Middle East
How Iran Kept Its Jews
The fact that the Jewish community has shrunk to quarter of its original size speaks to the overall grim, mostly economic, realities of life not only for Jews or religious minorities, but for all Iranians who are not on the side of "them." ("They" and "them" are the insiders' reference to the regime.) The fact that the community, unlike most others in the region, did not vanish and continues to exist attests to a unique truth: Iranian Jews recognized that they had not been singled out to suffer in the aftermath of the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. And, in many complex ways, they have sometimes fared better than, say, secular Iranians of Shiite descent, who stood in opposition to the regime.
Secret Mass-Executions of Drug-Convicts in Kerman Prison
Tens of prisoners have been executed in the past few months in the prison of Kerman (Southeastern Iran) and their executions have not been announced by the official media. Most of the prisoners have been convicted of drug-related charges. It is not known how long these executions have been going on but it is certain that the executions are not limited only to the past few months.
U.S. calls for release of Americans in Iran, denies swap deal
The United States called on Tuesday for the release of U.S. citizens held in Iran, but denied a report that Washington had proposed a prisoner exchange for a former U.S. Marine. A lawyer for Amir Hekmati, an Iranian-American former Marine jailed in Tehran, was quoted in a report on Tuesday on Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency as saying that the United States had sought his release through a prisoner swap.
Iran supreme leader uses Twitter to blast US and says #BlackLivesMatter
Iranian opposition leader Mousavi responds to public attacks
The Kaleme website reports that he has repeatedly demanded the right to be put on trial where he could "tell the truth" but the authorities have refused. "I and (Zahra) Rahnavard have on several occasions since our house arrest expressed our readiness through the guards and officials to appear in an official and open court," he said.
7000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Iraq to regain influence
There are currently thousands of Iranian Revolutionary Guards stationed in a number of Iraqi cities to help Tehran regime its loss in Iraq after the ouster former Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, according to the Iranian opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. The guards that are estimated to be over 7000 are stationed in Baghdad, Diyala and Salah ad-Din provinces and the cities of Samarra, Karbala, Najaf, Khaneqain, Sa adiyah and Jaloula.
Nevermind U.S. shale, Saudi Arabia’s oil power play targets Iran’s economy
All politics are local, except for oil politics. The Russians think these low oil prices are an American-Saudi conspiracy. American commentators believe that the Saudis have driven down prices to punish North Dakota s shale oil revolution and drive its high-cost producers out of the game. In Canada, the paranoia in Calgary is that the Saudis and other Gulf oil producers want to drive the oil sands out of business.
A Daughter’s Plea Free My Father from Prison in Iran
My father, an Iranian blogger, is being psychologically tortured and imprisoned all for blogging about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At this very moment, my father, Mohammad Reza Pourshajari, also known as Siamak Meher, is being detained in Karaj Prison in Iran. He was arrested by security forces two months ago in Orumieh and was held in solitary confinement for 14 days by the Ministry of Intelligence. He was subjected to harsh investigation and psychological torture. His interrogators repeatedly threatened him with the death. Once transferred to Karaj Prison, he spent an additional 15 days in solitary confinement.
Female Prisoner of Conscience Transferred to Deplorable Gharchak Prison
Female prisoner of conscience Hakimeh Shokri was abruptly transferred from Evin Prison to the Gharchak Prison in Varamin on December 15, 2014. "I don't know why they treated her this way. Why did they transfer her to Gharchak Prison in Varamin in such haste where she wasn t even able to take her clothes, personal items, and money? She didn t even have enough money to call us and let us know about her transfer," said Zahra Shokri, Hakimeh Shokri's sister.
Iran expands ‘smart’ Internet censorship
Iran is to expand what it calls "smart filtering" of the Internet, a policy of censoring undesirable content on websites without banning them completely, as it used to, the government said on Friday. The Islamic Republic has some of the strictest controls on Internet access in the world, but its blocks on U.S.-based social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are routinely bypassed by tech-savvy Iranians using virtual private networks (VPNs). Under the new scheme, Tehran could lift its blanket ban on those sites and, instead, filter their content.
Rouhani’s Facade Is Crumbling
22 Activists in Uremia were Tried
the trial of protestors against the situation of Uremia Lake was held in branch number one of the revolutionary court with chief judge Chabok, on Tuesday, December 16. Their allegation is announced as collusion against the national security and propaganda against the regime. Need to be mentioned, these people were arrested in a protest to lack of effective action from the government to prevent Uremia Lake from drying out.
