The Farda Briefing

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Dozens of independent Iranian lawyers were imprisoned during the monthslong antiestablishment protests that erupted last September. Most had represented jailed protesters or been critical of the authorities on social media.

Many of the lawyers were later freed under an amnesty announced by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February.

But in recent days, around 20 lawyers across the country have been summoned. It was not clear if they were facing new charges or had been called in for questioning.

"The amnesty gave me hope but these actions that are taking place are frustrating," lawyer Ali Mojtahedzadeh said on Twitter on May 11, adding that he did not know why he had been summoned.

"The lawyers who have been summoned are lawyers who were [defending protesters] or those who have been active on social media," said Mojtahedzadeh.

Mitra Izadifard, a lawyer from the northeastern city of Mashhad, told the reformist daily Etemad that she and several other lawyers had been called in to appear before a court in Tehran on May 22. Izadifard said she was summoned due to some of her "tweets and previous legal activities."

Why It Matters: The authorities appear to be renewing pressure on independent lawyers who have taken on sensitive political cases or criticized the clerical establishment.

Independent lawyers have been under systematic pressure and harassment for decades in the Islamic republic. Many have been forced into exile or ended up in jail, including prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.

What's Next: It is unclear if the authorities are trying to intimidate or imprison again those lawyers who have continued to criticize the clerical regime since their release.

Since the antiestablishment protests subsided, lawyers have been vocal in their criticism of the authorities, including their new attempts to enforce the hijab law.

Several lawyers, including Mohsen Borhani, have said publicly that the measures are a violation of the Islamic republic's laws.

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Nearly eight months ago, 21-year-old Erfan Rezai was killed during Iran's brutal crackdown on protests. Despite threats and pressure, his mother has waged a social media campaign to demand justice. In an interview, Farzaneh Barzekar said she holds little hope that real justice will be served.

Afghan migrants in Iran are finding it difficult to carry out the most routine transactions because they cannot obtain the bank cards they need to access mobile phone services, metro tickets, and even their daily bread. They say the restrictions, which affect long-term immigrants and undocumented arrivals alike, are making life increasingly difficult.

What We're Watching

Azerbaijan said on May 16 that it arrested at least seven men who were allegedly recruited by Iran to destabilize the Caucasus nation.

In a statement, Baku said the men were plotting a "violent overthrow of the government and the assassinations of prominent personalities and senior officials."

The arrests were the latest in a series of detentions of people the Azerbaijani government says were working for Iran.

Why It Matters: Relations between the two neighbors have become increasingly strained in recent months, particularly since an attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran.

In January, a lone gunman stormed the embassy, killing one person. Azerbaijan blamed Tehran for the incident, which it described as a terrorist attack. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the gunman had personal motives.

Tensions were further heightened in March following a failed assassination attempt in Baku on a parliamentarian in Azerbaijan who has been critical of Iran.

Last month, Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats in Baku. In response, Iran expelled the Azerbaijani ambassador in Tehran.

Baku has accused Iran of backing Armenia in a long-standing conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. Iran has long blamed Azerbaijan for fueling separatist sentiments among its sizeable ethnic Azeri minority. Tehran has also been critical of Baku's deepening relations with Israel, Iran's archenemy.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

An Iranian newspaper has reported that an increasing number of poverty-stricken Iranians are selling their organs to make ends meet.

The daily Jahan-e Sanat said in a May 4 report that kidneys, bone marrow, parts of livers, and “anything else that can be transplanted is being bought and sold on the black market” in Iran.

The newspaper said many of the organ sellers are men and women aged between 18 and 45. Some of them, the report said, have attempted to sell their organs in neighboring countries, including Turkey, for up to $15,000.

A 37-year-old mother-of-two told Jahan-e Sanat that she will sell one of her kidneys so her family can survive. Similarly, a 22-year-old man said his dire finances have forced him to consider selling part of his liver.

Meanwhile, Iran’s reformist Etemad daily reported on May 3 that a growing number of Iranians are unable to buy meat due to soaring prices. The newspaper said that some people have tried to exchange food items like yogurt and cheese for meat at stores.

The daily quoted a butcher in Tehran as saying that the “sale of chicken meat has decreased by 50 percent in the past few months” and the “situation regarding red meat is even worse.”

On May 6, the judiciary summoned the chief editors of Jahan-e Sanat and Etemad to “provide documentation regarding the publication of undocumented materials.” Since then, Jahan-e Sanat removed its report from its website. Etemad’s article was still accessible as of May 10.

Why It Matters: The reports have highlighted the deepening economic crisis in Iran, which has witnessed soaring inflation, rising unemployment, and growing poverty in recent years.

A report by the Labor Ministry released in January suggested that the number of people living under the poverty line has doubled over the past year. It said one-third of the population of around 88 million lives in extreme poverty.

The official inflation rate is about 50 percent, although the prices of some food items have risen by 70 percent. Meanwhile, the national currency, the rial, dropped to a record low against the U.S. dollar in February.​

What’s Next: The worsening economic situation has fueled street protests in recent years. More demonstrations by workers are likely in the months ahead.

Many Iranians have blamed the government of ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi, who came to power in 2021 promising to improve an economy devastated by crippling U.S. sanctions and years of mismanagement.

The authorities have responded to the criticism by cracking down on media outlets that have published reports critical of the government.

Lawmaker Gholamali Jafarzadeh warned in January that poverty and unemployment are likely to rise further, adding that many Iranians face “a darker life.”​

Stories You Might Have Missed

Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, scores of Iranian athletes who have shown anything but complete loyalty to the clerical establishment have been barred from competitions, arrested, or even executed. Amid mass antiestablishment protests that have broken out in recent years, sports figures who raised their voices have again been targeted by the authorities.

Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar visits her homeland every year to mark the day that her parents were murdered in 1998. She opens her family home in Tehran to dissidents and catches up on the latest developments. Now back in her studio in Germany, she revealed her latest works and told RFE/RL how her most recent trip to Iran revealed a society going through profound change that the regime was increasingly unable to control.​

What We're Watching

Iran on May 10 announced that three men were executed outside Tehran after being convicted of drug-related offences.

Two days earlier, the authorities announced the executions of two men on blasphemy charges. Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were accused of using social media to promote "atheism and insulting religious and Islamic sanctities.”

Their executions followed the May 6 hanging of Swedish-Iranian dissident Hamid Chaab who was accused of leading a terrorist group and convicted of spreading “corruption on earth.”​

Why It Matters: The six hangings came amid a surge in executions in the Islamic Republic, which is among the top executioners in the world.

A spokesman for the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on May 9 that Iran had executed 209 people so far this year, describing its record as "abominable."

Human rights groups have said Iran’s escalating use of the death penalty is aimed at spreading fear in society amid growing opposition to the clerical establishment.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.