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

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have established a committee tasked with intimidating and harassing female students at several universities, including Tabriz University in the country’s northwest. On November 29, the Telegram channel of the Student Union Councils reported the creation of the informal parallel institution called “Afad,” an acronym for “Social Cultural Action at University.”  Afad has been sending SMS messages …

Iranwire – Canada’s foreign ministry has expressed deep concern over reports of intimidation of families fighting for truth and justice for the victims of the downing in 2020 of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran. “We call on Iran to immediately cease its campaign of harassment and intimidation of these families,” it said on the social media platform X, hours …

Iranwire – The Iranian authorities executed at least 10 prisoners over the past two days, a human rights group says, as the country’s clerical rulers are increasingly using capital punishment.  According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, Ayoub Karimi, a Kurdish prisoner who spent 14 years in prison, was executed early on November 29 in Karaj’s Ghezelhesar prison, near Tehran. Six …

RFL/RE – In a bold act of defiance, an Iranian judge at the 2023 World Wushu Championships in the United States appeared without the mandatory hijab, igniting a controversy back home where the head scarf has become a flashpoint in a battle for women’s rights. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, Arghavan Jalali Farahani explained that her decision was “a …

RFL/RE – For many commuters in the Iranian capital, navigating the subway system means passing through “tunnels of horror.”Entrances and corridors in Tehran’s subway stations are lined with so-called hijab guards, women wearing black chadors and green sashes. And while the role of these squads is clear — to spot and confront women not wearing the mandatory head scarf — determining …