Baha’is Have No Citizenship Rights, Says Grand Ayatollah
A high-ranking cleric and Khomeini-era member of the Supreme Judicial Council has told Fars News Agency that Baha is are not entitled to citizenship rights. The statement was made only weeks after Mohammad Javad Larijani, Head of the Iranian Judiciary s Human Rights Council, denied the systematic denial of Baha is right to higher education.
Iran and Modern Cyber Warfare
Iran has started developing a new cybersecurity strategy, which will make cyber-operations top priority for both the army and national intelligence agencies. According to Western analysts, should the conflict between Iran and the West turn from bad to worse, Tehran could use cyber-attacks to inflict substantial damage on critical infrastructure in the United States and its allies, including power plants and financial networks.
Prison Sentence for Young Facebook User Increased from 15 to 20 Years
A Tehran Revolutionary Court has increased the sentence of a 21-year-old Facebook user from 15 to 20 years in prison for his postings on Facebook. The case was originally appealed in the hope that the severe 15-year sentence would be reduced. However, the appeals court remanded the case to the lower court because one of the charges, insulting the sacred, was not addressed in the original ruling.
Iran at its worst under the ‘moderate’ Rouhani
Today the Iranian people are facing one of the worst violations of human rights in contemporary times. Over 1200 executions in the past 15 months of Rouhani's presidency, Government organized acid attacks against women for "mal-veiling" and the brutal hanging of 26-year-old girl Reyhaneh Jabbari, are terrible events that have shocked the world.
Imprisoned Lawyer Denied Urgently Needed Medical Treatment
Despite the severely deteriorating health of imprisoned Iranian lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani, the Tehran Prosecutor refuses to grant him permission to receive medical care outside the prison, due to the prominent lawyer s steadfastness about his beliefs, Soltani s daughter told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Maedeh Soltani told the Campaign that her father suffers from heart disease and fluctuations in blood pressure, and that requests for his transfer to a hospital have been denied for the past month.
Mahdieh Golroo Remains in Solitary Confinement Two Months After Arrest, Charges Unclear
Despite completion of interrogations for Mahdieh Golroo, a women s rights activist who was arrested on October 23, 2014, a day after she attended a gathering in Tehran to protest acid attacks on several women in Isfahan, her judicial case has not moved forward and her family remains uninformed of her charges, a source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Mahdieh Golroo has spent her entire detention period inside a solitary cell in the IRGC s Ward 2-A at Evin Prison.
Iran’s Execution Surge; silence should not be an option
On 18 November, the United Nations General Assembly passed its annual resolution raising concern for human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the country s surge in executions. Today Iran is the world s leading executioner per capita. Its death penalty practice particularly callous and lawless often marked by execution of juvenile offenders, public hangings, and gross due process violations.
Iran’s President Pledges to Face Down Forces Opposing a Nuclear Deal
Risking his political standing, Iran s president stressed on Monday that he was determined to cinch a nuclear deal and prepared to take on the conservative forces who would prefer not to see an agreement with the West, even if that means continued economic sanctions on Iran. "Some people may not like to see the sanctions lifted," the president, Hassan Rouhani, said as Iranian negotiators and their United States counterparts resumed talks in Geneva. "Their numbers are few, and they want to muddy the waters."
Rouhani Attacked Over “Corruption” and Revolutionary Guards
Iran s regime hardliners continued their attack on President Rouhani on Saturday, targeting his remarks about "corruption" and the Revolutionary Guards. At a conference on corruption earlier this week, the President warned that money once "given under the table now is being given on the table". He called for the "elimination" of monopolies: "Anything which does not have rivalry or whose management is monopolised is flawed. This is wrong and the problem has to be uprooted."
Hunger Strike at Uremia Prison Is Still Going On
Detention taking ‘devastating toll’ on Post reporter locked up in Iran
Almost five months after Rezaian s still-unexplained arrest, family members say conditions in Iran s Evin prison are taking a fearsome toll on the 38-year-old Tehran correspondent for The Washington Post. But even worse than the physical discomforts, they say, are the psychological effects from near-total isolation and uncertainty over how long the ordeal will last. The uncertainty deepened further Sunday withIran s announcement that formal charges - still unspecified - have been filed
Iranian President Blames Fall In Oil Prices On ‘Treachery’
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that the sharp fall in global oil prices is the result of "treachery," in an apparent reference to regional rival Saudi Arabia, which opposed production cuts. Oil prices have plunged by more than 40 percent since June to around $65 a barrel, placing severe strain on Iran's economy, which is already hobbled by international sanctions imposed over its nuclear program.
