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Saba Kord Afshari was sentenced to extra 15 years of imprisonment despite being acquitted

Posted on June 2, 2020 by admin-hr

Evin Prison, Qarchak Prison, Raheleh Ahmadi, Saba Kord-Afshar

Saba Kord Afshari, a civil activist who is currently imprisoned in Evin Prison, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for “promoting corruption”, a charge of which she was previously acquitted. Her lawyer has expressed his concerns regarding her acquittal which was communicated to her in prison, emphasizing the unlawful proceedings of her case. Should this error in judgment fail to be remedied Ms. Kord Afshari, who is currently serving a nine-year sentence can face up to 24 years of imprisonment in total.

According to HRANA Saba Kord Afshari, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison was informed of her acquittal from a 15-year sentenced on the charge of “spreading corruption”. Hossein Taj, Ms. Kord Afshari’s lawyer states: “On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Saba Kord Afshari contacted me from Evin Prison and informed me that she was informed of re-announcement of her previous sentence of 15 years, from which she was acquitted in the appeals court. According to her, this was done through a letter issued by the execution division, although I was informed of her acquittal in person following her court at Branch 36 of the Court of Appeal. I was informed today that the content of her verdict of the appeals court (from which she was acquitted) has changed, and I intend to follow up with the intelligence department of the Judiciary system.”

Ms. Kord Afshari received this new verdict after she was issued an acquittal in writing on March 17, 2018, by the Evin Prosecutor’s Office on the charge of “promoting corruption and prostitution through appearing without a headscarf in public.” On May 26, 2020, she received another notice by the Ershad Prosecutor’s Office in which she is sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for “promoting corruption and prostitution through appearing without a headscarf in public” 1 year and 6 months of imprisonment for “propaganda against the regime.” As well as “assembly and collusion with an intent to commit a crime against the national security.”

Arrest

Saba Kord Afshari was arrested for the first time on August 2, 2018, alongside 50 others, during a series of protests that occurred July-August 2018 against the deterioration of Iran’s economy as well as the corruption within the government. She was first transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin and later, in October 2018, to Evin prison’s women’s ward. In August 2018, she was sentenced to one year in prison on the charge of “disrupting the public order” at Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court led by Judge Moghiseh. She was released on 14 February 2019 when Iran’s Supreme Leader pardoned a large number of prisoners in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

On June 2, 2019, Ms. Kord Afshari was rearrested by security forces at her home and was transferred to the Vozara Detention Center in Tehran. Her house was searched during this raid, and several items of her personal belongings including her mobile phone and laptop were also confiscated. This civil activist was charged only one day after her arrest in Branch 1 of the General and Revolutionary Court of Tehran’s 21st District Court (Ershad Prosecutor’s Office) and was transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin for interrogation for 11 days, on June 21st she was transferred from Qarchak to the IRGC Intelligence center of Evin Prison’s Ward 2-A and was once again returned to Qarchak Prison on July 2, 2019.

Trial

Saba Kord Afshari was transferred to Evin Prison on August 13, 2019, and her trial was held on August 19, 2018. Finally, on September 26, 2019, she was sentenced by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. Her sentences included 15 years of imprisonment on the charge of “promoting corruption and prostitution through appearing without a headscarf in public” 1 year and 6 months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the state” and 7 years and 6 months in prison on the charge of ” assembly and collusion with an intent to commit a crime against the national security”, which adds up to a total of 24 years in prison along with other social deprivations. Due to the number of crimes and previous records, each charge was added by one-half. This sentence was reduced to nine years in prison in December 2019 at Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Ahmad Zargar.

In accordance with Court of Appeals, Saba Kord Afshari was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda against the regime” and 7 years and 6 months in prison on charges of ” assembly and collusion with an intent to commit a crime against national security.”Based on Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the charge with the highest penalty will be considered; this means that Ms. Kord Afshari should serve 7 years and six months in prison for the charge of “assembly and collusion to commit a crime against the security of the country”. Hossein Taj, Ms. Kord Afshari’s lawyer, has previously stated: “The Court of Appeals acquitted Saba Kordafsari of a part of her charges and as a result, her sentence was reduced to 9 years, 7.5 of which are imposable by law. We also remain hopeful that the Judiciary system mitigates the sentences of Ms. Kord Afshari and other political prisoners.” Now, if the penal system fails to correct their violations, Ms. Kord Afshari, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence in Evin Prison, could face up to 24 years in prison.

It should be noted that Raheleh Ahmadi, a civil activist and Saba Kord Afshari’s mother, is also serving a 31-month prison term at Evin Prison alongside her daughter.

Saba Kord Afshari was born on July 7, 1998.

Soheil Arabi’s letter from prison

Posted on May 30, 2020 by admin-hr

Prisoners

hunger strile, open letter, Soheil Arabi

Soheil Arabi was on hunger strike for a month protesting prison conditions and denied medical treatment. He finished serving his 7 years imprisonment sentence when another case was opened for him and he was sentenced to another 8 years of imprisonment. He ended his hunger strike and wrote an open letter about his conditions and questioned prison’s budgets which was not spent on prisoners’ medical needs. He needs medical treatment for his deteriorating health conditions which part of it was caused by torture in prison.

