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Baha’i Educator Keyvan Rahimian Receives Nine-Year Prison Sentence

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News, Religious Minorities
Evin Prison, Keyvan Rahimian, Tehran, Tehran Revolutionary Court

Keyvan Rahimian, a Baha’i citizen and lecturer at an online university affiliated with the Baha’i community, has been sentenced to nine years in prison, accompanied by a fine and a six-year deprivation of social rights.

The verdict, issued by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, outlines a five-year sentence for “educational activities and propagating against Sharia Islam” and a four-year sentence for “assembly and collusion against national security.” Alongside the prison term, Rahimian has been prohibited from exercising social rights and ordered to pay a fine.

Should the verdict be upheld on appeal, Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code stipulates that five years of the prison term will be enforced, as it imposes the maximum prison term for one charge from multiple charges.

Rahimian was apprehended by security forces in Tehran on July 18, 2023, and subsequently detained in Evin prison. His detention has been extended for four consecutive months, with Rahimian granted leave from November 25 to 29, 2023, to attend his mother’s funeral.

This is not the first time Rahimian has faced legal repercussions for his activism. In August 2017, he was released from Rajai Shahr Prison after completing a five-year sentence. The current sentence raises concerns about the ongoing suppression of Baha’i individuals engaged in educational and community activities.

Hossein Hosseinkhani Receives Two-Year Sentence in Absentia

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Freedom of Expression, News
Arak, Hossein Hosseinkhani, Mehrshad Shahidi-Nejad

The Revolutionary Court of Arak has issued a two-year prison sentence in absentia for Hossein Hosseinkhani.

Presiding over Branch 2 of the Arak Revolutionary Court, Judge Hosseini ruled that Hosseinkhani should serve a two-year prison term for “assembly and collusion against national security.”

In a separate aspect of the legal case, Hosseinkhani was initially handed a three-month prison sentence for “defying government officers” by the Criminal Court of Arak. However, this verdict was later commuted to a fine.

Hosseinkhani was arrested on October 27, 2023, by security forces while attending the burial of Mehrshad Shahidi-Nejad Monfared Tehrani, one of the protestors killed by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protests. Four days later, he was released on bail from Arak Prison.

This was not Hosseinkhani’s first encounter with law enforcement. He faced a previous arrest during the nationwide protests on September 20, 2022, but was later released on bond.

The backdrop of these events includes the tragic death of 19-year-old Mehrshad Shahidi-Nejad on October 26, 2022, during protests in Arak, where he was struck by batons, leading to his untimely demise.

Protest Rapper Toomaj Salehi’s One-Year Sentence Upheld on Appeal

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Freedom of Expression, News
Amir Raisian, Iranian Rapper, Isfahan, Toomaj Salehi

The Appeals Court of Isfahan Province has upheld the one-year sentence for protest singer Toomaj Salehi, as reported by ILNA.

Amir Raisian, Salehi’s lawyer, revealed that the Court of Appeal dismissed their complaint against the initial verdict, rendering it final. Despite this setback, Raisian announced plans to pursue a retrial based on Article 477 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Salehi’s conviction for “propaganda against the regime” comes with additional consequences, including a two-year travel ban, the revocation of his passport, and mandatory participation in behavior management and knowledge skills programs.

Furthermore, Raisian clarified that this verdict is connected to a legal case initiated this year, stemming from the publication of a photo by Salehi.

He emphasized that Salehi faces an even greater challenge from a separate legal case dating back two years. On January 21, 2024, the Public and Revolutionary Courthouse of Isfahan indicted Salehi on multiple charges, including Baghi, an accusation of armed rebellion that carries the potential for severe punishment, including execution. In response, Raisian, expressed concerns about due process, labeling it as “unusual,” “illegal,” and “peculiar.” The Criminal Court has undertaken another part of this legal, adding more legal challenges to this protest rapper.

Journalist Nasrin Hassani’s One-Year Sentence Upheld on Appeal

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News, Prisoners
Bojnurd, Hossein Ghodrati, Nasrin Hassani, North Khorasan province, Siahat-e Shargh

The Appeals Court’s Branch 2 in North Khorasan Province has affirmed the one-year sentence for journalist Nasrin Hassani, a resident of Bojnurd.