Nasrin Sotoudeh Detained for Several Hours on Human Rights Day
On December 10, 2014, Iranian intelligence agents detained renowned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, before releasing her several hours later. The detention marks the second time in less than two months that Sotoudeh has been detained for her activities in protest of the Iranian Bar Association s suspension of her legal license.
Can Iran ‘control’ its cohabiting couples?
Prominent Iranian Student Leader Writes a New Letter from Prison
Is human rights political? Human rights is basically reclaiming rights from a higher authoritative power or temporarily removing the dysfunction of this power, whether this power be a dictatorship, democratic, or a rebel group. Human rights, whether it is obtaining [or reclaiming] rights or maintaining and preserving rights, needs to confront power. This confrontation can range from working with the authoritative power in order to induce principles and reach human rights solutions or engaging in a physical confrontation.
Iran charges Washington Post journalist
Iran has charged a Washington Post reporter who has been detained in the country for nearly five months, the paper said, citing sources familiar with the case. It said the nature of the charges levelled at Jason Rezaian, the newspaper's bureau chief in Tehran, were not immediately clear as he appeared in court on Saturday.
Ali Tabarzadi arrested in Tehran
Iran’s Internet Repression Draws Yet Another Division Between Hardliners And Rouhani Supporters As Arrests Increase
Inmates at Ward 350 of Evin Prison in northwestern Tehran endure brutal conditions, regular beatings, sexual harassment, even torture. The Ward has become home to an increasing number of Iran's most prominent cyberactivists and intellectuals this past year, including Soheil Arabi, a 30-year-old man arrested in 2013 and charged with sabb al-nabbi, or "insulting the Prophet." Arabi's charge stems from a reference to the Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. He found out in November his government is going to kill him. The country's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence handed down by a lower court.
Iran’s Future will be Shaped by Women
The recent spike in discrimination against women by the regime and regime-backed forces betrays Tehran s fear of women, who are the driving force behind change in Iran and the fight against Islamic fundamentalism, the bedrock of the Iranian regime. After Hassan Rouhani assumed office as the Iranian regime s president in 2013, suppression and restrictions against women have been exacerbated, including in the fields of arts, sports, education, and work. The measures were aimed at driving women out of public affairs and circumenting challenges to the state.
Women’s Rights Activist Held Captive by the IRGC for Protesting Against Recent Acid Attacks in Iran
Despite conflicting reports from Iranian security, judicial and military officials, the perpetrators of the recent acid attacks on women in Isfahan have not been arrested let alone identified. Instead, Mahdieh Golroo, who along with other [women s rights and] civil society activists had protested in front of the Iranian Parliament against the acid attacks, was arrested by Iranian authorities and thrown in prison on October 26th
18 Executions for Drug-Related Charges in One Day in Iran
Iran Extends Detention Of Washington Post Reporter Jason Rezaian By Two Months
Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian will be held in Iran for two more months, the Human Rights Watch reported Wednesday. Rezaian, who was arrested in July along with his wife and two photojournalists, has been held for some four months without charge. The others were released soon after, and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, was freed on bail after 60 days.
People like Qasem Soleimani are one of the main reasons why ISIS came to be
The fact that Soleimani s photo is on the front cover of a credible publication seems to be enough for a number of us to feel honoured and proud, regardless of the fact that the policies of the Islamic Republic in the region - which have been carried out by individuals like Soleimani - are one of the main reasons why Syria is up in flames, more than a hundred thousand people have been killed, millions of people have been displaced, and ISIS came to be. Never mind that the misery of the people in Iran today is because of individuals like Soleimani.
Iran’s human rights situation has not improved, says activist
Iran s President Hassan Rowhani has not been able to deliver on his promises to address key human rights issues in the country, Iranian lawyer and rights activist Shirin Ebadi told Al Arabiya s Diplomatic Avenue on Friday. Ebadi told Al Arabiya s New York bureau chief Talal al-Haj that the situation in Iran "has not progressed at all."
Total faces fresh corruption charges over Iran contracts
Iran will not sink ‘to knees’ on nuclear deal
In his first remarks since the extension of the deadline, Khamenei said: "On the nuclear issue, the United States and European colonialist countries gathered and applied their entire efforts to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees, but they could not and they will not," Khamenei made the remarks to a group of clerics, according to his website. In a nationwide broadcast on Monday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani told the nation that it "has achieved a significant victory" and "negotiations will lead to a deal, sooner or later".
