CRY FREEDOM.net
formerly known as
Women's Liberation Front
'Insight is the first step of resistance against any ideologic form of dictatorial and misogynistic oppression'

Tribute to KIAN PIRFALA, 9 years old and victim of the Islamic Republic's savagery 10 years ago.

'Women's Arab Spring 1.2'
Updated Jan 16, 2025  
Special reports about the Afghanistan Women Revolt and more
Updated Jan 10, 2025

Syria: the Fall of Assad and aftermath
Updates Jan 15,2025

PALESTINE
Updated Jan 13, 2025

HAIL TO THE IRANIAN WOMEN'S REVOLUTIONISTS FALLEN FOR FREDOM
against the supreme leader, the arch-reactionary Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, and his placeman president. The message of the women when the former president visited a university was plain: <give way or get lost> in 2023 and still is.
IN MEMORY OF ASRA PANAHI (16)- JINA MAMINI (22) - NIKA SHAKARAMI (16), SARINA ESMAILZADEH (16) HADIS NAJAFI (20), AND MORE WOMEN WHO WERE ASSASINATED SO FAR BY THE IRANIAN AXIS OF EVIL.
  Click here for a total list so far

(Updates January 17, 2025) z

UPDATES OF THE UPRISING  AND REVOLUTION AROUND THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JINA AMINI IN CUSTODY OF THE REGIME'S ATTEMPT AND CRUELTY TO TRY AND CRUSH IT.

This links to a page that is in full dedicated and a tribute to Jina Amini who, with stilll 'till today too many other sisters gave their life for freedom. Long live a long and free Iran And do read also the above linked  incredible December 2023 update! despite the mullahs' regime to force it down! Her mother speaks out loud and clear UPDATED: September 29 - 16, 2024 Second Anniversary of Jina Amini's state-sanctioned murder incl. Commemorating Bloody Friday and earlier news about a wave of arrests of her fellow-citizen

We all grief for the loss of our sister / daughter of Iran Armita Gevarnand:   Read her updated story here

'War against the No-hijabi women' Update Dec. 20, 2024: Iranian Women Rise Against the New Hijab Law with the Slogan "Woman, Resistance, Freedom" Nov. 13, 2024: hijab-torture clinics

Earlier Stories and more

MARJAM AKBARI MONFARED June 24, 2024: The Iranian Regime Judiciary Launches a New Case to Seize the Assets of Maryam Akbari Monfared and Her Family, in Revenge for Seeking Justice for Her Siblings Executed in the 1980s Click the above for also earlier news

January 8, 2025 - December 28 - 4, 2024
Sisters 4 each other, Sisters 4 All
in continuation of the below resistence of the 3 sisters

When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

Dear reader, let us, apart from all the other news following please read first the most inspiring but alas also most disturbing news.
In other words: Rise more for the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' uprisal. Gino d'Artali
 

January 11 - 9, 2025
Imminent Risk of Execution of Pakhshan Azizi because "I'm Kurdish, I'm a woman"

No to the Islamic Republic of Executioners!

Pakhshan Azizi and Varisha Moradi
Iranwire - January 16, 2027
<<Kurdish Clerics Unite Against Iran's Death Sentences for Activists
A group of 50 Kurdish Sunni clerics has issued a joint statement condemning the death sentences handed down to activists Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, and other prisoners in Iran. They said that the rulings violate both Islamic principles and Iran's constitution.The clerics called for new trials that adhere to legal and religious standards of fairness. They demanded public court proceedings with lawyers present and jury oversight for the accused political prisoners. "The death sentences imposed on two Kurdish women have generated widespread outrage and anxiety across Iranian society and beyond and raised serious questions about the justification for such severe punishments against civil activists," the statement reads.
The religious leaders also urged Iranian authorities to take steps to "create conditions that ensure the psychological calm of the Iranian people."
Varisheh Moradi, a Kurdish women's rights activist, was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court last year on charges of <armed rebellion.>
The court cited her alleged affiliation with the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) as grounds for the sentence. Throughout the proceedings, Moradi’s legal team faced extensive restrictions. Her lawyers were denied access to her case file during the final hearing on October 6 and in previous sessions. Pakhshan Azizi, a resident of Mahabad, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on August 4, 2023, and subsequently transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. She was previously detained by security forces on November 16, 2009, and released on bail after four months. Last week, Iran's Supreme Court upheld her death sentence despite significant procedural concerns raised by her legal team, according to her lawyer Amir Raisian. The original sentence was issued by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of <armed rebellion through membership in opposition groups.> >>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/news/138179-kurdish-clerics-unite-against-irans-death-sentences-for-activists/


