Five Iranians are among 35 writers to win the prestigious Hellman-Hammett award for courage and conviction in the face of political persecution. The other 30 winners come from 11 countries. Security and judicial authorities in Iran have continued their crackdown on free expression despite hopes that Hassan Rouhani’s election as president in 2013 would […]
Tag: Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch: Locked Up in Karaj
Spotlight on Political Prisoners in One Iranian CityAugust 18, 2014The 59-page report is based on a review of 189 cases in three prisons in the city of Karaj, near the capital, Tehran, including the charges they faced, details of their trials before revolutionary courts, and information from lawyers, prisoners’ families, and others. Human Rights […]
Human Rights Watch: Abuses Persist Under New Government
Iranians are facing serious rights abuses, despite President Hassan Rouhani’s numerous promises to respect people’s rights following his June 14, 2013, electoral victory, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2014.Authorities have released some prominent political prisoners but executions continued at high rates. Officials continued to detain many civil society activists and leading […]
Human Rights Watch: Afghan Refugees and Migrants Face Abuse
Thousands Denied Refugee Rights, Summarily Deported The 124-page report, “Unwelcome Guests: Iran’s Violation of Afghan Refugee and Migrant Rights,”documents how Iran’s flawed asylum system results in a detention and deportation process with no due process or opportunity for legal appeal. Iranian officials have in recent years limited legal avenues for Afghans to claim […]
Human Rights Watch: 1,000 Days Under House Arrest
Three Opposition Figures Detained for Almost Three Years Without Charge Three major opposition figures in Iran have been under house arrest or detention for 1,000 days with no charges against them, notwithstanding President Hassan Rouhani’s promise to release political prisoners, Human Rights Watch and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. […]
Human Rights Watch: Lift Restrictions on Sunni Worship
Keep Promise to Allow Sunnis Religious Freedom The Iranian government should follow through on President Hassan Rouhani’s promises to improve access to human rights for religious minorities, Human Rights Watch said today. That should include allowing Sunni Muslims, a minority in Shia-dominated Iran, to gather and pray freely in their own mosques in Tehran […]
Human Rights Watch: Set Immediate Moratorium on Executions
18 Executed in One Day, 16 of Them ‘In Response’ to Border Attack Iran should issue an immediate moratorium on executions in light of continued revelations of unlawful or politically motivated executions following flawed trials. On October 26, 2013, the government executed 16 people in what the prosecutor said was “retaliation” for the killings […]
Human Rights Watch: Free Ethnic Rights Activists
Iranian officials should immediately and unconditionally release five Azeri ethnic minority rights activists. The five were sentenced to heavy prison terms solely for their membership in a party that peacefully works for the civil and cultural rights of the country’s Azeri ethnic minority. An appeals court recently affirmed nine-year prison sentences for each of […]
Human Rights Watch: Sufi Activists Convicted in Unfair Trials
Human Rights Watch: Iran‘s judiciary should abandon charges and quash the verdicts against 11 members of a Sufi sect convicted in unfair trials and informed of their sentences in July 2013. Those in detention should be freed immediately and unconditionally. The evidence suggests that all 11 were prosecuted and convicted solely because of their peaceful […]
Human Rights Watch urged Iran’s judiciary not to run new penal code
Iran: Proposed Penal Code Retains Stoning Law Permits Execution of Child Offenders, Other Abusive Practices June 3, 2013-Iran’s judiciary should not implement provisions of the new penal code that violate basic rights, including execution by stoning. The Guardian Council, composed of 12 religious jurists, reinserted the stoning provision into a previous version of the […]