THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 2:00 PM
US Dollar Hits Record High in Iran, Approaching 63,000 Tomans
In less than 10 days, the exchange rate of the US dollar in Iran’s free market has once again set a new record, reaching nearly 63,000 Tomans on Thursday, April 4. Over the past month alone, the Iranian rial has lost approximately 14% of its value.
Less than 9 days ago, on March 25, while Iranians were immersed in Nowruz festivities, the value of the Iranian currency had set a new record, reaching 61,350 Tomans. This comes despite promises made by Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, during his election campaign to preserve the value of the rial and control inflation. However, since his government took office in August 2021, the exchange rate of the dollar against the Iranian rial has more than doubled.
Authorities of the Iranian regime do not explain why the value of the Iranian rial is plummeting at such a rapid pace, and Iran’s customs administration is still procrastinating in announcing the country’s foreign trade status for the year 1402 on the Iranian calendar (March 24- March 2024).
In recent months, due to the surge in the negative trade balance of non-oil trade, Iran’s customs and economic ministry officials have also added statistics on oil exports, electricity, and engineering services to the country’s customs statistics to make the massive negative trade balance of non-oil trade more apparent.
Alarming Rise in Suicidal Thoughts Among Families with Autistic Children
The CEO of the Iranian Autism Association recently expressed concerns about the lack of attention from the Ministry of Health and other government bodies regarding the assessment of the autism community in Iran. Saeedeh Saleh Ghaffari highlighted the worrying increase in suicide ideation among families dealing with autism.
According to her, despite repeated requests, there has been no positive response from authorities regarding the comprehensive assessment of the autism community. Urgent needs include access to demographic and statistical information, currently lacking in governmental possession.
Financial burdens on families with autistic members, ranging from 13 to 15 million tomans, coupled with inflation, pose significant challenges. Recent tragic incidents, such as a mother killing her autistic child in Khorramabad, emphasize the need for greater awareness and support. There is a critical lack of awareness in society regarding autism, necessitating education across various sectors, including schools and public transportation systems.
Iran Executes 853 People in Eight-Year High Amid Relentless Repression And Renewed ‘War On Drugs’
Robust international action is urgently needed to halt a horrifying surge in executions that saw Iran’s prisons transformed into sites of mass killings in 2023, said Amnesty International. In a new research briefing published today the organization highlights that at least 481 executions – more than half of the total 853 executions recorded in 2023 – were carried out for drug-related offences.
New @amnesty research briefing out today:
Iran executes 853 people in eight-year high amid relentless repression and renewed lethal ‘war on drugs’ https://t.co/qHB8Vs7yoH pic.twitter.com/mfafv0sHRT
— Amnesty Iran (@AmnestyIran) April 4, 2024
“Don’t Let Them Kill Us”: Iran’s Relentless Execution Crisis since 2022 Uprising reveals how the Iranian authorities have intensified their use of the death penalty to instil fear among the population and tighten their grip on power in the aftermath of the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising of September-December 2022. The briefing also raises the alarm over the disproportionate impact of the authorities’ lethal anti-narcotics policies on poor and marginalized communities.
UN Rights Council Votes to Maintain Iran Scrutiny
#HRC55 | Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.6 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of #Iran was ADOPTED. pic.twitter.com/V32cNWak58
— United Nations Human Rights Council | #HRC55 (@UN_HRC) April 4, 2024
The United Nations’ top rights body extended the mission, and the mandate of the council’s special rapporteur on Iran, Javaid Rehman, with 24 votes in favour, eight against and 15 abstentions in the 47-member chamber.
It said the extension for Rehman was necessary to “continue to monitor the ongoing situation of human rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights”.
It also decided to keep up the fact-finding mission to allow it to complete its work, “including by ensuring that the large amount of evidence of human rights violations” relating to the protests, “especially with respect to women and children, is fully and effectively documented, verified, consolidated and preserved”.
The extension of the mandates of the @UN_HRC International Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in #Iran is a necessary step in confronting the systematic violations of #HumanRights and crimes against humanity committed by the Iranian… pic.twitter.com/MgogzNIm0F
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 4, 2024
UPDATE: 10:00 AM
The Persistence of Scrutiny: Iran’s History Under the Lens of Human Rights
On March 19, an independent fact-finding mission delivered a significant report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, laying bare a series of human rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian government amidst the tumultuous uprisings beginning in September 2022.
Not unexpectedly, the Iranian regime mounted a defense, launching accusations of political bias against the council and the mission, all the while failing to effectively dispute the veracity of the evidence presented or question the legitimacy of the drawn conclusions. Such a reaction from Tehran is indicative of their vexation at the erosion of their traditionally unyielding control over the narrative of internal affairs.
Iran’s 46% Inflation Could Help Bring Down The Mullahs’ Tyrannical Regime – Struan Stevenson
Iran‘s economy is facing a severe crisis as its local currency, the rial, continues to plummet in value against the US dollar, causing significant financial distress for the population. As 87 million beleaguered Iranians welcomed the Persian New Year, they didn’t have much to celebrate. Many have witnessed their life savings evaporate as the rial’s value has dwindled.
