Second Iranian Councilman Persecuted for Speaking up for Baha’i Rights
A member of the Isfahan City Council, Mehdi Moghaddari, has been suspended from his seat for six months in part for supporting a fellow councilman who had sought ...
Free Expression
University Student to be Flogged, Imprisoned for Insulting Supreme Leader
Supporters Barred from Court Room *Editor's note: Mojtaba Dadashi was taken to prison in the city of Sabzevar on April 13, 2019, to begin serving a three-year sentence, a source with detailed ...
Three Labor Affairs Reporters Remain Detained Three Months After Arrests
Three staff members of Gam news, an independent Persian-language news channel on the Telegram messaging app, remain in detention three months after being arrested in connection ...
Just Released From Prison, Golrokh Iraee Ebrahimi Faces More Time Behind Bars
Newly released from prison, civil rights activist Golrokh Iraee Ebrahimi may have to serve more time behind bars depending on the outcome of another case against ...
Female Activist in “Very Poor” Health after Nine Months and Counting of Solitary Confinement
Political activist Hengameh Shahidi is in poor health after a nine-month stint in solitary confinement, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has been informed. Arrested...
Political Prisoner’s Family Faces Homelessness in Iran Due to State Confiscation of Properties
Hassan Sadeghi and Fatemeh Mosanna Denied Medical Treatment The family of two political prisoners is facing homelessness now that they’ve received notice that their family home and only remaining property will be confiscated by ...
Iran: Harsh Sentence for Rights Lawyer Threatens Activism
Lengthy Prison Terms Shows Effort to Deter Rights Advocacy (New York, March 20, 2019) – The prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s draconian sentence for her peaceful activism shows the ...
UN Expert Concerned by Crackdown on Protests and Strikes in Iran
Iranian students clash with riot police during an anti-government protest around the University of Tehran, Iran, 30 December 2017. Living conditions difficult for many ...
Reformist Politician Abolfazl Ghadyani Ordered to Copy Out by Hand Supreme Leader’s Book
Abolfazl Ghadyani: “I will be a thorn ...
EU Foreign and Defence Ministry Condemns Conviction of Nasrin Sotoudeh
The diplomatic service and foreign and defence ministry of the EU, European Union External Action (EEAS), has condemned the conviction of prominent Iranian attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh and urged Iran to guarantee her and her husband Reza Khandan, who was sentenced to six years ...
Intelligence Ministry Denies Labor Activists Qoliyan and Bakhshi Medical Treatment
Supporters of Esmail Bakhshi ...
Concert Cancellations Continue in Mashhad Due to Intolerance by Religious Conservatives
A concert by the popular Persian pop band Hoorosh was canceled by judicial order an hour before show time on February 20, 2019, in the city ...
Intelligence Ministry Threatens Families of Labor Activists Bakhsi, Qoliyan With Prosecution
The Intelligence Ministry in the city of Shush, southwestern Iran, summoned the families of detained labor activist Esmail Bakhshi and freelance reporter Sepideh Qoliyan and warned them not to ...
Niloufar Bayani Absent from Trial After Protesting Prosecution’s Use of Forced “Confessions”
Authorities Interrogated Three People, Warned Them Not to Speak About Cases After protesting the prosecution’s use of false statements she had made under the threat of torture, Niloufar Bayani has been absent from three out of the five court sessions that have been held ...
Imprisoned Journalist Hamed Aynehvand Denied Right to Post Bail in Iran
Aynehvand Denied Legal Counsel by Hardline Judge Mohammad Moghiseh Judicial officials in Evin Prison in Tehran are illegally preventing the release of political journalist Hamed Aynehvand by falsely claiming he ...
Sugar Mill Workers Call for International Action to Free Detained Colleagues Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Qoliyan
Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Qoliyan Pressured to Retract Torture Allegations A union representing workers of the Haft Tappeh sugar mill in the Iranian city of Shush, Khuzestan Province, has called on individuals and international organizations to demand the release of union representative ...
Ten Detained Political Activists and Environmentalists Denied Counsel in Iran’s Kurdistan Province
Ten political activists and environmentalists arrested in Iran’s Kurdistan Province between December 31, 2018, and January 6, 2019, are being held at the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center in ...
Unable to Move His Arm, Arash Sadeghi Denied Hospitalization for Infected Biopsy Wound
“What’s certain is that he needs to be urgently hospitalized” Arash Sadeghi, a political prisoner in Iran, has lost the ability to move his right arm due to an ...
Renewed Pressure in Iran to Block Instagram After Activist’s Post About Torture Makes Headlines
A labor activist’s widely read Instagram post alleging he was tortured while in the custody of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry was never ...
Three Members of Iran’s Writers Association Charged With National Security Crimes for Opposing Censorship
Three senior members of the Iranian Writers Association (IWA) have been charged with national security crimes for peacefully protesting state censorship policies, according to a ...
Human Rights Lawyer Mohammad Najafi Facing 19 Years Behind Bars in Iran
Najafi Jailed for Demanding Justice for Detainee Who Died in State Custody Imprisoned human rights attorney Mohammad Najafi was sentenced to two more years in prison in Iran on January 22, 2019—bringing the total number of years he has been condemned to serve to 19. The sentences have been issued over ...
Journalist to Serve Five Years in Prison for Uncovering Corruption in Tehran Municipality
Yashar Soltani’s Investigate Expose Implicated City Officials and MPs Journalist Yashar Soltani has been sentenced to five years in prison for exposing extensive corruption within the Tehran municipality, ...
Iran Sentences Men Who Supported Women’s Protests Against Compulsory Hijab to Six Years Prison
Reza Khandan and Farhad Meysami Denied Right to a Public Trial Update: On August 11, 2019, the Appeals Court confirmed Farhad Meysami’s six-year prison sentence and reduced the two-year ban on his online ...
Iran: Release Labor Activists Re-Arrested For Revealing They’d Been Tortured
Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Qoliyan Both At Risk of Serious Harm January 22, 2019—The arrests of labor activist Esmail Bakhshi and freelance reporter Sepideh Qoliyan...