Trump's Warning Ignored: Erfan Soltani's Plight Amid Iranian Protests

**Hengaw Organization for Human Rights** is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) registered in Norway, dedicated to documenting and reporting systematic human rights violations in Iran, with a primary focus on the Kurdish minority in Kurdistan.[1][2] The name "Hengaw," meaning "step" in Kurdish, symbolizes its incremental efforts to expose abuses against ethnic, religious, political, sexual, and gender minorities, drawing from reliable sources to archive crimes and support legal accountability.[2] Founded in 2016 and based in Trondheim, Norway, Hengaw began by highlighting the plight of **kolbars**—Kurdish porters facing deadly border enforcement—and quickly gained international recognition when its reports informed United Nations assessments.[1] Its coverage expanded during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, detailing crackdowns in Iranian Kurdistan, which major global media outlets cited extensively.[1] A landmark moment came in 2023 when Hengaw first reported the death of 17-year-old Armita Geravand, who fell into a coma after an encounter with Iran's morality police on Tehran Metro.[1] Key achievements include comprehensive 2025 statistics revealing a sharp rise in abuses: 1,858 executions (up from 2024), 474 imprisonments (223 involving Kurds), 237 death sentences, and categories like 45 femicides, 14 child detentions, and kolbar incidents.[1][3] Hengaw collaborates with Iranian and international rights groups, advocating modern human rights standards aligned with the UN Declaration.[2] Currently active via its website (hengaw.net), Hengaw tracks ongoing cases, such as medical neglect of Kurdish prisoner Zeinab Jalalian and executions like that of nuclear expert Dr. Roozbeh Vadi.[3] However, it faces severe threats: Iranian security forces have targeted members abroad with death threats, family arrests in Iran, and even human traffickers, as seen in the 20

No organization named **Judiciary Media Center** appears in available sources. The closest matches are initiatives bridging judiciary and media, such as Massachusetts' **Judiciary-Media Committee** (established 1995) and the **Reynolds National Center for Courts and Media**, which I synthesize below into a comprehensive overview for business and technology news readers interested in legal transparency, media tech, and justice innovation[2][5][6]. The **Judiciary-Media Committee** in Massachusetts fosters collaboration between judges, clerks, reporters, and broadcasters to enhance court access and mutual understanding. It meets quarterly, addressing media challenges like courtroom cameras, high-profile trials, and document access. Key activities include guidelines on public rights to proceedings, regional conferences, and "Law School for Journalists" programs. Members span appellate judges (e.g., Hon. Helen Brown-Bryant), media executives, and bar associations, promoting trust amid rising demands for real-time judicial data[2]. Historically, the **Reynolds National Center for Courts and Media** (supported by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and Rollan D. Melton Fund) improved bench-media relations through intensive training. Launched pre-2000, it hosted workshops for reporters and judges, evolving into endowments funding ongoing programs at the National Judicial College, including four-day sessions for top news outlets[5][6]. Achievements include standardized media protocols, better high-profile case handling (e.g., via public information officers for logistics and fact-checking), and resources combating juror social media misuse—critical in an era of viral trials and AI-driven misinformation[3][7][9]. These efforts enhance judicial transparency, indirectly boosting legal tech adoption like online media centers for law firms[4]. Currently active, these entities adapt to digital shifts: federal guides aid journalists on court docs and social media ethics, while NCSC resources tackle courtroom policies[7][8][9]. Notable for business: they enable tec

**Tasnim News Agency** is an Iran-based news outlet launched in 2012, functioning primarily as a state-aligned media platform that disseminates news in Persian, English, and Turkish on politics, economics, society, culture, sports, and international affairs.[1][5][6] Founded amid Iran's tightly controlled media landscape, Tasnim was established by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders Majid Gholizadeh (current managing director) and Hamidreza Moghadamfaraz, with headquarters in Tehran.[1][3] Owned and funded by the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO), it explicitly aims to "defend the Islamic Revolution against negative media propaganda" by promoting realities about Iran, Islam, and regional "Islamic Awakening."[1] Its content heavily favors IRGC narratives, often featuring anti-Western rhetoric, pro-regime propaganda, and attacks on opposition groups like the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran.[2][3] Key **achievements** from its perspective include high traffic as a major Persian-language source and syndication on platforms like Eurasia Review, covering topics from nuclear disputes to regional conflicts.[1][5] However, independent assessments highlight controversies: Media Bias/Fact Check rates it **low credibility** due to poor sourcing, loaded language, and conspiratorial tones.[1] Critics, including United Against Nuclear Iran, label it an IRGC "propaganda machine" implicated in human rights abuses, such as publishing coerced protester confessions and crowdsourcing identities via social media.[3] European Union sanctions underscore its role in suppressing dissent alongside Iran's Ministry of Intelligence.[3] Currently, Tasnim remains active, reporting on domestic rallies, IRGC operations like Mossad spy arrests, and foreign policy rebukes against the US and Israel.[6][7][8] It warns against "Gorbachev moments" via negotiations with the West, reflecting hardline IRGC influence.[4] Fo