Iran nuclear talks extended till July 2015
Negotiators have extended talks on Iran's nuclear programme for a comprehensive agreement until July 2015 after failing to meet a Monday deadline, diplomats said. Iran and six powers - the US, China, Russia, Britain, France plus Germany (P5 1) - have been negotiating for six days in the Austrian capital Vienna to turn an interim accord reached with the Islamic Republic a year ago into a lasting agreement. The six nations want Tehran to scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.
Beyond Iran Nuclear Talks, Real Hurdles May Be in Tehran
Iran s hard-liners, powerful but largely unknown in the West, organized one of several recent meetings criticizing a potential agreement. The target of their worries, as they put it, were those advocating a deal. My brothers, we are in danger, one of the conference organizers, Ali Hassanzadeh, told an audience of conservative lawmakers, activists and hundreds of their most loyal supporters. A video was played portraying the moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, and his negotiators as gullible and conned by the United States. A bad deal will be unacceptable, Mr. Hassanzadeh concluded
Iran and US close in on historic nuclear deal at Vienna talks
Some diplomats describe their work as 95% done, pending political decisions to be made in national capitals over Iran's capacity to enrich uranium over the next few years, and the sequence in which international sanctions are lifted. Several leading arms-control experts have argued that the residual obstacles are more political than substantial, determined by the need of President Barack Obama's administration and President Hassan Rouhani's reformist government in Iran to reassure conservatives at home, rather than by the actual requirements of Iran's nuclear energy programme or genuine nonproliferation concerns.
Iran disbars ex-Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi
A hard-line former chief prosecutor of Tehran has been disbarred and banned for five years from all positions in the Iranian government. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling which found that Saeed Mortazavi ordered the torture of at least three protesters who died in custody in 2009. He rejected the accusations. Until his trial last year, he was head of Iran's social welfare organisation. Mr Mortazavi, 46, has been fiercely criticised by reformists. He played a dominant role in the judiciary from 2003 when he was appointed chief prosecutor general Tehran until 2009, when the government put down student protests against the controversial re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Iran TV airs cleric’s threats to raze Tel Aviv, target US bases
n a sermon carried on state TV, an Iranian cleric threatened that his country will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground and target US bases. Ayatollah Ali Movahedi-Kermani, whose Friday sermon was translated on Sunday by MEMRI, a US-based media watchdog group, spoke extensively about Iran s ballistic missile capabilities. Movahedi-Kermani claimed that Tehran would use Iranian-made Sejjil missiles against Israel as a defensive deterrent if Jerusalem ever decided to attack the Islamic Republic.
Public Grieving for Pop Singer Is Startling for Iran
Iranian authorities were caught off guard over the weekend when thousands of people joined spontaneous gatherings around the country to mourn and remember a pop singer who died late last week. Mostafa Eghlima, a sociologist, said that the roots of the outpouring of grief could be traced to the harsh social restrictions faced by Iranians and enforced by a small group of hard-liners. Urbanization, the influx of oil money and access to social media are among the trends that have greatly changed Iranian society over the past 15 years. But faced with changes that challenge their control, the hard-liners have insisted on more and stricter laws to rein in what they call "Westernization."
5 civil Right Activists undecided at IRGC’s solitary confinements
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Based on the latest reports, "Arash Sadeghi", "Atena Daemi","Aso Rostami", "Ali Nouri" and "Omid Alishenas" have been arrested over the last couple of months in Tehran by IRGC s Intelligence Service. These 5 Civil Rights Activists are still in custody at solitary confinement at Ward 2-A of Evin Prison.
Is UN Engagement Having an Impact on Iran’s Human Rights? Absolutely.
In an interview broadcast last Friday, a Euronews reporter asked Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of the Iranian judiciary s Human Rights Council, if he was proud that Iran leads the world in executions per capita. In response, Larijani said: Not at all, we are very much unhappy and uneasy about that and we are trying hard to change the laws which are bringing that situation about. As you know and I [have] said several times [...] more than almost 80% of these executions [are] stemming from narcotic drug related crimes. I think if we change the law [on narcotics], 80% of our executions will be dropped.
