Archive for June 2015

Iran human rights abuses of women, children worsen amid Obama nuclear talks

Iran executed at least 289 people in 2014, according to Amnesty International, making the Islamic republic the world’s second most prolific practitioner of capital punishment. Women and children in Iran also struggle under harsh, discriminatory laws despite numerous calls for reform from human rights groups and the international community. (Associated Press)

Sunday, June 28, 2015 – The Washington Times – By Kellan Howell – As the U.S. and its world partners race to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, women and children in the Islamic republic struggle under harsh, discriminatory laws despite numerous calls for reform from human rights groups and the international community.

Read more

Jason Rezaian’s Life in Iranian Prison Is ‘Ever More Difficult’

Jason Rezaian

JUNE 25, 2015 – The New York Times – By RICK GLADSTONE – Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post reporter incarcerated in Iran for nearly a year, is finding prison life “ever more difficult” and has only recently become aware of the global support for him, including a plea for his release from Muhammad Ali, Mr. Rezaian’s mother, Mary, said on Thursday.

Read more

Cruz ups pressure over Iran human rights

June 22, 2015,  THE HILL – By Jordain Carney – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wants to reduce the State Department’s budget for every 30 days that a report on Iran’s handling of human rights is delayed.

Read more

Report: Child Refugees Face Obstacles in EU, Iran

June 23, 2015 – VOA News – An international rights organization has called on European Union nations to better provide for children from Afghanistan, Syria, and other nations seeking asylum in Europe. Human Rights Watch released a report saying many children who have fled Afghanistan to avoid recruitment by the Taliban or conscription by the Syrian army are traveling alone to refugee centers, where they can be held for weeks while awaiting space in children’s shelters.

Read more

High Hopes, Tempered Expectations: Views from Iran on the Nuclear Negotiations

June 22, 2015 – Iran Human Rights – Civil society in Iran remains steadfast and unequivocal in its support for the nuclear negotiations, and its members hope for an agreement that will end years of sanctions and isolation, according to a new study by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

Read more

Iran Continues To Sponsor Terrorism In Face Of Nuclear Accord, State Department Says

IR Iran fans hold up a giant flag during the 2015 Asian Cup match between IR Iran and Bahrain at AAMI Park on January 11, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo : Getty Images)

Jun 20, 2015 – HNGN – By Taylor Tyler – Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Shia militant groups, Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad were among the groups who continued to receive Iranian backing, according to the report. Even with international talks underway to limit Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran continued to sponsor terrorism groups around the world in 2014, the State Department said in its annual “Country Reports on Terrorism” released Friday.

Read more

Congress asks Iran to release Flint’s Amir Hekmati

Amir Hekmati

06-16-2015 – By Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press – WASHINGTON – The U.S. House voted unanimously Monday for a resolution urging Iran to release a Flint man held in captivity for more than three years and two other Americans as well.

Read more

Iran backs Taliban with cash and arms

06.12. 2015 – MarketWatch – By Margherita Stancati – KABUL – When Abdullah, a Taliban commander in central Afghanistan, needs more rifles and ammunition, he turns to the same people who pay his $580-a-month salary: his Iranian sponsors.

Read more

America Letter: Journalist jailed for reporting on life in Iran

Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and his Iranian wife Yeganeh Salehi in Tehran in September 2013. Rezaian, a dual Iranian-American citizen, has been been jailed since July last year on charges including espionage. Photograph: EPA/STR

06.13.2015 – THE IRISH TIMES – Simon Carswell – Today is US-born ‘Washington Post’ correspondent Jason Rezaian’s 326th day in jail
Jason Rezaian’s article in the Washington Post on July 17th, 2014 was a charming colour feature about how a growing number of Iranians were embracing America’s favourite pastime, baseball.

Read more

Activists and artists hit by new wave of harsh sentencing by Iran judiciary

Mostafa Azizi, a 53-year-old Iranian film-maker, producer and writer has been sentenced to eight years in jail. Photograph: Courtesy of family

06.12.2015 – theguardian – Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran correspondent – Moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, has failed publically to speak out against sentences given out by Iran’s hardline judges
Iran’s judiciary has unleashed a wave of heavy jail sentences against artists and activists in what appears to be an attempt to send a warning to those who dare to express dissent.

Read more