Mai Sato
Jinha - Womens News Agency - January 17, 2025
<<Mai Sato expresses concern at Iranian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi
In a post on social media platform X, Mai Sato, UN Rights Rapporteur for Iran, expressed concern at the Iranian Supreme Court's decision to uphold the death sentence handed down to Pakhshan Azizi.
News Center- In a post on social media platform X on Friday, Mai Sato, UN Rights Rapporteur for Iran, expressed concern at the Iranian Supreme Court's decision to uphold the death sentence handed down to Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish journalist and humanitarian worker. "Alarmed by Iran's Supreme Court upholding #DeathSentence of Kurdish activist Pakhshan Azizi. Reportedly tortured in solitary confinement, denied fair trial&legal representation. Her case reflects broader persecution of minority women activists," her post on Friday said. On January 14, 2025, A group of independent human rights experts also expressed grave concern at the Iranian Supreme Court's decision to uphold the death sentence handed down to Pakhshan Azizi. "The charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the threshold of 'most serious crimes' required by international law for the death penalty," the experts said. "Her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law." The experts urged Iranian authorities to immediately revoke the death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi, investigate allegations of torture and denial of fair trial rights, and put an end to the harassment and targeting of women activists in Iran. In August 2023, Pakhshan Azizi was arrested in Tehran by Iranian Intelligence Services and held in solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison for five months. On July 23, 2024, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death for <armed rebellion against the state (baghy)> and <membership of opposition groups>, along with a four-year prison term for alleged membership in the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). On January 8, 2025, The Iranian Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against her.>>
Source: https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/mai-sato-expresses-concern-at-iranian-supreme-court-s-decision-to-uphold-death-sentence-of-pakhshan -azizi-36361


