Taher Ghadirian, Houman Jowkar, Morad Tahbaz and Niloufar Bayani were charged with capital offenses, that could result in their execution, for their work monitoring rare and disappearing whildlife using camera traps. Two of the three scientists serve on the International Union for Conservation of Nature, all four are widely respected. Five other scientists were similarly arrested and charged - ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Teacher Arrested in Classroom in Front of His Students
Mohammad Habibi, a 29 year-old teacher, was arrested on March 3, 2018 in front of his students by the Revolutionary Guards. Habibi has since been sentenced for 10.5 years in prison for “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security,” “spreading propaganda against the system,” and “disturbing public order.” Habibi is an active member of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade ... Continue Reading>>
Environmental Scientists Being Detained In Iran and Accused of Spying
Several environmental scientists have been arrested in Iran and accused of spying on nuclear facilities. One of the scientists, an American citizen Morad Tahbaz, graduate of Columbia University, is co-founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Members of the Foundation have openly opposed installation of underground nuclear and missile launch facilities on protected lands. Its managing ... Continue Reading>>
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Rules That Iran Has Violated Xiyue Wang’s Rights And He Should Be Released
On August 7, 2016 Mr. Wang, while completing research on his PhD dissertation, was detained in solitary confinement for 18 days and has been imprisoned since that date. He was sentenced on July 16, 2017 to ten years for ‘collaboration with a hostile state’ and “espionage”. Mr. Wang’s physical and emotional health has been deteriorating over this time: denied proper medical care and subjected ... Continue Reading>>
Narges Mohammadi Again Rushed to Hospital for Emergency Medical Care
Narges Mohammadi, Iranian Physicist and human rights advocate was again rushed to a hospital for emergency care while serving an 18-year sentence for her work advocating for women’s rights in Iran. On July 3 Mohammadi had gallbladder surgery and was taken back to prison. A few days later she began having convulsions and seizures and was taken back to the hospital. CCS has written President ... Continue Reading>>
Oxford Doctoral Student Arrested in Iran for Unspecified Reasons
Mohammadreza Jalaleipour, a 34-year-old Ph.D. Student at Oxford University was arrested in Iran on April 18, 2018. He has had brief phone calls to his family, and no access to an attorney. The cause is unknown at this time. In 2009 Jalaeipour was detained for several months following the presidential election but was never prosecuted. Of concern is that Jalaleipour’s father is a member of the ... Continue Reading>>
Human Rights Groups Write United Nations Rapporteurs Requesting Review of Djalali Case
Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali is still sentenced to death in Iran for espionage, according to the Iranian authorities. Many human rights organizations have written directly to the Ayatollah and the President requesting dismissal of his case and his release. Many have now requested the United Nations Special Rapporteurs intercede on his behalf and at a minimum dismiss the death sentence he faces. CCS’ ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Politial Scientist Arrested for Comments Made During Public Interview
Sadegh Zibakalam, a political scientist at the University of Tehran and Islamic Azad University was arrested following a January 2018 interview regarding the December 2017 protests. He was interviewed by the Deutsche Welle Persian Service, a broadcaster that has been banned in Iran. This interview led to an 18 month sentence for “spreading propaganda against the establishment and the dissemination ... Continue Reading>>
Ahmadreza Djalali Writes Supporters Pleading for Their Continued Advocacy. Physical Condition In Prison Deteriorating.
Ahmadreza Djalali, emergency and disaster medicine physician and lecturer, is still confined in a prison in Iran awaiting execution (or a reversal of his sentence). He came, by invitation, to lecture university students when he was arrested and accused of spying. The trial was unusual, he was initially banned from seeing family or an attorney; and during the trial was allegedly not allowed to ... Continue Reading>>
British-Iranian Citizen Detained In Iran for “Security Charges”
On April 15, 2018, Abbas Edalat, a computer scientist and mathematics professor at the Imperial College in London, England, was detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. He has been accused of being one of a group of British spies. There has, however, been no information presented substantiating such a claim. Professor Edalat is a vocal opponent of economic sanctions against Iran. ... Continue Reading>>