The Trump administration's significant foreign aid cuts are undermining Iranian civil society and media during a critical governmental crackdown on dissent. Iranian activists and analysts warn that these reductions have led to layoffs in monitoring organizations and restrictions on information outlets, intensifying the repression of human rights. With Iran's ongoing economic challenges and regional conflicts, such cuts threaten to escalate state-sponsored violence against dissidents, as organizations aimed at democratic support struggle to survive on reduced budgets from the U.S. State Department's Near East Regional Democracy fund, vital for promoting civil rights in the region.
"Violators of human rights, you know, they're like mushrooms. They grow in the dark. So if there is no light shed on what they're doing, then they feel that they have a more open hand."
"Most of the U.S. support for these groups comes from the State Department's Near East Regional Democracy fund, known by the acronym NERD..."
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