On March 24, the currency fell to a record low of 613,500 to the dollar, reflecting a sharp decline from previous levels. This drastic devaluation has eroded the purchasing power of the Iranian people, leading to a loss of savings, and making it increasingly difficult to afford basic necessities. This came less than a month after a parliamentary election that saw the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with only an estimated 8.2 per cent of the population participating in what was a sham poll, dominated by hand-picked, hard-line candidates who regularly chant “Death to America” inside parliament. The mullahs have further angered Western countries by supplying armed drones to Russia that have been used in its illegal war in Ukraine.
Raisi’s Failure and The Explosive Conditions in Iran
On March 29, Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’I, the head of the Iranian regime’s judiciary, who was visiting the tomb of regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini, made remarks that are indicative of the regime’s desperation in the face of crises that surround it from within and outside, as well as the rulers’ fear of explosive societal conditions. While attributing the regime’s crisis to external forces, Eje’I, said, “Today, enemies and demons are striving to create division, pessimism, hopelessness, and despair among the people.” He also said, “Demons are busy creating divisions and gradually imposing negative mindsets.”
In the continuation of his statement, he addressed the incurable internal crisis and the self-destruction of factions, and turned towards the regime’s factions, saying: “Let us refrain from canceling and spreading rumors, from accusations and conspiracies!”, and added, “We have not come to attain a position of power to weaken others…
The Implications of The Latest Corruption Scandal of Iran’s Regime
A few days after the revelation of the multi-trillion-rial scandal involving Kazem Sedighi, the Friday Prayer of Tehran, and the head of the Command Center for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of the Iranian regime, Kazem Sedighi, Tasnim News Agency and the Khomeini Seminary, which owns the disputed estate, have intervened and addressed the embezzlement scandal. In the exposed scandal, Sedighi, with the assistance of his sons, has appropriated a 4,200 square meter estate worth approximately 10 trillion rials for himself.
On March 23, 2023, the IRGC Quds Force–affiliated Tasnim News Agency confirmed the case under the title ‘Commencement of the Process of Returning Ownership of Land from Sadeqi.’ However, it writes with a biased tone towards Sadeqi: “The Imam Khomeini Seminary in Tehran, by issuing a statement regarding the recent controversies related to the ownership of land in this seminary by individuals, has announced that the order to return the land to the seminary has been issued and the administrative procedures are underway.”
Iran Grapples with a Looming Economic Maelstrom
In Iran, a chasm separates official pronouncements boasting of economic progress from the harsh realities faced by ordinary citizens. While government statistics tout growth and declining inflation, a closer look reveals a different story – one of a steadily weakening currency, soaring prices, and a growing sense of despair.
A key worry revolves around the steadily rising exchange rate, a crucial factor influencing prices in Iran. Since mid-January, the rial has weakened considerably, with the exchange rate jumping from around 58,000 tomans to the current 60,000-61,000 range. This trend, coupled with recent comments by regime officials hinting at a potential further surge to 100,000 tomans, has instilled deep anxieties.
Iran Condemns Pressure on Regional Proxies while Aiming to Expand Malign Influence
The United States announced new sanctions on Tuesday, March 26, against six firms, two tankers, and a money exchange, all of which are alleged to have engaged in business dealings to the benefit of the Iranian regime and two of its militant proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Separately but on the same day, the US also announced sanctions targeting 11 individuals and entities for helping the Iran-backed Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad to evade preexisting sanctions and raise financing through drug trafficking.
The new measures emerged very soon after 13 Iran-backed militants were killed in Syria, and just days after Iran’s UN ambassador Saied Iravani called for a lifting of all sanctions on the Assad regime, as well as the removal of US forces from Syria, where they have been working to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group. Iravani drew an arguably arbitrary distinction between US forces and Iranian forces in Syria, calling the former “uninvited” despite the fact that they work closely with the semi-autonomous government in Syria’s Kurdish region while Iran-backed militias often operate above and separate from the actual Syrian military.
91 Journalists, Media Activists Persecuted In Iran in Past 3 Months
An active non-government organization announced in a report on Tuesday, April 2 that 91 journalists and media activists in Iran have come under persecution in the past three months.
The Iranian regime, in the first three months of 2024, has subjected at least 91 journalists, media activists, and media outlets to judicial and security persecution. “The Organization for the Defense of Freedom of Information” has compiled its analytical-statistical report on violations of the rights of media, journalists, and citizen journalists from January 1, 2024, to March 30. This report is based on a total of 124 press cases updated from primary sources and reports published in the media and human rights organizations.
Shahriar Bayat, A 64-Year-Old Political Prisoner, Has Been Sentenced To Death
On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the death sentence for political prisoner Shahriar Bayat was issued by Branch 13 of the Criminal Court in one of the provinces of Tehran. Prior to this, Shahriar Bayat, the political prisoner, had been sentenced to 18 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Shahriar. One of the family members of this political prisoner told Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), “Mr. Bayat was granted furlough from Evin Prison on March 17, 2024. His death sentence, issued on February 14, 2024, by Branch 13 of the Criminal Court in one of the provinces of Tehran, for the charge of insulting the Prophet, was registered in the system on the last day of his furlough, which was March 24, 2024. It was communicated to him on the day of the end of his furlough and his return to prison.”
Paris—April 2, 2024: MEK Supporters Organized an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Paris, France—April 2, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition and book table in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.