Female Political Prisoners To Serve Additional Two Years For “Insulting” Supreme Leader
Political prisoners Atena Daemi and ...
Unfair Trials
15 Iran MPs Urge New Judiciary Chief to Stop Renewed Crackdown on Freedom of Speech
During a speech addressing Iran’s legislature, member of Parliament (MP) Parvaneh Salahshouri strongly criticized the recent crackdown on journalists and workers’ rights advocates and called on recently appointed Judiciary Chief ...
Prisoners in Iran’s Gharchak Prison for Women Protest Inhumane Living Conditions
Prison Fails to Meet UN’s Minimum Standards for Treatment of Prisoners Two hundred inmates in Ward 5 of Gharchak Prison for women in the Iranian city of Varamin have sent an open letter to the head ...
At Least 13 Signers of Open Letters Urging Khamenei’s Resignation Are Arrested
Demonstrating the Iranian authorities’ continued intolerance for peaceful dissent, two open letters written since June 2019 by 28 political and civil rights activists urging Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to step down ...
No Family Visits or Lawyer Allowed for Detained Anthropologist Kameel Ahmady Two Weeks Into Detention
Wife’s Requests for Charges and Medical Examination Go Unanswered After more than two weeks in detention, Iranian-British social anthropologist Kameel Ahmady has not had any contact with his family except three phone ...
Journalist Sentenced to 10.5 Years Imprisonment for Covering Labor Day Rally
Four months after being arrested while covering a Labor Day protest, Journalist Marzieh Amiri has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison and 148 lashes by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Mohammad ...
Iran Cracks Down on Instagram Celebrities
Instagram influencers in Iran are being forced to censor their posts and give their account passwords to intelligence agents amid a renewed crackdown on freedom of expression and speech. Investigations by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) indicate that dozens of Iranians with large followings on Instagram—including athletes, fashion models and actors—were summoned ...
Iran Sentences Satirist Keyomars Marzban to 23 Years Imprisonment
Marzban’s Only “Crime” Was Working for Foreign Media Outlets He Must Serve 11 Years if Appeals Court Upholds Sentence Before Eligibility for Parole Satirist Keyomars Marzban has been sentenced to 23.3 years ...
British Council Employee’s 10-year Prison Sentence Upheld Without a Hearing
The 10-year prison sentence issued against British Council employee Aras Amiri was upheld on August 18, 2019, without a hearing, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. “In order to ...
Iran Releases Detained Stadium Ban Protesters as Hardliners Cheer on Discriminatory Policy
Four women arrested by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on August 17, 2019, for trying to enter Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch a men’s soccer game were released on bail from Gharchak Prison, south of the capital, two days later. But ...
Arrests, Prison Sentences Fail to Stem Growing Public Opposition to Iran’s Mandatory Hijab Law
At Least 12 People Sentenced to Prison Since January 2018 August 19, 2019 – Mounting arrests and prison sentences have not enabled Iran's government to achieve broad public compliance with the country's mandatory hijab law, or stem growing protests against it. At least 12 people have been ...
Six-Year Prison Sentence Upheld Against Journalist Who Was Denied Right to Fair Trial
An Appeals Court in Tehran has upheld a six-year prison sentence against political affairs journalist Hamed Aynehvand without holding a hearing, his lawyer, Hossein Bayat, informed the Center for Human Rights in ...
Iran Cracks Down on Instagram Celebrities as It Tightens Noose on Freedom of Speech and Expression
Investigations by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) indicate that dozens of Iranians with large followings on Instagram—including athletes, fashion models and actors—were summoned by security officials in 2019 and ...
Supporters of Detained Workers’ Rights Activists Arrested Outside Courthouse
The family of labor activist Roham Yeganeh has not heard from him since he was arrested in front of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on August 3, 2019, his mother, Atieh Nouri, told ...
Detained Conservationists Niloufar Bayani and Sepideh Kashani on Hunger Strike
Wildlife conservationists Niloufar Bayani and Sepideh Kashani have been ...
Three Women Issued Lengthy Prison Sentences for Peacefully Protesting Iran’s Mandatory Hijab Law
Mojgan Keshavarz has been sentenced to 23.6 years in prison while Monireh Arabshahi and her daughter Yasaman Ariyani have each been sentenced to 16 years in prison for peacefully campaigning against Iran’s ...
Swedish-Iranian Scientist on Death Row Unexpectedly Moved to Undisclosed Location
Imprisoned Swedish-Iranian scientist Ahmadreza Djalali was transferred from Evin Prison’s Ward 7 to an undisclosed location on July 29, 2019, his wife, Vida Mehrannia, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on August 2. “Ahmadreza contacted his family on Tuesday morning [July 30] ...
Judicial Official’s Defense of Mass Executions Sets Dangerous Precedent
Senior Advisor to Judiciary Asks Why the State Should Be Concerned with “Legal Matters” Pourmohammadi: “We still haven’t settled scores” August 5, 2019—New remarks by a senior judicial official in Iran, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, ...
Independent News Editor in “Terrible Shape” After One-Month Hunger Strike
Amirhossein Mohammadifar and his wife Sanaz Allahyari, also a journalist, began a hunger strike on July 3, 2019, to protest their prolonged detention. The health of Amirhossein ...
Iranian Heavy Metal Band Members Escape to Norway After Receiving Prison Sentences
Nikan Khosravi and Arash Ilkhani, members of the Iranian heavy metal band Confess, have left Iran to escape prosecution and prison for their art. “We took a risk and left the country ...
Detained Activist Sepideh Qoliyan Loses Consciousness During Hunger Strike
"Sepideh is Very Weak and Fragile and Cannot Walk," Says Father Activist and freelance journalist Sepideh Qoliyan (also known as Gholian) lost consciousness in her cell on July 27, 2019, while on hunger ...
Mohammad Rasoulof’s Films Were Banned in Iran, Now He’s Been Sentenced to Prison
“We have to pay a price, and every person will pay some price,” says acclaimed filmmaker July 24, 2019 – The sentencing of award-winning filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof to one year in prison for the content of his films has highlighted the perilous political landscape independent artists must navigate ...
Kurdish-Iranian Political Prisoner Denied Hospitalization for Stomach Tumor
Mohammad Nazari Has Been Imprisoned Since 1994 Imprisoned for more than 25 years, Kurdish-Iranian political prisoner Mohammad Nazari has been denied hospitalization to receive tests for a tumor in his stomach, his ...
Iran: Release Four Women Detained at Labor Day Protest
From left to right: Marzieh Amiri, Atefeh Rangriz, Neda Naji, and Anisha Asadollahi. Four ...
Two Political Prisoners Sentenced to 3.7 More Years in Jail for Protesting Death Penalty
Atena Daemi Illegally Denied Visits Since March 2019 Political prisoners Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee Ebrahimi have been told they must serve an additional 3.7 years in prison for the charges of “insulting the supreme leader” and “propaganda against the state,” Daemi’s mother informed ...