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Tag: hra

  • Iran had highest number of executions in over a decade, human rights report says

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    Iran’s treatment of prisoners in 2025 was also rife with abuses, according to the report, with 2,513 cases of prisoners being held in inappropriate conditions.

    Iran conducted the highest number of executions in over a decade (1,922), the Iranian human rights group Human Rights Activists (HRA) announced in its annual statistical report for 2025.

    The report claimed that the implementation of death sentences doubled compared to 2024, although the issuance of them decreased by 21.4%. More concerning, however, was the report’s statement that “95% of executions were carried out in secret or without public announcement.”

    There were 22,028 arrests over freedom of thought and expression in 2025, the HRA report stated. This is 13 times as many arrests than were made in 2024, and makes up the majority of the 22,709 total arrests made in connection with civil, ideological, political, or rights-related activities this year.

    Jews accounted for 7.61% of reported religious rights incidents, including home searches, property violations, and other abuses. Arrests related to general religious minority rights doubled in the last year, to a total of 183, while convictions increased by 67.4%.

    Also enumerated in the report were over 70,000 cases of child labor, and at least 23,000 cases of child abuse. The section of the report detailing child marriage statistics was outdated, with the only datum originating from 2025 being that 1,474 babies were born to mothers aged 10 to 14.

    Iran’s mistreatment of prisoners

    Iran’s treatment of prisoners in 2025 was also rife with abuses, according to the report, with 2,513 cases of prisoners being held in inappropriate conditions.

    HRA also detailed hundreds of cases of prisoner’s being denied due process elements such as access to legal counsel, the right to make to phone calls, and access to medical leave.

    The sentencing of those prisoners was no less abusive.

    Ninety-six individuals were sentenced to a total of 5,041 lashes. Additionally, the courts passed down six sentences of amputation, and five sentences of “limb retribution,” a form of punishment in which one is given the right to inflict a wound done on them back to the perpetrator.

    The HRA specifies that these statistics are only given for cases in which details of the verdict were made public, and that the true numbers are unknown.

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  • A DC family’s dog was shot and wounded — now investigators want to know who pulled the trigger – WTOP News

    A DC family’s dog was shot and wounded — now investigators want to know who pulled the trigger – WTOP News

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    A D.C. family’s dog got out of their Southeast house last week and came back days later with a gunshot wound. Now, Humane Law Enforcement officers with the HRA are looking for the person who wounded the pup.

    Louisa, a white and brown pit bull mix, left the family’s home last week and returned with a gunshot wound. She is expected to make a full recovery.
    (Courtesy Humane Rescue Alliance)

    Courtesy Humane Rescue Alliance

    “It does turn out that the bullet had traveled from between her eyes, through her throat and lodged in her neck. It was making it very difficult for her to breathe,” Diane Ashton with the Humane Rescue Alliance told WTOP.
    (Courtesy Humane Rescue Alliance)

    Courtesy Humane Rescue Alliance

    Louisa, a white and brown pit bull mix, left the familys home last week and returned with a gunshot wound. She is expected to make a full recovery. (Courtesy Humane Rescue Alliance)
    The bullet was removed and Louisa is in stable condition, though she has multiple facial fractures. She is expected to make a full recovery.
    (Courtesy Humane Rescue Alliance)

    Courtesy Humane Rescue Alliance

    A D.C. family’s dog got out of their Southeast house last week and came back days later with a gunshot wound. Now, investigators are looking for the person who wounded the pup.

    “The good news is she’s expected to make a full recovery,” Diane Ashton with the Humane Rescue Alliance told WTOP.

    Louisa, a white and brown pit bull mix, left the family’s home on Ely Place near Minnesota Avenue on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The dog returned home Friday with a bullet wound between her eyes.

    The family immediately took Louisa to an emergency veterinarian.

    “It does turn out that the bullet had traveled from between her eyes, through her throat and lodged in her neck. It was making it very difficult for her to breathe,” said Ashton.

    The bullet was removed and Louisa is in stable condition, though she has multiple facial fractures.

    “There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to shoot a dog like that,” said Ashton, describing the dog as sweet and loving.

    Humane Law Enforcement officers with the HRA are now looking for the shooter. They are offering up to $5,000 for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

    If you have any information, please contact the HRA at 202-723-5730, option three.