Nazila Heydarzadeh
Iranwire - January 17, 2027
<<Two Pregnant Women Murdered by Husbands in Iran
18-year-old Nazila Heydarzadeh's life ended brutally at the hands of her husband and cousin, Aziz Heydarzadeh, the man who was supposed to protect her. Three months pregnant with their child, Nazila had barely stepped into adulthood. Like many Iranian women before her, she had entered an arranged marriage with her cousin, a practice that binds families together. But this bond would prove fatal. "Aziz wanted out," says Iranian women's rights activist Pardis Rabiei. "He regretted marrying his cousin and demanded a divorce. But Nazila, carrying their child, refused to let her family be torn apart. For this, Aziz brutally killed his wife." After committing the unthinkable, Aziz fled, leaving behind a pregnant teenager's broken dreams and a village stunned into silence. Though authorities eventually caught him, the aftermath follows a chilling pattern in Iran's justice system: he was released, and, like many similar cases involving family ties, he is expected to walk free permanently once the family grants their consent.
The echoes of another brutal killing still haunt Iran's collective memory - the case of Mona Heydari, whose husband beheaded her and paraded her severed head through the streets. Despite the barbarity of his crime, he served a brief sentence before being released with family consent, eventually remarrying as if nothing had happened. These incidents are not isolated. They represent a deep-rooted culture of violence that, while predominantly targeting women who dare to say "no," also reaches beyond gender boundaries to claim victims among children, sexual minorities, and even men who challenge patriarchal norms. IranWire has learned that 23-year-old Fatemeh Davari was murdered by her husband in a village near Bardaskan, Razavi Khorasan province. Fatemeh, who was in the late stages of pregnancy, died after her husband struck her on the head and strangled her with a rope. Fatemeh had been married once before and had a young daughter from her first marriage. Married as a teenager and becoming a mother at a young age, she endured severe physical abuse in her second marriage. A source said, "Her husband had ongoing issues with her and would often beat her. On the day of the murder, after killing Fatemeh, he dug a pit in his shop and buried her body there. Unbelievably, he continued his daily work, walking over her grave without showing any signs of remorse." Sources close to Fatemeh's family revealed that after the murder, her husband used her phone to send text messages to himself, writing things like, <Let's leave Iran together. If you don't come, I'll go alone.> These messages were meant to create the false impression that Fatemeh had disappeared voluntarily. Believing that Fatemeh had fled to Turkey with another man, her family initially remained silent and did not investigate her disappearance. However, as time passed and there was no news from her, they grew suspicious - especially since her husband made no effort to find his missing pregnant wife. Police intervention ultimately led to the discovery of Fatemeh's body, and her husband confessed to the murder. Fatemeh Davari is the third pregnant woman murdered by her husband in the past 10 months. In July 2024, the human rights organization Hengaw reported the murder of Bayan Amiri, a pregnant woman and mother of a two-year-old, in Paveh. According to Hengaw's report, Bayan’s husband initially claimed that she and their child had died in a car accident. However, four months after fabricating this story, he confessed to killing them. Reports revealed that he had deliberately driven his pregnant wife and two-year-old child into the waters of Darian Dam in Paveh, leaving them to drown. Family sources said that Bayan Amiri's mother suffered a heart attack and died after hearing her son-in-law's confession. In Iran, official bodies do not provide accurate statistics on femicides, but Iranian newspapers have reported on the issue. According to Etemad newspaper, 78 women were murdered by their relatives or family members between March and September 2024. In 2023, Shargh newspaper reported that male family members killed at least 165 women between 2021 and 2023. Twenty-seven women were murdered in the first three months of 2023 alone, with <honor killings> cited as a primary motive. These figures only account for the murders reported in various publications, and the actual number is likely much higher.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/women/138199-two-pregnant-women-murdered-by-husbands-in-iran/

Jinha - Womens News Agency - January 13, 2024
<<Women journalists in Rojhelat work underground due to repression of regime
Women journalists in Rojhelat work largely underground due to the pervasive repression of the Iranian regime from the beginning of the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" uprising in 2022 to the tenure of Masoud Pezeshkian.
News Center- Protests sparked in Rojhelat and Iran following the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini by Iran's so-called <morality police> in Tehran on September 16, 2022. This uprising is also known as the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom)" uprisings or revolution because women chanted the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" slogan at the protests. Many Iranian analysts think of the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" uprising as a pivotal moment in the country’s history. This uprising has significantly shifted the political landscape, rendering the prospect of reform within the Islamic Republic of Iran's political system increasingly marginalized, even among the government's middle echelons. One of the uprising's immediate consequences was the militarization of various sectors, from politics to media and the free flow of information, particularly in Iran's Kurdish regions. Simultaneously, the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" slogan, with its deep roots in the Kurdish freedom movement, has faced co-optation and hegemonization by Iranian centrists, both within and outside the country. This has created substantial obstacles to amplifying the voices of minorities, particularly the Kurds. Moreover, internal fragmentation within Kurdish political perspectives, combined with the absence of a robust, agile, and multidimensional media platform, has further hindered the movement's ability to project the full scope of the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ ideology and its aspirations. In this article, NuJINHA draws attention to the pervasive repression of the Iranian regime on women journalists from the beginning of the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" uprising in 2022 to the tenure of Masoud Pezeshkian and the role of women in journalism in Rojhelat (Eastern Kurdistan or Iranian Kurdistan).>>
Read it here: Source: https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/women-journalists-in-rojhelat-work-underground-due-to-repression-of-regime-36325

