Nov. 9 – The US State Department said it believed that an Iranian-American journalist who had previously worked for a US government-funded broadcaster had been detained in Iran.
Reza Valizadeh, who worked for Radio Farda, is reported to have been imprisoned for several months in Iran. Iranian authorities have not commented on the allegations.
The Islamic Republic is currently holding three French nationals in detention. Rights groups have called the detention of foreign nationals in Iran arbitrary and part of a government policy to use hostages as leverage in political negotiations.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry accused Iran of killing Jamshid Sharmahd before his reported execution last month. Sharmahd was charged with “corruption on Earth” and sentenced to death in 2023.
The ministry said the Iranian-German national had been denied urgent medical care while in prison and that officials had intentionally blocked access to treatment, following an announcement by Iran’s judiciary that he had died before being executed.
Sharmahd’s daughter Gazelle said she did not trust reports by Iranian authorities and asked for an independent international investigation.
And a 16-year-old girl is believed to have died by suicide in Iran after plunging from a rooftop, following threats by her school that she could be expelled for dancing in public without her veil.
Arezoo Khavari was also sent home from a school trip for violating the dress code by wearing jeans instead of the prescribed uniform.
The Islamic Republic has a legally enforceable dress code, which rights bodies have called out in recent years for disproportionately targeting girls and women, along with increasingly harsh punishments and penalties reserved for females in the country.
