March 10 – The United Kingdom announced a fresh round of sanctions to coincide with International Women’s Day which targeted Iranian officials believed to be violating women’s human rights in the country.
The sanctions were placed on the Iranian government’s “Enjoining Right and Forbidding Evil in Iran” its top human rights watchdog, and the head of the body, Mohammed Golpayegani.
At least 66 women have died during the latest round of anti-government protests in Iran, causing a global outcry, including strong condemnation by the United Nations and international rights bodies.
Iran’s government has been urged to release a journalist in Iran who had been reporting on the mysterious spate of poisonings in schools across the country which have left more than 5,000 girls affected.
Ali Pourtabatabaei had been covering the poisonings since they began in November, and had been critical of the government’s inaction over the incidents. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the government to release the reporter immediately.
RSF said Iran’s government had a track record of detaining journalists who exposed stories which might embarrass them, and that an estimated 30 journalists, most of whom were detained during the protests, remained in custody.
And the family of a man killed during a military attack in Iraq’s Kurdistan region in September by Iran’s government, has filed a lawsuit against the Islamic Republic in Washington.
The suit, which was filed by Omar Mahmoudzadeh’s wife and daughter, asks for $300 million in punitive damages and $50 million in compensation.
The lawsuit also accuses the Iranian government of engaging in acts of terrorism.
