Iranian Christian Journalist Discusses Government Campaign to Target Protestants

(23 December 2011) As Christmas approaches this year, it appears that authorities are again ramping up their monitoring and harassment of Protestant Christians and house-churches. According to the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), a news service dedicated to covering Christian issues, in recent weeks the “number of Christians in Tehran and six other cities have been ordered to state security centers, interrogated at length, been allowed home with the warning that they will be recalled and that they better obey the order.”

Apostasy Verdict Delayed So Pastor Can Repent

The Iranian Judiciary reportedly ordered the Rasht court last week to postpone a verdict in the apostasy trial of Christian Pastor and convert Youcef Nadarkhani. The Judiciary’s order came after Nadarkhani’s case provoked international outcry. Human rights groups and several foreign governments have criticized Iranian authorities for their blatant violation of religious freedom and potential abuse of the death penalty.

Female Kurdish Prisoner’s Death Sentence Overturned

The Supreme Court has reduced the death sentence of Zeinab Jalalian, a Kurdish prisoner of conscience, to life in prison. In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran Jalalian’s lawyer Majid Sharif said that prison authorities had previously informed Jalalian of the change.

On International Human Rights Day, Norwegians Support Sotoudeh

To mark the occasion of Human Rights Day, dozens of Iranians gathered in outside of the location Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremony in Oslo, demanding the freedom of political prisoners such as Nasrin Sotoudeh.

Revolutionary Guard Confiscated Confidential Footage to Fabricate Film, Says Nourizad

Following the release of a private and confidential film about his personal life, renowned filmmaker and journalist Mohammad Nourizad spoke with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran about the illegality of its release. Nourizad told the Campaign that security and intelligence officials confiscated personal footage and films from his home during his arrest, and used it to create a video. This video appeared on YouTube on 10 December.

Student Activist Expelled for “Disobedience”

According to a source who spoke to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, women’s rights and student activist Setareh Elyasi has been expelled from university. The Disciplinary Committee of the University of Cultural Heritage, where Elyasi defended her master’s thesis in Curatorial Studies in December 2009, issued several serious warnings for her student activities. The Committee accused her of disobedience and causing disorder in school.

Imprisoned Blogger Embarks on Hunger Strike

Zoleykha Mousavi, mother of imprisoned blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that since the start of her son’s hunger strike on 9 December he has been in very poor condition.

Podcast 43: Internet Censorship in Iran- Interview with Mehdi Yahyanejad

We all use the internet. But what does it mean to use the internet in a country where freedom of speech is under assault? This week, we talk to Mehdi Yahyanejad, the founder of the Balatarin, the Persian language version of Reddit or Digg. Mr. Yahyanejad talks about the importance of Balatarin for human rights activism and social mobilizing. He also tells us the many different ways the Iranian government blocks and censors what people post on the internet. Don’t miss out on this enlightening podcast!

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“His New Charge is ‘Assistance in Espionage,’ But It’s Not Clear Whom He Was Assisting”

Saeed Naimi, who was transferred from Karaj Prison to Tabriz Prison, is currently facing new charges of “assistance in espionage.” Naimi’s wife, Saideh Islami, spoke with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran about her husband’s new charges and his current conditions in prison.

Student Activist Develops Stuttering, Stomach Bleeding, and Hepatitis After 5 Months In Prison

Ashkan Zahabian, a student activist who was released on 21 September 2011 after spending five months in prison, is suffering from stomach bleeding, serious liver damage, and stuttering as a result of his conditions in prison. A source close to Zahabian told the International Campaign for Human Rights that during Zahabian’s detention officials abused him in order to submit to his interrogators’ demands and make false confessions against himself. “Ashkan was detained in a solitary cell inside the Mazandaran Province Intelligence Office’s Shahid Kachouee Detention Center. He was kept in a room with two glaring fluorescent lights that were on 24 hours day.”