Letter

In his open letter, he said “thanks to your support, my voice is heard. Some of the unresolved points in my case are clear and my treatments have started. Of course, the hunger strike is the last way to achieve our legal demands and now, with your efforts and support, the conditions are better. Although I still can’t eat or drink nothing but water with a little sugar and salt after the surgery, I want to draw our attention to more important issues. For example, what happened to 2.5 billion Tomans as the budget of the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary? What is the reason behind budget deficit and who is responsible for the embezzlement? Why this prison owes 1.8 billion Tomans to the hospital? How did meat disappear from prisoners’ meals during the three years of Ali Chaharmahali serving as the prison manager? What happened to the budget that was supposed to be spent on purchasing fresh vegetables and dairy for the prisoners, but prisoners don’t get to eat fresh vegetables and dairy, like meat, health care, and oil rigs that were disappeared! And finally, why stuff disappear in this country? How do so many glass pipes are smuggled into the prison and there is no control over drugs smuggling into the prison? Why did the IRIB reporter refuse to drink the prison’s water while reporting from the prison? How do you expect the prisoners to stay healthy under these conditions? For now, respecting the will of my mother and my friends who are worried about my conditions, I break my hunger strike and continue the treatment.

Background

Soheil Arabi was transferred to Imam Khomeini Hospital on March 18, 2020, but because the hospital refused to admit him, he was returned to the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary. It was said that the reason the hospital refused to admit him was that the Prison Organizations owes money to this hospital and the Great Tehran Central Penitentiary is not covering the medical charges. He was earlier transferred to the IRGC Intelligence Office’s detention center on April 14, 2020, but was returned to the Greater Tehran Central penitentiary on April 19, 2020.

Soheil Arabi left the ward on April 22, 2020, and was transferred to the detention center of a security organization in Tehran and a few days later, because of his severe health conditions that occurred during interrogations, ileus and stomach bleedings, was transferred from the IRGC intelligence office’s detention center to the hospital and underwent surgery. On April 28, 2020, because of severe pain, Mr. Arabi was transferred to Firouzabadi Hospital in Tehran but because there was no prior coordination and because there was no empty bed in the hospital, he was released after a preliminary visit and was returned to the prison. He was eventually returned to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary on April 29, 2020, without completing the treatment.

Mr. Arabi was also denied transfer to the hospital in November 2019 after he refused to wear a prison uniform, handcuffs, and foot shackles. Also, earlier last year, Mr. Arabi was taken to a security organization’s detention center and was interrogated with beating. Because of beatings, he was severely injured in his testicles and experience Blunt trauma. He has been suffering from the pain of this injury because of the negligence of the prison officials and not receive any kind of medical attention. Also, in contrast to the prison laws, he was told that he has to pay for the surgery of Blunt Trauma that is 60 million Tomans although, according to protocol issued by the Prison Organization, this organization is responsible for medical treatment of its prisoners.

Soheil Arabi was arrested and imprisoned on November 7, 2013, and has been denied furlough throughout the time he is serving his sentence. He is serving a 7 and a half years of the sentence in Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary. However, for two new cases that are recently opened against him in the prison, he was sentenced to imprisonment, exile, and paying fines by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. In the first case, Mr. Arabi was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for the charge of “insulting the religious beliefs, propaganda against the state and insulting the Supreme Leader” and for the other case “ distributing lies with intent to disturb public opinion and propaganda against the state” was sentenced to two years imprisonment, two years exile to Borazjan, and four million Tomans fine and for the charge of “damaging governmental assets” was sentenced to one year and eight months of imprisonment. He is set to be released in May 2025.

A Baha’i citizen, Elaheh Samizadeh, sentenced to an extra year in prison

Posted on May 25, 2020 by admin-hr

Religious Minorities

Bahareh Ghaderi, Elaheh Samizadeh, Navid Bazmandegan, Nora Purmoradian, Shahnaz Sabet, Shahriar Atrian, Soheila Haghighat, Soodabeh Haghighat

Elaheh Samizadeh, a Baha’i citizen, has been sentenced to one extra year of imprisonment and two years suspension from holding all governmental and public jobs by Branch 105 of Shiraz Criminal Court.

Ms. Samizadeh had previously been sentenced to six years in prison by Branch One of Shiraz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Seyed Mahmoud Sadati, on charges of “propaganda against the regime and membership in opposition groups”. Based on Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the charge with the highest penalty will be considered; this means that Ms. Samizadeh should serve five years in prison. Ms. Samizadeh is the mother of a toddler boy, and charges brought up against her of “propaganda against the regime” and “collaborating” with “dissident “groups” are because she worked as an instructor at “mother-child innovation courses” using her valid college degree obtained from official institutions. Charge of “forging a university degree” was brought up against her in July 2019 and caused her bail to be increased by 60 million Toman. According to the verdict that was communicated to Ms. Samizadeh on May 22, 2020, by Branch 105 of Shiraz Criminal Court presided over by Judge Fakharzadeh, “usage of scientific titles” which refers to her studies at BIHI (Baha’i University) is the underlying reason for her sentence of 1-year imprisonment and 2 years suspension from holding all governmental and public jobs. An informed source told HRANA: “She is accused of forging her diploma, while Ms. Samizadeh studied at the Baha’i Online University (BIHE) due to the Baha’is’ exclusion from studying at country’s accredited universities. She has also received her degree from this university, and after making bail has been repeatedly summoned and interrogated over this fact.”

Earlier, Shahriar Atrian, Navid Bazmandegan, Bahareh Ghaderi, Nora Purmoradian, Soheila Haghighat, Shahnaz Sabet, and Soodabeh Haghighat, were also charged by Branch 1 of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Seyed Mahmoud Sadati in the same case. The charges against this group include “propaganda against the regime and membership in an opposition group” which caused a 6-year sentence for every member of this group, an 8-year sentence for Niloufar Hakimi, and a 1-year sentence for Ehsanullah Mahboub Rah Vafa. From this group, Ms. Haghighat is also awaiting another trial in the criminal court, and Niloufar Hakimi has previously been sentenced to five years in prison by a criminal court. Taking Ms. Samizadeh’s new convictions into account, she and nine others implicated in this case have been sentenced to a total of 63 years in prison. These citizens were arrested by security forces in September 2018 and were all released on bail impending trial. HARANA reports the second part of Ms. Samizadeh’s case which went into the sentencing phase on May 22, 2020, has added a 1-year conviction to her previously 6-year sentence, and this addition brings up the collective sentencing of this group to a total of 63 years.

