Iran’s Executions and Human Rights Abuses Hit 27-Year High

The Islamic Republic hit the highest rate of executing people since 1989. The official number indicates that Iran executed nearly two times more people in 2015 in comparison to 2010 when the hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in office, as well as roughly 10 times more than the number of executions in 2005. Approximately 1000 people were executed in 2015, according to the latest report from the United Nations investigator, Ahmed Shaheed, the special rapporteur for human rights in Iran. The unofficial number is higher. The peak of the executions in 2015 was between April…

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Iran: Women Face Bias in the Workplace

(Beirut) – Laws and policies that discriminate against women interfere with Iranianwomen’s right to work, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Women confront an array of restrictions, such as on their ability to travel, prohibitions on entering certain jobs, and an absence of basic legal protections. The 59-page report, “‘It’s a Men’s Club’: Discrimination Against Women in Iran’s Job Market,” examines in detail the discriminatory provisions and insufficient protections in Iran’s legal system that represent obstacles to women’s equal access to the job market. Over the past four…

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Iran Events of 2016

Despite three years in his office, President Hassan Rouhani has not delivered on his campaign promise of greater respect for civil and political rights. Executions, especially for drug-related offenses, continued at a high rate. As Rouhani faces elections for a second term in May 2017, the hardline factions that dominate the security apparatus and judiciary continued to crackdown on citizens for the legitimate exercise of their rights, in blatant disregard of international and domestic legal standards. Iranian dual nationals and citizens returning from abroad were at particular risk of arrest…

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Mohammad Najafi Tried and Released on the Bail

HRANA News Agency – Mohammad Najafi, a registered lawyer who is active in human rights related lawsuits in Shazand town, had his court hearing about the allegation of propaganda against the regime, and was then released on the bail. Mr. Najafi has three other cases against him, the first one in the armed forces’ court, the second one in the prosecution office of the town and the third one in branch number two of Evin court. According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mohammad Najafi, registered…

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Authorities’ Silence towards Shutting down of 102 Baha’i Owned Businesses in Mazandaran Province

HRANA News Agency – By passing of more than 3 weeks since 93 Baha’i businesses were shut down in the province of Mazandaran and by passing of months since 9 Baha’i businesses were shut down in Tonekabon, relevant authorities have not given any formal and legal respond to the owners of these businesses. According to verbal statements made by relevant authorities, the warrant for closing and shutting down of Baha’i’s businesses in Mazandaran has been approved by the security council of this province; However in this 3 weeks, not even…

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Iran foreign minister: ‘shameful’ travel ban targets ‘Iranian grandmothers’

Iranian officials and Iranian Americans criticize ‘discriminatory’ measure that will keep families apart and delay resettlement of already vetted refugees to US  A man caries a welcome sign to refugees near arriving international travelers on the first day of the partial reinstatement of the Trump travel ban. Photograph: David McNew/Getty ImageFriday 30 June 2017 16.19 BSTLast modified on Friday 30 June 2017 16.25 BSTThe modified version of Donald Trump’s travel ban, which went into effect Thursday night, is a “shameful” act targeting “Iranian grandmothers”, Iran’s foreign minister has said.Travel ban goes into effect despite courts…

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Trump travel ban comes into effect for six countries

People from six mainly Muslim countries and all refugees now face tougher US entry due to President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban. It means people without “close” family or business relationships in the US could be denied visas and barred entry. Lawyers took up positions at US airports, offering free advice. But there was no sign of the chaos that affected travellers when the first version of the ban was brought in at a few hours’ notice in January. That is because the executive order does not affect people who…

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The Appeal Court of 2 Labor Activists Held in Kurdistan

On March 6, 2017, the appeal hearing of Mahmoud Salehi and Osman Ismaili was held in Kurdistan province. According to the report of Human Rights Activists , the appeal hearing of Mahmoud Salehi and Osman Ismaili was held at the fourth branch of the Appeal Court in Kurdistan Province on March 6, 2017. Previously the appeal hearing had not been held because of the absence of the prosecutor. It should be noted that Mahmoud Salehi, labor activist was sentenced to nine years in prison on charge of “propaganda against the regime”…

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3 Labour Activists Arrested in Shiraz

Three labour activists in Fars province were arrested by the security forces in Shiraz. There is no information about these activists’ situation and whereabouts. According the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran, Shahab Karin Aghaei, Jafar Pazhoheshpour, and Hossein Esmaeili were arrested in front of Job Centre Department of Fars province, by the plainclothes agents, on Wednesday February 8, 2017.   These citizens were among the striking workers and protesters of “Iran’s Telecommunication Company” and have been active in organizing workers and employees of this company’s recent…

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11 Iranian Christians Arrested While Attending Mass

Iranian authorities arrested a group of Iranian Christians at a house-church in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, last week. A total of 11 Christians were arrested by armed plain clothes intelligence agents in the raid on August 12. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) have been able to identify ten of those arrested but an eleventh has still not been identified. However, there is no information about the current status of the detainees. Those identified were Amin Ahanin, Mohammad Alyasi, Fatemeh Amini, Edmund Khachaturian, Mohammad Malek Khatai, Mohsen…

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