Judge Hossein Ghodrati, presiding over the court, conveyed this verdict to Hassani. Initially, the Revolutionary Court in Bojnurd convicted her of “propaganda against the regime,” citing the publication of images and films on the Internet as an example of these charges.

Currently serving another sentence in Bojnurd Prison since February 4, Hassani was initially sentenced on November 11, 2023, by the Criminal Court of Bojnurd for “disseminating false information” and fined for alleged “non-compliance with Hijab in public.”

Nasrin Hassani, the managing editor of the weekly newspaper Siahat-e Shargh, is a single mother to a 13-year-old son.

It’s noteworthy that Hassani faced legal repercussions during the Mahsa Amini Protests in September 2022, having been arrested by security forces. She was subsequently released after a period of detention.

Execution of Iraqi National Inmate in Qom

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Executions, News
Abuzar Taher Arab, Iraq, Mosul, Qom prison

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported the execution of Abuzar Taher Arab, a 38-year-old Iraq-national inmate, in Qom prison on February 12.

Arab, hailing from Mosul, Iraq, had been convicted of murder three years ago.

As of the current writing, no official sources or domestic media outlets in the country have covered this execution. The absence of official information raises concerns regarding transparency and accountability in the execution process.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of  746 individuals. Out of these, 6 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 597 were male and 20 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

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Appeals Court Confirms Six-Month Sentence against Political Prisoner Manoochehr Bakhtiari

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News, Prisoners
Manoochehr Bakhtiari, Manouchehr Bakhtiari, Pouya Bakhtiari, Qazvin, Qazvin prison

The Court of Appeal in Qazvin has upheld a six-month sentence against Manoochehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner currently held in Qazvin Prison.

Judge Habibollah Amiri issued this verdict on February 13, 2024, citing “insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran” as the grounds for the additional imprisonment.

The initial sentence was handed down by the Revolutionary Court of Qazvin on November 1, 2023.

Notably, as a punitive measure, Bakhtiari has been prohibited from making phone calls or receiving family visits since January 9.

Currently serving a three-year, six-month sentence in Qazvin Prison, Bakhtiari’s wife has raised concerns about his health, citing multiple ailments, and alleges that he is being denied access to medical treatment and furlough. She explained, “He endured a toothache for four months with infections spreading to his ears and eyes. Prison officials delayed his dispatch to a dentist every day until he had to extract his upper row teeth to alleviate the pain.”

Bakhtiari’s legal troubles began on April 29, 2021, when security forces forcibly arrested him at his residence in Tehran. Subsequently, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to three years and six months in prison, along with a two-year, six-month exile and a two-year travel ban. Bakhtiari began serving this sentence in July 2021.

In a tragic and interconnected series of events, Bakhtiari’s son, Pouya, at the age of 27, was fatally shot by regime forces during the 2019 protests, also known as the Aban Protests, in Karaj. According to his sister and mother, Pouya succumbed to his injuries in the hospital after being shot in the head during the second day of the protest’s eruption.

Abdolrasoul Mortazavi Receives Two-Year Sentence in Prison for New Legal Case

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, Ayatollah Khamenei, Dastgerd Prison, Evin Prison, Rajai Shahr Prison

Political prisoner Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, currently serving an eleven-year sentence in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan, has been handed an additional two-year sentence for a new legal case initiated while in prison.

Confirming the recent ruling, a source close to Mortazavi’s family informed HRANA that the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him to two years. The legal case was triggered by Mortazavi’s voice message titled “Joking with the world leader of the clowns,” recorded in Rajai Shahr Prison in April-May 2022.

In mid-August 2019, Mortazavi and 13 civil society activists penned an open letter urging Ayatollah Khamenei to step down, resulting in a 26-year prison sentence, with 11 years currently in effect. He is currently serving this sentence in Dastgerd Prison.