Stop making “excessive demands” of Iran in nuclear talks, Rouhani tells US
Iran s president, Hassan Rouhani, has asked the US to stop making "excessive demands" in the negotiations over the country's nuclear programme, saying Tehran had already made enough compromises to reach a permanent settlement with the west when the two sides meet next week. Rouhani told his cabinet on Wednesday that the Iranian team would not retreat from the "people's rights" when it travelled to Vienna to meet with diplomats from six major powers for what many see as a make-or-break moment
Iran Signs Russia Reactor Deal as Nuclear Talks Falter
Iran signed an agreement with Russia to obtain as many as eight new reactors, as world powers struggle to reach an accord capping the Islamic Republic s nuclear program. The deal was signed in Moscow yesterday by Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran s Atomic Energy Organization, and Sergei Kiriyenko, the chief executive of Rosatom Corp.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei outlines plan to ‘eliminate’ Israel
The Supreme Leader of Iran s official Twitter account has posted a set of answers to what are described as the "key questions", saying that Israel is guilty of a host of "crimes". The first question asked is: "Why should the Zionist regime be eliminated?" To this, the response is given: "During its 66 years of life so far, the fake Zionist regime has tried to realise its goals by means of infanticide, homicide, violence and iron fist while boasts [sic] about it blatantly". However the statement adds that "the elimination of Israel does not mean the massacre of the Jewish people in this region.
Stakes are high as US plays the oil card against Iran and Russia
Obama administration wants Tehran to come to heel over its nuclear programme. It wants Vladimir Putin to back off in eastern Ukraine. But after recent experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, the White House has no desire to put American boots on the ground. Instead, with the help of its Saudi ally, Washington is trying to drive down the oil price by flooding an already weak market with crude. As the Russians and the Iranians are heavily dependent on oil exports, the assumption is that they will become easier to deal with.
Weak Iran economy adds to pressure on leaders over nuclear deal
Iran s rulers are under growing pressure to secure a nuclear deal with world powers to help ease the plight of the country s economy, which has been buffeted by international sanctions and falling oil prices that threaten to derail economic reforms. Weak demand and oversupply have sent oil prices plunging more than 25 per cent, since the middle of June, to a four-year low.
Obama Wrote Secret Letter to Iran’s Khamenei About Fighting Islamic State
President Barack Obama secretly wrote to Iran s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the middle of last month and described a shared interest in fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, according to people briefed on the correspondence. The letter appeared aimed both at buttressing the campaign against Islamic State and nudging Iran s religious leader closer to a nuclear deal.
The Revolution is over
Changes in Iran make a nuclear deal more likely - not this month, perhaps, but eventually. Much that Iran does is wrong. It finances terrorists and militias in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories and backs the murderous regime of Bashar Assad in Syria. Its politicians routinely deny Israel s right to exist. They treat opponents at home with cruelty and injustice. However Iran is not a straightforward dictatorship. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the last word. But his role is to adjudicate between the claims of an elite made up of thousands of politicians, clerics, generals, academics and business people.
A new voice in Iranian nuclear talks
An intriguing new figure is gaining prominence in the Iranian government just as regional conflicts in Iraq and Syria intensify and nuclear talks with the West move toward a Nov. 24 deadline. The newly prominent official is Ali Shamkhani, the head of Iran's national security council. "In contrast to Iranian foreign ministry officials, Shamkhani is a former Revolutionary Guard [IRGC] commander who has the clout to challenge his former comrades," argues Karim Sadjadpour, a leading Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. A European intelligence official agrees that Shamkhani may be "an honest broker" between Rouhani and Khamenei.
Persecution, torture, murder: Iran blasted on human rights ahead of UN hearing
On the eve of Iran's defense of its human rights record Friday before a key United Nations panel, a lawyer for the woman executed in the Islamic Republic over the weekend for allegedly killing her attempted rapist accused the regime of widespread torture and murder. "Because Reyhaneh Jabbari's case created a lot of attention inside and outside of Iran, a lot of people tried to save Reyhaneh Jabbari, but because of the power of Iran, on Saturday, they hanged her," Iranian Human Rights Attorney Mohammed Mostafaei.
Negar Haeri was beaten in the prison of Shahre Rey
Negar Haeri, political prisoner in prison of Shahre Rey (Qarchak, Varamin), was beaten. According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Negar Haeri who has been detained since July this year and was transferred to the prison of Shahre Rey (Qarchak, Varamin), on Monday 27th October was beaten by the ordinary prisoners of this prison. One of her relatives told HRANA's reporter: "Ordinary and criminal prisoners of Qarchak prison has beaten Negar Haeri following direct orders by prison officials."
Economic Pain Looms Large for Iranians in Nuclear Negotiations
With oil prices projected to fall even further, the oil-dependent government of Iran faces growing pressure to settle the nuclear standoff. "This is a new wild card, and we don't know how it will play out," one of the senior Western negotiators said the other day, as officials mapped out a strategy that they hope can achieve a deal in less than a month's time.
Dozens arrested in Tehran in a protest at acid attacks
Dozens of people who intended to gather and protest against the recent acid attacks, were arrested and many of them were beaten by security forces. According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), People who were planning to protest in front of the Interior Ministry against the recent acid attacks on women who not dressed appropriate "Hijab" were met by violent security and anti-riot police forces.
