Cartoon 79: Nowruz 1393
Last week Iranians around the world began their celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. In this cartoon, along with the traditional Haft Sin table, Touka Neyestani has drawn the figure of Gohar Eshghi, the ...
Executions / Life
UN Members Strongly Criticize Executions and Lack of Basic Freedoms in Iran
At Monday’s meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed presented his report on the situation of human rights in Iran. Following his presentation, representatives of member countries, NGOs, and the Iranian delegation offered their responses. ...
Shaheed Tells the UN Rights Council Deep Reforms Needed
“In order to progress, we must admit that despite existing laws or policies, violations are occurring. And while I can appreciate the possibility that death sentences may not be the first choice of punishment for judges, ...
“Personal attacks on UN Officials Show Iranians Not Free to Express Opinions,” Says Ahmed Shaheed
Ahmed Shaheed asked the Iranian Government to allow him to visit the country so that he can have discussions with the government and the civil society in order to ...
UN Rapporteur Slams Iran for Lack of Judiciary Independence and Execution Surge
For his research the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran interviewed more than 130 individuals in Iran and outside Iran who provided testimonies about human rights abuses, and received written reports from human rights organizations about the situation of the ...
Javad Larijani: “Be Grateful” for Iran’s High Execution Rate
Mohammad Javad Larijani, Head of the Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Council, said on March 4 that Iran’s increased execution rate is a positive marker of Iranian achievement. Instead of criticizing Iran for its increasing number of executions, he said, “our expectation of international organizations and the world is to be grateful for this great service ...
Kurdish Death Row Inmate Hospitalized After Prison Beating
Loghman Moradi was due to appear at Branch 74 of Tehran Province Criminal Court on February 23. That morning agents told him to put on prison clothes in order to be transferred to court. “Loqhman refused to wear prison clothes and said ‘I am a political prisoner and I have the right to appear in ...
IRGC’s Basij Paramilitary Trains Special Battalions for Crackdown on Potential Protests
In an interview with Dana Website, Mohammad Reza Touyserkani, the representative of the Supreme Leader inside the IRGC’s Basij paramilitary organization, spoke of “special battalions” that have been formed inside the Basij to suppress civil and street protests. ...
Stop Death Sentence in Inquisition Trial
The Iranian Judiciary must rescind the execution sentence of Rouhollah Tavana for trumped-up charges of “insulting the Prophet,” and stop issuing death sentences for ever-expanding categories of crimes, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. ...
Iran Asks Pakistan for Help in Political Hostage Crisis
The abduction of five Iranian border guards by a violent political group in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province last week is growing beyond Iran’s borders into an international issue. ...
President Rouhani’s New Rights Charter
On November 26, 2013, President Rouhani’s government published a draft Citizens’ Rights Charter and solicited public reaction. The publication of this draft within the first 100 days of his presidency was widely seen as a major step by his administration to address his promises to improve the state of human rights in Iran. ...
Kurdish Prisoners Still Face Execution, Despite Possible Retrial
A new case with a new charge has been established at the Penal Court against Zanyar Moradi and Loghman Moradi, two Kurdish prisoners sentenced to death on “moharebeh (enmity with God)” charges, Zanyar Moradi’s father told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Eghbal Moradi told the Campaign that due to pressure from human ...
Larijani Reveals Parts of Confidential UN Report and Verbally Attacks Special Rapporteur
Just weeks before the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran is scheduled to present his latest report at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, the Head of the Iranian Judiciary Sadegh Larijani is again verbally attacking the Rapporteur, saying at a meeting of top-ranking judicial officials in Tehran on January ...
“Drawing Repression”: New Book Illustrates 52 Weeks of Human Rights in Iran
This new book of editorial cartoons by leading Iranian artist Touka Neyestani chronicles one year of human rights issues in Iran. ...
President Rouhani’s Draft Citizenship Rights Charter: English Translation
The full English text of the Draft Citizenship Rights Charter proposed by President Hassan Rouhani and widely circulated for feedback, is available thanks to UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed and the Human Rights in Iran Unit at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College. ...
UN Rapporteurs Urge Iran to Stop Executions
In a statement released today, several UN Special Rapporteurs called on Iran to urgently halt the surge in executions that has been ongoing in Iran since the beginning of 2014. ...
Culture Minister Asks Judiciary to Provide More Freedom of Expression
Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati publicly stated that the Iranian Judiciary should join the Rouhani administration in providing more freedom of expression to Iranian media and artists, drawing strong criticism from Iran’s Prosecutor General and Spokesperson for the Judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi for his remarks to Al Jazeera. ...
Rouhani’s Citizenship Rights Charter Contradicts Constitution, Says Iranian Lawyer
In an exclusive interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, lawyer and human rights activist Mehrangiz Kar analyzed the various problems with the draft Citizenship Rights Charter presented by Hassan Rouhani last November, saying it is a “hodge podge of things” that both repeats and contradicts the Constitution, and it needs a ...
Basij Commander Admits Forces Shot at 2009 Protesters
After more than four years of denying that Basij and other security forces took direct shots at the 2009 post-election protesters, last week’s statements by the unnamed Commander of District 117-Neynava of IRGC’s Tehran Region, admitting for the first time that the men on top of a Basij base in Tehran shot at the protesters, ...
Intelligence Ministry May Be More “Flexible” in Respecting Human Rights, Says Lawyer
Ghasem Sholeh Sadi, lawyer and former Member of the Parliament and political prisoner, told the International Campaign for Human Rights that he is somewhat optimistic about the consequences of the draft Citizenship Rights Charter presented by President Hassan Rouhani in November. ...
Rights Lawyer Says Iran Needs Existing Laws Enforced, not a New Charter
Lawyer and member of the Defenders of Human Rights Center Mahnaz Parakand discussed necessary steps for implementing human rights protections in an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “Before thinking to design a Citizenship Rights Charter, we must implement the Iranian Constitution, even with all its shortcomings. Many of the articles ...
Rights Lawyer Says Citizenship Rights Charter Is “Distraction”
In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, lawyer Khalil Bahramian, who has represented many political prisoners, said the draft Citizenship Rights Charter is just a distraction for the public. ...
Rouhani Delivered on Rights Charter Promise “Immediately,” but Issue Is with Implementation, Says Lawyer
In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, lawyer Farideh Gheirat said that the draft Citizenship Rights Charter presented by Hassan Rouhani in November is almost exactly like the Iranian Constitution in substance, just with different phrasing. Gheirat added that there was no need to draft a new Charter that was ...
Guardian Council May Approve Citizenship Rights Charter, Says Lawyer
President Hassan Rouhani’s draft Citizenship Rights Charter, currently before the Guardian Council, may win approval, lawyer and head of the National Iranian Bar Associations Union Bahman Keshavarz told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. ...
Prominent Activist Cites Numerous Omissions in Citizen Rights Charter
In a interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Narges Mohammadi, human rights activist and spokesperson for the Defenders of Human Rights Center, acknowledged that the Citizen Rights Charter was a positive step, but noted that the draft document contained many serious shortcomings that needed to be addressed. ...