World Day 2019: More Than 212 Executed Since the Beginning of the Year in Iran

OCTOBER 10, 2019

Iran Human Rights (IHR); October 10, 2019: According to the statistics department of IHR, Iranian authorities have executed 212 prisoners including 2 juvenile-offenders between January 1 and October 10, 2019. This report is being published on the occasion of the 17th World Day Against the Death Penalty, which aims at raising awareness about the children as unseen victims of the death penalty.

According to reports by IHR, so far in 2019, at least 212 prisoners have been executed in Iran but only 68 cases were announced by the official Iranian media. Other 144 cases were confirmed by Iran Human Rights (IHR) through its sources. IHR only reports the unannounced executions if it could confirm those with two separate credible sources. Therefore, the actual number of executions may be even higher than reported.

Appeals Court to Rule on Satirist’s Case without Hearing His Defense

OCTOBER 9, 2019

Iran’s Appeals Court, which met last week to review satirist Keyomars Marzban’s appeal against a preliminary court’s harsh sentence against him, is expected to issue a ruling next week without hearing his defense, a source with detailed knowledge of his case told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on October 9, 2019.

In August 2019, Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced Marzban to 11 years in prison for his peaceful writing activities under the charges of “contact with U.S. enemy state,” 7.6 years for “insulting the sacred,” three years for “insulting the supreme leader,” one year for “propaganda against the state,” and nine months for “insulting officials.”

Iran Must Confront Its Child Protection Crisis

OCTOBER 11, 2019

On the International Day of the Girl Child, All States Urged to Address Needs of Girl Children

Child Marriage, Lack of Protection against Abuse, Juvenile Executions Key Issues in Iran

October 11, 2019—On the International Day of the Girl Child, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) urges the authorities in Iran to confront its child protection crisis, and fulfill the mandate of the day, which the UN states is to “address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.”

“There is no justification for the forced marriage of girl children, the lack of protections for children against abuse, or the execution of children,” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI executive director.

Women Football Fans Decry Restrictions: “Why Didn’t They Let Us All In?”

Women’s Tickets Capped at 4,000 Out of 75,000

OCTOBER 11, 2019

The soccer match between Iran and Cambodia on October 10, 2019, in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium included the historic presence of thousands of women. However, although the stadium was more than half empty, the authorities capped the number of tickets sold to women and denied female photographers press access.

15 Iran MPs Urge New Judiciary Chief to Stop Renewed Crackdown on Freedom of Speech

SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

During a speech addressing Iran’s legislature, member of Parliament (MP) Parvaneh Salahshouri strongly criticized the recent crackdown on journalists and workers’ rights advocates and called on recently appointed Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi to uphold the rule of law.

A group of MPs subsequently called on Raisi to rescind recent harsh prison sentences that have been issued against several individuals including journalists and activists who were arrested during a Labor Day rally in Tehran on May 1, 2019.

“There are young women inside prison crying for justice these days,” said Salahshouri, a prominent reformist and former leader of the Women’s Faction in Parliament, on September 1, 2019.

Female Political Prisoners to Serve Additional Two Years For “Insulting” Supreme Leader

Political prisoners Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee Ebrahimi have been told they must serve an additional two years behind bars for making peaceful public statements criticizing Iranian state policies.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Imprisoned civil rights activist Atena Daemi and recently released political prisoner Golrokh Iraee Ebrahimi were informed that they must serve an additional 2.1 years in prison now that the Tehran Appeals Court upheld a joint sentence against them under the charges of “insulting the supreme leader” and “propaganda against the state.”

Daemi’s mother, Masoumeh Nemati, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on September 5, 2019, that her daughter and Iraee were also banned from engaging in political and civil rights activities for two years.

Mass Sentencing of Labor Activists, Journalists Prelude to Reign of Repression Under New Judiciary Chief

Seven Sentenced to Lengthy Jail Terms in Connection with Peaceful Protests

SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

Less than a year after workers’ rights activists in southwestern Iran publicized evidence that Intelligence Ministry agents had tortured detainees, those same activists and four independent journalists who covered their cases have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

“The sentences are an indicator that newly appointed Judiciary Chief Ehrabim Raisi intends to prolong his predecessor’s reign of repression by punishing peaceful activism through arbitrary arrests and kangaroo courts,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

“Freedom of assembly is guaranteed by Iran’s Constitution, yet the judiciary is decimating that right by punishing activists and journalists for exercising it,” he added. “Raisi has signaled that he will be accelerating the corrosion of the rule of law in Iran to stamp out peaceful dissent.”