    “It’s truly a miracle that Louisa survived this, and now we’re focusing on making sure we find whoever did this, and we really do need the public’s help,” said Ashton.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Luke Lukert

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  • PHOTOS: 31 dogs were rescued from a DC home after their owner got into a standoff with police. Now nearly half of them are up for adoption – WTOP News

    PHOTOS: 31 dogs were rescued from a DC home after their owner got into a standoff with police. Now nearly half of them are up for adoption – WTOP News

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    Nearly half the 31 dogs rescued from a D.C. house after their owner allegedly shot police officers and holed up inside will be up for adoption this Saturday.

    From noon to 7 p.m. at the Humane Rescue Alliance adoption center in Northwest, those interested in adopting a pup can check out 14 of the dogs that were packed in cages when they were rescued from the house on 5032 Hanna Place in Southeast last month.

    Several of the other dogs have already found new homes, while others are still getting training and behavioral support to prepare them for new homes.

    Stephen Rattigan, 48, is accused of keeping the dogs in unsanitary conditions and abusing at least one of them. Police showed up to his house last month with an animal cruelty warrant when police said Rattigan started shooting through the door, striking three officers.

    After a 13-hour barricade, Rattigan was taken into custody and the HRA said 20 adult dogs and 11 puppies were rescued.

    The 14 pups up for adoption Saturday will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the HRA, which also said it does not place animals on hold.

    See photos of some of the dogs available below:

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    Thomas Robertson

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  • ‘We often see really hard things’: DC’s humane law enforcement officers fight back against animal cruelty – WTOP News

    ‘We often see really hard things’: DC’s humane law enforcement officers fight back against animal cruelty – WTOP News

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    “The thing that keeps me up at night is the safety of my team,” said Chris Schindler, senior vice president of animal welfare, field response and rescue at the Humane Rescue Alliance.

    The people who answer calls and investigate cases of animal cruelty in the District of Columbia aren’t police, but they are involved in enforcing laws regarding the treatment of animals.

    And they have a tough — and sometimes dangerous — job.

    “The thing that keeps me up at night is the safety of my team,” said Chris Schindler, senior vice president of animal welfare, field response and rescue at the Humane Rescue Alliance.

    “We do all of our own investigations and all of our own forensics and things like that,” Schindler said, adding that they do not, however, carry weapons or firearms. That’s why they often work closely with D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, as they did Wednesday when executing a warrant at a home on Hanna Street in Southeast.

    Chris Schindler (center) senior vice president of animal welfare, field response and rescue at the Humane Rescue Alliance, holds a puppy he’s caring for. (Courtesy HRA)

    Three MPD officers were shot in that case, and Schindler told WTOP that the Humane Rescue Alliance is “just incredibly grateful to the Metropolitan Police officers” that help protect staff every day.

    Schindler said Thursday that he was also grateful to hear that the three officers had been released from the hospital and were reportedly doing well.

    “We’re fortunate to have a really great relationship with Metropolitan Police,” he said. “These are really solid partners of ours that we care deeply about, too.”

    A member of the HRA team, field services director Daniel D’Eramo was also on the scene of Wednesday’s shooting. D’Eramo was not hurt.

    “I can’t say enough how proud I am of the officers I have that go out and do this work every day,” Schindler said.

    In Wednesday’s case, 31 dogs were removed from the home and are now in the care of the Humane Rescue Alliance.

    “They had a very traumatic day,” Schindler said of the 20 adult dogs and 11 puppies found. “So, we’re letting them decompress [and are] addressing any medical needs,” while investigations into the case continues, he said.

    Schindler said the six Humane Law Enforcement Officers at HRA are trained to deal with a variety of circumstances.

    “The reality is, we often see really hard things,” but not all of the work is grim, Schindler said. “We provide a lot of help and assistance, whether it be pet food or medical care.”

    He explained that the goal is to help people provide appropriate care for their pets, adding that they “get to rescue animals that have been subjected to abuse and see them flourish” once they get the care they need.

    Schindler said the difference between Animal Control and the HRA’s Humane Law Enforcement Officers is that Animal Control’s staff are like “the first responders” to animal-related calls involving “wildlife, domestic animals (and) dog bites.”

    Schindler said while Animal Control is the right department to call for dogs running loose, for example, the first call if you suspect animal cruelty would be to HRA’s Humane Law Enforcement Officers at 202-723-5730.

    “And that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Schindler said.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kate Ryan

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