Bahai’s of Iran are deprived of all liberties and religious related activities, a systematic deprivation of liberty which goes against Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that entitle any person to freedom of religion and belief, freedom expression individually or collectively and in a public or private setting. According to unofficial reports, there are more than 300,000 Baha’is in Iran. However, Iran’s constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Baha’i faith. And this reason has given the Iranian authorities an excuse to systematically violate the rights of Baha’i citizens over the years.

November protesters sentences; execution, imprisonment, and lashes

Posted on April 9, 2020 by admin-hr

Freedom of Expression, Prisoners

The nationwide protests of November are one of the most significant events of 2019. During the November protests that lasted more than 10 days simultaneously in 719 parts of the country. At least 7133 people were arrested, hundreds died on the streets, and many protesters got gunshot wounds. HRANA has earlier published reports about the sentences of some of the arrestees of the late November Protests. The following is an update on the sentences and conditions of several individuals who were arrested during the last November’s protests:

1. Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi, Mohammad Rajabi, and Mojgan Eskandari: Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Salavati on February 19, 2020, sentenced Amir Hossein Moradi to death on the charge of “cooperating in vandalism and arson with an intent to act against the Islamic Republic of Iran”, 15 years in prison and 74 lashes for the charge of “cooperation in aggravated armed robbery at night” and one-year imprisonment for the charge of “crossing the border unlawfully”.

Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi: they were each sentenced to death on the charge of “cooperating in vandalism and arson with an intent to act against the Islamic Republic of Iran”, 10 years in prison and 74 lashes for the charge of “cooperation in aggravated armed robbery at night” and one-year imprisonment for the charge of “crossing the border unlawfully”.

The reason for sentencing Mr. Moradi to execution was mentioned as instructing protesters, the leadership of the protests, and armed fight with the agents. He was accused of instructing protesters on Telegram to seize the camera while the security agents are filming protesters to protect protesters’ identities.

2. Ali Nanvaei was sentenced to six months imprisonment and 74 lashes which was suspended for two years. He is also sentenced to hand copying three books. He was initially charged with “assembly and collusion” but his charge was later changed to “disrupting the public order”. He was arrested when he was leaving Tehran University on November 18, 2019. He is a student at Tehran University.

3. Mohammad Eghbali Golhin was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment, 74 lashes, and one-year exile to Rask by Branch 10 of Shahriar’s Criminal Court on February 16, 2020. He was sentenced to ten years for vandalism and one year for the charge of “disrupting the public order”, and 74 lashes and one-year exile for the charge of “fight with Basij militia”. Based on Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the charge with the highest penalty will be considered; this means that he should serve 10 years in prison. He was arrested on November 19, 2019, in Karaj.

4. Gita Hor, 30-years old, was sentenced to six years imprisonment by Branch 24 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. She was sentenced to five years imprisonment for “assembly and collusion against the national security” and one-year imprisonment for the charge of “propaganda against the state”. Based on Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the charge with the highest penalty will be considered; this means that she should spend five years in prison. She was arrested on November 21, 2019. She is currently in Qarchak Prison. Her trial was presided by Judge Mohammad Reza Amouzadeh.

5. Mohammad Hejazifar was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for the charges of “assembly and collusion” and “insulting the President” by Branch 10 of Malard’s Criminal Court and Shahriar’s Revolutionary Court. He was arrested on November 23, 2019, by the security forces of Islamshahr and was transferred to a detention center that belongs to a security organization. After a while, he was again transferred to the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary. Mr. Hejazifar, 35 years old, is studying business at Islamshahr University and working in a publishing store. His 33 years old brother, Omid Hejazifar, is still in Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary and his status is unknown.

6. Mojgan Eskandari, a political prisoner of Qarchak Prison, was sentenced to three years in prison for the charge of “assembly and collusion” by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Salavati on February 19, 2020. She was arrested on December 10, 2019. She is in the same case as Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi, Mohammad Rajabi who were sentenced to death, imprisonment, and lashes. Ms. Eskandari is 51 years old and is now in ward 1 (Mothers ward) of Qarchak Prison in Varamin. Ms. Eskandari said that she met Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi during the protests, and they were arrested after that. Eventually, Mojgan Eskandari along with Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi, Mohammad Rajabi, and Shima (unknown family name) were tried for the same case. Shima (unknown family name) was released on bail. They were tried on 25-26 January 2020 presided by Judge Abolghasem Salavati.

7. Samira Hadian, a political prisoner, was sentenced to eight years in prison by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Iman Afshari. Some of her charges are: “assembly and collusion”, insulting agents”, and “disobeying governmental agents’ orders”. Based on Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the charge with the highest penalty will be considered; this means that she should serve five years in prison. She was arrested on November 21, 2019, and was transferred from a detention center that belongs to a security organization to Qarchak Prison on December 1, 2019. She is now in ward 1 (mothers’ ward) of Qarchak Prison.

8. Melika Gharagozlou, student of journalism at Allameh Tabatabaei University, was sentenced to a six-month prison term for the charge of “assembly and collusion against the national security” on February 26, 2020, by Branch 29 of the Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Mazloum. She was arrested on November 17, 2019. and was released on a 60 million Tomans bail on December 1, 2019.

9. Maryam Alishahi and her son, Mahyar Mansouri were arrested on November 16, 2019. Branch 36 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Mohammadreza Amozadeh sentenced Ms. Alishahi to nine years in prison and Mr. Mansouri to six years in prison. Based on Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the charge with the highest penalty will be considered; this means that they should each serve five years in prison. On February 25, 2020, they requested an appeal and their case was transferred to Branch 36 of Tehran’s appeals court presided by Judge Seyed Ahmad Zargar. The details of their sentences are as follows:

Maryam Alishahi was sentenced to five years imprisonment for the charge of “assembly and collusion”, two years of imprisonment for the charge of “insulting the Supreme Leader”, one-year imprisonment for the charge of “propaganda against the state”, and one year in prison for the charge of “disturbing public order”. Mahyar Mansouri was sentenced to five years imprisonment for the charge of “assembly and collusion”, and one-year imprisonment for the charge of “propaganda against the state”.

It should be noted that Mahyar Mansouri was released on 300 million Tomans bail. Maryam Alishahi was transferred from a detention center that belongs to a security organization to Qarchak Prison on December 1, 2019. She is now in ward 1 (mothers’ ward) of Qarchak Prison.

10. The Branch 101 of Urmia’s criminal court headed by Judge Hamid Golinejad sentenced Ali Azizi, Amin Zare, Salar Taher Afshar, Ilyar Hosseinzadeh, and Yasin Hasanpour, to pay one and half million Tomans fine instead of eight months imprisonment and 20 lashes. This sentence is suspended for three years for Keyvan Pashaei, Amin Zare, and Salar Taher Afshar. They were charged with “disturbing public order through attending protests”.

11. Milad Arsanjani, 32 years old, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment for the charge of “insulting the Supreme Leader” and to five years imprisonment for the charge of “assembly and collusion”. One of his accusations is housing a person who was injured during the November 2019 protests and staying with him during his treatment. He was arrested in Shahriar and was transferred to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary after interrogations.

12. Ali Bikas, 32 years old, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and three months service in Basij militia (as a completing sentence) by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on March 16, 2020. Mr. Bikas was charged with “assembly and collusion”, “disturbing public order”, and “shouting”. He is in Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary and started a hunger strike after receiving his sentence and said, “I was only protesting and did not commit a crime”.

13. On March 1, 2020, Fatemeh Kohanzadeh was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and 50 lashes (both suspended for two years) and two years public service in a hospital (as a completing sentence) by Branch 1 of Karaj’s Revolutionary Court. She was sentenced to one year in prison for the charge of “propaganda against the state for enemy groups” and six months imprisonment and 50 lashes for the charge of “disturbing the public order”. Ms. Kohanzadeh was arrested on December 26, 2019, during the commemoration ceremony held 40 days after the killing of Pouya Bakhtiari, one of the victims of last November’s protests. She was arrested at Behesht Sakineh cemetery and was transferred to Kachoui Prison in Karaj. She is married and has two children.

14. On March 16, 2020, Pardis Criminal Court sentenced Sajad Salarvand to one-year imprisonment and three months of bathing deceased people’s bodies (as a completing sentence). He was charged with “establishing a community with an intention to act against the national security” and “disturbing the public order”. He was arrested on November 16, 2020, in Bumehen and was transferred to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary after interrogations in Evin Prison. He was reportedly severely beaten during interrogations.

15. Kermanshah Revolutionary Court sentenced Amin Kaseb to two years imprisonment for the charge of “promoting an opposition Kurd party”. He was arrested during November 2019 protests in Javanrud and was released on 200 million Tomans bail on December 22, 2019.

16. On March 3, 2020, Branch 24 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced 28 years old, Mehdi Vahidi, to five years imprisonment for the charge of “assembly and collusion”. This sentence was reduced to four years and four months after he accepted it and did not request an appeal. He was identified by CCTV and was arrested on November 23, 2019, by the IRGC forces at his parents’ house in Andisheh New Town. He was transferred to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary after 34 days of interrogations.

17. Abolfazl Nejadfath, was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Mr.Nejatfath was sentenced to five years of imprisonment for the charge of “assembly and collusion” and one-year prison term for the charge of “propaganda against the state”. According to Article 134, he should spend five years in prison. He is the anthropology student at Tehran University and was arrested during November 2019 nationwide protests and was released on 200 million Tomans bail on December 18, 2020. Mr. Nejadfath trial was on February 2, 2020, at Branch 29 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court.

18. On March 15, 2020, Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced Hamid Khosropoor to one-year imprisonment and three months public service in deprived areas (as a completing sentence) for the charge of “assembly and collusion”. He was arrested on December 2, 2019, in Tehran and was transferred to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary after completion of interrogations in Evin Prison. He was reportedly severely beaten and tortured during interrogations by IRGC such as denailing which caused him speech disorder (stuttering) and shaking hand disorders. He was born in 1973, married and has two kids. He has been working at Refah Bank for 20 years.

19. On March 3, 2020, Maliheh Jafari was sentenced to six months imprisonment and hand-copying religious books and public service (as a completing sentence) for the charge of “assembly and collusion with the intent of acting against the national security”. Her completing sentence is a two-months public service under the supervision of women’s social-cultural committee, 90 pages handwritten research about Islamic veil and its effects, and hand copying three religious books. Ms. Jafari was arrested on November 18, 2019, and was released on bail on December 1, 2019.

20. On January 22, 2020, Mehdi Bagheri, 20 years old, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for the charge of “assembly and collusion” by Branch 24 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. He requested appeal but his appeals court is not scheduled yet. His trial was on January 2, 2020. According to an informed source, during his trial, Judge Mohammadreza Amoozadeh asked about his personal information and then send him out of the court and when Mr.Bagheri wanted to defend himself he was told that “all of you should be executed”. He was identified by CCTV and was arrested by the IRGC forces at his parents’ house in Tehran. He was transferred to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary after interrogations.

21. Branch 101 of Shiraz Revolutionary Court sentences six detained minors protesters to 468 lashes, combined, and public services (as a completing sentence). Their names and sentences are as followings:

Mohammad Reza Heydari was sentenced to 400 hours of public service in Shiraz municipality. One-fourth of this sentence will be reduced because he accepted his sentence and did not request an appeal.

Jabar Fioji and Ali Akbarnejad were sentenced to three months imprisonment and 74 lashes each for “disturbing public order” and 80 lashes for drinking alcoholic drinks. Their sentences are suspended for two years.

Reza Akbarnejad and Salar Fioji were sentenced to pay 500 thousand Tomans fine for “disturbing public order” and 80 lashes for drinking alcoholic beverages each.

Their trial was without the presence of their lawyers.

Complementary sentence

In the past few months, the political prisoners (especially protesters of November 2019 and January 2020’s protests) are receiving unusual complementary penalties on top of their imprisonment sentences. Sentences such as bathing a dead person’s body, hand-copying Quran, serving in Basij militia group, reading books about killed soldiers in Syria, reading about hijab, and researching about United States of America’s crimes are some of the complementary sentences that have been issued to the political prisoners.

Complementary penalties are additions to the main sentence. Based on the law, they are not necessary and are added based on the judge’s decision.

Only under these conditions, a judge can issue complementary penalties: convict was sentenced to fine more than two million Tomans, the convict was sentenced to more than 31 lashes, and the convict was sentenced to execution.

Complementary and Consequential Punishments

Article 23– Considering the requirements provided in this law and proportionate to the committed crime and character of the offender, the court can sentence a person who has been sentenced to hadd, qisas, or ta’zir punishments from sixth to first degree, to one or more punishment(s) from the following complementary punishments:

Compulsory residence in a specified place

Ban from residing in (a) specified place(s)

Ban from holding a specified profession, career or job

Dismissal from governmental and public offices

Ban from driving or operating motor vehicles

Ban from having a checkbook or drawing commercial bills

Ban from carrying a gun

(h) Ban from leaving the country for Iranian citizens

(i) Deportation of foreign nationals

(j) Providing public services

(k) Ban from membership of political or social parties and groups

(l) Seizure of the means for commission of the offense or the media or organization involved in commission of the offense

(m) Compulsory learning of a specified profession, career, or job

(n) Compulsory education

(o) Publication of the final judgment

Note 1- The complementary punishment shall not exceed more than two years unless otherwise provided by law.

Note 2- If the complementary punishment and main punishment are of the same type, only the main punishment shall be given.

Note 3- The regulations of the conditions of execution of complementary punishments shall be prepared by the Minister of Justice and approved by the Head of Judiciary within six months after this law is enforceable.

Earlier complementary penalties were used to sentence political prisoners to travel ban, exile, ban from membership in political groups.

Samaneh Norouz Moradi returned to prison

Posted on April 8, 2020 by admin-hr

Prisoners

Samaneh Norouz Moradi, a political prisoner, returned to Evin Prison on April 5, 2020. Ms. Norouzi is suffering from Lupus and breast infection. Even a doctor prescribed her mastectomy which has not been performed yet. She was granted furlough on March 18, 2020. Her request to extend her furlough was not accepted by Amin Vaziri, the special assistant of the prosecutor regarding political prisoners.

Ms. Moradi was arrested in August 2018 for supporting an opposition group through the internet and was released on bail after two weeks. Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced her to 8 years imprisonment which was reduced to three years and nine months after she accepted the court’s verdict and did not request an appeal. On April 24, 2019, she was rearrested and transferred to Evin Prison to serve her sentence.

A report on Sunni prisoners of Rajai Shahr Prison

Posted on April 8, 2020 by admin-hr

Prisoners, Religious Minorities

Abdolaziz Pirabi, Abdoljabbar Hasani, Abdollah Shariati, Abdolrahman Sangani, Adnan Hosseini, Ahmad Anjezari, Barzan Nasrollahzadeh, Borhan Asgharian, Farshid Naseri, Farzad Shahnazari, Firouz Hamidi, Foad Babaei, Hamzeh Darvish, Khosro Besharat, Mokhtar Kakaei, Omid Sotoudeh, Saeed Karimi, Teymour Naderizadeh, Tohid Ghoreishi

31 Sunni prisoners are detained in ward 7 of hall 21 of Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj in an unfavorable condition. This report that is gathered by Human Rights Activists (HRANA) examines the conditions in Rajai Shahr Prison and as well, the condition of 31 Sunni political prisoners who were kept in this prison. The information of this report was gathered from the sources inside the prison. Several prisoners contacted HRANA while incarcerated in Rajai Shahr Prison or after they were released.

Prison conditions

Lack of hygiene products and sanitary necessities in the prison during the Coronavirus outbreak has raised concerns among these prisoners. Some of these prisoners, who are serving their rather long imprisonment sentences in exile, suffer from various illnesses such as shortness of breath, neck and knee arthritis, and herniated disc. As a result of the location of this hall and high humidity in the ward, the majority of the prisoners suffer from respiratory diseases. Also, unsafe and unpurified drinking-water caused kidney problems such as kidney stones for many of these prisoners. Moreover, malnutrition has weakened them physically. In addition, many of these prisoners suffer from psychiatric disorders as a result of the tortures they endured during their interrogation or detentions.

Other issues

In addition, most of these prisoners were transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj from different towns across Iran, thus, long distances and the costs of transportation to and from their towns has led to fewer family visits for these prisoners.

In recent years, these prisoners have been subject to attacks and violent searches that led to the destruction of their belongings. In the latest attack on February 6, 2019, the security forces including the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and more than 200 of the prison guards attacked ward 7 of hall 21 of this prison, confiscated and distracted belongings of these prisoners, and beat several of these prisoners.

31 Sunni prisoners of Rajai Shahr Prison

There are 31 Sunni prisoners with political or security charges in this prison. The latest list of the names of these prisoners and their health condition is complied by HRANA as follows:

1.Teymour Naderizadeh – arrest: June 2010 – charges: membership and collaboration with Salafi groups – sentence: 12 years of imprisonment – notes: he was first sentenced to death but after three years, his sentence was reduced to 12 years imprisonment.

2.Saeed Karimi – charges: membership in ISIS, act against the national security, waging war against God (Moharebeh) – sentence: death – health condition: he suffers from Diabetes and shortness of breath – notes: he left the country for a while and was allegedly joined the ISIS but returned and was arrested after two months.

3.Barzan Nasrollahzadeh – arrest: June 2010 – charges: waging war against God (Moharebeh) – sentence: death – health condition: he suffers from kidney stones, gastrointestinal discomfort, and herniated disc. He is physically very weak because of missing spleen – notes: when he was 17 years old, he was arrested by the security forces on the back from school. He was shot 5 times at the time of arrest in which he lost his spleen.

4.Abdolrahman Sangani – arrest: 2010 – charges: waging war against God (Moharebeh) through supporting Salafi groups – sentence: he was initially sentenced to death but his sentence was reduced to life in prison – health condition: he suffers from respiratory disease and due to a severe infection of his eye, he has lost vision in one of his eyes. Also, due to an accident before being arrested, half of his body is numb.

5.Hamzeh Darvish – arrest: 2016 – charges: waging war against God (Moharebeh) through membership in ISIS and leaving the country illegally – sentence: 15 years imprisonment – health condition: he takes psychiatric medication due to psychiatric conditions.

6.Abdollah Shariati – arrest: July 2011 – charges: waging war against God (Moharebeh) through membership in an opposition group – sentence: 10 years imprisonment – health condition: has undergone two operation on his neck discs and suffers from asthma and herniated disc.

7.Farshid Naseri – arrest: 2010 – charges: membership and collaboration with a Salafi group – sentence: 12 years imprisonment – health condition: he suffers from herniated disc and arthritis in the knee and the neck.

8.Firouz Hamidi – arrest: 2010 – charges: charges: waging war against God (Moharebeh) through membership in a Salafi group – sentence: 20 years imprisonment – health condition: he lost a kidney. He suffers from shortness of breath and stomach disease, so he is physically weak, and he only weighs 45 Kg.

9.Khosro Besharat – arrest: January 2010 – charges: involvement in assasination of Mamusta Abdolrahim Tina, membership in a Salafi group, corruption on earth, act against the national security and propaganda against the state – sentence: death – health condition: he suffers from psychiatric diseases but the prison authorities refuse to provide him with his medications.

10.Farzad Shahnazari – arrest: 2010 – charges: membership and collaboration with a Salafi group – sentence: 12 years imprisonment – health condition: he suffers from a heart condition, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal discomfort.

11.Borhan Asgharian – arrest: 2012 – charges: act against the national security and waging war against God (Moharebeh) through membership in a Salafi group – sentence: 10 years imprisonment – health condition: he suffers from herniated disc and in need of a surgery.

12.Tohid Ghoreishi – arrest: April 2014 – charges: assembly and collusion with an intent to act against the national security, supporting opposition groups, and propaganda against the state – sentence: 16 years imprisonment – notes: he was previously sentenced to 5 years imprisonment which was completed in March 2019 but when he was expecting to be released, a new case was opened for him and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

13.Abdoljabbar Hasani – arrest: 2012 – charges: acting against the national security and waging war against God (Moharebeh) through membership in a Salafi group – sentence: 10 years imprisonment – health condition: he suffers from neck arthritis and kidney stone.

14.Foad Babaei – arrest: 2012 – his charges and details of his case are not known – sentence: 10 years imprisonment – health condition: he suffers from herniated discs and vision of one of his eyes is severely distorted.

15.Mokhtar Kakaei – arrest: 2014 – his charges and details of his case are not known – sentence: 15 years imprisonment – health condition: because of he was severely hit in his head during interrogation, he is having difficulty in his hearings in both ears. He also suffers from foot ache.

16.Abdolaziz Pirabi – arrest: 2016 – his charges and details of his case are not known – sentence: 15 years imprisonment – health condition: he suffers from severe headaches and has fainted several times.

17.Omid Sotoudeh – arrest: 2016 – charges: cooperation with ISIS – sentence: 15 years imprisonment.

18.Ahmad Anjezari – arrest: 2014 – his charges and details of his case are not known – sentence: 15 years imprisonment

19.Adnan Hosseini – arrest: 2016 – his charges and details of his case are not known – sentence: 15 years imprisonment – notes: he was a store owner at Paveh Border Market before being arrested.

20.Yasin Abbas Joubi – arrest: 2014 – his charges and details of his case are not known – sentence: 15 years imprisonment.

21.Kamran Sheikheh – arrest: January 2011 – charges: involvement in assassination of Mamusta Abdolrahim Tina, membership in Salafi groups, corruption on earth, act against the national security, and propaganda against the state – sentence: death.

22.Farhad Salimi – arrest: January 2011 – charges: involvement in assassination of Mamusta Abdolrahim Tina, membership in Salafi groups, corruption on earth, act against the national security, and propaganda against the state – sentence: death.

23.Anvar Khezri – arrest: January 2011 – charges: involvement in assassination of Mamusta Abdolrahim Tina, membership in Salafi groups, corruption on earth, act against the national security, and propaganda against the state – sentence: death – health condition: he suffers from respiratory diseased due to tortures during his detention. The physicians believe that his condition is because he was hit hard on his chest.

24.Ayoub Karimi – arrest: January 2011 – charges: involvement in assassination of Mamusta Abdolrahim Tina, membership in Salafi groups, corruption on earth, act against the national security, and propaganda against the state – sentence: death.

25.Ali Mafakheri – arrest: 2014 – charges: leaving the country illegally and act against the national security – sentence: 1o years imprisonment – notes: his sentence was initially rejected by the Supreme Court but was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by judge Salavati.

26.Ismaeil Rashidi – arrest: August 2016 – charge: act against the national security (unknown details) – sentence: 5 years imprisonment.

27.Hossein Palani – arrest: 2016 – charge: cooperation with ISIS – notes: he has been in a limo state from the time of his arrest. The first and only session to investigate his charges was held five months ago. He and Ahmad Abdolrahman used to sell foreign currencies (Dollars) before being arrested.

28.Yasin Mahmoudian – arrest: 2017 – charges: membership and cooperation with ISIS and waging war against God (Moharebeh) – sentence: death – notes: he was arrested at his residence after the armed attack to the Parliament. He was charged with providing a vehicle for the attackers to the Parliament.

29.Fereidoun Zakeri Nasab – arrest: 2017 – charges: membership and cooperation with ISIS and waging war against God (Moharebeh) – sentence: death – notes: he was arrested at his residence after the armed attack to the Parliament. He was charged with providing a vehicle for the attackers to the Parliament.

30.Mohammad Abdolrahman – arrest: 2014 – charges: leaving the country illegally and act against the national security – sentence: 10 years imprisonment – notes: he is a citizen of Iraq. He claimed that he traveled to Iran to meet his friend, Ali Mafakheri. He was a construction worker before being arrested. Three years ago, the authorities promised to release him earlier, but he has not yet been released.

31.Ahmad Abdolrahman – arrest: 2016 – charge: cooperation with ISIS – notes: he is a citizen of Iraq. He has been in a limo state since he was arrested. The first and only session to investigate his charges was held five months ago. He and Hossein Palani used to sell foreign currencies (Dollars) before being arrested.

Domestic violence increased during coronavirus quarantines and stay-at-home orders

Posted on April 5, 2020 by admin-hr

Children, Women

Coronavirus, Domestic Violence, Wellfare State Organization

Mahmoud Aligoo, the head of the department of social harms of the State Welfare Organization reported an increase in the number of domestic violence and child abuse by assessing the number of calls made to the national director of Iran’s social emergency hotline. On April 1, 2020, Behzad Vahidnia, the head of counseling and psychology of the State Welfare Organization of Iran reported that the number of calls related to family conflicts during the quarantine times after coronavirus outbreak has been tripled.

Increasing awareness of families regarding how to treat women and girls especially in small cities and rural areas, teaching life skills from childhood, before marriage, after marriage, and before a child is born, researching on the methods to prevent domestic violence, and finally, revising the laws according to the current situations are some of the solutions to overcome violence against women.

Mr. Aligoo also pointed out that the increase in the number of child abuse and domestic violence during this time is because the Iranian middle-class families have been quarantining more seriously which resulted in heightened risk for domestic violence. Vahidinia added that approximately 60% of calls were related to family conflicts. Moreover, unemployment and financial hardship caused by coronavirus outbreak are important factors to the increased domestic violence. “if there are conflicts and mental conflicts, it is because of the poor economic situation in the society. People have to stay home because of the quarantine and thus, they are affected by the financial hardships, they are more in face-to-face contact with each other, there is a higher chance of quarrels, negligence, and emotional destructions and therefore, these factors will contribute in increasing domestic violence. Specifically, domestic violence against the elderly is a very important category of domestic violence” says Vahidinia.

Increase in violence against children

According to Shahrvand News Agency’s report quoting some of the children’s rights activists, there has been an increase in physical and verbal conflicts with children staying at home. Yasaman Dadvar who is responsible for the Sedaye Yar, the first hotline that offers counsel to children and teenagers, says that “quarantine has caused trouble for the families who were not ready for it. Small income and not having enough savings or the opportunity to work remotely has caused tensions in the families. To overcome such tensions, parents and children would need a set of skills but most of the families lack such skills. And this can lead to increased violence against children.”

In February 2019, Habibollah Masoudi Farbod, deputy of social affairs of the State’s Welfare Organization announced that during the year before, there were a million calls made to the national director of Iran’s social emergency hotline from which about 11 thousand calls were related to child abuse and about 10 thousand were related to violence against women.

According to the report compiled by HRANA in 2019, there were 1290 cases of child abuse, 31 cases of rape and sexual assault of children, 10 cases of children being murdered and 31 cases of child suicides.

10 prisoners on death row in Tabriz Prion

Posted on April 5, 2020 by admin-hr

Executions

Ahmad Ahmadi, Akbar Norouzi, Ali Tahouneh, Bahram Almasi, Execution, Gholamreza Tahouneh, Hadi Khoshfetrat, Hamid Asgarpour, Javid Mohammadpour, Majid Khalilvand, Mohammad Khosravi, Safar Chalak, Tabriz Prison

At least 50 prisoners in ward 11 of Tabriz Prison are on death row. HRANA identified 10 of them as following:

Mohammad Khosravi was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for six years.

Akbar Norouzi was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for eight years.

Gholamreza Tahouneh was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for five years.

Ali Tahouneh (younger brother of Ghoamreza Tahouneh) was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for five years.

Safar Chalak was sentenced to death on the charge of rape. He is in prison for two years.

Ahmad Ahmadi was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for two years.

Bahram Almasi was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for four years.

Majid Khalilvand was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for two years.

Hadi Khoshfetrat was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for three years.

Javid Mohammadpour was sentenced to death on the charge of murder. He is in prison for two years.

Hamid Asgarpour was executed in Tabriz Prison on January 28, 2020, two years after a case was filed against him. He was told that he will be transferred to court, but instead, he was executed. According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), his execution has not been announced by the authorities or published in the media, and its report has just recently been given to HRANA.

In 2019, the Iranian authorities issued death penalty sentences to 108 individuals and have already carried out 248 executions including 13 executions in public. In addition, 4 juvenile offenders have also been executed in 2019 who were under the age of 18 at the time of committing the crime. Secret executions of prisoners, reported by the independent sources and the human rights associations, indicate that 75% of executions are carried out in secret or without any publicity.

Babak Dadbakhsh sentence was increased to 25 years imprisonment

Posted on March 31, 2020 by admin-hr

Prisoners

Babak Dadbakhsh, Mental Hospital

Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Moghiseh sentenced Babak Dadbakhsh to 17 years in prison for the charges of “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God (Moharebeh)”. He did not request an appeal because his public defender convinced him to accept his sentence. On March 29, 2020, he was summoned and informed that there was a mistake in his verdict and his new sentence is 25 years in prison.

Babak Dadbaksh was arrested by the security police on October 28, 2018, in Tehran and was transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention center. Babak Dadbakhsh was charged with “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God (Moharebeh)” by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Salavati. During his detention, he was held in various prisons such as Ward 209 of Evin Prison and Fashafoyeh Prison. On October 28, 2018, he was transferred to Razi Psychiatric Hospital (Amin Abad) where he was handcuffed and chained to the bed. He was eventually transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison on February 16, 2019. He was kept in the mental ward of the prison for a while and then was transferred to the political prisoners’ ward. Although suffering from mental illness, he was deprived of medical treatments. Moreover, the prison authorities did not permit family visits for him. Babak is 37 years old, originally from Ardabil and residing in Tehran. He is married and has a child. He spent time in Evin Prison during 2007-2009. Babak Dadbakhsh and his sister have separately written open letters to the head of the judiciary system explaining his severe mental illness and emphasizing his innocence.

30 Baha’is were summoned to the court in Shiraz

Posted on March 17, 2020 by admin-hr

Religious Minorities

On March 14, 2019, 30 Baha’i citizens were summoned to Branch 10 of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz. Their summon was related to a case that was opened back in 2016 against them by the Intelligence Ministry. They were charged with “membership in an opposition group” and “propaganda against the state”. They were identified as follows:

Noushin Zanhari, Esmail Rousta, Behnam Azimpour, Saeed Hasani, Ramin Shirvani, Marjan Gholampour, Mojgan Gholampour, Farid Shademan, Farzad Shademan, Parisa Rouhizadegan, Shamim Akhlaghi, Sahba Farahbakhsh, Sahba Moslehi, Ahdyeh Enayati, Mahyar Sefidi, Shadi Sadegh Aghdam, Vargha Kaviani, Soroush Ighani, Maryam Eslami, Yekta Fahandaj Saadi, Nabil Tahzib, Samar Ashnaei, Rezvan Yazdani, Lala Salehi, Nasim Kashani, Bahareh Norouzi, Niloufar Hakimi, Farzan Masoumi, Shahnaz Sabet, and Farhad Sabet

Background

Marjan Gholampour, Mojgan Gholampour, Farid Shademan, Farzad Shademan, Parisa Rouhizadegan, Shamim Akhlaghi, Sahba Farahbakhsh, Sahba Moslehi, Ahdyeh Enayati, Mahyar Sefidi, Shadi Sadegh Aghdam, Vargha Kaviani, Soroush Ighani, and Maryam Eslami were arrested in 2016 and were transferred to Ministry of Intelligence Detention Center in Shiraz known as the No. 100 Detention Center.

On October 3, 2016, Bahareh Norouzi and her husband, Siamak Honarvar were arrested and their house was searched and their belongings were confiscated. They were also transferred to the No.100 Detention Center.

On October 10, 2016, Vargha Kaviani, Shamim Akhlaghi, Farid Shademan, Soroush Ighaei, Farzad Shademan, and Mojgan Gholampour were released from Adel Abad Prison on 200 million Tomans bail along with 92 other prisoners.

On October 11, 2016, Marjan Gholampour, Maryam Eslami, and Parisa Rouhizadegan were released from prison on 200 million Tomans bail.

Moreover, Noushin Zanhari, Esmail Rousta, Behnam Azimpour, Saeed Hasani, and Ramin Shirvani were arrested along with several other Baha’i citizens in June 2016. They were released on 200 million Toman bail after a month.

Baha’i citizens of Iran are systematically deprived of religious freedoms, while according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, all people are entitled to freedom of religion, belief, and changes thereof, as well as the right to express and practice those beliefs as individuals or collectives, in public or in private. Though unofficial sources estimate the Baha’i population of Iran at more than 300,000, Iran’s Constitution officially recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, and does not acknowledge the Baha’i faith as an official religion. As a result, the rights of Baha’is in Iran are systematically violated.

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Author: admin-hr

Saba Kord Afshari was sentenced to extra 15 years of imprisonment despite being acquitted

Soheil Arabi’s letter from prison

A Baha’i citizen, Elaheh Samizadeh, sentenced to an extra year in prison