2019-03-20 – Spring is in the air and for millions of people around the world including Iran, it marks the beginning of a new year. The ancient festival of Nowruz (“new day”) is celebrated at the end of winter with festivities symbolizing rebirth, renewal and the possibility of new beginnings.
Archive for Human Rights
Nasrin Sotoudeh, Prominent Lawyer, Says She Has Been Sentenced to 38 Years in Prison
March 11, 2019 – Iranian defense attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh told her husband she has been sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. Her statement follows media reports quoting the hardline judge overseeing her case who said she has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, Attorney Who Defended Hijab Protesters, Convicted of “National Security” Crimes
Prominent Human Rights Defender Was Facing Decades in Prison, Sentence Unclear
March 5, 2019 – The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) forcefully condemns the conviction of prominent Iranian defense attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh in a court process sorely lacking in international standards of due process.
Choosing Raeesi as Judiciary Head Will Be a “Catastrophe” for Justice in Iran
Ebrahim Raeesi Was Member of “Death Commissions” that Ordered Extrajudicial Killings of Thousands of Prisoners in 1988
February 18, 2019—The appointment of Ebrahim Raeesi, who participated in “death commissions” that ordered the extrajudicial executions of thousands of prisoners in Iran in 1988, as Iran’s next head of the judiciary, will represent a complete repudiation of the rule of law and a reward for those involved in crimes against humanity, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement today. If Raeesi is chosen as judiciary head, which appears increasingly likely, CHRI forcefully condemns his appointment.
Iranian Agents Tried to Frame Detained Conservationists by Staging Scenes to Falsely Implicate Them
Three Major State Agencies Rejected Charges of Espionage, Indictment Based on Retracted False “Confessions”
February 11, 2019 – Amid eight conservationists’ closed-door trial in Iran’s revolutionary court system, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has been informed that agents staged scenes around at least two of the detainees with the intent of implicating them in a false narrative.
Eight Conservationists Tried in Iran on Basis of Retracted False “Confessions”
First Half of Indictment Lacks Evidence, Relies on Statements Made Under Extreme Duress
January 30, 2019 – In their first trial session since being detained in Iran one year ago, eight conservationists learned today that the first half of their indictment is based on one detainee’s retracted forced “confessions.”
Part of the 300-page indictment was read today to defendants Houman Jowkar, Taher Ghadirian, Morad Tahbaz, Sepideh Kashani, Niloufar Bayani, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Sam Rajabi and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh in their closed-door trial on January 30, 2019, at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Abolqasem Salavati.
Iran arrested 7,000 dissidents in ‘year of shame’, says Amnesty
Journalists, lawyers, minority rights activists and anti-hijab protesters among those held
Teargas fills the air as Iranian students clash with riot police during an anti-government protest at the University of Tehran. Photograph: EPA
Thu. 24. Jan.2014 Guardian-Iranian authorities arrested more than 7,000 dissidents last year in a sweeping crackdown that led to hundreds being jailed or flogged, at least 26 protesters being killed, and nine people dying in custody amid suspicious circumstances, according to Amnesty International.
Iran is Using False “Confessions” to Manufacture Cases Against Detained Conservationists
January 24, 2019 – Some of the conservationists who have been imprisoned incommunicado in Iran for the past year have been forced to confess under the threat of death, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned.
Iran Sentences Men Who Supported Women’s Protests Against Compulsory Hijab to Six Years Prison
Reza Khandan and Farhad Meysami Denied Right to a Public Trial
January 22, 2019 – Reza Khandan and Farhad Meysami have both been sentenced to six years imprisonment in Iran and banned from leaving the country or engaging in online activities for two years for peacefully protesting the country’s compulsory hijab law.
Sham Investigation of Labor Activist’s Alleged Torture Lacks Impartiality, Ignores Witnesses
Multiple Cases of Alleged Torture Must Be Thoroughly Investigated
Iran Must Re-Open an Independent and Impartial Investigation into Labor Activist’s Abuse
January 17, 2018—After a brief and deeply flawed investigation lacking any semblance of impartiality, the authorities in Iran have denied that labor activist Esmail Bakhshi was tortured in an Intelligence Ministry detention center in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province in Iran.
