Archive for February 2014

Press briefing notes on Iran, Papua New Guinea and Haiti

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani 
Location: Geneva
 Date: 21 February 2014
1) Iran
We are deeply concerned about the reported spike in executions in Iran since the beginning of this year. In just over seven weeks, at least 80 people have been executed. Some reliable sources indicate the figure could be as high as 95.

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Stop Death Sentence in Inquisition Trial

Rouhollah Tavana

(February 20, 2014)—The Iranian Judiciary must rescind the execution sentence of Rouhollah Tavana for trumped-up charges of “insulting the Prophet,” and stop issuing death sentences for ever-expanding categories of crimes, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

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Spain: The bill on universal jurisdiction must be rejected

19 February 2014 – LDDHI – UNIVERSAL IMPUNITY – On 11 February 2014, the Spanish Parliament will examine a bill, sponsored by the Peoples Party, concerning the extension of Spain’s jurisdiction beyond its frontiers. APDHE and FIDH call for this legislative reform to be rejected because it would substantially restrict the application of the principle of universal justice.
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2 Sunni prisoners in critical health condition

Hamed Ahmadi and Jamshid Dehghani

15th February, 2014 -IranSOS- Hamed Ahmadi and Jamshid Dehghani who had finished their hunger strike after 75 days, have faced sever health and physical issues. According to the report of  (HRANA), Hamed Ahmadi and Jamshid Deghani who were on hunger strike for 75 days, from November 4 until January 18, in protest to their death sentences and violation their rights as prisoners, are in bad health condition after 1 month from breaking the strike.

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2 prisoners were hanged in Mashhad

15th February, 2014 -IranSOS- 2 prisoners have been hanged on charge of murder in Vakil Abad prison of Mashhad. According to the report of (HRANA), two prisoners were executed by gallows in Vakil Abad prison of Mashhad, on Thursday February 13th.

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2 political prisoners are released on the bail

15th February, 2014 -IranSOS- Hassan Sadeghi and Fetemeh Mosanna a prisoner couple in Evin were released on Bail. According to the report of (HRANA), Hassan Sadeghi the political prisoner on ward 350 was released on bail on February 10th. Read more

Release Government Critics from Three-Year House Arrest

Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard

(February 14, 2014)—The Iranian government must end the inhumane practice of holding its critics under house arrest for years without due process, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. February 14, 2014, marks three years since Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard were placed under a de facto and illegal house arrest in Tehran.

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Iran Must Embrace Religious Pluralism

New York Times – FEB. 10, 2014 – By CAMELIA ENTEKHABIFARD
Last March, I sublet my Manhattan apartment. A woman called Shireen answered my ad, and when she came to visit I was surprised to learn that, despite her traditionally Persian name, she was Indian. Mentioning this, Shireen replied, “But I am Persian! I’m Zoroastrian.”

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IRAN: The UN finds the detention of human rights defenders Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour arbitrary; release and reparation requested

Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour

Paris-Geneva, February 5, 2014 – In an opinion adopted during its 68th session on November 20, 2013, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) requested the release of Iranian human rights defenders Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour from arbitrary detention.

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Iran’s New Methods of Internet Filtering Put Users At Risk

(February 3, 2014)—New concerns about the safety of Internet communications have emerged following statements by Iranian authorities about the government’s utilization of new, more complex, and undetectable filtering methods.

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