NCRI - January 10, 2025 - in articles, Women's News
<<The Hidden Horrors of Adelabad Prison: A Human Rights Crisis in Iran
Adelabad Prison, located in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, is notorious for its long-standing violations of human rights. This grim institution houses political, ideological, and general prisoners under conditions that reflect a systematic disregard for human dignity. Reports from former inmates reveal inhumane treatment, rampant torture, and appalling living conditions, especially in the women's ward. These accounts provide a stark illustration of the clerical regime’s widespread and systematic human rights abuses.
The Women's Ward: A Microcosm of Injustice
The women's ward in Adelabad Prison consists of eight rooms, one designated for political and financial prisoners, separated from the others. Currently, three female political prisoners-Hoda Mehregan, Maryam Deris, and Hakimeh Honarmand-are held in this ward under harsh and degrading conditions.
Hoda Mehregan, arrested alongside her father Mohammad-Ali Mehregan, endured 40 to 50 days in solitary confinement.
Hakimeh Honarmand, a political prisoner from the 1980s, has faced years of imprisonment and security pressures. She was arrested with her son.
Maryam Deris, a master’s student from the southwestern city of Kazerun, was detained during the nationwide protests of 2022. The ward is overcrowded, forcing many prisoners to sleep <book-style> (side by side, with barely any room to move) on cold, unheated floors. Poor sanitation exacerbates the dire conditions, with toilets and showers inside the rooms, emitting foul odors that permeate the air. The lack of heating during the winter months makes survival even more challenging.
Health and Sanitation Crisis
Prisoners in the women's ward face severe health challenges due to unhygienic conditions and inadequate medical care. Skin diseases are widespread, and the overcrowded environment fosters the rapid spread of illnesses. Drug-addicted inmates receive sedatives instead of proper treatment, further neglecting their health needs. This negligence harms both the physical and mental well-being of all prisoners, compounding their suffering.
Historical Context of Adelabad Prison
Adelabad Prison, constructed during the reign of the Shah, has become a symbol of the Iranian regime's oppressive policies over the past decades. It has consistently served as a detention center for political dissidents, journalists, human rights activists, and protesting women. During the 1980s, Adelabad was infamous for the brutal torture and execution of political prisoners. Survivors of this period have testified to the horrific methods employed, leaving many with lasting physical and psychological scars. These historical atrocities underscore the regime's enduring disregard for fundamental human rights.
A Systematic Policy of Repression
The conditions at Adelabad Prison reflect the Iranian regime’s deliberate strategy to break the spirit of dissenters. The lack of basic sanitary, medical, and living facilities is not incidental but a calculated effort to crush resistance. Reports from international human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned these practices, yet the regime continues its widespread violations with impunity. The inhumane conditions in Adelabad Prison's women’s ward offer just a glimpse of the broader human rights crisis in Iran. Political and general prisoners alike endure unimaginable suffering, stripped of their basic rights. The global community and human rights organizations must act, amplifying the voices of those silenced behind prison walls. Ignoring this ongoing injustice only perpetuates the cycle of oppression and suffering. Adelabad Prison stands as a stark reminder of the clerical regime's systemic human rights abuses, calling for urgent international attention and action.>>
Source: https://wncri.org/2025/01/10/adelabad-prison-human-rights-crisis/

