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Mohammadi Brothers Detained in Sanandaj

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ebrahim Mohammadi, HRANA, Morteza Mohammadi, Sanandaj

On January 1, 2024, the Ministry of Intelligence apprehended Morteza and Ebrahim Mohammadi, residing in Sanandaj, and subsequently transported them to an undisclosed location.

Confirmation of their arrest came from a source closely connected to their family who disclosed to HRANA that on Monday, January 1, Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested Morteza Mohammadi at his residence in Hassan Abad village in Sanandaj County. Ebrahim Mohammadi faced arrest by security forces after presenting himself at the Investigation Office of Sanandaj Revolutionary Court to inquire about his brother.

“The agents forcibly entered the house, breaking doors and windows, and seized some family belongings.”

As of now, the reasons behind these arrests and the current whereabouts of the Mohammadi brothers remain unknown.

Morteza Mohammadi had previously been arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests and was later released on bail.

According to data collected by the Department of Statistics and Publication of HRA in 2023, Kurdistan Province accounted for a disproportionate 8.3% of reported human rights violations, including instances of arbitrary detentions.

Execution of Five Inmates for Armed Robbery in Karaj Central Prison

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Executions, News
Alborz province, Hossein Fazeli Harikandi, ISNA, The Central Prison of Karaj

On January 1, 2024, the Central Prison of Karaj carried out the execution of five death-row inmates convicted of armed robbery, as reported by ISNA.

The Chief Justice of Alborz Province, Hossein Fazeli Harikandi, confirmed their identities were withheld due to their conviction of “gang armed robbery, making roads unsafe, instilling fear in the public, and causing significant damage to people’s property.”

According to Harikandi, the Karaj Revolutionary Court had sentenced them to death, although the exact date of the conviction was not disclosed. The executions took place after multiple confirmations of the death sentences by the Supreme Court.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented a total of 746 executions, with 6 taking place in public. Among the executed individuals with identified genders, 597 were male, and 20 were female. Notably, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a thorough analysis of the particulars and statistical breakdown of the executions in Iran, please consult HRANA’s annual report.

Protest Rapper Toomaj Salehi Receives One-Year Sentence and Additional Penalties

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Freedom of Expression, News
Amir Raisian, Babol, Isfahan, Toomaj Salehi, توماج صالحی

In the latest development, Toomaj Salehi, the renowned Iranian protest rapper, has been sentenced to one year by the Revolutionary Court. Additionally, he faces a two-year travel ban, the annulment of his passport, and is required to participate in behavior management and knowledge skills programs.

Revealing the verdict publicly, Amir Raisian, Salehi’s lawyer, expressed concern over the due process, labeling it as “unusual,” “illegal,” and “peculiar.” Raisian asserted that the court session concluded without prior notice to Salehi and in the absence of his attorney.

Salehi was re-arrested in Babol on November 30, twelve days after his release on bail from Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. The Judiciary spokesperson cited Salehi’s statement after his release as the grounds for this subsequent arrest.

In late October 2022, Salehi was initially detained by security forces during nationwide protests. Subsequently, the Isfahan Revolutionary Court sentenced him to six years and three months in prison along with additional penalties. However, he was released on bail after the Supreme Court overturned the verdict.

It is worth noting that the protest singer already has a prior conviction in a separate legal case. On January 12, 2022, he was sentenced to a six-month prison term and fined, with the imprisonment suspended for one year.

Spanish National Santiago Sanchez Released, Reunites with Family in Madrid

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News, Other
2022 nationwide protests, Doha, Santiago Sanchez, Spanish national, Tehran

On Sunday, December 31, 42-year-old Spanish national Santiago Sanchez was freed from prison in Iran, as reported by Shargh Newspaper.

Although specific details remain undisclosed, Mr. Sanchez has been released and returned to Madrid after being handed over to the Spanish Embassy in Tehran.

Sanchez was initially detained by security forces during the 2022 nationwide protests.
Known for his passion as a football fan, he embarked on a journey on foot across various countries, intending to reach Doha, the host city of the 2022 Football World Cup. His whereabouts became unknown, and social media updates ceased on October 1, 2022, when he entered Iran, the final country on his journey before reaching Doha.

Workers’ Rights Advocate Saeed Yoozi Taken Into Custody by Security Forces

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
HRA, Human Rights Activists, Saeed Yoozi, Workers' Rights Advocate, سعید یوزی

On December 26, Saeed Yoozi, a dedicated workers’ rights advocate, was apprehended by security forces.

According to a source with close ties to Yoozi’s family, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence conducted the arrest at his residence.

As of now, the reasons behind Yoozi’s detention and his current location are undisclosed.

Yoozi, an active member of the Committee for the Establishment of Independent Labor Organizations, has previously encountered arrests and legal challenges due to his commitment to labor advocacy.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publications of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) recorded 64 cases of arrest related to workers’ rights advocacy. Furthermore, 29 labor activists or workers’ rights defenders received sentences totaling 654 months, comprising 568 months of actual imprisonment and 86 months of suspended imprisonment. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding labor rights, refer to HRANA’s report.

 

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Baha’i Women’s Three-Year, Eight-Month Prison Sentences Upheld on Appeal

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News, Religious Minorities
Azita Foroughi, Nasim Sabeti, Razavi Khorasan Province, Rouya Ghane Ezabadi, Soheila Ahmadi

In a recent ruling, the Court of Appeal in Razavi Khorasan Province upheld the three-year, eight-month sentences for Baha’i citizens Nasim Sabeti, Azita Foroughi, Rouya Ghane Ezabadi, and Soheila Ahmadi.

