Prisoners of Conscience

February 23, 2016

Father of Missing Student Sentenced to Jail and Lashes for Pursuing Son’s Case

The 70-year-old father of a student who has not been heard from for 17 years since his arrest has been sentenced to 91 days in ...

February 23, 2016

Imprisoned Iranian-American Siamak Namazi Held Incommunicado without Access to Lawyer

Namazi Reportedly on Hunger Strike at Evin Now Siamak Namazi, the Iranian-American businessman who was arrested in October while visiting family in Tehran, is being ...

February 18, 2016

Technology Website Staffers Rushed to Prison Before Appeals Court Verdict

Four convicted staff members of a leading Iranian technology website who were free on bail while awaiting an Appeals Court verdict on their cases were taken ...

February 17, 2016

Prisoner of Conscience Atena Daemi Released on Bail

The civil and children’s rights activist, Atena Daemi, has been released on bail until an Appeals Court hears the objections ...

February 16, 2016

Imprisoned Facebook Activist Begins Wet Hunger Strike

An Iranian activist imprisoned for his social media activity has gone on a wet hunger strike to protest the Judiciary’s rejection of his request ...

February 9, 2016

Iranian Judicial Officials Suggest Kurdish Prisoner Will Get Temporary Leave if She Agrees to Televised “Confession”

Iran’s judicial authorities have hinted that Kurdish prisoner of conscience Zeinab Jalalian could go on furlough if she agreed ...

February 5, 2016

Cartoon 137: “Remember the Spent Candle! Remember!”

“Tell our friends for us, remember the spent candle! Remember!" Iranian cartoonist Touka Neyestani's ...

February 4, 2016

Arrest of Iranian-British Dual National in Tehran May Be Hardliners’ Ploy to Foil Iran-UK Relations

Updated on January 26, 2017: Bahman Daroshafaei’s one-year prison sentence for “propaganda against the state” has been reduced to a five million toman ($1,545 USD) fine ...

February 3, 2016

Former BBC Reporter, Iranian-British Citizen, Arrested in Iran, Prior to Zarif’s Visit to London

Bahman Daroshafaei, a former journalist and translator, was arrested on February 3, 2016 at his home in Tehran under a warrant issued by ...

February 2, 2016

Two Dozen Iranian Baha’is Sentenced to Six to Eleven Years for Practicing Their Faith

Courtesy of BBC Persian Twenty-four Baha’is from northeastern Iran have been handed down sentences that ...

February 2, 2016

Dispute between Judicial Officials on the Release of Kurdish Human Rights Activist Keeps Him in Prison

The prominent Kurdish human rights activist, Mohammad Sediq Kaboudvand, has been recommended for conditional release by the chief warden ...

February 2, 2016

Two Reformist Journalists Charged, after Three Months in Detention

Three months after their arrests, journalists Issa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani have been ...

February 1, 2016

Call for Prime Minister Trudeau to Secure Release of Imprisoned Iranian-Canadian

February 1, 2016— Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should extend all efforts to obtain the release of Saeed Malekpour, a Canadian resident and web develop imprisoned ...

January 28, 2016

Family of Imprisoned Iranian Producer: Canada Must Do More

The family of prisoner of conscience Mostafa Azizi is calling on Canada to exert more pressure on Iran to release him following the ...

January 25, 2016

US-Iran Prisoner Swap Raises Hopes for Iranian-Canadian Prisoners of Conscience in Iran

The release of Iranian-Americans in the recent prisoner exchange between Iran and the United States has given hope to the family of prisoner of ...

January 25, 2016

Why are Iranian-American Prisoners Released, but Not Iranian Ones?” Father of Imprisoned Blogger Asks

“Why has the Islamic Republic agreed to the release of Iranian-American prisoners but they won’t free our own prisoners who are the children of ...

January 21, 2016

Faraghdani’s Handshake with Her Lawyer is Not a Crime, Judge Rules

Prisoner of conscience Atena Faraghdani and her lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, have been acquitted of “illegitimate relations” for shaking hands during a prison visit. “My daughter ...

January 20, 2016

Ageing Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyer Should Be Released on Medical Grounds, Wife Says

The wife of the prominent lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh, who has been imprisoned since April 2011 for his work defending human rights and political ...

January 19, 2016

Ailing Imprisoned Journalist Could Face New Charges for Speaking Out against Prison Conditions

Imprisoned journalist Saeed Razavi Faghih has been threatened with retribution for writing letters complaining about abuse inside Rajaee Shahr Prison and could be facing new trumped-up charges. “About a month ago one of the ...

January 13, 2016

Reformist Journalist Begins Serving Prison Sentence for Her Writings on Facebook

The well-known reformist journalist Reyhaneh Tabatabaie surrendered herself to Evin Prison authorities on January 12, 2016, to serve a one-year prison ...

January 13, 2016

Sunni Detainees Still Held a Year After Arrest, Reports of Torture and Forced Confessions

A year after the arrest of more than two dozen Sunni Muslim men in southeast Iran, some of them still remain ...

January 11, 2016

Detained Poet Describes Being Transported in a Cage and Watched “Like a Murderer”

Two-Day Ordeal Included Solitary Confinement and Incarceration with Criminals The poet Hila Sedighi, who was arrested and held for two days amidst ...

January 11, 2016

Journalist Resumes Hunger Strike to Protest His Continued Detention

After two months of detention, the prominent reformist journalist and political activist Issa Saharkhiz has resumed his hunger strike, in protest against ...

January 9, 2016

Hila Sedighi Released on Bail

Hila Sedighi was released on bail on the evening of Saturday, January 9 in Tehran. The authorities did not provide any details regarding the reason for ...

January 8, 2016