Author: A MN

Milad Eftekhari’s Three-Year Sentence Upheld

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, News
irgc, Milad Eftekhari

The Court of Appeals of Fars Province upheld Milad Eftekhari’s sentencing verdict. Earlier in July,  Eftekhari was sentenced to three years in prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Court of Appeals of Fars Province sentenced Milad Eftekhari to three years in prison.

According to the verdict, Eftekhari was sentenced to one year on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”, and two years on the charge of “insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran”. He was also banned from leaving Iran and having a social media presence for two years. Based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, two years imprisonment will be enforceable for the first charge.

On May 23, 2022, security forces arrested Eftekhari at his home and transferred him to Larestan Prison. He was released later on a 100 million tomans bail.

On June 22, 2021, IRGC Intelligence summoned and interrogated Eftekhari for his criticisms of the IRGC and Supreme Leader on social media. He was later released.

Eftekhari, age 26, is a resident of Larestan, Fars Province, and a graduate student at Tehran University.

 

Baha’i Individuals Arrested in Qaemshahr and Sari

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, News, Religious Minorities
Afnaneh Naeimian, Anis Senai, Basir Samimi, Bita Haghighi, Golin Falah, Hengameh Alipour, Mahsa Fathi, Mani Gholinejad, Mojir Samimi, Nazanin Goli, Negar Darabi, Qaemshahr, Sam Samimi, Samieh Gholinejad, Sananz Hekmat Shoar, Sari

On August 31, 2022, intelligence agents arrested 14 Baha’is in Sari and Qaemshahr, Mazandaran Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on August 31, 2022, 14 Baha’is identified as Mahsa Fathi, Samieh Gholinejad, Negar Darabi, Basir Samimi, and Hengameh Alipour were arrested in Sari. Also, Afnaneh Naeimian, Mojir Samimi, Mani Gholinejad, Nazanin Goli, Sam Samimi, Sananz Hekmat Shoar, Bita Haghighi, Anis Senai, and Golin Falah were arrested in Qaemshahr.

All these individuals were transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence office in Sari.

The reasons for these arrests and the charges are unknown so far.

Several Baha’i Individuals Sentenced to a Total of 83 Years 

Posted on by A MN
News, Religious Minorities
Baha'i Individuals, HRANA

Twenty-five Baha’i individuals have received sentencing of 83 years in prison and were banned from leaving the country.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, 25 Baha’i individuals were sentenced to a total of 83 years in prison and additional punishments on the charge of “holding promotional and educational classes to propagate the Baha’is faith.”

According to the verdicts, 11 Baha’is were sentenced to five years in prison, of which five have to serve in exile. The Court sentenced the rest to two years imprisonment, of which six will serve in exile. All individuals were banned from leaving the country for two years.

HRANA’s Daily Review of Protests in Iran

Posted on by A MN
Labor and Guilds, News
Ahvaz County, Behbahan County, National Iranian Oil Company, Pars Oxine Steel Company

On Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at least three protests and one labour strike took place in Iran.

In Behbahan County, the farmers who are cultivating rapeseed demonstrated to demand the rest of the payment for their sold rapeseed crops from the government.

A number of young residents of several villages in Ahvaz County protested before the National Iranian Oil Company facility. They asked the company to recruit from local labour forces.

A number of residents of a town in Eastern Tehran protested against several years of delay in the legal assignment of these lands.

The workers of the Pars Oxine Steel Company went on strike for the fourth day in protest against delays in payments.

Ahmadreza Haeri Sentenced to Four Years

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Ahmadreza Haeri, Ramin Safarnia

The Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced former political prisoner Ahmadreza Haeri to four years and four months in prison.

Ramin Safarnia, Haeri’s lawyer, wrote on social media that Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court notified him of Haeri’s verdict. Haeri has been sentenced to three years and eight months on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security”, and eight months on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”.

If the verdict is upheld on appeal, based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, three years and eight months for the first charge will be enforceable.

On June 27, 2022, security forces arrested Haeri in Tehran. In early August, he was released on a bail amount of one billion tomans. During the whole period of detention, he had been denied access to a lawyer.

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Police Refuse to Record Transgender Individual’s Complaint

Posted on by A MN
LGBTQ+, News
discrimination, ex reassignment surgery, Iranian Transgender

Tehran police refused to record the complaint of a transgender who was assaulted and beaten by two individuals.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting BBC Persian, a transgender Individual who was assaulted by two was denied justice by the police.

A video published by BBC Persian showed a transgender being assaulted and scolded by a woman at a shopping mall in Tehran. Then, a man assaulted her and crashed her phone.

