Juvenile Offender Faces Execution in Yasuj; Family Appeals for Public Support

HRANA News Agency – Sasan Shadman, an 18-year-old resident of Yasuj, has been sentenced to death by a criminal court for a murder he committed at the age of 16. His family is urgently seeking to raise the required diya (blood money) in an effort to prevent the execution.

A source close to the family told HRANA, “Sasan was only 16 when, due to an unfortunate mistake, he became involved in a fatal incident. He was later sentenced to death by the criminal court.”

In a public plea, his family has called for assistance in collecting the necessary diya, hoping to secure a reprieve from execution.

In 2024, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 812 cases related to the right to life, including the sentencing of 214 individuals to death and the execution of 930 individuals. Among these, 4 executions were carried out in public. Of those executed, 818 were male, 26 were female, and 5 were juvenile offenders—individuals under 18 years old at the time of their alleged crimes.

17-Year-Old Teenager Arrested by Security Forces in Bandar Abbas

HRANA News Agency – Yesterday, February 5, security forces in Bandar Abbas arrested 17-year-old Khaled Kashani and transferred him to an undisclosed location.

Haal Vsh identified him as Khaled Kashani, 17, originally from Zahedan.

As he was spending time by the beach with a friend, security forces pursued him, fired warning shots, and forced him to stop. Without presenting a judicial warrant, they violently apprehended him, forced him into a vehicle, and took him to an unknown location.

According to the report, Kashani’s friend, who managed to escape, informed his family of the arrest. Despite their efforts to locate him by visiting local police stations, authorities have provided no information about his whereabouts or condition.

The reasons for his arrest and the charges against him remain unknown.

In 2024, HRANA documented the detention of 34 individuals under the age of 18 by security forces in Iran.
For detailed statistics and further insights into children’s rights violations, read HRANA’s 2024 Annual Report.

Two Teenagers Arrested by Security Forces in Mahabad

On Tuesday, December 31, Rezgar Moloudi and Kamyar Izadi, two teenagers from Mahabad, were arrested after being summoned to Ministry of Intelligence Office in this city and transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Urmia.

According to HRANA, citing Kurdpa, the two teenagers, both 17 years old and residents of a village in Mahabad County, were detained on December 31.

The report also mentions that security forces raided Rezgar Moloudi’s family home on Monday, searching the premises.

As of now, no information is available regarding the reasons for their arrest or the charges against them.

Four Citizens, Including a Teenager, Detained in Sarvabad

Four citizens, including a teenager named Hamid Salehinejad, Jafar Ardalan, Mohammad Karimi, and Sina Asadi Hakim, were arrested by security forces in Sarvabad and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to Kurdpa, security forces detained these four individuals in Sarvabad,  Kurdistan province. Their identities have been reported as “Hamid Salehinejad, 27, Jafar Ardalan, 40, Mohammad Karimi, 31, and Sina Asadi Hakim, 15, residents of a village in Sarvabad County.”

The arrests took place early on Tuesday, November 5, with reports of violence occurring at their residences during the operation.

No information is yet available regarding the reasons for the arrests or the charges against these individuals.

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

Teenager Dies Nine Days After Being Shot by Military Forces in Hirmand

On September 29, 2024, 16-year-old Mohammad Sasuli succumbed to his injuries after being shot by military forces in the border areas of Hirmand County. He had endured nine days of critical condition before passing away.

According to Haal Vsh, Mohammad Sasuli was fatally wounded by indiscriminate gunfire from Border Guard officers. The shooting occurred on Saturday, September 21, when military forces opened fire without issuing a warning or command to stop. Mohammad sustained severe heart injuries and was placed in a coma in the ICU at Amir al-Momenin Hospital in Zabol, where he fought for his life for over a week.

Data collected by the Department of Statistics and Publication of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) shows that in 2023, 540 citizens were shot at by military forces, resulting in the deaths of 129 individuals. Among the deceased were 29 porters (kolbars), 29 fuel carriers (sukhtbars), and 71 other civilians. Additionally, 411 citizens were injured by indiscriminate shootings, including 353 kolbars, 33 ordinary citizens, and 25 sukhtbars.

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Teenager Arrested by Security Forces in Mahabad

On September 3, security forces arrested 16-year-old Ramyar Abubakri, a resident of Mahabad, and transferred him to an undisclosed location, according to Kurdpa.

Ramyar is the brother of Zaniar Abubakri, who was killed by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protests.

The arrest was reportedly carried out without a judicial warrant, using violence, and took place in the family’s home.

As of the time of this report, there is no information regarding the reasons for Ramyar’s arrest, his current location, or the charges against him.

