Families Dismayed Over Lack of Attention to Hunger Strikers in Iranian Prisons
Political prisoners Majid Asadi (right) and Jafar Eghdami. The parents of two political prisoners on hunger strike have expressed concern ...
Free Expression
In Letter to Judge, Iranian-American Demands Freedom for Himself and Wife
Art Gallery Owners Karan Vafadari and Afarin Neyssari Held on Baseless Charges More Than One Year Without Trial Detained Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari has written a letter ...
Iran Upholds 10-Year Prison Sentences Against US Resident and Two Iranian-Americans
Iranian-American Businessman and His 81-Year-Old Father Remain Held on Unspecified Charges after Sham Prosecution That Lacked Due Process Iran’s Appeals Court has upheld a 10-year prison sentence against US resident ...
Soheil Arabi Resumes Hunger Strike to Protest Harassment of His Family
Prisoner of conscience Soheil Arabi has restarted his hunger in Tehran’s Evin Prison to protest the persecution of his family by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). ...
Taheri’s Death Sentence Will Not Stand, Says Hopeful Lawyer
The lawyer for imprisoned Iranian spiritual leader Mohammad Ali Taheri is optimistic that the latest death sentence against his client will again be turned down upon appeal. The ...
Tehran Prosecutor Calls Hunger Strikes “Threats” Amid Mass Strike at Rajaee Shahr Prison
“Prisoners must endure their punishment to the fullest” Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi has described hungers strikes undertaken by prisoners as “threats” that the judicial system will not “surrender to.” Dowlatabadi made the comments as more than ...
Reformist MP Calls for Judicial Investigation Into Imprisoned Journalist’s Worsening Health
A member of the Iranian Parliament has called on the judiciary to investigate reports about imprisoned reformist journalist Ehsan Mazandarani’s deteriorating health after his wife publicly stated that he ...
Rouhani VP Reaffirms Promises to Mehdi Karroubi After Pushback by Judiciary
Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri has publicly affirmed promises made by officials of the Rouhani government to detained political leader Mehdi Karroubi after a senior judicial official disputed them. On August ...
Judiciary Contradicts Rouhani Officials’ Promise to Detained Opposition Leader Mehdi Karroubi
The spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has publicly rejected a report that security agents will leave detained opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi’s home in northern Tehran as “total lies.” “Mr. ...
Reformist Journalist Not Heard From Two Weeks After Arrest in Tehran
Several Journalists Arrested in 2017 for Alleged Connections With Amad News Reformist journalist Sasan Aghaei’s family has not heard a word from him since he was arrested by security agents without a warrant at the ...
Appeals Court Upholds 10-Year Sentence Against Princeton Student Xiyue Wang
An Iranian Appeals Court has upheld the 10-year prison sentence against American graduate student Xiyue Wang, held since the summer of 2016 on unspecified espionage charges shrouded in secrecy by ...
Labor Activist Forced to Stay Behind Bars Until December 2018 Despite Completing Sentence
Update: With assurances from a senior official, labor activist Reza Shahabi ended his hunger strike in Rajaee Shahr Prison on September 27, 2017, after nearly two months of refusing food. “Reza announced the end of his hunger strike ...
Countdown Begins for Karroubi’s Trial After Deal With Rouhani Government Ends His Hunger Strike
Now that detained political leader Mehdi Karroubi has ended his life-threatening hunger strike, all eyes are on President Hassan Rouhani to see if he will honor Karroubi’s second demand: a public trial. The 79-year-old ...
Imprisoned Activist Atena Daemi Slapped With New Charge For Demanding Medical Care
Activist Denied Care Despite Medical Examiner’s Recommendation Already serving a seven-year prison sentence, imprisoned children’s rights activist Atena Daemi has been issued a new charge ...
Richard Ratcliffe Turns to UN and UK to Secure Wife’s Release From Iran
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Diagnosed With Advanced Depression After exhausting all legal avenues in Iran to overturn the five-year prison sentence issued in a secret trial against his Iranian-British wife, Richard Ratcliffe is taking her case ...
Music Producer Quarantined and Denied Family Contact for Arguing With Evin Prison Guard
Yousef Emadi Facing New Charge Imprisoned music producer Yousef Emadi was punished for three weeks by being moved to a quarantine ward and being denied family contact for arguing with a guard ...
Six Inmates at Rajaee Shahr Prison Punished With Solitary Confinement For Going on Hunger Strike
Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj. Prisoners Protest Transfer to High-Security Ward Without Medicine or Clothes More than 50 political ...
Iranian Soccer Body Says Star Players Not Banned for Playing Against Israeli Team
Iranian soccer stars Masoud Shojaei (right) and Ehsan Hajsafi (left). “No Decision” Ruling Issued Following Social Media Public Outcry After days of public outcry over ...
Detained Political Leader Mehdi Karroubi on Life-Threatening Hunger Strike
August 16, 2017—The Iranian judiciary must immediately release ailing political leaders Mehdi Karroubi, who is currently on hunger strike, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, said the Center for Human Rights in Iran ...
Rouhani Cabinet Pick Linked to Mass Surveillance of 2009 Protesters
Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi has been appointed by President Rouhani to head his telecommunications ...
Editor of Prominent Iranian Reformist Newspaper Etemad Arrested for Fourth Time
Journalist Sasan Aghaei Repeatedly Targeted by Security Organizations The arrest of Sasan Aghaei, the deputy editor of the reformist daily newspaper Etemad, at his office in Tehran on August ...
Political Pundit Sadegh Zibakalam Faces Charges For Discussing Politicization of Iran’s Judiciary
Prominent reformist political analyst Sadegh Zibakalam has been slapped with the charges of “propaganda against the state” and “disturbing public opinion” after discussing the politicization of Iran’s judiciary ...
Women’s Rights Activist Demands Rouhani Provide Reasons for His Exclusively Male Cabinet
Women’s rights advocate Nahid Tavasoli. President Hassan Rouhani must explain why he didn’t nominate women to serve in his new cabinet, feminist researcher ...
Political Prisoner Responds to “Dolled-Up” Evin Prison Visit by Foreign Ambassadors
A political prisoner held in Evin Prison since 2009 has harshly criticized a state-organized “dolled-up” tour of the facility by a group of foreign diplomats ...
With Eye on Telegram, Internet Body Says All Social Media Apps Must Store Data Inside Iran
The Supreme Cyberspace Council in session. To improve Iran’s ability to monitor and censor online...