Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.

Iranwire – During its 1979 revolution, Iran embraced the protest cry of “neither East nor West,” rejecting both the US and the Soviet Union, then locked in the Cold War. The phrase to this day hangs over the doors of Iran’s Foreign Ministry. Russia’s war on Ukraine, however, has exposed just how much Tehran has tilted toward Moscow in recent …

Al-Arabia – Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia has said it will rid its ranks of child soldiers, who have fought by the thousands during the country’s seven years of civil war, the United Nations said Monday. The Houthis signed what the UN described as an “action plan” to end and prevent recruiting or using children in armed conflict, killing, or maiming …

Iranwire – “Alcohol is banned, British nationals are regularly picked up on spurious charges of spying and only two weeks ago female football fans were pepper-sprayed for having the cheek to attend an international match. And now, Iran says it is ready to host thousands of England supporters a short hop from Qatar for this year’s World Cup.” This is what British …

Iranwire – The Iranian judiciary has jailed another convert to Christianity on spurious charges. Fariba Dalir, 51, was sent to Evin Prison on Saturday, April 16 to begin serving a two-year sentence for “acting against national security by establishing and leading an Evangelical Christian church”. A report by Article 18, a London-based campaign for religious freedom in Iran, states that Dalir was …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – There has been an intensification of the crackdown on civil society in Iran over the last week. Six civil and workers’ rights activists, Amir Amirgholi, Amir Abbasi, Mohammad Irannejad, Sara Asgari, Nasrollah Amirlou and Morteza Seyedi were arrested. Rasoul Bodaghi, a civil activist and member of the Teachers’ Union was sentenced to five years imprisonment, …