and other actual news

Iranwire - January 18, 2027
<<Two Senior Iranian Judges Shot Dead in Tehran
Two senior judges of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Court , Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, were killed in an armed attack in Tehran on Saturday. Both were high-ranking officials notorious for issuing harsh sentences, including executions. The attacker used a handgun to carry out the shootings before taking own life, Fars news agency reported. Iran's judiciary said a <planned assassination> was carried out by <an armed infiltrator> inside the Supreme Court building. <Based on preliminary investigations, the individual in question neither had a case in the Supreme Court nor was a visitor to its branches,> the judiciary said. Mohammad Moghiseh, also known as <Nasirian,> also a cleric, was a notorious violator of human rights through his work as a judge of the Islamic Revolutionary Court. He issued many death sentences, long prison terms, and oversaw the abuse of detainees and their families. His actions placed him on the European Union and United States sanctions lists. He presided over the trials of many political prisoners who supported the 2009 Green Movement and were arrested after protesting the results of that year's presidential elections.
Following his death, former detainees recalled his harsh and abusive behavior, with some recounting traumatic memories that underscored his severe and even extrajudicial practices. In recent years, the Iranian authorities transferred Moghiseh from the Revolutionary Court to the Supreme Court, where he served as a branch head and judge at the time of his assassination.
Ali Razini, another infamous judicial official, was assassinated alongside Maqiseh. At the time of his death, Razini was the head of Branch 41 of the Supreme Court. Razini was one of the most influential judicial figures in the Islamic Republic and played a prominent role in the systematic violation of Iranian citizens' human rights. He was also sanctioned by the EU and the US officials. Before his tenure at the Supreme Court, Razini held numerous high-ranking positions, including Prosecutor of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Head of the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces, Chief Justice of Tehran Province, Head of the Administrative Justice Court, Chief Judge of the Special Clerical Court, and Legal Deputy to the Chief Justice.
During the presidency of the Mohammad Khatami, a leading figure in the Islamic Republic's reformist faction, Razini, as Chief Justice of Tehran Province, played a role in the arrest and prosecution of journalists and Khatami supporters. He survived an assassination attempt during this period, in 1999. Both judges were also heavily implicated in the mass executions of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, the Islamic Republic executed 901 people in 2024. Among those executed were 31 women, many of whom were convicted of murder while defending themselves or their family members from domestic violence, rape, or forced marriage. While most executions were for drug-related offenses, the UN also reported that political dissidents and individuals connected to the 2022 protests were among those exefor Human Rights, the incident occurred on Friday, January 17, 2025. Shokri, who had a pre-existing heart condition and relied on a cardiac pacemaker, experienced a severe health decline and a heart attack. Despite his critical condition, prison authorities delayed his transfer to a hospital, ultimately resulting in his death.>>
Source: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/01/article-26

