Forced Media Blackout for Prisoner Families

Following the summons of journalist and human rights activist Abdolreza Tajik’s sister, an informed source close to the Tajik family told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, “The sister of this prisoner is being forced to stop talking to the media for a while in order to avoid getting arrested herself. She needs to be able to pursue her brother’s case.”

ICCPR Report – II. Introduction

Download Full Report (PDF) a. Description of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran was founded in 2008 to provide urgent and needed support for human rights and human rights defenders in Iran. The Campaign is dedicated to a nonpartisan approach to human rights documentation and [...]

ICCPR Report – I. Executive Summary

This report presents information about compliance by the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) with its obligations as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Following introductory information and general observations, Iran’s adherence to the pledges contained in a number of the articles is discussed, with respect both to the country’s laws and its human rights practices. Not all articles of the Covenant are discussed, nor is the presentation comprehensive, as it reflects those aspects of the problem about which the most detailed information is available.

Weekly Rights Podcast 11, Sept 17-23 2010

In this week’s ‘Weekly Rights Podcast’: the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran held a press conference in New York with panelists including Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire; ABC’s Christiane Amanpour interviewed Ahmadinejad, an interview in which he boldly lied about the stoning sentence of Sakineh Ashtiani; as the media blitz around Ahmadinejad continues in New York several activists including Shiva Nazar Ahari, Majid Tavakoli, Emad Baghi, Bahareh Hedayat, Milad Asadi, and Hengameh Shahidi, languish in Iranian prisons; Ahmad Ghabel was arrested last week after he discussed mass executions in an interview with the Campaign; and reports that Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan’s trial has ended and the prosecutor has asked for the death penalty on charges of “propaganda against the regime”, “cooperation with enemy states”, and “establishing indecent websites.”

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Editor Awaits Trial For Feminist Website Content

Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani, a women’s studies researcher and member of the One Million Signatures Campaign, was released today after she appeared before the Evin Prison Court “to provide some explanations,” and was informed of her charges.

Khorasani was interrogated when she first appeared in court on Tuesday following a summons, and was asked to return the next day to meet with “case analysts.”

On Wednesday she was informed of her charges of “propagation activities against the regime through: a) writing and publishing content against the regime on the Feminist School website, and b) participation in the illegal gatherings after the 2009 elections,” according to the Feminist School website.

Press Conference on the Human Rights Crisis in Iran

Nobelists Call for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s Release

On Friday, 17 September 2010, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, in partnership with Human Rights Watch and the Nobel Women’s Initiative, held a panel discussion in New York on the human rights crisis in Iran. The panelists included Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire, Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch Faraz Sanei, and Campaign Director Hadi Ghaemi. The discussion covered many areas and calls were made by Shirin Ebadi to address prisoner abuse: “My proposal here is that, if Mr. Ahmadinejad that Iran is a free country, let Doctors Without Borders go to Iran and do medical examinations of the prisoners in Iran.”

The eleven-minute video can be viewed below.

Ahmadinejad’s Media Blitz Unfolds as Young Activists Receive Harsh Sentences

While Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has proclaimed Iran’s respect for human rights and freedoms during his current New York media blitz, several prominent young Iranian students, human rights defenders, and journalists received harsh jail sentences in recent days, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

In several cases, young Iranians have been jailed for “insulting the President,” the Campaign emphasized. Overall, at least 500 prisoners of conscience are held in Iranian jails.

Stand Up to Ahmadinejad’s Falsehoods

(20 September 2010) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lied outright about the stoning sentence of Sakineh Ashtiani during an interview with ABC’s Christiane Amanpour on 19 September, by denying a stoning sentence was ever issued, despite well-documented evidence to the contrary the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said.

The international community, world leaders, and members of the media present in New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, should strongly register their protests against Ahmadinejad’s lies about the critical situation of human rights in Iran, the group said.

“Nasrin Sotoudeh Under Pressure to Confess Against Herself,” says Shirin Ebadi

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Shirin Ebadi, head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, criticized the increasing pressure on the Iranian human rights community, reporting that Nasrin Sotoudeh has been under severe pressure since her arrest to confess against herself. “According to a resolution by the UN General Assembly, governments are responsible for supporting human rights defenders and to facilitate their work. This is because of the importance of human rights and those who work in this area. Governments must not prevent human rights activities; they must help it,” Ebadi told the Campaign.

Ahmad Ghabel In Isolation After Interview About Secret Executions

Marzieh Pasdar, wife of prisoner of conscience Ahmad Ghabel, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that in a telephone call last Tuesday, her husband told her he is being kept in isolation following his arrest. This is the second time Ghabel has been imprisoned over the past year. Asked whether Ghabel or his family have been threatened about the Vakilabad Prison events, his wife told the Campaign, “No, there were no threats. But he and the rest of us expected that he would be summoned and imprisoned again. That’s why he wrote what he needed to say in a document entitled ‘What happened and what needs to be said’ in 14 sections.”