Radio Free Europe
RFE/RL journalists report the news in 22 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia.
Watchdog Says Iran Executed At Least 142 People In May, Calls For International Pressure.
Iran Human Rights (IHR) says at least 142 people were executed in Iran in May, the highest monthly total in eight years, amid a brutal crackdown on dissent that the Norway-based watchdog says is aimed at spreading "societal fear."
The group added in a statement released on June 1 that so far this year, the death penalty has been administered at least 307 times, a 76 percent rise compared with the same period last year.
"The purpose of the Islamic republic’s intensification of arbitrary executions is to spread societal fear to prevent protests and prolong its rule," IHR DIrector Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said in the statement. Amid a wave of unrest -- which has posed the biggest threat to the country's leadership since the Islamic revolution in 1979 -- sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September while in police custody for an alleged infraction of the country's mandatory-head-scarf law, officials have launched a brutal crackdown. Iran's judiciary, at the urging of senior leaders, has taken a hard-line stance against demonstrators, executing at least seven protesters, including three on May 19. Several others are currently waiting on death row for their sentences to be carried out. But IHR said the judiciary is using the death penalty in many areas, especially with regard to people convicted of drugs charges, 180 of whom were executed in the first five months of the year. The wave of executions has sparked outrage among rights activists and many Western governments who have called the legal proceedings against the accused "sham" trials where proper representation is not always granted and decisions are rushed behind closed doors. Officials have staunchly defended the use of the death penalty, with Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic republic, saying on May 30 that those who, in his view, "should be executed" will have their sentences "executed."
"If the international community doesn’t show a stronger reaction to the current wave of executions, hundreds more will fall victims to their killing machine in the coming months," IHR's Amiry-Moghaddam said.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Iran Downplays Impact Of Israel's Reported Retaliatory Air Attack.
Tehran has downplayed the scope and impact of a reported Israeli attack on targets inside Iran that appeared to be in retaliation for an unprecedented air attack the Islamic republic launched last weekend on its sworn enemy amid signs that an esca...
Ukraine Shoots Down 2 Of 7 Russian Missiles As Russia Says It Downs 50 Ukrainian Drones.
Russian troops launched seven missiles from Belgorod region and the Black Sea at targets in Ukraine on April 20, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
U.S. House On Brink Of Approving Crucial Ukraine Aid
The House of Representatives is to vote on April 20 on a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other U.S. allies after Democrats and Republicans finally joined together behind the legislation following months of Republican opposition ov...
Srebrenica Genocide Must Be Condemned, Denial Banned, 2 Members Of Bosnian Presidency Tell UN.
The 1995 genocide in Srebrenica must be globally condemned, support for victims must be expressed, and denial of genocide and glorification of war criminals be banned to prevent future similar tragedies, two members of the tripartite presidency of...
U.S. National Dies In Occupied Donetsk, Says Russian Journalist
Russell Bentley, a U.S. national, has died in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in Ukraine, Margarita Simonyan, the head of Russia's state media outlet RT, wrote on Telegram on April 19.
What is behind the record downpour? - DW News
One of the world's busiest travel hubs — Dubai International Airport — has partially resumed operations after heavy flooding forced it to close on Wednesday. The standstill came after the United Arab Emirates was hit by a record breaking storm. Mo...
Kari Lake tells supporters to ‘strap on a Glock’ for election.
Republican US Senate candidate from Arizona Kari Lake told supporters during a speech in Arizona to ‘strap on a Glock’ for the election. Writer and editor for Protect Democracy Amanda Carpenter and editor in Chief and CEO of Zeteo Mehdi Hasan join...
Why Prague's homeless are resorting to poverty tourism.
Homelessness is on the rise globally, and the Czech Republic has the highest rate in central and eastern Europe. The Guardian visited Prague, for a long time a popular destination for tourists, to see how even this sector caters for the city’s vis...
UN weighs vote on full Palestinian membership
Virginia congressional candidate Derrick Anderson joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the latest on the conflict between Israel and Iran and what the key takeaways are regarding Iranian military capabilities following the weekend attack. #FoxN...
Vigilante groups take up arms to protect villages in Nigeria.
Vigilante groups take up arms to protect villages in Nigeria A growing number of states in Nigeria's conflict-hit northern region are setting up community-based vigilante groups to protect villages from kidnappings and killings. SUBSCRIBE to our Y...
Stardust fire inquest: Verdict due into blaze that killed 48 people.
An inquest verdict is due to be delivered on a devastating nightclub fire that killed 48 people 43 years ago. Hundreds of others were injured and - for more than four decades - those affected have demanded answers and justice. SUBSCRIBE to our You...