Iranian Republic

Why Iran’s coronavirus pandemic is also a crisis of human rights

Nazanin Boniadi is an actress, activist and a member of the Board of Directors at the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

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OPEN LETTER TO RELEASE IRAN'S FEMALE PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE DURING PANDEMIC

In this COVID-19 pandemic, Iran is suffering one of the most damaging and deadliest outbreaks of any country in the world. Last week, the Iranian parliament's research centre released a report, written by independent experts, asserting that the true death toll could be nearly double the official figures and the number of infections may be up to 10 times higher.[1] If confirmed, these numbers would make Iran the country with the highest number of cases in the world. A study by Iran’s prestigious Sharif University warns that the death toll may rise to 3.5 million in a worst-case scenario.[2]

Women In Virus-hit Iran Tech Sector Fight To Keep Hard-won Jobs

From the hustle and bustle of a startup, Fereshteh Kasrai now works from home, like many Iranian women fighting to keep hard-won tech jobs as the coronavirus outbreak stirs uncertainty.

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Covid-19: Hitting Iran’s minorities harder

Initial data of Covid-19 mortality rates in the United States suggest that in several regions and cities, the virus hits minority communities harder than the general population.

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Labor Activist In Iran Summoned To Prison Amid Coronavirus Threat

The Free Trade Union of Workers in Iran has reported that a member of its board of directors, Ms. Nahid Khodajo, was summoned to Tehran's Evin Prison, to serve her sentence amid the coronavirus crisis.

In Iran, Isolated musicians perform from rooftops

On the rooftop terrace of her Tehran apartment building, 28-year-old Mojgan Hosseini’s fingers pluck the strings of her qanun, an ancient stringed instrument, bringing life to an Iranian capital stilled by the coronavirus.

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Pandemic Exposes the Paranoid Style of Iran’s Supreme Leader

On March 22, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to ravage Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggested that the United States bore responsibility for his nation’s plight. In a speech rejecting US offers of medical aid, Khamenei declared—echoing a claim first promulgated by Chinese officials—that America may have created the virus in a deliberate effort to target Iranians.

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Pandemic reveals Iran's online-learning challenges

In response to Iran’s coronavirus outbreak in late February, one of the government’s first actions was to close schools and universities on March 5, leaving the education of millions of students in limbo. The prolonged shutdown has led to major challenges for students, parents and teachers.

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Amidst health crisis, Iran must release Baha’is in prison

The Baha’i International Community is deeply concerned for the well-being of Baha’is that remain in prison in Iran.

Iran urged to immediately release prisoners of conscience and dual and foreign nationals at risk of COVID-19

UN human rights experts* today called on Iran to expand its temporary release of thousands of detainees to include prisoners of conscience and dual and foreign nationals still being held despite serious risk of COVID-19 infection. The country has been hit hard by COVID-19, with Health Ministry officials reporting one person dies every 10 minutes from the virus.