English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 Nineteen of August marks World Humanitarian Day. 2024 was the deadliest year ever, with 383 aid workers killed and the UN calling it ‘a shameful testament’ to the indifference of the international community, and warning that the toll of humanitarian workers killed this year is equally alarming. This news item refers to only one atrocity against humanity. More than eight billion people inhabit this beautiful planet, yet it is no …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 Mohammad Najafi, a lawyer and political prisoner in Evin, has sent a message to Khamenei declaring that only one path remains to save Iran: ‘Resign, or die.’ This message is a testament to Najafi’s courage and defiance – a free-minded lawyer who, even from behind the bars of the Islamic Republic, dares to confront its criminal leader. Such bold dissent from inside Iran’s prisons reflects the depth of discontent and …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 On Sunday 17 August 2025, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets demanding an end to the war in Gaza and the return of hostages still held by Hamas. A one-day strike was called on 17 August by the families of some of the hostages. Reports indicate that some 500,000 people participated, chanting ‘Bring them all home’ and ‘Stop the war.’ The devastating nightmare of this war began …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 On the 22nd of September last year, 53 coal miners in Tabas lost their lives due to the blatant negligence of the mine’s owners, while 14 others were injured from inhaling methane gas. Asghar Jahangir, spokesperson for the judiciary, announced that all five defendants (the employers) had been sentenced to three years in prison for the public aspect of the crime. The court, citing ‘corrective measures’, suspended the sentences of …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 Despite multiple recent deaths in Qarchak women’s prison in Varamin, authorities continue to withhold essential medical services from sick inmates and refuse to transfer them to hospitals unless bribes are paid. Qarchak prison is among the worst facilities in the Islamic Republic. It has become notorious worldwide among human rights organisations for imposing the harshest conditions on its inmates, in what is essentially a medieval torture chamber. In recent months, …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 The Baháʼí International Community has reported that officials in Isfahan have confiscated the property of more than 20 Baháʼí citizens in the province solely because of their faith, informing them of the seizures only via text message and without legal process. The confiscations, announced on Thursday 14 August, cover farms, homes, vehicles and bank accounts. Confronting anti-Baháʼí persecution requires two levels of struggle. The first is urgent and immediate: opposing …