Despite abundant pieces of evidence, the police refused to file her complaint.

In Iran, transgender individuals are subject to daily discrimination, harassment and violations. Transgender identity is only recognized through state-supported sex reassignment surgery. In some cases, homosexual individuals are pressured to go through sex reassignment surgery to avoid legal and social pressure.

Forough Taghipour Denied Medical Care in Prison

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Evin Prison, Forough Taghipour, Nasim Jabbarian

Authorities at Evin Prison refused to send political prisoner Forough Taghipour to a hospital outside prison despite her urgent need for medical care.

 
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on August 30, 2022, political prisoner Forough Taghipour was denied access to medical care after she refused to be sent with handcuffs.

An informed source told HRANA that despite the physicians’ approval, prison officials refused to send Taghipour out without handcuffs.

On February 24, 2020, security forces arrested Taghipour and her mother, Nasim Jabbarian, in Tehran and transferred them to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Taghipour’s mother was released on bail, but she was relocated to Qarchak prison in Varamin.

The Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced Taghipour and her mother to five and three years respectively on the charges of “membership in an anti-regime party (the Mujahedin-e-Khalq)”, “assembly and collusion against national security”, and “propaganda against the regime”. Jabaraian was exonerated from all charges on appeal but Taghipourr’s verdict was upheld.

In an open statement, Taghipour and two other political prisoners, Zahra Safai and Marzieh Farsi, informed the public that they faced a new case and were sentenced each to one year and three months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”.

HRANA’s Daily Review of Protests in Iran

Posted on by A MN
Labor and Guilds, News
Asalem Municipality, Brick factory Jil, Kerman Province, Ministry of Education, Rafsanjan, SAIPA Company, Tabriz, Telecommunication Company

On Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at least seven protests and one labour strike took place in Iran.

A number of citizens who purchased long ago the pieces of land in the district Golestan in Tehran demonstrated before the municipality building. According to these protestors, 25 five years after purchasing, they have not received any building permits.

A group of school service workers held a protest in front of the Ministry of Education in Tehran. These protestors demand to work in the education section as the Ministry has approved and announced.

A number of employees of the Telecommunication Company held a protest against delays in payments inside the Regional manager’s office in Tabriz.

A group of workers of Brick factory Jil protested against the factory closure before the Governorate building in Karun.

A number of workers of Asalem Municipality gathered to ask for wage and insurance demands before the Municipality.

In Rafsanjan, Kerman Province, a group of citizens who have not received their purchased vehicles from SAIPA Company protested before the Justice building.

The medical staff of a hospital in Tehran protested against the non-payment of six-month salaries.

A group of service workers of Tehran Metro went on strike and marched from their workplace to the Central building of Metro Company in protest against delays in payments.

Sepideh Rashno Released on Bail

Posted on by A MN
News, Women
HRANA, Sepideh Rashno

On August 30, 2022, Sepideh Rashno was released on an 800-million-tomans bail after being indicted. 

According to #HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, artist Sepideh Rashno was indicted and then released on bail until the end of the legal proceeding.

On August 29, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court indicted Rashno on the charge of “assembly and collusion to act against national security”, “propaganda against the regime”, and “promotion of impurity and indecency.”

On July 16, security forces arrested Rashno after a quarrel on a city bus with a woman who harassed and assaulted her for what she deemed as improper hejab. Such incidents are on the rise in public places as the government has tightened the hejab enforcement. 

On July 30, Official media outlets inside Iran released a forced confession video of Rashno. HRANA revealed that prior to this confession, Rashno had been hospitalized due to the risk of internal bleeding indicating she had been tortured to make the confession.

Rashno, age 28, is a student of Tehran University and a resident of Khorramabad.

Update on Arash Ganji’s Condition in Evin Prison 

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Arash Ganji, Evin Prison, Iranian Writers Association

Writer, translator and a member of the Iranian Writers Association (IWA), Arash Ganji is currently serving a five-year sentence in Evin Prison. He has been imprisoned since October 2022.

On December 22, 2019,  security forces raided Gaji’s home, arrested and transferred him to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. 

Ganji was released in January 2019 on the bail amount of 450 million tomans.

During the first court session on June 14, 2020, the judge increased the bail to 3 billion tomans, and he was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison and was later released on bail on June 21, 2020.

In December 2020, the court, headed by judge Mohammad-Reza Amoozad, sentenced Gangi to five years in prison on the charge of “assembly and collusion to act against national security”, one year on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”, and five years on the charge of “membership and collaboration with one of the anti-regime groups”.In February 2021, this verdict was upheld by the court of appeals of Tehran for 11 years imprisonment.