even if we start with a smidgen of wiki ...

The Iranian government has been denounced by various international organisations and governments for violating human rights.[383] The government has frequently persecuted and arrested critics of the government. Iranian law does not recognise sexual orientations. Sexual activity between members of the same sex is illegal and is punishable by death.[384][385] Capital punishment is a legal punishment, and according to the BBC, Iran "carries out more executions than any other country, except China".[386] UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman has reported discrimination against several ethnic minorities in Iran.[387] A group of UN experts in 2022 urged Iran to stop "systematic persecution" of religious minorities, adding that members of the Baháʼí Faith were arrested, barred from universities, or had their homes demolished.[388][389]

Censorship in Iran is ranked among the most extreme worldwide.[390][391][392] Iran has strict internet censorship, with the government persistently blocking social media and other sites.[393][394][395] Since January 2021, Iranian authorities have blocked a list of social media platforms; Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Twitter and YouTube.[396]

The 2006 election results were widely disputed, resulting in protests.[397][398][399][400] The 2017–18 Iranian protests swept across the country in response to the economic and political situation.[401] It was formally confirmed that thousands of protesters were arrested.[402] The 2019–20 Iranian protests started on 15 November in Ahvaz, and spread across the country after the government announced increases in fuel prices of up to 300%.[403] A week-long total Internet shutdown marked one of the most severe Internet blackouts in any country, and the bloodiest governmental crackdown of the protestors.[404] Tens of thousands were arrested and hundreds were killed within a few days according to multiple international observers, including Amnesty International.[405]

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was a scheduled international civilian passenger flight from Tehran to Kyiv, operated by Ukraine International Airlines. On 8 January 2020, the Boeing 737–800 flying the route was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after takeoff, killing all 176 occupants on board and leading to protests. An international investigation led to the government admitting to the shootdown, calling it a "human error".[406][407] Further protests against the government began on 16 September 2022 after a woman named Mahsa Amini died in police custody following her arrest by the Guidance Patrol, known commonly as the "morality police".[408][409][410][411]

Posted By: paulg on July 1st 2025 at 18:51:47

Message Thread

Reply to Message

In order to add a post to the WotB Message Board you must be a registered WotB user.

If you are not yet registered then please visit the registration page. You should ensure that their browser is setup to accept cookies.

Log in