Social and Political

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – There has been a dramatic rise in the execution of Baluch citizens over the last five weeks, with 19 Baluch prisoners being executed in Mashhad and Zahedan Central Prisons. Of those, four were executed on political and security charges. The arbitrary arrests of Kurdish activists which began on January 9 has also continued. Around 70 …

Al-Monitor – An Iranian American man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges, even though his family says his trial took place without him. The family said Emad Shargi was cleared of the charges in December 2019, but then was informed he was guilty by a court in November, The Associated Press reported. A judicial official told the news agency …

Al-Monitor – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in the Russian capital Jan. 26, where he is scheduled to sit down with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov to exchange views on a wide array of regional and international topics. Upon landing in Moscow, Zarif told reporters about “special circumstances” after the departure of former US president Donald Trump from the White House, a …

RFL/RE – Baluchi activists say Iranian authorities have demolished the foundations of a Sunni mosque in the city of Iranshahr in the Sistan-Baluchistan Province in order “to pressure” the Sunni minority in the region. According to the Europe-based Campaign Of Baluch Activists, the demolition took place on January 23, while all the necessary permits had been obtained by the municipality …

Iranwire – The Iranian monthly Peivast is reporting that Iran has blocked the private encrypted messaging application Signal, ordering mobile operators to filter it from their networks. The report comes after the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) said on Twitter earlier on January 25 that “Iran seems to have started blocking” the application. The move follows the January 14 removal of Signal from …

Iranwire – In partnership with IranWire, the renowned Iranian cartoonist Mana Neyestani has created a new graphic novel entitled The Crash, Covid-19 and Other Iranian Stories: a visual account of the events of early 2020 that shaped the course of the pandemic in Iran. In this article, IranWire’s founder Maziar Bahari interviews Mana about the process of producing the book and how its …

Iranwire – Regular readers of IranWire will by now be well-versed in the calamitous approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the threat posed by coronavirus, and of the tragedy that has befallen the Iranian people as a consequence. From the very outset of the pandemic in January 2020, the regime’s official response to coronavirus was clouded by political …

VOA – How relations between the United States and Iran will take shape under the new Biden administration remains to be seen, but one U.S. general says the two foes are entering a “period of opportunity.” Gen. Frank McKenzie, who leads the U.S. Central Command, made the remarks to reporters as he flew to the Middle East. Some analysts had …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Mehdi Ali Hosseini, a wrestler sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for “pre-meditated murder,” has been executed in Dezful Prison. According to state-run ISNA who quoted the judiciary’s public relations of Khuzestan Province, a prisoner was executed in Dezful Prison this morning. The Asr Jonoub Telegram channel has identified the executed prisoner as 30-year-old Mehdi Ali Hosseini. Mehdi Ali …

spiegel.de – More than a hundred experts are demanding an end to the EU-China investment agreement, DER SPIEGEL has learned. They name serious human rights violations and the suppression of democracy movements in China as the reasons. A broad front in opposition to the deal has developed over the last several days. More than 100 renowned China experts, researchers and …