July 29, 2013

Desperately Seeking Birth Control in #Iran

Narges Bajoghli recounts her problems gaining access to safe contraceptives in Iran. She writes, "I knew that Western sanctions against Iran had made it difficult if not impossible to procure many vital medicines...But I never thought there would be shortages of medicines as routine as birth control."
December 5, 2012

Letter from Maleki: Doubt Not, Tomorrow is Your Turn

Dr. Mohammad Maleki, former chancellor of the University of Tehran, is a long-time dissident. As the first post-revolution chancellor of the University of Tehran, he attempted to institute direct democratic management of the institution. Among other subjects, this letter refers to the destruction of that experiment, and his own imprisonment. While in prison during the 80s in Iran he witnessed executions and torture.
October 10, 2012

Opposing Int’l Support for Drug Trafficking Prevention While the Death Penalty Exists for Drug-Related Offenses

We, the undersigned organizations, strongly oppose the continuing use of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are concerned that Iran’s radical policies, which allegedly aim to eradicate drug-trafficking and result in the execution of several hundred prisoners every year, are supported in part by international funding. Of the countries that continue to apply the death penalty in their domestic jurisdictions, Iran leads in number of executions per capita. Many of these executions are conducted in secret and go unreported by official sources. According to reports from human rights groups that document executions in Iran from both official and unofficial sources, roughly 650 executions were carried out in 2010 and 670 in 2011. At the time of the publication of this statement, at least 332 individuals have been executed in 2012. Of these executions, it is estimated that more than 70% are for drug-related offenses.