And related

<<Former Prisoners Recall Brutality of Iran's Killed Judges
Former Iranian prisoners have begun sharing their experiences of having their cases overseen by two notorious judges who were killed on Saturday in Tehran. Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, former torturers at Evin Prison and high-ranking judges responsible for sentencing thousands of prisoners, were shot dead on Saturday morning. The assassination of the senior Islamic Republic judges sparked a wave of reactions on social media, particularly from political activists and former prisoners they had sentenced. Mahdieh Golroo, a political activist and former prisoner, wrote on her X account, "After hearing the news of Mohammad Moghiseh's death, I remembered how, in a two-minute court session, he told my husband, 'You're married to her? That's a crime in itself ... you're going to prison to learn how to control your wife.'" Masoud Kazemi, a journalist, said, "Moghiseh was the judge in my case. He once said, 'We should put gunpowder in your mouth and blow it up.'" Moghiseh was a notorious human rights violator in Iran. As a judge in the Islamic Revolutionary Court, he issued many death sentences, long prison terms, and oversaw the abuse of detainees and their families. His actions placed him on the European Union and United States sanctions lists. He presided over the trials of many political prisoners who supported the Green Movement and were arrested after protesting the results of the 2009 presidential elections. Mahmoud Beheshti Langeroudi, a teachers' union activist, recalled his courtroom encounter with Moghiseh. He said, "In court, I told him, 'I do not recognize you as a legitimate judge and will not answer your questions.'" In response, Moghiseh sentenced Langeroudi to five years in prison, a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court. Moghiseh also issued harsh verdicts against members of religious minorities in Iran. Iqan Shahidi, a former Baha'i prisoner, said, "July 28, 2011: Moghiseh said, 'Are you a Baha'i?' I said, 'That has nothing to do with my charges.' He said, 'I'm asking personally, are you a Baha'i?' I said, 'Yes.' He replied, 'That's enough for me to sentence you to five years.' I asked, 'Is being a Baha'i a crime?' He said, 'Baha'is are spies.' I said, 'All of them?' He said, 'Yes.' I asked, 'Even my one-year-old niece?' After pausing, he said, 'Yes.'" Shahidi added, "I said, 'Maybe one or two Baha'is could be spies, but how can an entire community of 300,000 people all be spies?' He said, 'They are.' I said, 'Then why don't you arrest all of them?' He said, 'We will.' I said, 'If these spies convert to Islam, are they no longer spies?' He said, 'Shut up.'" Mehdi Mousavi, a poet and songwriter who was forced to flee Iran due to a prison sentence, said, "Two years of psychological torture during court sessions and fabricated accusations flashed before my eyes."
Both Razini and Moghiseh were influential and controversial figures in Iran's judiciary. Their careers were marked by key roles in suppressing dissent and issuing severe sentences, including executions.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/news/138244-former-prisoners-recall-brutality-of-irans-killed-judges/

Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - January 19, 2025
<<Prisoner dies due to delayed medical transfer in Ghezel Hesar Prison
Meysam Shokri, a 32-year-old prisoner held in pretrial detention at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj on charges related to drug offenses, has died after suffering a heart attack and not being transferred to a medical facility in a timely manner. According to reports obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the incident occurred on Friday, January 17, 2025. Shokri, who had a pre-existing heart condition and relied on a cardiac pacemaker, experienced a severe health decline and a heart attack. Despite his critical condition, prison authorities delayed his transfer to a hospital, ultimately resulting in his death.>>
Source: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/01/article-26


Zeinab Jalalian
NRCI - January 18, 2025 - In Women's news
<<Zeinab Jalalian: Denied Medical Treatment and Over 100 Days Without Family Visits
Zeinab Jalalian, a political prisoner serving a life sentence, continues to endure her incarceration in Yazd Prison under harsh conditions without access to specialized medical care. This Kurdish political prisoner exiled to Yazd Prison in violation of the principle of separation of crimes, has been barred from visiting her family for more than 100 days. Zeinab Jalalian suffers from kidney, gastrointestinal, and eye ailments. However, due to obstruction by prison officials, she has been denied adequate and consistent medical treatment. Prison authorities have refused to provide her with the results of medical tests and imaging conducted in late October, effectively halting her treatment. Moreover, as per the orders of the Intelligence Ministry, she has been denied family visits since September 22, 2024—a ban that persists months later. Zeinab Jalalian was arrested in 2007 and, in 2009, was sentenced to one year in prison for illegal border crossing. Additionally, she was sentenced to death on charges of <enmity against God> for alleged membership in opposition groups. Her death sentence was upheld by the appeals court and the Supreme Court but later commuted to life
imprisonment. She has repeatedly stated that during her detention, she was subjected to severe torture, including being flogged on the soles of her feet, punched in the stomach, having her head slammed against walls, and being threatened with sexual assault. Jalalian is now in her 17th year of imprisonment.>>
Source: https://wncri.org/2025/01/18/zeinab-jalalian-denied-medical-treatment/

