Archive for March 2014

Save 26 year old Rayhaneh Jabbari from being hanged in Iran

Rayhaneh Jabbari is sentenced to hang for killing her rapist in self defense in Iran
Reyhaneh Jabbari is at risk of imminent execution for having killed a member of the Iranian intelligence services, Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a physician, who was attempting to rape her. Her execution verdict has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

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Brazil Should Support the Struggle of Iranian Trade Unionists

Mansour Osanlou

By Mansour Osanlou: As an Iranian labor activist, I have always looked for models that my country can follow to improve. Striking a balance between worker rights, economic developments, international trade, and vital social-programs is indeed no easy task, especially for countries with troubled pasts.

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Rouhani has not increased freedoms in Iran, U.N. chief says

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

BY STEPHANIE NEBEHAY – GENEVA Tue Mar 11, 2014 7 (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has failed to fulfil campaign promises to allow greater freedom of expression and there has been a sharp rise in executions since his election, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday.

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Ashton in Iran: warming relations must not be at the expense of Human rights, warns FIDH

Dr. Karim Lahiji

8 March 2014 – The nuclear deal brokered by EU Diplomacy Chief Catherine Ashton in November 2013, who chaired the “P5+1” group (the UN Security Council five permanent members plus Germany), ended years of diplomatic stagnation between the international community and Iran. Fraught relations under the Ahmadinejad presidency left little to no space for EU diplomacy, and the international community’s primary attention on the nuclear issue led de facto to the overshadowing of the human rights agenda.

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IRAN: Harassment and arbitrary detention of human rights defenders continues

Paris-Geneva, March 10, 2014. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH-OMCT joint programme, deplores the continued harassment and arbitrary detention of human rights defenders in Iran.
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My dad, Iran’s hostage

Robert Levinson

Los Angeles Times – By Dan Levinson – March 10, 2014 – Seven years ago Sunday, my father, Robert Levinson, was taken hostage while visiting Kish Island, Iran. He is currently the longest-held hostage in U.S. history, and will likely be marking his 66th birthday Monday in captivity, thousands of miles from his wife, seven children and four grandchildren — three of whom have been born since he was kidnapped. We have not been able to communicate with him at all in those seven years.

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Release Shafipour, Hedayat, and All Other Women Prisoners of Conscience

International Women’s Day Sees Shafipour Sentenced to Seven Years

(March 7, 2014)—As the world prepares to honor and promote the economic, political, and social achievements of women on International Women’s Day, Iran has sentenced yet another young woman, Maryam Shafipour, for her peaceful activities.

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Iran: Student activist given seven year prison term in continuing crackdown

Maryam Shafi’ Pour

Amnesty international- 3 March 2014 – Iran’s authorities must quash the conviction of a 27-year-old student who received a seven year prison sentence because of her peaceful political activities, said Amnesty International.

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