Iran Focus
London, 13 Mar – There are increased fears over the safety of Christians in Iran following the arrest of three more worshippers in Rasht, Gilan Province, during what activists describe as an “ongoing official campaign of repression” against the religious minority.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an advocacy group, explained that some of those arrested for merely practising their faith are from the Church of Iran, one of the largest evangelical church movements.
By Pooya Stone
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is often portrayed as a reformist and a moderate by the western media, but his credentials have deteriorated during his two terms of office. He has presided over the execution of 4,000 people, many of them political prisoners and many of them women. These executions are often public. Iran has the highest rate of executions per-capita of any country in the world, and the UN has condemned the theocratic dictatorship that rules Iran no fewer than 65 times.
By Jubin Katiraie
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran criticised the country’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, citing its crackdown on protesters and execution of children.
Javaid Rehman, who was presenting his first report to the UNHRC since he took office in July, explained that he saw “worrying patterns of intimidation, arrest, prosecution, and ill-treatment” against labour rights activists and human rights defenders, who took part in the nationwide uprising, but also against lawyers who defended their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Iran Focus
London, 12 Mar – According to Iran’s 20-year development plan, the petrochemical industry will become the first-generation power sector in terms of the value of petrochemicals, and the production capacity of petrochemicals will reach $180 million by 2025, because Iran’s massive gas resources can be used to make low-cost petrochemical products.
By Mehdi
On March 6th Citrix was informed by the FBI that its systems had been breached by “international cyber criminals.” Last Friday, the company revealed that its internal network had been breached and the attackers may have stolen business documents.
Citrix has launched a forensic investigation and it has taken action to secure its network. So far, the investigation suggests that the business documents were accessed and downloaded, but has yet to determine exactly which documents might have been stolen.
By Pooya Stone
A powerful Iranian cleric close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publically opposed any attempt to pass the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) bills, which are needed in order to avoid being blacklisted by the global anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing body.
Iran Focus
London, 9 Mar – U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to Iran is very different to the approach his predecessor took. Trump is adamant that the Iran threat will be dealt with in its entirety during his time in office. This includes its nuclear program, its ballistic missile program, its malign meddling and interference in the affairs of its neighbours, its support of proxy groups and militias across the Middle East, its export of terrorism, its corruption, its disregard of human rights, and so on.
By Jubin Katiraie
Iran has executed at least 61 children in the past decade, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran in a new report published last week, in a horrific defiance of international law.
Javaid Rehman cited records that showed that at least six child offenders were executed in 2018, all of them between 14 and 17 at the time of the alleged crime. He noted that previous UN reports had showed a similar pattern, with 5 child offenders executed in 2017, 5 in 2016, 7 in 2015, and 13 in 2014. He advised that there are at least 85 children still on death row.
By Mehdi
Despite the immense domestic and international pressure that the Iranian ruling system is under, grave human rights abuses are still continuing.
During the month of February, there were a number of executions carried out, prisoners were denied medical care and prison conditions have been very concerning.
There were 12 reported executions carried out during February but the real number is much higher as many are carried out in secret.
Iran Focus
London, 7 Mar – The European Union has decided to leave sanctions that are imposed on dozens of Iranian human rights abusers in place until 2020.
Ambassadors from EU-nations met in Brussels on Wednesday to debate the matter, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity, and agreed that the asset freezes and visa bans on 82 Iranian citizens and the Iranian Cyber Police should be upheld.