NRCI - January 17, 2025 - In Women's news
<<Renewed Ban on Visits and Phone Calls for Female Political Prisoners in Evin Prison
Nine female political prisoners in Evin Prison, including two inmates on death row-Varisha Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi-have been denied visits with their families and lawyers. Additionally, two other prisoners have been stripped of their right to make phone calls to their families.
The prisoners barred from visits include:
Anisha Assadollahi, Golrokh Iraee, Vida Rabbani, Zahra Safaei, Pakhshan Azizi, Elaheh Fouladi, Motahareh Gouneii, Varisha Moradi, and Maryam Yahyavi. This is not the first time these prisoners have faced such restrictions. Last summer, they were denied visits as punishment for protesting the death penalty. Although that ban was eventually lifted, a new restriction was imposed on January 12, 2025, preventing them from meeting their families again. In addition to being denied visits, political prisoners Maryam Yahyavi and Sakineh Parvaneh have also been deprived of their right to phone their families. This renewed denial of basic rights highlights the ongoing harsh treatment and punitive measures against political prisoners in Iran.>>
Source: https://wncri.org/2025/01/17/female-political-prisoners-in-evin-ban-visits/
cuted.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/news/138232-two-senior-iranian-judges-shot-dead-in-tehran/


Pezhman Askarpour
Iranwire - January 17, 2027
<<IRGC Agents Detain Rapper in Iran, Whereabouts Unknown
The Islamic Republic's security forces have detained protest rapper Pezhman Askarpour in Izeh, with no information about his condition or location provided to his family since his arrest. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence agents arrested Askarpour, 31, on January 13 after raiding his home the previous day and seizing his mobile phone and personal items. Askarpour's family has been unable to obtain any information about his whereabouts or potential charges despite repeated inquiries. The rapper has previously faced detention and was reportedly tortured during an earlier arrest, suffering injuries to his ear and shoulder, Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported. The reason for his current detention remains unknown.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/society/138213-irgc-agents-detain-rapper-in-iran-whereabouts-unknown/

Iranwire - January 17, 2027
<<Iranian Activist Mohammad Nourizad Attacked in Evin Prison
Mohammad Nourizad, a 73-year-old political activist, suffered severe injuries in an assault by another inmate at Tehran's Evin Prison, prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has said. Sotoudeh shared on Instagram that her husband, Reza Khandan, revealed during a prison phone call that an inmate attacked Nourizad with boiling water from a thermos, causing severe burns. Despite experiencing three episodes of severe health deterioration, Nourizad's requests for proper medical care were denied. The incident raises particular concern given Nourizad's age and preexisting conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. He has previously staged hunger and medication strikes while imprisoned for his political activism.
Nourizad is one of 14 signatories of a 2019 statement calling for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's resignation, the abolition of the Islamic Republic, and the establishment of a secular government.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/138203-iranian-activist-mohammad-nourizad-attacked-in-evin-prison/

Iranwire - January 17, 2027
<<Three Men Executed in Iran for Alleged Murders
Three Iranian men were executed on Wednesday at Shiraz Central Prison after being convicted of alleged murder.
Farrokh Nasiri, 40, and Payam Cheraghi, 36, both from Najafabad in Isfahan province, were executed following their conviction in a joint murder case from four years ago. The third man, Mansour Qolizadeh from Rafsanjan in Kerman province, was executed after spending three years in detention for what authorities described as an <honor>-related killing. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, the Islamic Republic executed 901 people in 2024. Among those executed were 31 women, many of whom were convicted of murder while defending themselves or their family members from domestic violence, rape, or forced marriage. While most executions were for drug-related offenses, the UN also reported that political dissidents and individuals connected to the 2022 protests were among those executed.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/news/138207-three-men-executed-in-iran-for-alleged-murders/

Iranwire - January 17, 2027
<<Iran Arrests Brother of Slain Protester
Idris Haji Rasulpour, whose brother died in custody during Iran's "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests, was arrested on Thursday and taken to Bukan Central Prison to serve a three-month sentence. Rasulpour, from Alikand village near Bukan, was convicted by Branch 101 of the Bukan Criminal Court on charges of <propaganda against the Islamic Republic.> Security forces initially arrested him in May 2024 during a raid on his family home after he participated in Newroz celebrations. Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported that Rasulpour was released on bail pending trial. His brother, Mohammad Haji Rasulpour, 57, died in December 2022 at Bukan's Qolipour Hospital after falling into a coma. According to Hengaw, Mohammad's coma resulted from torture and being denied water for three weeks while in security detention. He had previously been held as a political prisoner.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/news/138204-iran-arrests-brother-of-slain-protester/

