Investigate Two Tragic Suicides of Close Friends of Detained Activist

(30 September 2011) The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran called for an immediate investigation into the recent suicides of two former detainees and close associates of Kouhyar Goudarzi, an activist who has been held incommunicado since his detention by intelligence forces on 31 July 2011 in Tehran’s Evin prison.
Security forces detained Goudarzi, along with several of his friends, including Behnam Ganji, 22, 31 July 2011.

Nadarkhani Refuses to Repent; Awaiting Final Ruling on Apostasy Death Sentence

In his last court session on Wednesday, 28 September, Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, charged with apostasy and sentenced to execution, refused to repent of his Christian faith despite the judge’s repeated requests. Youcef Nadarkhani’s lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, expressed hope that the court would eventually declare his client innocent. As he told the International Campaign [...]

Narges Mohammadi’s Reaction to Her Conviction for Human Rights Activities

Member of the Defenders of Human Rights Center and Nationalist-Religious activist Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Tehran court. In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mohammadi called her sentence “an unfair ruling for a human rights activist.” “In the ruling, my efforts for starting [...]

Internal State Document Exposes the Role of the Iranian TV in the Crackdown on Filmmakers

Almost two week after the arrests of documentary filmmakers Naser Safarian, Mojtaba Mir Tahmaseb, Hadi Afarideh, Mohsen Shahrnazdar and Katayoun Shahabi by intelligence and security forces in Tehran, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran acquired an internal document from the Iran’s state broadcasting network, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), revealing  the network’s [...]

Hikers’ Lawyer Arrested, Interrogated, and Released in Tehran

On Tuesday morning, security forces entered the home of Massoud Shafiee, the lawyer representing the recently released Americans, and after several hours of searching his home and offices, transferred him to Evin Prison. “Yesterday at 7:00 a.m., five security forces entered my home with my arrest warrant. It was strange to see an arrest warrant issued for me, as arrest warrants are usually issued for murderers or fugitives,” Shafiee told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran a few hours after his release.

Sarah Shourd: “I Will Support the Freedom of All Political Prisoners in Iran”

“I can’t speak definitively about the other prisoners at Evin because I wasn’t allowed to mix with them,” responded Shourd when asked whether she had any interaction with other prisoners while she was in Evin prison adding that, “but I’ve since done my own research and looked into a lot of the cases and I see many egregious human rights abuses and in many ways it made me feel less alone. It made me feel that, in some way, Shane and Josh and I, not by choice or by design, but by fate were brought into a much larger struggle for human rights in Iran. And it’s something that we are very very happy to be able to openly support, now that all three of us are free.”

Weekly Rights Podcast 37

In this week’s Weekly Rights Podcast: The Campaign speaks out about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to the UN General Assembly in New York; American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal are released from prison; seven documentary filmmakers are arrested and charged with espionage on behalf of BBC Persian; 17-year-old Alireza Molla-Soltani is executed; and Nasrin Sotoudeh’s most recent court session is cancelled.

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Released Hikers Slam Iranian Government, Call for Release of All Iranian Prisoners of Conscience (Video)

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, two American hikers who were released from Iranian prison, held a press conference in New York on 25 September 2011 upon their arrival in the United States. They were joined by their colleague, Sarah Shroud, who was released from Iranian custody last year. Watch video excerpts of their statements above. [...]

Nasrin Sotoudeh’s Disbarment Court Session Cancelled

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Reza Khandan, Nasrin Sotoudeh’s husband, said that the second court session reviewing her disbarment was cancelled. “My wife’s second court session at the Tehran Bar Association was scheduled for Sunday, 18 September, but she was not transferred from prison to court, and the the court session was not held, naturally. Of course the prison authorities had previously informed the court officials that Ms. Sotoudeh would not be brought to court today, but I don’t know why. They just told me that the prison authorities have announced that Ms. Sotoudeh would not be transferred to the court session,” he said.

“Stop Executions,” Four UN Human Rights Experts Tell Iran

On 22 September 2011 four United Nations Special Rapporteurs for executions, torture, human rights in Iran, and independence of the judiciary, issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s recent execution of a juvenile and called for the country to immediately institute a moratorium on the death penalty. (Full Statement Below) Yesterday, 21 September, Iranian authorities hanged [...]