Iran Amputating Limbs, Burning Political Opponents
Iran executed a record-shattering 411 citizens in the first half of 2014 and a total of 852 people in the last 15 months, including at least eight juveniles, according to a new United Nations report that will be introduced to the organization's General Assembly Tuesday. In addition to a surge in state-sanctioned killings that a U.N. official referred to as "shocking," Iran continues to torture imprisoned individuals using techniques such as amputation, electroshock, flogging, and burnings, according to the report, which details human rights in the Islamic Republic.
Iran hangs woman despite international uproar
Iran has executed a 26-year-old woman convicted for killing a man whom she said tried to sexually abuse her. Reyhaneh Jabbari was arrested in 2007 for the murder of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of Iran s Ministry of Intelligence. She was hanged at dawn on Saturday, the official IRNA news agency quoted the Tehran prosecutor's office as saying
Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh detained at protest against acid attacks on women
Thousands in Iran Protest Acid Attacks on Women
Thousands of Iranians took to the streets of the historic city of Isfahan on Wednesday to protest several acid attacks on women. The attacks had coincided with the passage of a law designed to protect those who correct people deemed to be acting in an "un-Islamic" way. The acid attacks have prompted a heightened resistance to the new law, which Parliament passed on Sunday. The law is aimed at protecting citizens who feel compelled to correct those who, in their view, do not adhere to Iran s strict social laws. The details of the law, which would officially empower the government and private citizens to give verbal or written statements on social mores, have yet to be completed.
Iran Proposes an Axis Against Islamic State to Iraq as an Alternative to the U.S. Coalition
Al-Zaman [The Times of Baghdad] reports that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has proposed to visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi an anti-ISIL axis including Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq that would be led by Iran, as an alternative to the US-led coalition proposed by President Barack Obama. In essence, this is the same kind of support Iran offers Bashar al-Assad in Syria against ISIL and al-Qaeda affiliates there (as well as against the Free Syrian Army)
Sotoudeh Stages Sit-in to Protest Ban on Her Legal Practice
Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh began a sit-in on October 21, 2014, at the Iranian Bar Association in Tehran to protest a ruling that puts a three-year ban on her legal practice, and in protest against the general state of legal representation in Iran. One day before starting the sit-in, in an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, she said that the protest will be of unlimited duration, until the Iranian Bar Association takes action on her demands.
Despite Evidence, Iran Denies Human Rights Abuses and Regional Inteference
On Friday, Turkish Weekly reported that Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary of Iran s High Council for Human Rights, had taken to Iranian television to deny the country s various human rights abuses. This came shortly after Iran denied entry into the country for Ahmed Shaheed, the UN s Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.
Four arrests over acid attacks against women in Iran
Iranian police have arrested four men suspected of involvement in multiple acid attacks against women last week. Reports suggest there have been at least four such attacks in Isfahan, Iran's third-largest city. Others place the figure as high as 11. Hardliners within Iran's conservative-dominated parliament have been trying for the past few months to pass a bill that would protect vigilantes trying to enforce Islamic law.
Obama Sees an Iran Deal That Could Avoid Congress
Even while negotiators argue over the number of centrifuges Iran would be allowed to spin and where inspectors could roam, the Iranians have signaled that they would accept, at least temporarily, a suspension of the stringent sanctions that have drastically cut their oil revenues and terminated their banking relationships with the West, according to American and Iranian officials. The Treasury Department, in a detailed study it declined to make public, has concluded Mr. Obama has the authority to suspend the vast majority of those sanctions without seeking a vote by Congress, officials say.
Low oil prices won’t make Iran more conciliatory
The plunge in global oil prices isn't likely to drive Iran to strike a nuclear deal with the West by next month s deadline despite Tehran's added economic difficulties, experts say. They will only push Iran into greater compromise if the talks are extended and the low prices persist. In Vienna, where two days of resumed talks broke up yesterday, diplomats told the Wall Street Journal that prices - which have plunged by 25% since last summer - could make Iran more conciliatory.
U.S. proposes Iran keep nuclear infrastructure but reduce ability to make bomb
Iran is considering a U.S. proposal at nuclear talks that would allow it to keep more of its nuclear infrastructure intact while still reducing its ability to make an atomic bomb, two diplomats told The Associated Press on Thursday. At issue is Iran's uranium enrichment program, which can make both reactor fuel and the fissile core of nuclear arms. Tehran insists the program is only for future energy needs.