Additionally, Mortazavi was sentenced to an extra two years in absentia by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court for alleged “propaganda against the regime and disturbing public order.”

An Iran-Iraq war-injured veteran, Mortazavi was initially incarcerated in Evin Prison. In March 2021, he was transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison and later, in the following year, exiled to Dastgerd Prison.

Khoda-Karami Brothers Receive Combined 12-Year Prison Sentence

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Freedom of Expression, News
Evin Prison, HRANA, Khoda-Karami, Mehdi Khoda-Karami, Mohammad Khoda-Karami, Mujahedin-e-Khalq

Mohammad and Mehdi Khoda-Karami have been sentenced by the Khorramabad Revolutionary Court.

According to a reliable source close to HRANA, the Revolutionary Court has handed down sentences of eight years for Mohammad and four years for Mehdi. The charges include “membership in an anti-regime group (The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran, or the Mujahedin-e-Khalq)” and “assembly and collusion to act against national security.”

Originally arrested in Tehran last year, these Khorramabad residents were initially held in Evin Prison before being transferred to Khorramabad Prison.

Reports obtained by HRANA reveal that the Khoda-Karami brothers were subjected to physical assault during the interrogation. Additionally, throughout their detention, they were denied access to medical care despite suffering from multiple diseases.

Sunni Cleric Mohammad Khezr-Nejad Receives Death Sentence

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Executions, Freedom of Expression, News
Asa'ad Rahimi, Bukan, Kurdpa, Mohammad Khezr-Nejad, Mohammad Khezrnejad, Urmia, West Azerbaijan Province

In a recent development, Sunni cleric Mohammad Khezr-Nejad has been sentenced to death by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court. The charges against him include “spreading corruption on earth” and “acting against national security,” as reported by Kurdpa.

Judge Reza Najafzadeh issued the ruling, finding Khezr-Nejad guilty of various offenses, such as “spreading corruption on earth,” “acting against national security through threatening the integrity or independence of the country,” and “propaganda against the regime.” Consequently, he has been handed a death sentence along with 16 years of imprisonment. Throughout the trial, Khezr-Nejad has consistently dismissed these charges as baseless.

The verdict was reached based on coerced confessions obtained from the defendant during interrogation, where he purportedly admitted to “leading protests in Bukan and association with anti-regime groups.” Khezr-Nejad has contested the authenticity of these confessions.

In response to the sentencing, Khezr-Nejad has reportedly filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal of West Azerbaijan province.

The cleric and his son were arrested on November 19, 2022, by security forces in Bukan and subsequently detained in Urmia Prison. The arrest occurred after Khezr-Nejad delivered a speech during the funeral of Asa’ad Rahimi, who lost his life during protests at the hands of regime forces. The arrest involved physical assault against Khezr-Nejad.

It’s worth noting that Khezr-Nejad has faced previous arrests and convictions due to his activism.

Safa Aeli, Mahsa Amini’s Uncle, Sentenced to Imprisonment and Additional Penalties

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Freedom of Expression, News
Javad Mostafaie, Mahsa Amini, Safa Aeli, Saleh Nikbakht, Saqqez

Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Saqqez handed down a five-year, six-month prison term and additional penalties to Safa Aeli, maternal uncle of Mahsa Amini.

Aeli received a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence for charges related to “assisting in assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the regime.” In addition, he has been prohibited from leaving the country for two years and mandated to write an article focusing on the topic of the deceased police and military forces.

Confirming this news, Aeli’s lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht informed HRANA that three years and six months of this sentence is enforceable. On September 5, 2023, security forces arrested Safa Aeli. He was released on bail from Saqqez Prison on October 17, 2023. He was denied access to a lawyer and family visits during his detention.

Background on the 2022 Nationwide Protests

The arrest of Mahsa Amini by Tehran Morality Police for her improper hijab and her suspicious death on September 16 sparked protests sweeping across Iran. Protesters came to the streets with the central slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” in protest against the performance, laws, and structure of the regime. During the nationwide protests, thousands of people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students, and civil rights activists, were arrested. Additional understanding can be acquired by examining the report provided by HRANA.