Newly Elected Reformist Council Member Arrested For Calling Prophet Mohammad “Secular”
A newly elected reformist member of the city council in Hamadan, northwestern Iran, was arrested for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammad ...
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May 25, 2017
More Than 15,000 Petition Iran’s Judiciary to Free Prominent Teachers’ Rights Activist
An online petition signed by more than 15,000 people calling for the release of imprisoned teachers’ rights leader Esmail Abdi has been delivered to the judiciary and the office of the president ...
May 24, 2017
Newly Reelected Rouhani Abandons Promise to End Six-Year House Arrest of Opposition Leaders
In the first press conference of his second presidential term, Rouhani refused to commit to ending the extrajudicial house arrests of three opposition leaders—a pledge he made four years ago ...
May 24, 2017
Activists Acquitted of National Security Charges for Peaceful Defense of Labor Rights
Trade union activists Jafar Azimzadeh and Shapour Ehsani-Rad have been acquitted of the charge of ‘acting against national security’ for peacefully advocating for labor rights ...
May 23, 2017
Formerly Imprisoned Lawyer and Religious Minority Activist Expelled From University Without Explanation
Mostafa Daneshjou, a formerly imprisoned lawyer and member of a Sufi religious order known as ...
May 23, 2017
Baha’i Persecution Worsens Under Rouhani Government
“Banned from university, businesses sealed, cemeteries desecrated… What rights do Baha’is have as citizens?” The persecution of ...
May 19, 2017
Iran Election Update | May 19, 2017 (Live Updates)
Find out the latest news about Iran’s May 2017 elections by following CHRI’s live updates ...
May 18, 2017
Imprisoned Children’s Rights Activist Atena Daemi Serving Seven Year Sentence Denied Medical Care
The chief physician of Evin Prison has refused to hospitalize imprisoned children’s rights activist Atena Daemi—currently ...
May 18, 2017
Presidential Vote Count To be Announced Gradually in May 2017 Elections
Assistant Interior Minister Mohammad Hossein Moghimi The authority in charge of counting ...
May 18, 2017
Most Yarsani Religious Minority Candidates Disqualified From Iran’s 2017 Councils Elections
The majority of Yarsani candidates seeking seats in Iran’s May 2017 elections for local councils have been disqualified, ...
May 17, 2017
Judiciary Forbids Campaigners From Printing Rouhani’s Criticism of Revolutionary Guard
Hardliners Working to Suppress Reformist Leader’s Endorsement of Rouhani Since reformist leader Mohammad Khatami endorsed incumbent President ...
May 16, 2017
Judiciary Announces Arrests of Election Campaign Staff One Week After Rouhani’s Criticism
A week after incumbent President Hassan Rouhani criticized Iran’s hardline judiciary, its spokesman has announced that dozens of government officials will ...
May 16, 2017
Rouhani’s Attempt to Adopt UNESCO Educational Guidelines Emerges as 2017 Election Issue
In the run-up to Iran’s presidential election on May 19, 2017, the country’s hardline supreme leader has strongly denounced the Rouhani government’s attempt ...
May 16, 2017
Iranian Women’s Rights Activists Use Elections as “Opportunities” to Put Forth Demands
A member of the Women’s Citizenship Center, a non-governmental organization in Tehran, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that women’s rights ...
May 16, 2017
Prominent Kurdish Activist Facing More Prison Time After Serving 10 Years in Evin Prison
Prominent Kurdish rights activist Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand was freed from Evin Prison in Tehran on May ...
May 16, 2017
Pro-Rouhani Editor Arrested Ahead of May 2017 Elections Remains Detained Without Charge
The family of Tahereh Riahi, an editor who has been detained since December 2016 without charge, is calling on President Hassan Rouhani to “keep his word on ...
May 15, 2017
29 EU Parliamentarians Say Iran Must End Crackdown Ahead of Elections
Letter to Mogherini Condemns Numerous Arrests and Summons May 15, 2017—This week 29 members of the European Parliament wrote ...
May 15, 2017
Tehran City Council Candidate Says “Military Organizations” Intervened to Disqualify Reformist Candidates
A reformist politician and former member of Iran’s Parliament told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) ...
May 13, 2017
Hunger-Striking Imprisoned Prominent Teachers’ Rights Activist in Poor Health
Esmail Abdi, the imprisoned former leader of Iran’s largest teachers’ union, is suffering from a severe drop in blood ...
May 11, 2017
Several Reformist Candidates Disqualified at Last Minute From Tehran City Council Election
A number of prominent reformist politicians have been disqualified from running in Tehran’s City Council election despite being previously approved by the election monitoring committee. The list ...
May 11, 2017
Iran’s Supreme Leader Issues Familiar Anti-Protest Warning Ahead of 2017 Elections
Any citizen or candidate who attempts to disrupt the upcoming elections will receive a “hard slap in the face,” ...
May 11, 2017
Iranian Local Teacher’s Union Leader Exiled for Singing Popular Ballad to Students
A teacher in a port city in northern Iran has been exiled for singing to his students. Aziz Ghasemzadeh has been ordered ...
May 11, 2017
Iran Election Update | May 11, 2017
Articles Iran’s Supreme Leader Issues Familiar Anti-Protest Warning Ahead of 2017 Elections Any citizen or candidate who attempts to disrupt the upcoming elections will receive a “hard slap in the face," warned Khamenei in a ...
May 10, 2017
Reformist Journalist: Hardliners Working to Sabotage Rouhani Campaign With Intimidation Tactics
By preventing speeches in favor of President Hassan Rouhani and blocking his campaigners from reaching voters, hardliners ...
May 10, 2017
Iranian Authorities Block Attempts by Gold Medalist’s Husband to Stop Her From Competing Abroad
For the second time, Iranian authorities have allowed two-time Iranian Paralympic gold medalist Zahra Nemati to travel abroad ...