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

Iranwire – The Court of Appeals of Tehran province has upheld the initial sentences of 10 years in prison for 70-year-old Mahvash Sabet (Shahriari) and Fariba Kamalabadi, two members of Iran’s Baha’i religious minority.  Sabet and Kamalabadi spent 10 years of their lives in prison, from 2008 to 2017, solely based on her religious beliefs. They have been held in …

Iranwire – Two journalists working for the state-run Iran Sports newspaper were fired after they criticized the management of the Ministry of Sports and Youth under former minister Hamid Sajjadi. Ali Vahdani, a reporter for state TV, tweeted on August 10 that Azadeh Pirakooh and Mohsen Ajarloo were sacked due to their critical stance toward Sajjadi. On August 1, President …

Iranwire – The German domestic intelligence agency has warned critics of the Iranian leadership living in Germany about the threat of cyberespionage against them.  Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) on August 10 warned Iranian dissidents that they might be targeted by the Charming Kitten online espionage group. Charming Kitten works by building trust with victims …

Iranwire – Earlier this month, Iran’s government invoked “unprecedented” summer heat when it ordered a two-day nationwide shutdown to protect public health and conserve energy amid temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. The move came as the country, despite sitting on the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves, faces acute shortages of electricity. The Tehran Electricity Distribution Company announced on August 9 it had …

Iran-HRM – The Iranian judiciary has falsely accused four Kurdish citizens from Sanandaj named Keyvan Zandi, Aram Azad, Sardar Shahmoradi, and Houshang Chahar Gorgeh of “moharebeh” (enmity against God). These individuals were arrested by security forces during the nationwide protests in Sanandaj last autumn. Currently, they are held in temporary detention at Sanandaj Central Prison, facing the imminent risk of …