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

france24.com – A campaign on a rare scale uniting activists and personalities inside Iran and out is pressing Tehran not to execute men detained over anti-government protests, but faces an uphill struggle. In the face of a furious outcry, symbolised by the viral hashtag #Don’t_Execute (#Edam_Nakon in Persian), Iran’s judiciary last month halted the executions of three young men arrested …

atlanticcouncil.org – “I think Iran and [Donald] Trump are close to a win-win agreement,” veteran Iranian journalist and BBC Persian correspondent Masoud Behnoud recently tweeted on August 8. “Trump has a failed record on foreign policy and will give concessions on the eve of the election. Iran also wants rewards for its patience, especially its patience in the face of the recent explosions.” Behnoud’s striking …

atlanticcouncil.org – In late April, a 10-year-old boy landed in an emergency room with severe eye injuries caused by a violent outburst from his father. Arash had refused to help his family with “waste picking”—an activity undertaken by slum-dwellers to salvage recyclable materials for resale or personal use—out of fear of contracting COVID-19. “The child was beaten for hours before …

AP — The Trump administration has seized the cargo of four tankers it was targeting for transporting Iranian fuel to Venezuela, U.S. officials said Thursday, as it steps up its campaign of maximum pressure against the two heavily sanctioned allies. Last month, federal prosecutors in Washington filed a civil forfeiture complaint alleging that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, …

Shabtabnews – USCIRF Releases New Report about Religious Prisoners in Turkmenistan’s Gulag. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report: Turkmenistan Policy Update – This update describes the brutal conditions that religious prisoners face in Turkmenistan, including detention or disappearance in the country’s vast prison system. Muslims, whom the government has vaguely or falsely accused …