a warm, sunny morning in early June, Nasrin Sotoudeh arrived at the offices of the Iranian Bar Association in central Tehran shortly after 9 a.m. The bespectacled, petite 52-year-old was wearing a blue manteau, beige pants, and red shoes. To comply with the compulsory hijab law, Sotoudeh had covered her short hair with her […]
Category: Sufi news
Extraordinary bail gets ill blogger released from jail
Jailed activist and blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki was temporarily released on the exorbitant bail of 1.4 billion toumans after repeated requests for his release due to health complications. The Kaleme website reports that leave is granted for only eight days despite the serious nature of Ronaghi Maleki’s health problems involving his stomach, kidney and […]
Lawyer and Client Accused of “Illegitimate Relations” for a Handshake in Prison
Update: Mohammad Moghimi was released from Rajaee Shahr Prison on bail of 20 million toman (approximately $60,000) on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 17, 2015. Mohammad Moghimi, a defense lawyer who was imprisoned for shaking the hand of his client, the imprisoned artist and civil activist Atena Faraghdani, during a prison visit, will be […]
Ramadan Begins On Same Day For Most World Muslims
“There’s a hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness.We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundboxis stuffed full of anything, no music.If the brain and the belly are burning cleanwith fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire.The fog clears, and new energy makes yourun up the steps in front of […]
Activist’s release delayed despite new law
Mohsen Mirdamadi, a prominent reformist figure, former MP and head of the now-banned Islamic Iran Participation Front party, who was jailed in the aftermath of the controversial presidential election of 2009, was released from Evin Prison on the evening of Tuesday June 16 after serving a six-year sentence. The Kaleme website reports that Mirdamadi’s […]
Women Continue to be Kept Outside Sports Stadiums
Despite two major wins for Iran’s volleyball team and the anticipation over the sensitive upcoming game with the US volleyball team, the ban on women attending stadium events in Iran may result in denying Iran to be host of the games this Friday and Sunday, as warned by the international volleyball federation, FIVB. Iran […]
Officials Should Not Use Smartphones
Revolutionary Guard General Gholamreza Jalali, who heads Iran’s national civil defense organization told reporters that officials have access to classified information should not be using smartphones. ISNA student news agency reports that Jalali told reporters, “Official guidelines on this issue have been prepared which are in the process of approval. Because officials who are […]
Activist’s Mother Decries 14-Year Sentence for Her Daughter’s Peaceful Activities
Atena Daemi, a children’s rights and civil activist, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, receiving the combined maximum penalty for each of her charges, as a result of her peaceful activism. In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Daemi’s mother, Massoumeh Nemati, relayed that Daemi had been sentenced […]
Three Concerts Cancelled by Police and Judiciary despite Protests by Rouhani
In his latest reaction to consecutive cancellations by the Iranian Police and the Judiciary of music concerts, President Hassan Rouhani condemned the cancellations and said such actions violate the people’s rights. At a press conference marking the second anniversary of Rouhani’s election to office, a reporter asked him about the widespread cancellation of concerts […]
A New Round of Intimidation, Arrests, and Prosecution of Social Media Users in Iran
Iranian Cyber Police and Judiciary officials reported a new wave of arrests of Internet users this week. Colonel Gholamreza Kazemzadeh, Chief of Iran’s Cyber Police, told reporters on June 8 that an individual he claimed managed 23 groups on the WhatsApp and Line social media networks had been arrested. “The Cyber Police in Shahroud […]