Human Rights Tracker

On July 1st, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed conservative hardliner Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei to Iran’s highest judicial position in a move that signals darker times ahead for

Over the past week, Iranian workers in the oil and petrochemical industries have organized a national strike calling for better wages, payment of back wages,

In addition to the process that brought Raisi to power, there are rightful concerns over his appalling human rights record.

Less than four months after the tragic death of Iranian prisoner of conscience Behnam Mahjoubi, another political prisoner has died in the custody of Iranian

Thirty-five-year-old French citizen, Benjamin Brière, was arrested in Iran in May of 2020 for allegedly flying a drone and taking photos in a restricted area

As an outspoken advocate for Iranian human rights, Mohammadi has led the charge to abolish the death penalty, and continued her human rights work from

Only 22-years old, Kord Afshari continues to resist the intimidation tactics of Iranian authorities. Rather than surrendering to silence, the young activist began a hunger

Alireza Fazeli Monfared was only 20-years old and just beginning his adult life. Any life taken so violently is appalling, but the case of Alireza

On May 1st, welcome news was reported of Arash Sadeghi’s release from prison in Iran, after serving nearly six years as a prisoner of conscience.

The worst cruelty that Zaghari-Ratcliffe has suffered is missing her daughter grow up, a loss that can never be reconciled. Her mother-in-law, Barbara Ratcliffe, was

This week, Moore-Gilbert wrote a moving piece about her experiences in the Iranian judicial system—which is notorious for violating the rights and due process that

The Center for Human Rights in Iran reported this week that well-known Iranian labor rights activist, Jafar Azimzadeh, was released from prison on April 10th.

The Namazi family issued another statement on April 3rd to mark 2,000 days that Siamak has spent, and continues to spend, in an Iranian prison.

While the new Biden administration claims to center human rights in its foreign policy, it has continued policies that exacerbate the human cost of a

For the last 12 years, Amnesty International has organized an inspiring campaign to send letters, cards, and Norooz greetings to remind prisoners of conscience that

Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was first detained by Iranian authorities in 2016—as she was leaving Iran after visiting her family—on accusations of spying. Espionage and collaborating to

As the twentieth century saw massive change, upheaval, and social transformations on a global scale, the position of women in society was no exception. International

Amnesty International reported yesterday on the unlawful killings of protestors in Baluchistan and called for an independent investigation. Protests erupted last week in Iran’s southeastern

The investigation into the events leading to and following the shooting of the civilian aircraft was conducted by two U.N. experts: Ms. Agnès Callamard, Special

We join the calls demanding Iranian authorities provide immediate and proper medical treatment to save Mahjoubi’s life, which should never have been endangered in the

Reports this week confirmed that prominent Iranian journalist Saba Azarpeik was arrested by Iranian authorities and soon released on bail. Azarpeik is known for her

As internet researchers and human rights advocates have noted, Signal has been blocked and unblocked in Iran in the past, however, it seems following a

No doubt the case of Sharghi, as well as the release of other American dual nationals unjustly held in Iran—such as father and son, Baquer

On its site, the COVAX initiative states, “At an early stage during this pandemic, it quickly became apparent that to end this global crisis we

While it was reported in December that Iran’s Cabinet had allocated $150,000 compensation for each family, Ukrainian officials and the families of the victims demanded

Every individual has the right to a fair trial with procedural regularity if true justice is to be achieved. However, as the U.N. OHCHR stated,

As the case of Moore-Gilbert illustrates, the issue of foreign and dual national detentions in Iran often takes place within a contentious political context. Iranian

Iranians across the globe marked the anniversary of the protests and the ensuing vicious crackdown on Sunday, November 15th. NIAC issued a statement calling on

News broke today that Nasrin Sotoudeh has tested positive for Covid-19. We continue to follow the case of the renowned Iranian human rights lawyer, who

Ali Alinejad, the brother of prominent Iranian political activist, Masih Alinejad, was first detained in September of 2019, along with other members of Alinejad’s family.

As Iranian Americans we express our outrage and concern over the continued detention of business executive and humanitarian Siamak Namazi by security authorities in Iran.

With her health declining and life in danger, Nasrin Sotoudeh finally broke her hunger strike after more than 45 days. A fearless human rights defender,

Calls for the release of prisoners wrongly held by Iranian authorities have continued to grow louder as unjust detentions of dual nationals, human rights activists,

Monday, September 14th marked the 35th day of Nasrin Sotoudeh’s hunger strike, which she began over a month ago in protest of prison conditions, the

The shocking news of Navid Afkari’s execution, an Iranian wrestling-champion who was only 27 years old, has shaken many in our community, the sporting world,

As Iran has seen a recent boost in women coming forward to share their #MeToo stories, it is only appropriate to recognize the continued struggle

Despite temporarily releasing thousands of prisoners to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in crowded jails, Iranian authorities have failed to release political prisoners or prominent

This week reports confirm that Moore-Gilbert was moved from Evin Prison in Tehran, to a remote location in Qarchak women’s prison, which is notorious for

This week saw continued efforts by Iranian authorities to use any means necessary to silence their critics. In separate cases, Iranian officials demonstrated their means

The video of Mohammadi’s young children imploring others to be the voice of their mother, so that they could hear their mother’s voice, struck a

On July 8th 2020, Adib Vali received a call from his principal at the Salam School in Tehran with news that he cannot enroll in

Yesterday, Iranian social media finally erupted in unison, calling on Iranian authorities to stop the execution of the three young protestors and ending the use

Iranian social media erupted in anger and condemnation after tragic news that an Iranian man was executed in the city of Mashhad for alcohol consumption.

It is no coincidence that prominent female activists have not only been kept in jail during the pandemic, but that they are facing new charges

Human rights activists have reported that three young Iranian men are at risk of execution after the Iranian Supreme Court upheld their initial verdict. Amir-Hossein

The pageantry and celebrations of Pride that have become familiar to us were born in protest and a movement for equal rights before the law.

Iranians across the nation, and across the globe, have taken to social media to express their sorrow and anger over the death of a 14-year-old

Fariba Adelkhah, a French-Iranian Anthropologist, was detained in June of 2019 on a visit to Iran. Dr. Adelkhah is a researcher at international research university

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling on Iranian authorities to cease prosecutions of protestors following the accidental shooting of a Ukrainian airliner in January, which

While Iranians endure internet filters and censorship, the popular social media site Instagram continues to be permissible. Like all social media, this has provided a

Hamid Namjoo was arrested in 2018 and accused of “waging propaganda against the Islamic Republic”. After a three-week detention, Namjoo was released on bail to

After being detained in February by Iranian authorities and going silent on social media, student activist Zia Nabavi returned to Twitter on March 31st to

In some welcome good news, Kamal Foroughi, a British-Iranian dual national who was arrested in Iran in 2011 on spying charges, has finally returned home

Nasrin Sotoudeh, the well-known human rights attorney who has twice been imprisoned and is currently serving a 38-year sentence in Iran for her work as

For the last 12 years Amnesty International has organized a campaign around the Persian New Year, or Nowruz, to show solidarity with prisoners of conscience