Iran: Four death row prisoners at imminent risk amid reports of secret executions

Four Sunni prisoners on death row, Hamed Ahmadi, Jahangir Dehghani, Jamshid Dehghani and Kamal Molaee, have been transferred to solitary confinement and are scheduled to be executed on Sunday 15 June on the charge of “enmity against God” (moharebeh), only days after reports of the secret execution of Ali Chebieshat and Sayed Khaled Mousawi on the same charge, warned Amnesty International. Continue reading “Four death row prisoners at imminent risk”

HARANA News Agency – In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon; the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay; the UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed; the families of Ali Chabishat and Khalid Mousavi, two Arab prisoners on death row in Iran, explained in detail the arrest, transfer into an unknown prison, and execution decree of their children and requested their support to clarify their situations.

According to this letter, their frequent contacts as well as Mr. Azizullah Torabizadeh, the lawyer of these prisoners, with the judiciary authorities have not been responded properly. The full text of the letter is as follow: Continue reading “A letter from the families of Ali Chebishat and Khaled Mousavi”

HARANA News Agency – After the Cultural Revolution in 1980 and the reopening of the universities in Iran in 1982, according to the Council of the Cultural Revolution, students and professors of Baha’i faith were expelled from the universities across the country and “cleansing” of Baha’is from universities began.

In 1987, 250 young Baha’is who were no longer able to pursue their studies in the public universities in Iran (due to the form of religion) volunteered  to start the first cycle of a university focusing on courses in basic sciences, Arabic, and religious studies and literature. The first cycle only offered an associate degree with a maximum capacity of 100 students. After a while, the university also offered bachelor degree and students divided into two groups: literature and science. Continue reading “Letter of a Baha’i student to imprisoned teachers of Baha’is Uni.”

HRANA News Agency – Mehdi Islamian, a prisoner executed in 09May2010 along with Farzad Kamangar, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alam Holi, Ali Heydari, was charged with donation of about 70 dollars to his brother. He was arrested in March 2008 and sentenced to death. Prior to supporting his brother (Mohsen Islamian), he was working as a taxi driver and not involved in any political activity. His brother, Mohsen Islamian, had been previously executed with charges of setting a bomb in a mosque named Hoseinieh Rahpouyan in Shiraz in 11May2009.

The following is the full text of this unpublished letter: Continue reading “Unpublished letter from Mehdi Islamian”

HRANA News Agency – In support of Shahram Ahmadi, eight political prisoners in Rajai Shar prison wrote: “Not long ago, his little brother, Bahram Ahmadi, who still had not reached the legal age, was executed. Bad incidents repeatedly hit this family one after another.”

The following is a full text of the letter submitted to HRANA: Continue reading “Statement of Eight Political Prisoners in Support of Shahram Ahmadi”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani repeatedly touts his commitment to “constructive engagement” with the international community, particularly as he negotiates a comprehensive nuclear agreement. Yet, as nuclear talks resume this week, the systematic and widespread violations of human rights in Iran continue unabated, overshadowed — if not sanitized — by the myopic international focus on the nuclear issue. Continue reading “Rouhani Is No “Moderate” When it Comes to Human Rights”

HRANA News Agency – Following the brutal attack on the political prisoners of the ward 350 of Evin, 30 political prisoners of the Rajai-Sharh prison wrote: “Such a brutal attack indicates that the regime can no longer endure the pressure applied by the civil movement and international human rights organizations in response to its systematic violation of human rights. In view of this enormous pressure, numerous crises in the country and the huge gap created amongst regime’s leadership team, the regime desperately retaliates from defenseless political prisoners and their families. ”

The following is the full text of this statement, a copy of which has been submitted to HRANA: Continue reading “Political prisoners of Rajai Shahar Condemning the Attack on Ward 350”

HRANA News Agency – During the past three months, I have been summoned to the Revolutionary Court, the last time being yesterday 14April2014, but refused to attend the court. Now, I have an opportunity to clarify the reasons for my refusal while sharing a message in the honor of labor day: Continue reading “Heshmatollah Tabazadi: why I don’t attend the court”

HRANA News Agency – The father of a Sunni prisoner sentenced to death in Iran has written an open letter about his son, published by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The full text of the letter has been translated into English below:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

I am Hassan Gharibi, I have passed 80 years of age, and I am the father of Mohammad Gharibi.

It is now nearly five years since they took my son.

Before my son was arrested, he was a person of the mosque, he used to pray in congregation and he would always go to the mosque. In the month of Ramadan, he would always be awake [worshiping] at night.

It is nearly nine years since he was married, and he now has a little boy. When he was arrested, his son was 3 years old, but now his beloved son is nearly 8. His son always asks for his father.

Mohammad’s mother was 70 years old, she was ill and had a stroke. Two years ago, when Mohammad was in Rajai Shahr prison, his mother died, and they did not even let him come for the funeral.

Since the day he was first arrested, he has regularly been physically and psychologically tortured.

Now he is very ill, and has developed kidney stones, just because the water in the prison is polluted.

My son was loved by the whole neighborhood, now all of them are upset by his absence.

I am already old, and my happiness was Mohammad, that he will take care of me, but instead I have grief and sadness.

His mother has died, and I am unwell, and I do not know whether I will see him before I die, or whether it will be like his mother, and I will die while he is still in prison.

Now, to the Iranian authorities, to the President, to the chairman of the judiciary, and also to the supreme leader of Iran, I request that you have mercy on my son, and do not execute him for being a Sunni.

It is two years since Mohammad’s death sentence was issued, and his case is now in the Supreme court, and I am waiting [to find out] whether his sentence will be finalized or not.

What did Mohammad do to get the death penalty? Except performing prayers, and doing religious activities, and he was a Sunni, [this is] his crime that they have sentenced him for!

They held a court [just] for formalities, and they issued a verdict for him on false charges. This is a government plot! Anyone who is a Sunni, and who [performs] religious activities, is jailed. And they issue charges against them, and false charges of ‘Moharabeh’ [enmity against God] are filed against them.

I pray to God that he has mercy on all the oppressed [people] in the world, and to answer our prayers, and to release my son and all political prisoners of [Sunni] faith.

Finally, to all Sunni scholars, to all students of knowledge, and also to all the compassionate people of the world, and all human rights organisations, I ask that anyone who knows of my situation, I want you to pray for the release of my son, and use all of your efforts towards releasing political prisoners of [Sunni] faith.

Hassan Gharibi, the father of Mohammad Gharibi, a Sunni prisoner sentenced to death.

21 April 2014

HRANA News Agency – 46 Baha’i citizens of Eyval, a small town in the province of Mazandran, Iran, who have been facing continuous torture and harassment, issued a letter to the head of judicial system in Mazandaran asking him to put an end to these harassments. They wrote: “the government of Iran claims to be the true representative of Imam Ali’s ideal government who once said “I don’t deserve sleeping at night if I hear the personal jewel of a Jewish woman is stolen” (Jews and Muslims have been always at war). Also, when he was preparing Malek Ashtar’s verdict as the governor of Egypt, he suggested: “Malek, people are either your Muslim brothers or God’s creature. You need to treat them, ALL, fairly.””.

The full text of the letter is as follows. Continue reading “Letter of 46 Baha’i citizens of Iran to the Judicial Authorities”