The lawyer has been informed that each of them received three years for “membership in groups to act against national security” and eight months for “propaganda against the regime,” with the initial verdict issued by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court.

Reports obtained by HRANA confirm that the court session took place without prior notice to the individuals involved and in the absence of their attorney.

Baha’is are subjected to violations of their religious rights, comprising 82% of reports on infringements against religious minorities,, according to HRA’s 2023 annual report.

The Baha’i faith is not recognized as a legitimate religion by Iranian authorities, leading to systematic and longstanding violations of the rights of Baha’is in the country. This includes denying their fundamental right to practice their religion, which constitutes a clear breach of both Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations covenant holds that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.

 

Azerbaijani-Turk Activist Ebrahim Rashidi Arrested in Meshginshahr

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Ethnic Minorities, News
Ebrahim Rashidi, Meshginshahr

On December 30, Azerbaijani-Turk activist Ebrahim Rashidi was arbitrarily apprehended by security forces in Meshginshahr and subsequently transported to an undisclosed location.

The arrest unfolded at Rashidi’s father’s residence in a village situated in Meshginshahr County, Ardabil province. The motives behind Rashidi’s arrest and his current whereabouts remain unknown at this time. It is worth noting that Rashidi has previously experienced other arrests and legal confrontations due to his activism.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publications of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) recorded 329 reports, citing the arrest of 324 citizens linked to ethnic and national rights. Notably, 156 of these arrests occurred without the issuance of a judicial warrant.

Mohsen Haji-Mohammadi Sentenced to Four Years on Political Charges

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Freedom of Expression, News
Iman Afshari, Mohsen Haji-Mohammadi, Pouria Shokoohi Rad, Tehran, Tehran Revolutionary Court

The Tehran Revolutionary Court has handed down a four-year prison sentence to Mohsen Haji-Mohammadi, while co-defendant Pouria Shokoohi-Rad has been acquitted of the charges.

Presiding over Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Judge Iman Afshari found Haji-Mohammadi guilty of the political charge of “assembly and collusion against national security” during the court session held on December 4 of this year.

Both defendants were apprehended separately in Tehran in September 2023. After seven days of detention in solitary confinement by the Public Security Police, they were subsequently transferred to Evin Prison.

Notably, Haji-Mohammadi has a history of arrests and previous incarcerations due to his activism.

Reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of HRA indicate a total of 193 cases in which Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court has been involved in issuing verdicts that infringe upon the human rights of defendants.

Hamid-Reza Dorostkar Receives Prison Sentence and Fine

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Freedom of Expression, News
Behbahan, Hamid-Reza Dorostkar, Khuzestan province, Mahshahr

Mahshahr’s Criminal and Revolutionary Courts have sentenced Hamid-Reza Dorostkar to two years and nine months in prison.

According to the verdict issued by the Revolutionary Court on December 25, 2023, Dorostkar was given six months for “insulting the Supreme Court” and one year and three months for “spreading propaganda against the regime.” Notably, he was acquitted of charges related to “inciting people to wage war and cause unrest against national security.”

Additionally, the Criminal Court of Mahshahr sentenced Dorostkar to one year for “blasphemy via publishing insulting media content on the Internet.” He has also been fined 18 million tomans for the charges of “disseminating false information.”

Dorostkar’s arrest occurred during the 2022 nationwide protests, and he remained in detention for four months. Initially sentenced to four years and 74 lashes for multiple charges such as “disturbing public order by participating in and filming unrests to send them to anti-regime media,” “disseminating false information,” and “promoting violence,” he later received amnesty under “the general pardon and commutation,” leading to the closure of his legal case.

Dorostkar, 39 years old, is married and resides in Behbahan, Khuzestan province.

Four Alleged Spies Executed in Urmia Prison Amidst Iran-Israel Tensions

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Executions, News, Prisoners
Aran Omari, Nasim Namazi, Rahman Parhazoo, Urmia prison, Vafa Henareh

On December 29, 2023, against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, Aran Omari, Rahman Parhazoo, Vafa Henareh, and Nasim Namazi were executed in Urmia Prison on charges of espionage for Israel.

The individuals, including Mansour Rasouli, received death sentences as part of a contentious legal case known as “interrogating Mansour Rasouli.” Yesterday, HRANA reported their relocation to solitary confinement the day before, heightening concerns about their impending execution. In an unexpected turn of events, Rasouli was returned to prison, reportedly due to a significant development in his legal case.

In October 2021, these five individuals, along with three others, were apprehended and interrogated on charges of espionage. Subsequently, in February-March 2022, they were incarcerated in Urmia Prison, receiving death sentences for their alleged “intelligence collaboration with Israel.”

In May 2022, media outlets released a video featuring a man claiming to be an IRGC member, interrogated by Israeli forces within Iran, confessing to planning an attack on Israel. Later, the same individual, Mansour Rasouli, retracted his confession, stating he was a farmer abducted and coerced into making false statements. Three weeks later, the IRGC announced the arrest of several individuals allegedly collaborating with Israel and engaging in kidnappings to extract fabricated confessions.

An informed source disclosed to HRANA that Rasouli had been a former IRGC member, paid to record voice and video files for use against other defendants. Rasouli was arrested after obtaining confessions from other defendants in this case.