Author: AIAINY

HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN: REVIEW OF 2021/22 29 March 2022 Index: MDE 13/5366/2022 IRAN Islamic Republic of Iran Head of state: Ali Khamenei (Supreme Leader) Head of government: Ebrahim Raisi (President, replaced Hassan Rouhani in August) Thousands of people were interrogated, unfairly prosecuted and/or arbitrarily detained solely for peacefully exercising their human rights, and hundreds remained unjustly imprisoned. Security forces unlawfully used lethal force and birdshot to crush protests. Women, LGBTI people and ethnic and religious minorities faced entrenched discrimination and violence. Legislative developments further undermined sexual and reproductive rights, the right to freedom of religion and belief, and access…

EU Reporter     |     MARCH 5, 2022 Personalities and politicians take part in international conference in solidarity with the Iranian women in the resistance, calling for a firm policy against the ayatollahs, express support for Ukrainian women. On 5 March, on the verge of the International Women’s Day, an international conference was held in the German capital Berlin, featuring political luminaries, lawmakers, and women’s rights activists from 37 countries around the globe that called for solidarity. Connected online to Ashraf 3 in Albania, where thousands of members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) reside, as well as hundreds of other locations around…

Iranian activist disappears after criticizing internet bill AP     |     Feb. 26, 2022 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian activist went missing after criticizing a proposed bill by hard-liners to implement highly restrictive internet policies, his family said Saturday. Hossein Ronaghi, a blogger and free-speech activist, disappeared Wednesday after he criticized a bill in parliament to limit internet access in the country, known as the “Users Protection Bill.” The proposal has been criticized by many Iranians on social media. There was no information on Ronaghi’s location or condition. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who…

Newsweek     |     LELA GILBERT      |     2/23/22 The Islamic Republic of Iran never seems to disappear from headlines, while its misdeeds persist—often out of sight and out of mind. A primary example is the regime’s ceaseless abuse of religious minorities—Sunni Muslims, Zoroastrians, Baha’is, atheists and Christians, and even at times government recognized Assyrian and Armenian churches. These abuses are often hidden from view. Yet the highly respected Open Doors World Watch List consistently places Iran among the world’s top 10 persecutors of Christians. “Marathon talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal have hit a new roadblock, with Iran accusing the US of refusing to…

Reuters     |     By Stephanie Nebehay     |     Jan. 27, 2022 GENEVA, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Prominent former U.N. judges and investigators have called on U.N. human rights boss Michelle Bachelet to investigate the 1988 “massacre” of political prisoners in Iran, including the alleged role of its current president, Ebrahim Raisi, at that time. The open letter released on Thursday, seen by Reuters, was signed by some 460 people, including a former president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Sang-Hyun Song, and Stephen Rapp, a former U.S. ambassador for global criminal justice. Raisi, who took…

Reporters Without Border     |    Jan. 15, 2022 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is asking the UN to set up an independent international commission of enquiry into the death of Baktash Abtin, an Iranian journalist and writer who died on 8 January as a result of not being treated when he caught Covid-19 in Tehran’s Evin prison. A member of the Iranian Writers’ Association, Baktash Abtin was transferred too late to hospital by the Iranian authorities although prison officials had warned them that his condition was worsening dramatically, his lawyer told RSF. “Deprivation of medical care is deliberately used by the Iranian authorities as…

Meeks Issues Statement on Passage of Stop Iranian Drones Act out of Committee Statement     |     December 10, 2021 Washington, DC – Today, Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement regarding the passage of the “Stop Iranian Drones Act” (SIDA), a bipartisan bill to address the growing threat of Iran’s lethal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program, out of Committee: “As we have seen in recent months, Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist and militia groups have been growing increasingly aggressive with their drone attacks in the Middle East – targeting US troops, commercial vessels, partner countries and more. Such activity will…

Remarks by Honorable Vice President Mike Pence Washington, DC, October 28, 2021 Thank you all. Washington, DC, Thank you for that warm welcome. And it is my great honor to address the Free Iran 2021 summit. Today, along with all of you, thousands of freedom loving people across the United States and Europe, Iran and nations around the world are joining together in pursuit of a common cause, the liberation of the Iranian people from decades of tyranny and the rebirth of a free and peaceful, and prosperous and democratic Iran. It is very humbling for me to be here…

Sir David Amess’ Last Article Calls for Reversing a Pattern of Appeasement by Arresting Iran’s Genocidal President On October 15, the world was shocked to hear about the assassination of Sir David Amess. Sir David was a staunch advocate of human rights. As a member of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, he supported the Iranian people and their Resistance for nearly four decades. Sir David was a renowned politician who prioritized dignity and human values over politics and economic interests. In his last article in TownHall on October 14, he urged world leaders to hold the Iranian regime accountable, particularly prosecute…

NEW EUROPE | By Patrick J. Kennedy & Alejo Vidal-Quadras | 10/7/2021 Human rights seem nonexistent in today’s world. That’s because the world’s democracies are not fighting for it. While the world’s dictatorships always seem to have each other’s backs, the world’s democracies are failing to do the same when it comes to standing up for their own core values such as human rights and the rule of law. Too often we forgo our moral, and at times legal, responsibilities for the sake of pragmatism, and sometimes out of sheer greed for petrodollars. Take our relationship with Iran, for example.…