Film shot inside Iran breaks censorship ground with intimate scenes
A film with intimate scenes shot inside Iran premiered at the Berlin film festival this week, marking a new escalation in Iranian artists’ defiance of censorship at home.
Human Rights
IRGC commanders hold meetings in hospitals, sources say
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders have held meetings inside hospitals in recent days, hospital staff told Iran International, raising concerns over the growing militarization of civilian spaces and potential risks to patients, medical workers and the public.
'They finished him off': father recounts hospital killing of teen protester
The breathing tube was already in his mouth when, according to his father, the final shot was fired. It is one of many accounts emerging from Iran’s January protest crackdown.
Seven sentenced to death in Iran protest fire case
A Revolutionary Court in Tehran has sentenced seven protesters, including a 19-year-old, to death after accusing them of setting fire to a Basij base during nationwide protests in January, according to documents reviewed by Iran International.
British couple jailed in Iran to go on hunger strike
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a British couple sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges in Iran, said they would begin a hunger strike on March 4, accusing authorities of violating the country’s constitution.
IRGC moves to tighten internet controls after protest crackdown
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief has confirmed he is driving efforts to tighten restrictions on social media, linking the initiative directly to the country’s security apparatus and the expansion of the so-called “national internet.”
Iran jail terms for Christians top 280 years as arrests nearly doubled
Iranian courts sentenced Christians to more than 280 years in prison in 2025, according to a joint report by four rights groups, in what advocates describe as a widening use of national security laws to suppress religious dissent.
British couple sentenced to 10 years in Iran for espionage, family says
A British couple detained in Iran have been sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, their family said on Thursday, prompting renewed calls on London to secure their release.
From call-up to cleanup: An operative’s insider account of Tehran’s killing nights
A man who says he was deployed during Tehran’s January crackdown describes watching protesters shot and helping load bodies into refrigerated trucks, including a little girl whose earrings had been taken before her body was thrown inside.
Targeting children: injured teen shot during protest, killed after arrest
A 17-year-old protester wounded during Iran’s January protests was later killed after being taken into custody by security forces, according to testimony and forensic analysis gathered by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC).
Death sentences issued for at least 14 detained in Iran protests
Iran has sentenced at least 14 protesters to death in group online trials, people familiar with the matter told Iran International, with additional indictments accusing detainees of acting against the country’s security on calls from the US president and Israel.
Security forces raid western Iran village, arrest hundreds
Security forces raided the village of Chenar in Asadabad county, Hamedan province, arresting hundreds of residents after surrounding the area early Monday, people familiar with the matter told Iran International.
Iran court issues death sentences to 14 protesters in online proceedings
A court in Iran has issued death sentences to 14 protesters who took part in the recent unrest, holding the proceedings online, sources familiar with the matter told Iran International.
Wounded protester missing for 33 days shot dead in custody, source says
Ali Heydari, a 20-year-old Iranian protester wounded and arrested during demonstrations in Mashhad on January 8, was shot in the head and killed in detention about a month later, a source close to his family told Iran International.
EU parliament calls for release of Iranian Nobel laureate
European Parliament called for the immediate release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and other women held in detention in Iran, condemning violence against the country’s population.
Iran protest deaths may amount to crimes against humanity, EU parliament says
The European Parliament on Thursday condemned what it described as systematic repression by Iran’s authorities against protesters and civil society, warning that reported killings during recent unrest could amount to crimes against humanity.
UN stresses protocol after Iran anniversary letter draws criticism
The United Nations said a congratulatory letter sent by Secretary-General António Guterres to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Revolution was a routine diplomatic gesture and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Tehran’s policies.
Names against silence: Teachers document student deaths in January crackdown
An Iranian teachers' union has confirmed the identities of 200 students killed during the January protests and published their names, defying efforts to suppress information about the deaths.
China’s digital playbook helps shape Iran’s online repression - rights group
Free expression group ARTICLE 19 said China has spent more than a decade helping Iran build one of the world’s most restrictive internet control systems, supplying technology and a governance model used for censorship, surveillance and shutdowns.
Senate hearing discusses Iran regime affiliates living freely in Canada
The Canadian Senate held a hearing on Tuesday on a new immigration and border security bill with much of the discussion focusing on individuals allegedly linked to the Islamic Republic living freely in Canada.
Iran pressures families of protest detainees to attend state-run rallies
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ intelligence organization and Iran’s Intelligence Ministry pressured families of some detainees linked to nationwide protests to attend a pro-state rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 revolution, sources told Iran International.
A man, a dog, and a private wish turned public tragedy in Iran
Weeks after Iran’s bloody January crackdown, intimate tragedies are emerging from the silence, among them the story of a young auto mechanic and his dog.