Today, 10th of December, the United Nations marks Human Rights Day 2014, commemorating the date on which the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 66 years ago. This year’s slogan, Human Rights 365, acknowledges the idea that every day is Human Rights Day, and everyone, everywhere, at all times […]
Category: Sufi news
Iran Allows Afghan Refugees To Study At Iranian Schools
Iranian authorities have agreed to allow the children of illegal Afghan immigrants to attend Iranian schools and universities. RFE/RL spoke on December 14 with Haji Muhammad Mohaqiq, Afghanistan’s second deputy executive officer who recently returned from talks in Iran. Mohaqiq said during his talks with Iranian officials, agreements were reached on providing free education […]
U.S., Iranian Teams To Meet In Geneva Next Week Before P5+1 Talks
A team of U.S. nuclear negotiators is scheduled to meet with Iranian officials on December 15 and 16 in Geneva, Switzerland for talks that conclude a day before Iranian negotiators meet there with six world powers on December 17. The U.S. negotiating team at the bilateral talks is to be led by Under Secretary […]
Iranian MP slams “completely overt” corruption
Iranian MP Abed Fatahi has spoken out against the widespread nature of corruption in the country, saying it is has become a matter of course in every branch of life. Fatahi told ISKA news on Sunday December 14: “It has now gone beyond under-the-table handouts, it is completely overt.” The head of the Sunni […]
Internet filters to be custom-fit for each user
Iran’s Deputy Communications Minister says Smart Filtering will be implemented on the basis of “age, profession and the needs of users.” Mahmoud Khosravi told the Mehr News Agency: “Up to now, the blocking of information was done at the international gateway but now it will be done at the individual level of access and […]
Hunger Strike Passes 19th Day; Demanding Separation of Political Prisoners
As the hunger strike of 27 political prisoners in the town of Orumiyeh, west of Tabriz in north-western part of Iran, entered its 19th day, news came that the prisoners were denied telephone calls to their relatives, cutting off all communications with the outside world. Kamal Hosseini, a reporter in West Azerbaijan province told […]
Rocket Attack Kills One At Karbala’s Shi’ite Pilgrimage In Iraq
Iraqi police say a rocket attack killed a man from Karabala and wounded four people in the shrine city on December 12 as record numbers of Shi’ite pilgrims gathered there for Arbaeen, one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world. Police say the rocket was fired from north of the city, where […]
Report Unleashes Global Criticism Of CIA Interrogation Methods
The release of a U.S. Senate report on CIA interrogation techniques has resulted in widespread criticism about the actions of CIA agents and contractors in the years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States. A top United Nations human rights envoy, Ben Emmerson, says revelations from publication of the report […]
Nasrin Sotoudeh Detained for Several Hours on Human Rights Day
On December 10, 2014, Iranian intelligence agents detained renowned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, before releasing her several hours later. The detention marks the second time in less than two months that Sotoudeh has been detained for her activities in protest of the Iranian Bar Association’s suspension of her legal license. A few hours […]
Jailed activists assess government’s record on rights
Five jailed Iranian activists issued a statement marking Human Rights Day on December 10, commenting on the state of human rights in Iran. Abdolfattah Soltani, Saeed Madani, Mehdi Khodayi, Keyvan Samimi and Saeed Razavi issued a statement commending “the relative efforts of the Iranian administration toward improving the situation” in Iran. The expressed support […]