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

Iranwire – The sister of a French-Irish national who has been incarcerated in Iran for half a year is calling for his immediate release, saying he is in “poor” physical condition and risks losing his vision. Bernard Phélan sends text messages to his family every week, but his sister Caroline told IranWire that they are often difficult to decipher. “Bernard …

AL-Arabia – A rapper arrested in October on capital charges in Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests needs urgent medical treatment, a rights group said Thursday, urging an international campaign for his release. The New-York based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) also said Toomaj Salehi was being deprived of his right to a fair defense in his trial, for …

Iranwire – More Iranian women and girls are flouting the country’s Islamic dress code, including the mandatory hijab, in a direct challenge to the authorities. The clerical establishment has responded by issuing increasingly severe warnings and raising the cost for girls and women who refuse to wear the Islamic head scarf in public. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 4 said …

Iranwire – More Iranian schoolgirls were taken to hospital on April 5 amid a wave of poisoning attacks that have hit more than 200 girls’ schools across the country over more than four months. In the central province of Fars, a video posted on social media showed several pupils from Esteghlal Girls’ School in Kohenjan being rushed to hospital in apparent …

Iranwire – Hundreds of protesters flooded the streets of a Tehran neighborhood overnight to commemorate the birthday of Hamidreza Rouhi, a university student who was killed nearly five months ago amid a brutal state crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. The protesters marched through Shahr-e-Ziba neighborhood late on April 5 despite the heavy presence of security forces, chanting slogans calling for justice …