The Korea Times
PARIS — Iran has stepped up repression during the Middle East war with high-profile executions and hundreds of arrests, activists said on Tuesday, urging Washington to put human rights at the centre of any talks with the Islamic republic. There has been no let up during the two-week ceasefire now due to end, with hangings of convicts seen as political prisoners a near daily occurrence and people arrested on charges such as simply sending videos to a media outlet abroad, according to rights groups. This has come against the background of severe internet restrictions that monitor Netblocks said was a blackout that had now left Iranians disconnected from global networks for 53 days. "The immediate release of all political prisoners arrested before or after the outbreak of the war must be a central condition of any agreement with the Islamic republic," said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights. IHR said on Tuesday that at least 3,646 people had been arrested since the war broke out on February 28, with at least 767 of the cases reported after the start of
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