Press TV's News Headlines

Iranian's ordeal in Sweden

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian calls for the immediate release of Iranian national Hamid Nouri, who has been handed a life sentence by a Swedish court. Amir-Abdollahian described as unacceptable the court’s process of trial and verdict. He said Nouri should enjoy basic rights, including medical access as well as the right to contact his family. The top Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a meeting with the Swedish ambassador to Tehran. Hamid Nouri was detained in Sweden in 2019. He was sentenced to life over the alleged rights violations against members of an anti-Iran terror group, MKO, in the 1980’s. Tehran has already called the charge against Nouri baseless and fabricated. The MKO is infamous for plotting assassinations and killing hundreds of Iranians since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Israel atrocities

The top Israeli court has rejected an appeal for the release of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 172 days. According to Khalil Awawda's lawyer, the court turned down the request and affirmed the decision to freeze his administrative detention. Awawda was supposed to be freed on September 15th. But the court denied the request after Israeli’s internal spy agency, Shin Bet, handed over a confidential file to the judge. The Palestinian resistance group, Islamic Jihad, has also demanded Awawdeh’s release as part of a ceasefire that ended three-day Israeli aggression on Gaza earlier this month. Awawda has been on hunger strike since March 4 to protest his administrative detention, a policy Israel follows to indefinitely imprison Palestinians without charge or trial.

Israeli spyware scandal

The chief of an Israeli firm, NSO, which makes Pegasus malware to spy on activists, politicians, journalists and even heads of states worldwide, is stepping down. A company spokesperson says the move is part of an internal reform to ensure the firm remains one of the world's leading high-tech cyber intelligence. The company, which is said to be highly indebted, says it would now focus sales on countries belonging to the NATO alliance. For years, it has been mired in controversy for selling spyware to government clients to spy on their citizens. Recently, the European Commission found signs indicating that phones of some top EU officials were hacked using the same malware. Pegasus can switch on a phone’s camera or microphone. NSO Group claims the software is only sold to target criminals and terrorists with the approval of Israeli officials. But media have cited many court documents suggesting the malware was even provided to countries with questionable human rights records.

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