Rouhani Supporters Launch Huge Twitter Storm Backing Him After Hardline Mob Forces Him to Flee Rally
Map shows extent of #ISupportRouhani tweets in Iran by region. Tens of thousands of President Hassan Rouhani’s supporters ...
Free Expression
Angry Protestors Force Rouhani to Flee Rally in Tehran
A few weeks after being elected for a second term as president, Hassan Rouhani had to be whisked away from a rally in Tehran on June 23 by his security forces ...
Iranian Nobel Laureate Blasts Khamenei’s “Fire at Will” Policy Against Domestic Opponents
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s recent declaration that his supporters should “fire at will” against presumed enemies of the state is an established policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi told ...
Photojournalist Who Worked for Rouhani’s Presidential Campaign Arrested Without Charge
Husband Pressured to Confess to Espionage Formerly imprisoned photojournalist Asal Esmailzadeh was “suddenly” arrested without charge while accompanying her husband to the Culture and Media Court in Tehran on June 19, 2017, Saeed Seif ...
Judiciary Chief Threatens Domestic Proponents of US-Instigated Regime Change With Death Penalty
The chief of Iran’s judiciary has responded to recent comments by the US secretary of state describing the Trump administration’s policy of regime change in Iran by threatening domestic ...
Denied Due Process, Detained Telegram Channel Admins Go on Hunger Strike
Telegram channel admin Nima Keshvari was detained in mid-March 2017 by the IRGC's Intelligence Organization. Six administrators of channels on the ...
Beyond the Ban: Exhibition Spotlights Major Iranian-American Artists
Works by prominent Iranian-American artists were showcased to a packed house on June 14, the opening night of the “Beyond the Ban” art exhibition, a collaboration between the ...
Ailing Political Activist Detained Without Charge Subjected to Three-Month Solitary Confinement and Renewed Interrogations
Hengameh Shahidi’s Family Under Media Ban More than three months after her arrest and detainment, ailing political activist Hengameh Shahidi has not been charged and is in poor ...
Iran’s Judiciary Prevents Top Labor Activists From Attending International Conference
A travel ban imposed by the Iranian judiciary has prevented prominent labor rights activists Reza Shahabi and Davoud Razavi from attending an ...
Human Rights Activist Told He Must Serve Additional Year in Prison on Day of Expected Release
While his family waited for him outside Rajaee Shahr Prison the day he was supposed to be released, on June 6, 2017, Navid Khanjani was told he would ...
Ahmadinejad Aide Says He Was Imprisoned for Refusing to Collaborate With Revolutionary Guards
An imprisoned media advisor to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of offering him freedom in exchange for incriminating Ahmadinejad. In ...
MPs Criticize Friday Prayer Leader for Calling Female Rouhani Supporters “Prostitutes”
The Friday prayer leader of the city of Saveh in central Iran is facing backlash from reformist members of Parliament after he called female supporters of President Hassan Rouhani “prostitutes.” The MPs have demanded an ...
Rouhani Government “Closed Seven Million” Websites in First Term
A cabinet minister appointed by centrist President Hassan Rouhani has admitted that the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology filtered “seven million” websites during Rouhani’s first term (2013-17) ...
Another Student Expelled From University in Iran For Baha’i Faith
Farzad Safaei was one semester away from a bachelor’s degree in industrial metallurgy at the Islamic Azad University when he was expelled on May 20, 2017 by the security office for being a member of the Baha’i faith ...
Political Activist Detained Without Charge Subjected to “Illegal” Interrogations in Evin Prison
Ailing political activist Hengameh Shahidi, who has been on hunger strike in Evin Prison since March 16, 2017 to protest her detention without charge, is being subjected to renewed interrogations by security agents ...
Iranian Political Prisoner With Multiple Sclerosis Refused Medical Furlough
Imprisoned music producers Mehdi Rajabian and his brother Hossein Rajabian refused to return to Evin Prison after the judiciary denied Mehdi ...
Imprisoned Teachers’ Rights Activist Returned to Evin Prison After Three-Day Hospitalization
Prominent teachers’ rights advocate Esmail Abdi, who has been on hunger strike for more than 30 days, was transported from Evin Prison to a hospital in Tehran on June 3, 2017 ...
Book Club Members in Iran Sentenced to Prison Time for Allegedly “Promoting Feminism”
Eight political and civil rights activists have received sentences of up to four years in prison for allegedly reading and spreading feminist literature in Iran ...
Appeals Court Strikes Down Additional Charges by IRGC Against Imprisoned Rights Activist Atena Daemi
Imprisoned children’s rights activist Atena Daemi ended her hunger strike after she and her sisters were acquitted of additional charges brought by the IRGC that resulted in additional time added onto her seven-year prison sentence ...
Musical Concerts Face Uncertain Future in Iran Despite Rouhani’s Vocal Support
Officially sanctioned musical concerts in Iran continue to be canceled following pressure by religious conservatives, while musicians and performers are subjected to threats and other forms of intimidation ...
Well-Known Cleric Urges Rouhani to Drop Justice Minister for Role in 1988 Prisoner Massacre
A well-known dissident cleric is urging newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani to drop Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi from his cabinet for his role in human rights violations. ...
Top Reformist Campaign Staff Member Arrested in Front of Children Without Warrant
Reza Golestani, a senior staff member at the reformists’ election headquarters in Razavi Khorasan Province, northeastern Iran, was arrested at his home in the capital city of Mashhad, the Center for Human Rights in ...
Artists, Activists Send Letter to Rouhani Demanding Release of Imprisoned Music Producers
A group of artists and supporters of the artistic community in Iran have called on newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani to free two imprisoned music producers ...
Iran’s Top Sunni Cleric Urges President Rouhani to Appoint Religious Minorities to Cabinet
The leader of Iran’s Sunni population told CHRI that Sunnis should be invited to participate in the second-term government of newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani ...
Nasrin Sotoudeh: To Improve Women’s Rights, Rouhani Must Curb Power of Security Agencies
Prominent human rights lawyer and former political prisoner Nasrin Sotoudeh has called on Iran’s newly re-elected president to improve gender equality by counteracting the repressive security apparatus ...