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UN Committee Finds Widespread Discrimination Against Baha’is in Iran
In a report issued May 21, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights found that Baha’is face “widespread and entrenched discrimination” in Iran, particularly in employment and education. The report also covered several...Show More Summary
Increased IRGC Forces Create Security State Atmosphere in Border Regions
At least 100 new IRGC forces have been stationed in the Kurdish border regions in Western Iran in recent weeks, a local source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The forces are engaged in patrolling the area and...Show More Summary
Kahrizak Trial Ends: Families Await Ruling on Deaths in Prison
The eleventh and final session of the trial for the deaths in Kahrizak Prison of three detainees in 2009 was held on Wednesday, May 22. Though the judge has not yet announced the adjournment of the trial, the lawyers told the press that the defendants had issued their last defense and there would be no further sessions. Show More Summary
Sheikh al-Yaqoubi Elected to the NC–its first non-Brotherhood-aligned religious figure
The Rise of the Sufis by Matthew Barber—This story first appeared on Syria Comment Newly-elected to the Syrian National Coalition, Sheikh Mohammad al-Yaqubi is moderate, influential, and ready to go to work From the beginning of the uprising, mainstream Syrian Sunni ‘ulema—the traditional scholars who have spoken for Islam for centuries and who [...]Show More Summary
Is Jabhat al-Nosra breaking apart?
by Aron Lund for Syria Comment There’s been some very interesting reports about conflicts within Jabhat al-Nosra, the salafi-jihadi rebel group that has been designated an al-Qaida-connected terrorist organization by the USA and several other countries. The background If you follow Syria, you’re already familiar with the outlines of this, but here’s the very short [...]Show More Summary
HOPE Concert for the Iranian People To Be Held in Berlin
On June 7, Iranian-American journalist and peace activist Roxana Saberi, who was arrested in Iran in 2009 and freed after international outcry, will present the HOPE Concert at the Velodrom in Berlin in worldwide support for the Iranian people. Show More Summary
Security Forces and Police Vehicles Increase Monitoring in Tehran
One day after the names of Iranian presidential candidates were announced by the Guardian Council, there was a tense security atmosphere in several areas of Tehran on May 22, following news of the disqualification of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei as candidates, several eyewitnesses told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
Documentary: Where the war still echoes
Where the war still echoes is a documentary produced by IRIN, a news service run by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The documentary series follows a family of Syrian refugees over the course of a year, from their arrival to Za’atari camp in Jordan in December 2012. Selim and Leila were farmers [...]Show More Summary
Podcast 59: Nayereh Tohidi on Women and Higher Education in Iran
Our guest today is Dr. Nayareh Tohidi, Professor of Gender & Women Studies at California State University, Northridge, talking about Iranian government restrictions on women in higher education.
Kahrizak Plaintiff Withdraws Murder Suit Against Mortazavi; No Witnesses Summoned
The tenth session of the trial of former Tehran Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi and two other officials for the deaths in Kahrizak Prison of three detainees in 2009 opened yesterday with the father of one of the victims withdrawing his “participation in murder” suit against Mortazavi. Show More Summary
Prisoners of Conscience Recalled from Furlough, Journalists Threatened in Tehran
Two journalists and a blogger previously released on furlough have been recalled to prison and are expected to turn themselves in today, and imprisoned lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s promised furlough has not been granted. Security forcesShow More Summary
Kurdish Political Prisoner Sews Lips on Hunger Strike in Orumiyeh Prison
Mostafa Mesri, a 26-year-old Kurdish political prisoner from Oshnovieh in Western Azerbaijan Province who has been in prison for the past two years, sewed his lips shut and embarked on a hunger strike on May 19 to protest Orumiyeh Central...Show More Summary
Karroubi’s Letter to Khamenei Denounces Security Forces
Mohammad Hossein Karroubi, the son of political dissident under house arrest since February 2011 Mehdi Karroubi, has written a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei decrying the continued confiscation of personal items security forces took in February 2013.
Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari on Censorship in Iran
On May 8, 2013, world-famous political satirist Jon Stewart of The Daily Show held a discussion about censorship and power in Iran, followed by a lively Q&A, at an event hosted by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the PEN American Center.
Three Months after Crackdown in Mahabad, Three Remain in Custody
Several Mahabad citizens arrested in February have been released on bail from Mahabad Prison over the past several weeks, a local source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Two detainees, Farough Samani and his cousin Reza Samani, however, remain in “temporary detention” in a state of limbo. Show More Summary
Kurdish Death Row Prisoner Transferred, His Lawyer Arrested
A Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death has been transferred back to Orumiyeh Central Prison after spending 15 months inside the Semnan Central Prison, a local source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.Show More Summary
Presidential Candidate Brags About His Direct Role in Violence and Repression
(May 16, 2013) The international community should immediately institute a travel ban and asset freeze against Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the current mayor of Tehran and a contender in the upcoming presidential election, due to his extensive role in gross human rights violations, the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.
Kurdish Tradesman Killed Before Brother’s Eyes
A local source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that as a result of shots fired on the vehicle of a group of Kurdish tradesmen (kasebkar) by the Arak Police Special Forces Unit on the road between Saveh (140 kilomters outside of Tehran) and Tehran, a Kurdish tradesman was killed and another individual has been injured. Show More Summary
4oo Candidates Disqualified for City Councils in Iran, 90 of them in Tehran
Hossein Tala, Head of the High Elections Oversight Committee for Islamic Tehran Province City and Village Councils told Iranian Students News Agency(ISNA) that so far, 90 candidates who have been disqualified in the City of Tehran and 311 disqualified candidates from towns have filed grievances about the vetting process.
Video: Censorship and Power in Iran – Panel discussion featuring Jon Stewart, Maziar Bahari and Joel Simon
This is a must-watch video with a lively discussion and Q&A debate. In particular, there is a part of the discussion where the greying line between journalism and activism is explored. I think this is a crucial part of the video. Journalism today is a form of activism, and activism includes journalism. This is a [...]