Iranwire - January 17, 2027
<<Iran Detains Eight More Citizens in Khuzestan province
Eight more citizens have been arrested by security forces in Iran's Khuzestan province, adding to the dozens of detentions reported in the region over the past week. In Shadegan, authorities arrested Emad Mazraeh on January 10, followed by Hossein Albuobaid and Bagher Shavardi on January 13. During the arrests of Mazraeh and Albuobaid, security forces searched their homes and confiscated family members' phones. Five more individuals - Hossein Shalibavi, Ma'leh Shavardi, Mohsen Berihi, Ahmad Zanbouri, and Tareq Janami - were detained in Ahvaz on January 11. The reasons for these arrests and the locations where the detainees are being held remain unknown. These latest detentions are part of a broader crackdown in Khuzestan province, where human rights sources have previously identified 30 other individuals who have been taken into custody. The wave of arrests continues to spread across the southwestern province, with no official explanation provided for the increasing number of detentions.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/news/138144-iran-detains-eight-more-citizens-in-khuzestan-province/


Ebrahim Nabavi
Iranwire - January 16, 2027
<<Iranian Journalist Ebrahim Nabavi Dies by Suicide After Lifetime of Exile
Ebrahim Nabavi, an Iranian writer, journalist and satirist, died by suicide on Wednesday in Silver Spring, Maryland, his family confirmed. He was 64.
In a statement announcing his death, Nabavi's daughters revealed that their father had struggled with depression and deep homesickness during his years in exile. "The impossibility of living in his homeland weighed heavily on him," they said. "He died without ever reconciling with the forced exile that kept him away from Iran." Nabavi was a prominent Iranian journalist known for his satirical writings and contributions to various publications in the 1980s and 1990s. His career in Iran ended in the early 2000s following a court conviction, leading to his departure from the country. Although he had expressed hopes of eventually returning to Iran, Nabavi remained in exile until his death. His personal struggle echoes the experiences of many Iranian intellectuals and artists who have been forced to live away from their homeland.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/news/138170-iranian-journalist-ebrahim-nabavi-dies-by-suicide-after-lifetime-of-exile/


Mahnaz Tarah
Iranwire - January 16, 2027
<<Iranian Supreme Court Denies Retrials for Two Political Prisoners
The Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic has rejected retrial requests for Mehrdad Bakhtiari, the uncle of a protester killed in November 2019, and Mahnaz Tarah, a political prisoner currently held in Evin Prison, their lawyer has said. Lawyer Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani said that while retrial requests for four other defendants were approved, the court denied the appeals of Bakhtiari and Tarah. Bakhtiari, whose nephew Pouya was killed by security forces during the November 2019 fuel price protests, is serving a six-year prison sentence. The Karaj Revolutionary Court convicted him on charges of <propaganda against the Islamic Republic> and <assembly and collusion against national security.> His sentence also includes a two-year travel ban and exile to Shahr-e Kord. Tarah was initially arrested during the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests. Although she was released under a general amnesty decree, she faced new charges last year. A court sentenced her to three years and eight months in prison for <assembly and collusion to commit crimes,> along with an additional eight months for <propaganda against the Islamic Republic.> Her sentence was later reduced to two years and nine months. During her initial detention following the 2022 protests, Tarah was held in Qarchak Prison in Varamin before being transferred to Evin Prison, where she is currently serving her sentence.>>
Source: https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/138171-iranian-supreme-court-denies-retrials-for-two-political-prisoners/

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