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

(HRW) – Iranian authorities held a tight grip on peaceful activism during 2020, jailing lawyers, human rights defenders, and those who protested government corruption, mismanagement, and repression, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021.As the country grapples with controlling the spread of Covid-19, judicial and intelligence authorities have excluded dozens of human rights defenders and political prisoners from temporary release measures to …

CHRI – On January 9, 2021, a press report was published in Iran about the imminent execution of 29-year-old wrestler Mehdi Ali-Hosseini for a murder he allegedly committed five years ago. He was scheduled to be executed on January 10 but was granted a week to seek a pardon from the victim’s family and escape the gallows, his brother Hamzeh Ali-Hosseini told the Iranian Students News …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) –  At least 15 civil activists, students and environmental activists have been arrested in Marivan, Karaj, Mahabad and Rabat over the weekend. According to Iran Human Rights, at least 15 activists have been arrested by security forces over the last few days. At the time of writing, the reason for their arrests and the charges against …

Al-Monitor – The United States labeled the chief of staff of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units a designated global terrorist Wednesday in the outgoing Trump administration’s latest attempt to isolate Iran’s foreign proxies before leaving office. Abdul Aziz al-Muhammadawi, also known as Abu Fadak, serves as the deputy head of the PMU. The organization officially lies under the authority of the federal government …

Shabtabnews – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo  announced the the first-ever U.S. sanctions on revolutionary courts and judges for their roles in jailing prisoners of conscience, and we keep demanding release of the regime’s hostages. The @StateDept imposed the first-ever U.S. sanctions on revolutionary courts and judges for their roles in jailing prisoners of conscience, and we keep demanding …