A political prisoner on the verge of exclusion of education
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Student activist Davar Hosseinivojdan, student of metallurgy at Esfahan University of Technology, who is serving his imprisonment sentence from 5th December 2011 in Evin prison ward 350, is indeed on the verge of expulsion. During his imprisonment, in violation of prison regulations he had no access to its Collegiate and did not even get the chance to attend the final exams, too. So that, by losing his permit years to finish his course, he is on verge of expulsion.
New Videos Confront Iran’s Rights Violations through Personal Stories of Persecution
Impact Iran, a coalition of human rights organizations, in partnership with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, today launched a new video, "Promises Made, Promises Broken." The video is part of a series aimed at drawing attention to Iran's second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council on October 31, 2014. A new video will be released each week leading up to the review.
Qassem Suleimani photo makeover reveals Iran’s new publicity strategy
Professional pictures of the Quds commander Suleimani are part of Iranian promotion of its support of Iraq forces against Isis. Suleimani and the Iraqi militias he commands have played a key role in halting Isis. But neither he nor any other Iranian official has been invited to Tuesday's strategy meeting in Washington between the US president, Barack Obama, and military chiefs from 20 western and Arab countries, which aimed to draw up a plan to defeat the militants. The crisis in Iraq may have created a temporary alignment between the US and Iran, bitter enemies for the last 35 years, but they remain firmly at odds over Syria, where Tehran s loyal support has been crucial in bolstering Bashar al-Assad.
Snapshot of the Secret War
Little of this story generally appears in the media, though a current trial in Hamburg has offered a rare glimpse into the secret struggle that is waged every day without the public having any real clue of what's going on. The case is fascinating, involving as it does three men - one German and two others of Iranian origin - who are charged with exporting 92 German-produced specialized valves for use in Iran's Arak plutonium reactor and arranging the shipment of 856 nuclear-usable valves from India to Iran in 2010-11. The report, by the German scholar Matthias K ntzel, is worth quoting at length:
Iran could pose a greater threat than Isis, says Andrew Nikolic
The Liberal backbencher and former army commander Andrew Nikolic, Australian politician and MP has warned that Iran presents a potentially worse threat than Islamic State (Isis), one that may require an urgent military response. Nilolic said that as Australia joined the international coalition to fight Isis, "the time for action on Iran is now much closer than it has ever been".
Oil price drop threatens to hit Russia, Iran harder than sanctions
drop in global oil prices, driven in part by a boom in U.S. shale oil production, is threatening to hit the economies of energy-exporting Russia and Iran harder than Western economic sanctions have done.. Prices have fallen about 20% on world markets since June because of an increase in oil production and an economic slowdown in Asia and Europe. If that continues, as many analysts expect, gasoline may sell below $3 a gallon at the pump in much of the United States.
Iran’s Jailing of Activist Offers Hint of Liberty Under Rouhani
In a country that has virtually no tolerance for activism, Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, an Iranian-British national, provided a nearly textbook example of how to get arrested in Tehran, activists say. Yet if Ms. Ghavami, who began a hunger strike last week to protest her indefinite detention, was guilty of anything, activists say, it was a na ve enthusiasm that Iran was changing.
Iran blocks Instagram account of ‘rich kids’ showing off wealth in Tehran
Hafte-Sobh newspaper took aim at "a class of young people who stubbornly and with the backup of their wealth, are having fun and live their own special way of life, and the Iranian system cannot touch them." Taadol newspaper poured scorn on "a class of nouveau riche who cropped up like mushrooms" during the 2005-2013 presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Iran blocks Instagram account of ‘rich kids’ showing off wealth in Tehran
Hafte-Sobh newspaper took aim at "a class of young people who stubbornly and with the backup of their wealth, are having fun and live their own special way of life, and the Iranian system cannot touch them." Taadol newspaper poured scorn on "a class of nouveau riche who cropped up like mushrooms" during the 2005-2013 presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Iran and Prisoners of Conscience
Iran s Baha is are the most persecuted religious community in Iran, facing relentless government- sponsored harassment, discrimination, arrest and detention. There are an estimated one hundred Baha is in prison, jailed solely because of their religious beliefs. Muslims who diverge from the regime s interpretation of Islam are also persecuted. Human rights monitors report that Mohsen Amir-Aslani was executed in September after being found guilty of heresy for offering his own interpretation of the Koran.
Iran releases arrested journalist on bail
Tehran has released on bail an Iranian journalist who was arrested more than two months ago, while her husband, a fellow reporter who was arrested at the same, remains in jail. Yeganeh Salehi, a foreign correspondent for the UAE's English-language newspaper the National, and Jason Rezaian, the Iran correspondent for the Washington Times newspaper, were arrested on July 22. On Monday, both newspapers quoted Salehi's brother-in-law as saying that she was freed on bail late last week.
