Aug. 23 – Nurses across Iran have staged nationwide protests over low pay and harsh working conditions, as the country battles critically low numbers of nursing staff.
The protests, which are in their second week, have been met with support by the country’s union of truck drivers, who have also demonstrated in recent months over their working conditions.
There are currently only 215,000 nurses in Iran, earning an average monthly salary of $250.
Iran’s judiciary shut down branches of several organizations linked to Germany over what it called “illegal activities and financial fraud.”
The closures follow a ban by Germany in July of the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH) and subsidiary organizations for “pursuing radical Islamist goals,” according to the interior ministry.
The closure of the German organizations in Iran is believed by Germany to be a retaliation for Germany’s ban on the centre.
And the Islamic Republic’s increased use of the death penalty was condemned by Human Rights Watch, following another sharp rise in executions, which took place after the presidential elections in June.
Iran authorities are believed to have executed at least 87 people in July, and an additional 29 prisoners in August.
Human Rights Watch called the killings an “egregious execution spree” in a statement on its website.
