Iranwire – The following is the content of IranWire’s extraordinary newsletter issued on Saturday, June 19. You can read all our recent, detailed coverage of president-elect Ebrahim Raeesi’s judicial career to date, and analysis of his future prospects, via the links below. Iranians the world over woke up this morning to the actualization of an already near-universally acknowledged truth: the …

gatestoneinstitute.org – While Obama looked the other way, China militarized a string of atolls in seas around it as part of a long-term plan to forge an aggressive profile against its neighbor and the United States. The Chinese challenge can and must be met both in the global arena and inside the People’s Republic itself. Any move in that direction …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Secretary of State Antony Blinken… stated at his inauguration hearing that he had “deep concern about the designation” of the Houthis as a terrorist organization, in that “at least on its surface it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to bring them back to the negotiating table….” One wonders if …

VOA – Israel condemned on Sunday the election of hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi as Iranian president, saying his would be a “regime of brutal hangmen” with which world powers should not negotiate a new nuclear deal. Raisi, who is under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses, secured victory as expected on Saturday in Iran’s presidential election after a contest marked …