Iranian banking newcomer struggles as fear of sanctions hits humanitarian deals
International banks are shying away from processing humanitarian deals with Iran for fear being fined for breaking Western sanctions, despite moves intended to facilitate the trade, a senior Iranian banker said. The sanctions regime, imposed by the United States and European Union over Tehran's nuclear program, allows trade in humanitarian goods such as food and medicine.
Supreme Leader’s Health Raises Questions About Iranian Succession
Images of Iran s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appearing frail and in bed have raised questions about the seriousness of his condition, and who might eventually succeed him. In early September, Khamenei made a surprise announcement that he was having surgery and asked people to pray for his health. What followed was unprecedented in the 35-year history of the Islamic Republic.
The immodest Rich Kids of Tehran
You may have heard about the Rich Kids of Instagram, an infamous group of ultra-wealthy youth who post pictures of the fabulous cars, glamorous yachts, and watches their parents have purchased for them. It is notable that these young Iranians appear to be flaunting their wealthy and obviously-Western-influenced lifestyle to the world without fear of repercussions from Iran's government, which is known to crack down on citizens engaging in what the regime deems subversive activities. Recently, seven Iranians were sentenced to prison sentences (since suspended) for uploading a video of themselves dancing to Pharell s music video "Happy."
Iran’s Political Prisoner Cleansing
Iran continues to hide behind the world's focus on ISIS to accelerate political arrests, executions, "prison cleansing" and above all, its program to achieve nuclear capability. Iran seems to be counting on the reluctance of the United States to intervene in any serious way, in order to run its nuclear weapons program to completion.
Iran nuclear talks: why Tehran must be brought in from the Cold
Iran is more secure than its neighboring countries. Rouhani the new president has used the momentum generated by the modest sanctions relief to cut inflation from 45% to 20% and stabilise the rial currency after it lost more than 80% of its value. Human rights in Iran remain wretched as exemplified by the continued incarceration of Ghoncheh Ghavami, a British-Iranian woman who was arrested this summer after trying to enter an all-male sports arena, and is now charged with "propagandising against the regime." The US and its allies have not enjoyed much recent success in influencing internal Iranian politics, but they should be aware that Rouhani s continued political prosperity, and that of the more hopeful Iran he represents, is dependent in large measure on success in the current negotiations.
Israel didn’t assassinate Iranian physicist in 2007 – Revolutionary Guard did, sister says
When Iranian nuclear physicist Ardeshir Hosseinpour was gassed to death in 2007, the finger of suspicion was immediately pointed at Israel. Now, his sister claims he was murdered by Iran s Revolutionary Guard (IRI) because he would not cooperate with its efforts to divert nuclear work from peaceful purposes to building an atomic bomb. If Mahboobeh Hosseinpour s account can be confirmed, it could affect the next round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany
Life of Prisoner of Conscious Mr Boroujerdi at Risk
Days before Iran's President Hassan Rohani addresses United Nations General Assembly, Ayatollah Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi, the prominent dissident clergy was informed that he will be executed for "anti-government views" -- that is if Iran, by again withholding repeatedly-requested medical attention, does not passively execute him first. According to reliable sources inside Iran, "Ayatollah Boroujerdi's health condition is worse than ever, and prison docors have said that if the prisoner does not receive immediate medical attention, he will die within days or even hours...." The authorities have been refusing medical intervention.
Eighteen Nobel Laureates Call for Immediate Release of Iranian Physicist
Omid Kokabee s Health in Great Danger, Requires Immediate Medical Treatment. Kokabee, an Iranian physicist completing his PhD at the University of Texas, Austin, is serving a ten-year sentence since his arrest in Tehran in January 2011. During his prosecution, the prosecutors charged him with "communicating with a hostile government," and receiving "illegitimate funds" without any substantiating evidence.
Iran executes man for heresy
A 37-year-old man has been executed in Iran after being found guilty of heresy and insulting prophet Jonah, according to human rights activists. Mohsen Amir-Aslani was arrested nine years ago for his activities which the authorities deemed were heretical. He was engaged in psychotherapy but also led sessions reading and reciting the Qur an and providing his own interpretations of the Islamic holy book, his family said. Amir-Aslani was hanged last week for making "innovations in the religion" and "spreading corruption on earth", but human rights activists said he was a prisoner of conscience who was put to death because of his religious beliefs. He had interpreted Jonah s story in the Qur an as a symbolic tale.