Writer Prosecuted for Facebook Posts Critical of State Censorship
Reza Khandan Mahabadi, a member of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Writers' Association Authorities ...
May 18, 2015
Young Activist Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Facebook Postings and Peaceful Protest
A young civil activist who has been held at Evin Prison since October 2014 has been sentenced to seven years in prison at her interrogator's urging, a source close to the case told the International ...
May 18, 2015
Basij Militia Unveils Messaging App that Gives State Access to All Conversations
Officials hope Salam will lure users away from applications such as Viber and WhatsApp that are hugely popular in Iran. The Basij paramilitary organization, a subsidiary of the Revolutionary Guards ...
May 14, 2015
Iranian Officials Re-Affirm Facebook Will Remain Completely Blocked in Iran
Despite the Iranian government’s stated intention to move towards the selective blocking of Internet content (“smart filtering”), a top government official proclaimed that the social networking giant Facebook would continue to be completely blocked in Iran. Abdolsamad ...
May 14, 2015
“No Books, No Book Fair,” Says Publisher of Banned Books
Iranian publisher Shahla Lahiji Leading Iranian Publisher Boycotts Tehran International Book Fair Iranian publisher Shahla Lahiji has boycotted the annual Tehran International Book Fair for the fourth year running, to protest ...
May 13, 2015
Iran’s New Search Engine Denies Access to Political or Human Rights Content on Internet
A new Internet search engine developed by the Iranian government, Parsijoo, has been designed to keep Iranian users from accessing any political or human rights-related content. According to research conducted by the International Campaign for Human Rights ...
May 13, 2015
Husband of Jailed Activist Narges Mohammadi Asks Rouhani’s Minister to Review Her Case
250 Activists and Journalists Sign Statement Calling for Her Release Iranian Judiciary authorities have advised the family of detained human rights activist Narges Mohammadi that her May 5, 2015 arrest and transfer to Evin Prison was in ...
May 12, 2015
Basij Militias Will Run 2000 Child Care Centers, 25% of All Day Care in Iran
Teaching Islamic Values Becomes Priority in Face of Flagging Public Support Iran's Welfare Organization will allow the Revolutionary Guard’s volunteer paramilitary arm, the Basij, to establish and operate 2,000 child care centers, which would comprise 25% of all ...
May 11, 2015
Teacher Protests Sweep Iran despite Threats by Officials Not to Participate
Thousands Gather in Many Cities to Call Attention to Wages below the Poverty Line Another nationwide protest by Iranian teachers swept through dozens of cities throughout Iran on May 7, with thousands taking to the streets ...
May 1, 2015
Prominent Lawyer Says “Plan to Promote Virtue” Endangers Citizens and State
The prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh spoke out strongly against the recent approval of the Plan to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice, a Parliamentary bill which calls on Basij militias to enforce strict hijab (female ...
May 1, 2015
Prominent Activist Charged with National Security Crimes for Her Peaceful Civic Activism
A Tehran court has charged the prominent Iranian civil rights activist and deputy head of the banned Defenders of Human Rights Center, Narges Mohammadi, with crimes against national security for her peaceful ...
April 29, 2015
Labor Leaders Detained in Iran as International Workers’ Day Approaches
Hundreds of workers protesting in front of the Iranian Parliament on January 7, 2015 April 29, 2015—On the eve of International Workers’ Day on May 1, Iranian authorities have arrested at ...
April 16, 2015
Worsening Conditions for Women in Iran Begin to Draw Attention
Iran's Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, Shahindokht Molaverdi. Rouhani and Other Administration Officials Speak Out against Discrimination Analysis- Almost two years after his 2013 election, President Hassan Rouhani and ...
April 10, 2015
Prominent Activists Optimistic on End of Ban on Women at Sports Stadiums
Two prominent Iranian human rights defenders have expressed optimism over the recent moves in Iran to amend the laws banning women from sports stadiums, but note that real and permanent changes will require time ...
April 9, 2015
Executions Useless in Preventing Drug Crimes says Prominent Iranian Lawyer
In an interview with ISNA (the Iranian Student News Agency), the prominent Iranian lawyer Nemat Ahmadi lambasted Iran's anti-drug law, calling it "lacking in preventive powers" despite its stipulation of the ...
April 6, 2015
Tehran Professor Decries Iran’s Criticism of UN Human Rights Expert
Tehran University Professor Sadegh Zibakalam (Right), and Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Marzieh Afkham (Left) The following is a translation of Tehran University Professor Sadegh Zibakalam's letter to Iranian Foreign Ministry ...
April 2, 2015
Initial Accord with Iran Holds Promise for Human Rights
But Risks of Hardline Backlash Remain The understanding reached on Iran’s nuclear program on April 2 is a welcome development, averting at least for now, an inexorable descent into confrontation, the International Campaign for Human Rights in ...
March 27, 2015
Imprisoned Journalist Denied Furlough, Remains with Hardened Criminals
Saeed Matinpour Despite support from the Zanjan Province Prosecutor and prison officials, and repeated requests by family members, journalist Saeed Matinpour's furlough for the Iranian New Year was not granted ...
March 27, 2015
Imprisoned Human Rights Defender Denied Furlough Again
For the fourth year in a row, the ailing prominent human rights defender Mohammad Seifzadeh was not granted furlough for the Iranian New Year (March 20-April 1). Furlough, typically granted to prisoners in Iran for a ...
March 27, 2015
Journalist Remains in Prison Beyond End of Sentence
The journalist Saeed Razavi Faghih has yet to be released from prison even though he completed his one-year sentence on February 28, 2015, because he is facing new, as yet unspecified charges, his brother Massoud ...
March 27, 2015
UN Keeps Pressure on Iran for its Rights Failures
Human Rights Monitoring Will Continue March 27, 2015—The United Nations Human Rights Council voted today to renew the mandate of Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, signaling ...