Halt Execution of 33 Sunnis, Request Rights Groups
Eighteen rights groups issued a joint statement to demand a halt on execution of 33 Sunni death row inmates, noting unfair trials. ...
Unfair Trials
Two Iranian-Arabs Executed in Secret
Ali Chabishat and Khaled Mousavi, two Iranian-Arabs from the southern city of Ahvaz in Khuzestan Province, have been secretly executed and buried in a remote area, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned. ...
Journalist Put on Trial for Propaganda Against State
Hossein Nouraninejad was charged with “propaganda against the regime” and “collusion and assembly against national security” according to his lawyer, but no evidence of conduct that would warrant these charges was offered in court. ...
Former Student Activist Sentenced to Another Year in Prison
A revolutionary court in Tehran has sentenced former student activist and political prisoner Payman Aref to another year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the regime,” marking his third sentence since the disputed 2009 presidential election. ...
Filmmaker Mahnaz Mohammadi Begins 5-Year Sentence on Baseless Charges
On Saturday, June 7, 2014, Iranian documentary filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi began serving her five-year prison sentence on security charges of “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “propaganda against the state.” ...
Iran’s IRGC Commander Admits to Interference in 2009 Election
In a newly released video, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Ali Jaafari, in a speech to an audience which appears to be composed of Guard commanders, details the role of the Guards in the 2009 presidential election and the subsequent violent crackdown of the post-election protest movement. ...
Political Prisoner ٍExecuted Despite Lack of Due Process
A long-time death-row inmate accused of inciting recent prison disturbances was unexpectedly executed on the morning of June 1, 2014 in Rajaee-Shahr Prison, the semi-official Fars news agency. ...
One Thousand Days in Prison: John Kerry Appeals for Amir Hekmati’s Release
The US Secretary of State John Kerry asked the Iranian government, in a statement issued on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014, to release US citizen Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, who has been in prison in Iran since July 2011. ...
New Details Emerge on Coercion of “Happy” Youths During Detention
The morality police pressured the participants in the “Happy in Tehran” video during their detention to implicate Reyhaneh Taravati and Sassan Soleimani and file complaints against them, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned. ...
Eight Facebook Users Sentenced to Decades in Prison
The Revolutionary Court in Tehran has sentenced eight Facebook users to a total of 123 years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “insulting the Supreme Leader.” ...
Labor Activists Spend Second Week in Detention without Charges
Two labor activists who were arrested at their homes on April 30, 2014, one day before a planned Labor Day gathering in Tehran, remain in detention without charges or outside contact except for one brief family visit. ...
Lawyer for Kurdish Political Prisoners Put on Trial
A Kurdish human rights lawyer has been tried on charges of membership in an illegal political group and propaganda against the state for providing information on prison conditions to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, a source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. ...
Eleven Hanged in Five Days on Drug Related Charges
Nine prisoners found guilty of drug trafficking charges were hanged in the Karoun Prison courtyard in Ahvaz on May 12, 2014, after their sentences were confirmed by the Revolutionary Court, the Prosecutor General, and the Head of the Judiciary, the Khuzestan Province prosecutor’s office has announced. ...
Mousavi Medical Condition Called “Alarming” by Daughter
“The family is in complete darkness about my father’s physical conditions and not even allowed a telephone call with him…My father’s health conditions are alarming,” wrote Narges Mousavi, daughter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the opposition leader who was abruptly hospitalized for emergency heart surgery on April 29, 2014, in her Facebook page. ...
Detained Opposition Leader Mousavi Undergoes Emergency Heart Procedure
On Tuesday, April 29, 2014, an emergency heart procedure was carried out on Mir Hossein Mousavi, the opposition leader who has been held under house arrest for three years, without the prior knowledge and consent of his family. ...
Detained Opposition Leader Mousavi Rushed to Hospital
Former presidential candidate and opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been held extra-judicially under house arrest for more than three years, was taken to hospital today for urgent heart complications, according to reports from Iran that the Campaign has independently confirmed. ...
Despite Investigation Pledge, Rouhani Administration Maintains Silence on Prisoner Assault
The families of political prisoners who were assaulted by security guards in the brutal attack in Evin Prison’s Ward 350 on April 17 have yet to receive any response from a government panel appointed to investigate the incident. The attack on the inmates has prompted widespread condemnation inside and outside the country. ...
Rouhani’s Silence on Brutal Prison Attack Unacceptable
A week after a violent raid by prison officials at Iran’s notorious Evin Prison led to the beating, injury, and solitary confinement of many political prisoners, Iranian Judiciary officials continue to deny any use of violence while vivid testimonies from the families of the prisoners indicate otherwise. ...
Hundreds of Lawyers Advocate on Behalf of Imprisoned Dervish Lawyers
In two separate letters addressed to Head of the Iranian Judiciary Sadegh Larijani, Iranian lawyers have asked him for his immediate review of the judicial violations in the cases of the imprisoned Dervish lawyers. In two separate ...
Brazil Should Support the Struggle of Iranian Trade Unionists (By Mansour Osanlou)
As an Iranian labor activist, I have always looked for models that my country can follow to improve. Striking a balance between worker rights, economic developments, international trade, and vital social-programs is indeed no easy task, especially for countries with troubled pasts. ...
Former Political Prisoner Tells the UN of the Iranian Judiciary’s Lack of Independence
“I have come here because as an Iranian citizen I, my family, and especially my brother, were treated unjustly. We were innocent from the very beginning. There are many like us in Iran’s prisons who are innocent. I came here to be the voice of other innocent people,” former political prisoner Hamid Ghassemi-Shaal said to ...
UN Members Strongly Criticize Executions and Lack of Basic Freedoms in Iran
At Monday’s meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed presented his report on the situation of human rights in Iran. Following his presentation, representatives of member countries, NGOs, and the Iranian delegation offered their responses. ...
Shaheed Tells the UN Rights Council Deep Reforms Needed
“In order to progress, we must admit that despite existing laws or policies, violations are occurring. And while I can appreciate the possibility that death sentences may not be the first choice of punishment for judges, ...
“Personal attacks on UN Officials Show Iranians Not Free to Express Opinions,” Says Ahmed Shaheed
Ahmed Shaheed asked the Iranian Government to allow him to visit the country so that he can have discussions with the government and the civil society in order to ...
Abdollah Momeni Released After Completing Five Year Term Without Furlough
Photo from Mr. Momeni's Facebook page shows him among friends and family immediately after release on March 13, 2014. Abdollah Momeni, former Spokesperson for the nationwide Iranian alumni association, Advar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat, was released from prison ...