Mashhad’s Friday Mass Imam says he has little against music but added that since Mashhad is the site of the shrine of the eighth Imam of the Shia Muslim faith, it is inappropriate to hold concerts there. The cancellation of concerts has become a controversial in recent months because most of them had already […]
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Two websites linked to reformists blocked
Iran has blocked two news websites after they published reports about former reformist president Mohammad Khatami and pictures of him, state-run IRNA news agency said Friday. The agency, quoting a judicial source, said the Tehran prosecutor’s office “demanded the filtering” of Baharnews.ir and Jamaran.ir because of the posts. Newspapers have said judicial authorities told […]
Iranian Film Critic, Zaven Ghokasian Passes Away at 65
Prominent film critic Zaven Ghokasian passed away on February 20 at the age of 65 in his home in Isfahan following a long battle with stomach cancer. Ghokasian had spent five months in hospital in Austria and underwent stomach surgery in September. On January 27 he finally returned to his hometown of Isfahan. Upon […]
Iranian Cleric Says ‘Final Steps’ Being Taken In Nuclear Talks
Tehran’s provisional Friday Prayers leader says the “final steps” are being taken in Iran’s talks with six global powers aimed at reaching an agreement curbing Tehran’s disputed nuclear program. Speaking to worshippers in the Iranian capital, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi praised President Hassan Rohani for his management of the talks. Friday prayer leaders are said […]
Rohani Adviser Says Rights Violations Hurting Iran
Ali Yunesi, a senior adviser to Iran’s President Hassan Rohani and a former intelligence minister, has admitted that “many cases” of human rights violations are taking place in Iran’s courts and prisons, blaming them on extremists. The human rights situation in the Islamic republic is often the subject of criticism by rights group and […]
Journalist Behind Bars Since 2009 Suffers Heart Attack in Prison
The imprisoned journalist Massoud Bastani was transferred to the hospital on February 20, 2015, following a heart attack inside Shahid Rajaee Prison. The health conditions of Bastani, 37, who has been in prison since his arrest in the wake of the protests that followed the disputed 2009 presidential election in Iran, have steadily deteriorated […]
Prisoner of Conscience Released After Nine Months of “Temporary Detention” At Deplorable Facility
Nine months after her arrest, the lawyer and prisoner of conscience Negar Haeri was released on bail of about US$580,000 on February 25, 2015. She spent her entire time in prison since her May 2014 arrest on “temporary detention orders. During “temporary detention” in Iran, prisoners may be held without access to a lawyer […]
Rouhani’s Top Advisor Says Identity of Killer of Canadian Photojournalist Zahra Kazemi is Known
Official Admits to “Many” Rights Violations in Iran’s Prisons and Courts In a startlingly admission, a high-ranking aide to President Hassan Rouhani has acknowledged that human rights violations, and particularly the prison death of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, have incurred high costs for the Iranian government in its foreign relations. Ali Younesi, Rouhani’s Special […]
Saleh Moradi, a Gonabadi Dervishes of Shiraz, Arrested
Saleh Moradi, one of the rights activists of dervishes, yesterday was arrested by the plainclothes forces.Yesterday, 6th of Esfand 1393( February, 25, 2015), six plainclothes forces entered the residential place of Salehedin Moradi Sarvestani in Shiraz and without any judicial warrant, arrested and took him to an unknown location.His family was told that it […]
A Gonabadi Dervish’s Vehicle Shot in Kavar
A few days ago a vehicle which belonged to one of the Gonabadi dervishes got shot.A few days ago, the forces security shot the vehicle of Kazem Dehghan, a resident of the city Kavar, one of the Gonabadi dervishes, who had been recently confirmed to the lifelong exile.Not any news is available from the mentioned […]