Archive for December 2019

US denounces Iran rights abuses, imposes sanctions on judges

December 19, 2019 – Associated Press –  By MATTHEW LEE

WASHINGTON — The United States is imposing sanction s on additional senior Iranian officials for human rights abuses as the Trump administration increases its “maximum pressure campaign” on the Tehran government.

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23 Rights Organizations Urge UN to Take “Urgent Action” on Iran Protest Deaths

December 16, 2019 — A coalition of international human rights organizations including the Center for Human Rights in Iran has called on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to launch an independent inquiry and demand accountability for the Iranian government’s repression of last month’s street protests, which resulted in at least 304 deaths. Among the thousands who were detained since the protests erupted throughout the country in mid-November 2019 are journalists, students, and human rights defenders who are at risk of further violations of due process, which would result in more cases of arbitrary detentions, torture, and other ill-treatment.

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EU Should Lead Calls for UN Commission of Inquiry Into Iran Protest Deaths

Foreign Policy Chief Urges Iran to Hold Perpetrators of Protest Deaths Accountable, Provide Detainees Due Process

December 10, 2019 – The EU should lead calls for the UN to investigate Iranian state forces’ use of lethal means to repress the country’s mid-November 2019 protests which resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests, said the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

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UN rights chief ‘extremely concerned’ over deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran

Unspalsh/Mohamad Babayan Deyr Gachin Caravansary in Iran. The UN is alarmed over alleged rights violations and deaths resulting from recent protests in the country.

In the wake of recent protests in Iran, the top United Nations human rights official expressed alarm on Friday over multiple human rights violations which have reportedly taken place across the country.

6 December 2019 – UN – She highlighted a continuing lack of transparency concerning casualties, the alleged mistreatment of thousands of detainees and continued arrests reported throughout Iran, after weeks of protests which began over major increases in petrol prices.

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UN says it has evidence that Iran was ‘shooting to kill’ protesters

Iranian protesters block a road during a demonstration against an increase in gasoline prices in the central city of Shiraz on November 16, 2019.

Iran says security forces may act against gas price protests 01:57

December 7, 2019 (CNN)The United Nations said Friday that it has video evidence appearing to show Iranian security forces “shooting to kill” protesters during Iran’s latest wave of demonstrations.

In a statement on Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said she was alarmed by “the continuing lack of transparency about casualties and the treatment of thousands of detainees” during the recent protests in Iran.

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Could Iran’s Revolution Unravel Over a Four-Cent Price Hike?

Protests erupted throughout Iran in November, over an increase in gas prices, and the regime responded with deadly force. Photograph from Middle East Images / Redux

December 6, 2019 -The New Yorker – By Robin Wright

In mid-November, in a surprise overnight announcement, the revolutionary regime in Iran hiked the price of gasoline. By standards anywhere else in the world, it is still pitifully cheap. A litre of gas increased from eight cents to twelve cents—or to fifty cents per gallon—for the first fifteen gallons each month.

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Voices from Iran: Protesters describe unrest and crackdown

A fire breaks out during a demonstration in Tehran against an increase in petrol prices © AFP via Getty Images

Details start to emerge as information blackout is finally lifted

Dec.06.2019 –FINANCIAL TIMES –  Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran – Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.
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Iran’s Protests Are Not Just About Gas Prices

A protester in Shiraz, November 2019Middle East Images / Redux

Repression Won’t Solve the Deeper Problems Bringing Iranians to the Streets

December 5, 2019 -Foreign Affairs -By Mohammad Ali KadivarSaber Khani, and Abolfazl Sotoudeh

A wave of protest swept across Iran last week. The government had abruptly hiked gas prices in order to offset its budget deficit at a time of high inflation and negative economic growth. Angry protesters clashed with security forces, set government buildings and banks on fire, and blocked roads. The government responded with an iron fist, killing more than 200 protesters, arresting thousands, and shutting down the Internet across the country for about a week.

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U.S. says Iranian forces may have killed more than 1,000 protesters

People walk near a bank in Tehran that was burned down during protests last month. (Wana News Agency/Via Reuters)

Dec. 5, 2019  – Washington Post – By Carol Morello and Missy Ryan       A State Department official said Thursday that 1,000 or more protesters may have been killed during weeks of unrest in Iran and that the United States has received video that shows troops firing machine guns mounted on trucks at protesters in one incident.

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With Brutal Crackdown, Iran Is Convulsed by Worst Unrest in 40 Years

A burned bank after protests against increased fuel prices in Tehran last month.Credit…Nazanin Tabatabaee West Asia News Agency, via Reuters

What started as a protest over a surprise increase in gasoline prices turned into widespread demonstrations met with a systematic repression that left at least 180 people dead.

Dec. 1. 2019- The New York Times – By Farnaz Fassihi and Rick Gladstone

Iran is experiencing its deadliest political unrest since the Islamic Revolution 40 years ago, with at least 180 people killed — and possibly hundreds more — as angry protests have been smothered in a government crackdown of unbridled force.

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