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

Iranwire – IranWire has received an audio file of Faezeh Hashemi, a political activist and daughter of late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in which she speaks about the conditions in Tehran’s Evin Prison, her cellmates, forced hijab, the issue of referendums and the opposition to the Islamic government. This audio file was recorded on April 3 when Hashemi was about …

Iranwire – At the time when I was born, the veil was not yet compulsory in Iran. However, I was raised in a religious and traditional family that observed hijab even before the 1979 revolution. Until my teenage years, I never saw a woman without a headscarf, except during women’s meetings or gatherings with the immediate family. I thought the …

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 …