(McClatchy) Hannah Allam - Even as they make gestures toward rapprochement with the West, Iran's leaders remain among the world's worst human rights offenders, according to a State Department report Thursday that shows an increase in reported violations since President Hassan Rouhani took office last year. The report documented Iran's record of floggings and court-ordered amputations, discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, crackdown on press freedoms, and 624 executions - many after flimsy trials. "We've seen little meaningful improvement in human rights in Iran under the new government, including torture, political imprisonment, harassment of religious and ethnic minorities," said Uzra Zeya, the acting assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. "Overall the situation remains poor."
2014-02-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive