HRANA- Repressive measures against Bahai citizens in Iran have resulted in the arrest of one individual in Abadan and the destruction of a Bahai cemetery in Kerman.
HRANA has learned that on July 17, 2010 agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided the home of Hedayatollah Rezai a Bahai citizen from Abadan and arrested him after searching his home.
Continue reading “Continued Persecution of Bahai Citizens in Iran”
HRANA News Agency – The defense attorney for a young man sentenced to death has announced that his client will be executed early tomorrow morning.Kosha is a university student who has been convicted of murdering his classmate, Mahsa, on July 6, 2011 when she left Allameh Tabatabai University.Since the crime occurred on Tehran’s Modiriat Bridge, this murder is often referred to as “Modiriat Bridge Murder.”
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mr. Aghasi, Kosha’s defense attorney, said, “On Monday morning, when I went to the Criminal Court in Tehran, the head of the Enforcement Unit tasked to carry out verdicts informed me that the retribution sentence against my client would be performed early tomorrow morning.”
In answer to the question whether Kosha and his family are aware of what will happen tomorrow, Mr. Aghasi answered, “Surely Kosha will know because prison officials must perform the necessary tasks to prepare a prisoner for execution.However, as far as the family is concerned, I prefer not to be the one who carries the bad news to them.”
HRANA News Agency – In the recent weeks, an outbreak of Cholera has been reported in Ghezel Hesar, Rajai-Shahr and Pardis prisons.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the Ghezel Hesar prison hospital has diagnosed three cases of Cholera amongst the prisoners.Additionally, one prisoner in Rajai-Shahr Prison and another one in Pardis Prison have tested positive for Cholera.
Given the fact that the Cholera infection is caused by a bacterial toxin in contaminated food and water, and the drinking water is reported to be unsanitary especially in Ghezel Hesar and Rajai-Shahr prisons, an outbreak of Cholera in Tehran and Karaj’s prisons are highly probable.
Additionally, several times every week, debris and dirt are reported to be present in Rajai-Shahr Prison’s drinking water.Although prisoners have voiced their concerns and objected to this situation, nothing has been done so far to address the problem.
HRANA- Child labor activist and Bahai citizen from Tehran Afshin Heyratian has been in detention since his arrest on June 3, 2010.
According to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Heyratian was arrested in a park near his home. Security forces then entered his home without a warrant. Afshin Heyratian was active in a group working to better the plight of child laborers. It is believed that several other group members have been arrested.
Continue reading “Continued Detention of Child Labor Activist and Bahai Citizen Afshin Heyratian”
HRANA News Agency – This morning, July 19, 2011, three prisoners were hanged publicly in Kermanshah’s Azadi Square on charges of kidnapping and adultery.These prisoners identified by their first names were Milad Q. (son of Shirali), Javad A. (son of Sultan) and Javad A. (son of Habib). Although the prisoners’ exact age was not released, Iranian authorities indicated that the prisoners’ average age was 21 years and two months.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on May 14, 2011 the Criminal Court of Western Eslamabad issued the death sentence, and on June 21, 2011, the Iranian Supreme Court, Branch 32, upheld this verdict.Finally, the executions occurred this morning.The entire legal process from the trial to the appeal and eventually the execution took two months and five days.
HRANA has released the video report of the hanging on YouTube.
HRANA News Agency – In an effort to increase pressure on political prisoners, since Sunday, July 17, 2011, outside recreation time has been cancelled in Rajai-Shahr Prison.
According to a report by Jaras News, prison officials have not allowed political prisoners to go to the prison yard for fresh air since yesterday.In Rajai-Shahr Prison, political prisoners were previously given four hours every day for outside recreation contrary to the Department of Corrections’ regulations giving inmates the right to have access to fresh air all day.
In response to this decision, political prisoners refused to participate in the daily roll call.It has also been reported that living conditions inside Rajai-Shahr Prison are very poor.Political prisoners suffer from poor nutrition and have no access to the prison telephone.
HRANA- A number of followers of the Christian faith in Mashad were arrested by state security and intelligence forces. There is no word on the fate of two of those arrested.
HRANA has learned that on Thursday July 8, 2010 a group of fifteen Iranian Christians were arrested by state security and intelligence forces in Mashad as they were departing for a meeting with Christians from the city of Bojnourd.
HRANA News Agency – Prison officials have refused to provide medical care for Zanyar Moradi, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death on charges of killing the Friday Prayer Imam in the city of Marivan, Kurdistan Province.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Zanyar Moradi is suffering from inguinal hernia and has requested medical care several times.However, prison officials have ignored his needs thus far.
Inguinal hernias are bulges in the scrotum or thigh.Zanyar Moradi also suffers from testicular pain caused by severe physical torture.
Zanyar Moradi and Laqman Moradi are two Kurdish prisoners charged with the assassination of the Friday Prayer Imam in the city of Marivan.While behind bars in Rajai-Shahr Prison, these two political prisoners have denied the charges and written a letter to declare their innocence.
HRANA News Agency – Citing the Islamic Law of Retribution, Judge Noorollah Aziz Mohammadi presided over Tehran Province Criminal Court, Branch 71, and sentenced an elderly man identified by the name “Saman” to be hanged for the killing of his wife, Nahid.
According to a report by Fars News Agency, two years ago, when an old man was ordered to pay his wife’s mahrieh, he stabbed her twenty times, causing her death.[Mahrieh is an amount of money designated at the time of marriage to be paid by a groom to his bride whenever she demands it.] Tehran Province Criminal Court has sentenced this elderly man to be hanged.It has been reported that at the time of his arrest, he confessed to killing his wife.
On the day of the trial, the victim’s daughter addressed the court and said, “My parents were separated for two years but not divorced.My mother wanted to get a divorce, and for this reason, she had gone to the family court.”
She continued, “The court ordered my father to pay my mother’s mahrieh which was [approximately] $7,000, but my father didn’t want to pay her this money.They fought for this reason, and finally he killed her.”
During the trial, Saman took the stand and addressed the court as well.He said, “On the day of the incident, I went home after a long time.My wife started blaming and scorning me like always.Because of these problems and the mahrieh, we fought and in a split second, I stabbed her.”
Saman added, “I regretted what I had done and wanted to help Nahid.I dragged her body to the street in front of the house.Quickly, I went to a nearby clinic, but when I returned with doctors, her body had vanished.”
At the end, stating that he apologized for what he had done, the defender said, “I would like to ask my children and my wife’s family to forgive me.”
Following Saman’s statement, the court adjourned, and after consulting with advisors, Judge Noorollah Aziz Mohammadi sentenced the defender to die in retribution for the murder he had committed.
HRANA- The Ministry of Intelligence has ordered banks in Birjand to audit the accounts and to investigate the financial transactions of its Bahai citizens.
According to HRANA reporters, in addition to the investigations they are visiting the businesses of these citizens and questioning them regarding their income and family members.
