Archive for March 2018

Massive cyberhack by Iran allegedly stole research from 320 universities, governments, and companies

Science – By Jon Cohen – Mar. 23, 2018 – Nine Iranians working on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hacked the computers of 7998 professors at 320 universities around the world over the past 5 years, an indictment filed by a federal grand jury alleges. The hackers stole 31.5 terabytes of documents and data, including scientific research, journals, and dissertations, the indictment alleges. Their targets also included the United Nations, 30 U.S. companies, and five U.S. government agencies.

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‘Nowruz Pirouz’: Trump challenges Iranian government in Persian new year message

By Dave Boyer – The Washington Times – Monday, March 19, 2018

President Trump delivered a blistering criticism of Iran’s regime Monday in a message marking Nowruz, the Persian new year.

While noting that Iran is historically a proud nation with a strong culture, Mr. Trump said Iranians today are grappling with “rulers who serve themselves instead of serving the people.”

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Iran: End Persecution of Families Seeking Truth and Justice For Detainees Who Died in Detention

JOINT PUBLIC STATEMENT

13 March 2018 

The Iranian authorities should end their cruel campaign of harassment and intimidation against the families of detainees who have died in detention under suspicious circumstances, Amnesty International, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, Human Rights Watch and Justice for Iran said today. The human rights organizations expressed concerns that the bereaved families are facing reprisals for seeking truth and justice and renewed their calls on the authorities to establish an independent commission of inquiry and invite the UN Special Rapporteurs on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to visit. The authorities should ensure that if there is sufficient evidence of unlawful deaths in detention, the perpetrators responsible will be prosecuted and punished.

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Iran Should Stop Persecuting BBC Journalists and Threatening Their Families​

Ongoing Harassment of BBC Persian Staff Continues Despite Repeated UN Criticism

March 12, 2017—The UN should take immediate action on an appeal by the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) urging the Human Rights Council to protect journalists from an escalating campaign of intimidation and harassment by Iranian security forces.

“The UN should act forcefully on this appeal to protect the rights of Iranian journalists and their families who have been targeted by the state’s security establishment,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

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Attorney: Iran’s Judiciary is Denying Alireza Golipour Urgent Medical Care

Alireza Golipour

MARCH 6, 2018 – CHRI – Alireza Golipour requires a heart procedure at a hospital but judicial authorities have refused to grant him furlough for medical leave from Evin Prison in Tehran, his lawyer told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

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Four Deaths in State Custody in Iran in Two Months Heighten Grave Concerns for Detainees

Mohammad Raji

March 6, 2018—The recent death of a devotee of Iran’s largest Sufi order in Tehran marks the fourth known death of a detainee in state custody in Iran in two months.

“It’s outrageous that detainees in Iran keep dying in state custody,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

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U.N. rights investigator decries Iran clampdown, torture, floggings

03.05.2018 – Reuters – Stephanie Nebehay – GENEVA (Reuters) – Iran has arrested activists and political opponents in a clampdown on freedom of expression as use of torture continues despite promises of reform, a United Nations report said on Monday.

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Life of Iranian-American in Evin Prison is in Danger, Says Family

Wife and Son of Karan Vafadari Fear For His Life After Suspicious Deaths in Prison

March 1, 2018—The son of Iranian-American Karan Vafadari, who is imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin Prison, said his stepmother, Afarin Neyssari, also imprisoned in Iran, fears for her husband’s life after officials claimed without any evidence that two previous detainee deaths in January 2018 were suicides.

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