Iran arrests lawyer at funeral of girl who died after metro incident

Iranian authorities have arrested a prominent lawyer and human rights defender as she attended the funeral of a teenage girl who died after a disputed metro incident, her husband has said. Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested on Sunday in Tehran during the funeral of 16-year-old Armita Garawand, who died a day earlier after nearly a month in intensive… Read More Iran arrests lawyer at funeral of girl who died after metro incident

Iranian intellectual calls on opposition to unite as he is again sent to prison

One of Iran’s foremost public intellectuals and critics of the Iranian regime was taken to prison in handcuffs on Saturday to start serving a five-year sentence. Majid Tavakoli, who has a three-year-old child, was found guilty of spreading propaganda against the state. His dispatch to jail had been deferred for three weeks, but security officials… Read More Iranian intellectual calls on opposition to unite as he is again sent to prison

Nobel Peace Prize won by Narges Mohammadi for fight against the oppression of women in Iran

Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison, and 154 lashes The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for “her fight against the oppression of women… Read More Nobel Peace Prize won by Narges Mohammadi for fight against the oppression of women in Iran

‘We never stopped protesting’: Iran’s youth take freedom fight underground

Deepa Parent Young Iranians have taken their protests against the authoritarian regime underground one year on from the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman detained for allegedly wearing the Islamic headscarf incorrectly. The death of Mahsa Amini on 16 September last year led to the largest wave of popular unrest for years in Iran and a brutal crackdown… Read More ‘We never stopped protesting’: Iran’s youth take freedom fight underground

Mahsa Amini’s father detained by Iranian authorities on anniversary of daughter’s death

Iranian authorities detained the father of Mahsa Amini on the one-year anniversary of her death Saturday, Iranian journalists and rights groups have said. Amini was killed in the custody of the morality police on September 16, 2022, after being arrested for allegedly failing to wear her headscarf properly. Her death triggered protests throughout Iran. Safin Hamid/AFP/Getty Images… Read More Mahsa Amini’s father detained by Iranian authorities on anniversary of daughter’s death

‘It is not possible to organise in Iran’: jailed activist warns of totalitarianism after Mahsa Amini protests

Majid Tavakoli says protesters should have had more help from abroad but the west doesn’t understand what Iran has become The majority of Iranians wish for a “normal life and for a government similar to the governments based on the liberal democratic system”, one of Iran’s most prominent political activists has said, as he prepares… Read More ‘It is not possible to organise in Iran’: jailed activist warns of totalitarianism after Mahsa Amini protests

Iranian women know which battles to fight. They’ve been doing it for decades

Mahnaz Afkhami On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish Iranian woman, died while she was in the custody of Iran’s morality police for the “crime” of inadequate veiling. This event spearheaded an uprising that soon captured global attention and gained support, from grassroots activists to world leaders. As we have come to expect, the Iranian regime reacted to the uprising… Read More Iranian women know which battles to fight. They’ve been doing it for decades

‘Gender apartheid’: UN experts denounce Iran’s proposed hijab law

A new draft law that would enshrine harsh punishments for women and girls who fail to wear a hijab in Iran could amount to “gender apartheid,” UN experts said in a statement on Friday. “The draft law could be described as a form of gender apartheid, as authorities appear to be governing through systemic discrimination… Read More ‘Gender apartheid’: UN experts denounce Iran’s proposed hijab law

Famed Iranian director sentenced to prison over Cannes Film Festival screening

Famed Iranian director Saeed Roustaee has been sentenced to six months in prison, according to local reports, after presenting his most-recent film at the Cannes International Film Festival last year. Roustaee screened the film “Leila’s Brothers,” a movie about a family in Tehran trying to make ends meet, in competition for the Palme d’Or, the… Read More Famed Iranian director sentenced to prison over Cannes Film Festival screening