23rd September 2013 Amnesty International As Iran’s academic year begins on 23 September, a large number of students are still unable to attend university. Many students are still blocked from their studies because of their peaceful human rights or political activism, or on account of their Baha’i faith. Dozens more languish in prison, where they endure harsh interrogations, torture and other ill-treatment, as well as dire prison conditions. Their convictions typically come after unfair trials. A student’s experience Rozhin Mohammadi, a 27-year-old student and blogger, knows all too well what these students experience behind bars. She fled Iran in 2011 following Read the full article…

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) July 2013 While talks on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear programme resumed in May 2012, with all parties signifying their interest in reaching an understanding, the negotiations produced no break-through. Alleged cyber-attacks were carried out against Iranian nuclear and oil facilities. Despite these, top International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors who visited the country in December were optimistic about resolving the issue. In addition to tensions over its nuclear ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member States deteriorated further over the country’s position on the Read the full article…

Amnesty International 23 May 2013 The authorities maintained severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and assembly. Dissidents and human rights defenders, including minority rights and women’s rights activists, were arbitrarily arrested, detained incommunicado, imprisoned after unfair trials and banned from travelling abroad. There were scores of prisoners of conscience and political prisoners. Torture and other ill-treatment were common and committed with impunity. Women, religious and ethnic minorities, and members of the LGBTI community were subject to discrimination in law and practice. The cruel judicial punishments of flogging and amputation continued to be used. Official sources acknowledged 314 executions, but Read the full article…

U.S. Department of State 19 April 2013 Summary The Islamic Republic of Iran is a theocratic republic established after the 1979 adoption of a constitution by popular referendum. The constitution, amended in 1989, created a political system based on the concept in Shia Islam of velayat-e faqih, the “guardianship of the jurist” or “rule by the jurisprudent.” Shia clergy and political leaders vetted by the clergy, many of which are increasingly associated with the country’s security forces, dominate key power structures. The “leader of the revolution” (or supreme leader) is chosen by a popularly elected body of 86 clerics, the Read the full article…

Amnesty International 12 April 2013 Two men imprisoned in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz, south-west Iran, are in critical condition after a prolonged hunger strike protesting the harsh treatment of dervishes, including lawyers, in Tehran’s Evin Prison. They have been beaten, have lost consciousness several times, and are being kept alive by intravenous drips in prison. Saleh Moradi and Kasra Nouri, are Gonabadi dervishes from the Nemattolah Gonabadi order, one of Iran’s largest Sufi orders. They started a “wet” hunger strike (taking water but not food) on 15 January in protest at the illegal transfer of seven dervishes, including lawyers, imprisoned without Read the full article…