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May 5, 2017

Deadly Coal Mine Explosion in Iran: Who’s Responsible?

The employer, and possibly the government are legally liable for the explosion at a coal mine in northern Iran that killed ...

May 4, 2017

An Interview with Scholar and Historian Ervand Abrahamian on the Islamic Republic’s “Greatest Crime”

Renowned scholar Dr. Ervand Abrahamian discusses the 1988 massacre of thousands of political prisoners in Iran with CHRI. ...

May 4, 2017

Labor Activist Freed From Rajaee Shahr Prison After Serving Seven Years Behind Bars

After serving seven years, labor activist As’ad (Behnam) Ebrahimzadeh was released from Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj, ...

May 4, 2017

CHRI’s updates on Iran’s 2017 elections | May 3, 2017

Get caught up on Iran’s 2017 presidential and local council elections with a special weekly update by CHRI. ...

May 4, 2017

Hardliners Pounce on Rouhani Campaigner’s Criticism of Iran’s Military Policy in Syria

Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the reformist former mayor of Tehran and a supporter of President Hassan Rouhani, has ...

May 3, 2017

Shirin Ebadi: Iran’s 2017 Presidential Hopefuls Have Unacceptable Human Rights Records

Not one of the candidates running for Iran’s presidency has an acceptable human rights record, Iranian Nobel Peace laureate ...

May 2, 2017

Judiciary Shuts Down Reformists’ Campaign Headquarters in Iran’s Second Largest City

The campaign headquarters of reformists in Khorasan Razavi Province, northeastern Iran, was shuttered on May 2, 2017—three weeks before the country’s presidential and local council elections on May 19, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. ...

May 1, 2017

Political Prisoner Atena Daemi’s Health Worsens Four Weeks Into Hunger Strike Without Proper Care

Atena Daemi, a human rights activist serving a seven-year prison sentence for her ...

April 30, 2017

Videos Appear Defending Iranian Presidential Hopeful’s Role in 1988 Prisoner Massacre

Since Ebrahim Raisi announced his candidacy for Iran’s presidency, videos have been appearing online defending the ...

April 30, 2017

Former Political Prisoner: Ruling Elite “Preventing Justice” by Supporting Raisi’s Presidential Bid

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi, who served on a special committee in 1988 that ...

April 28, 2017

Iran’s Judiciary Blocks Instagram’s Live Video Service Weeks Before May 2017 Elections

Instagram’s live video feature has been blocked in Tehran by several internet and mobile phone providers since ...

April 27, 2017

Three Young Men to Serve 12 Years in Prison For “Insulting” Social Media Posts

Three 24-year-olds have been sentenced to 12 years in prison each in Iran for posting critical commentary about politics and religion on the ...

April 27, 2017

Female Former Council Member Advocates For Women Candidates in Iran’s Local Elections

Political parties and factions in Iran should promote more women candidates in the country’s local council elections to improve gender equality, Sedigheh Vasmaghi, ...

April 27, 2017

Political Commentator and Former Political Activist Released From Evin Prison

Issa Saharkhiz Facing New Trial Reformist political commentator Issa Saharkhiz and former political activist Navid Kamran were released ...

April 27, 2017

Iran’s Other Elections: Local Council Applicants Subjected to Arbitrary Vetting

In a surprising development, a few outspoken and prominent political activists have been approved to run in Iran’s elections for city and village councils on May 19, 2017. However, many well-known activists and reformists have been arbitrarily disqualified. ...

April 25, 2017

Dual National’s Husband Urges UK to Secure Her Release From Iran

Supreme Court Upholds Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s Five-Year Prison Sentence The husband of Nazanin-Zaghari Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British citizen imprisoned in Iran since April ...

April 25, 2017

Former MP: Guardian Council Has “No Legal Authority” to Exclude Religious Minorities From Elections

The Guardian Council’s attempt to ban religious minorities from running in Iran’s nationwide local council elections on May 19, 2017 is unlawful ...

April 24, 2017

Student Arrested by Intelligence Ministry Held in Solitary Confinement Without Charge

Payam Shakiba, a political science graduate student at Tehran’s Allameh Tabataba’i University, has been held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison’s ...

April 24, 2017

Swedish Resident Held in Evin Prison for One Year Denied Lawyer for Third Time

Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-born Swedish resident detained in Evin Prison since April 2016, has been ...

April 21, 2017

Former MP Urges Iranian Government to “Trust” and Allow Sunnis to Run For President

In the run-up to Iran’s May 19, 2017 presidential election, a Sunni Muslim former member of Parliament has renewed his call ...

April 20, 2017

Iranian Judiciary Blocks Popular Telegram App’s New Voice Call Service

Iran’s judiciary has ordered internet companies to block the Telegram messaging application’s newly released “Voice Calls” ...

April 20, 2017

Low Female Participation Rate in Iranian Elections Symptom of Gender Inequality

Women's rights advocate Nahid Tavasoli is the editor-in-chief of Nafe, an academic women’s periodical. The low number of female participants in Iranian elections is an indicator of inequality ...

April 19, 2017