It is worth noting that Zaniar Abubakri, a 22-year-old resident of Mahabad, was shot and killed in this city during the nationwide protests in November 2022.

Although precise statistics on child arrests are not available, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran reports that at least 130 individuals under the age of 18 have been detained by security forces. For a detailed analysis of these figures and more information on executions in Iran, please refer to HRANA’s annual report.

A 16-Year-Old Teenager Arrested in Rask

On Saturday, August 31, Hesam Dorzadeh Naz, a 16-year-old teenager from Rask, was arrested by military forces in this city and transferred to an undisclosed location, as reported by the Baloch Activists Campaign.

His identity has been reported as Hesam Dorzadeh-Naz, 16 years old, a resident of the Pishin district of Rask County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

As of the time of this report, no information is available regarding the reasons for the arrest, the charges against him, or his current whereabouts.

Brothers Arrested in Mahabad by Security Forces

On Wednesday, August 14, security forces arrested 13-year-old Mardin Rasoulzadeh and his brother, 22-year-old Ehsan Rasoulzadeh, in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, and transferred them to an unknown location, according to Kolbar News.

Security forces reportedly apprehended the brothers at their family home without presenting a judicial warrant. The family’s efforts to obtain information about their sons’ whereabouts have so far been unsuccessful, with security agencies refusing to provide any specific details regarding their status.

No information has been released regarding the reasons for their arrest, their current location, or the charges against them.

Report on Violent Arrest of Teenage Girls in Tehran Over Mandatory Hijab

On June 21, on a street in Tehran, two teenage girls were violently assaulted and arrested by agents enforcing a plan to impose hijab known as the “Noor Plan,” as reported by Ensaf News.

These girls were then transferred to the Morality Police in a white van. According to the mother of one of the girls, when she visited the Morality Police, she saw her daughter with a bruised face, swollen lips, a bruised neck, and torn clothes. Additionally, they were threatened not to file complaints against the officers.

This incident resulted in injuries to at least one of the girls, Nafas Haji-Sharif, 14 years old. Maryam Abbasi, Nafas Haji-Sharif’s mother, disclosed that on July 1, her daughter was beaten by agents. She provided documents, including a video of the confrontation recorded by CCTV cameras, to Ensaf News. The video released from the time of the girls’ arrest shows that the girls were trying to hide on another street but were attacked by the agents. In the video, one of the girls is seen being severely beaten by the officers. As she resisted arrest, the officers grabbed her hair, dragged her violently on the ground, and forced her into a white van.

Maryam Abbasi said, “The hijab enforcers violently forced my daughter and her friend into the van, and her head was slammed into an electric post. Inside the van, they put their foot on my daughter’s neck and pulled her hair.” She also provided pictures of the injuries on her daughter’s body.

Abbasi mentioned that when she went to the Morality Police, she found her daughter with a bruised face, swollen lips, and a bruised neck. She also claimed that the officers involved in the incident treated her dismissively and ignored her complaint. She stated that the on-duty judge allowed her access to the CCTV footage, but subsequent follow-ups have been unsuccessful. She continues to call on various police and judicial authorities to investigate and address her complaint.

Meanwhile, the Morality Police claim that a female officer’s fingers were broken in the altercation and that the case’s judge threatened them not to file a complaint against the officers. Abbasi said, “In the presence of a lawyer, they told me not to complain against the officers; otherwise, the Intelligence and Security forces would get involved, making it costly for you and out of our control.”

In April this year, Iranian police initiated the “Noor Plan” to crack down on women who do not comply with hijab regulations. Since then, there have been numerous reports of violent confrontations and arrests of women over the hijab.

Father Sentenced to Three Years for Murder of Transgender Son

In February of last year, the Criminal Court of Tabriz sentenced a man to three years in prison for the murder of his 17-year-old transgender son, sparing him from more severe punishment. According to the report by Rokna, the man killed his son, Parsa, because he wore makeup.

During his trial, the father defended his actions by stating, “Parsa had feminine sexual inclinations, and we did everything we could to treat him, but none were effective because Parsa did not cooperate and kept running away from home. His behavior was completely uncontrollable.” He also attempted to place Parsa in the care of the State Welfare Organization, which declined due to Parsa’s conditions.

The father further claimed that Parsa had recently tried to influence his younger brother, asserting, “His brother said that when we are alone at home, Parsa shows pictures of his friends and talks about the ‘immoral acts’ they perform together. I could no longer bear it. I felt so disgraced and embarrassed among friends and relatives.”

Ultimately, referencing Article 612 of the Fifth Book of the Islamic Penal Code, the court sentenced the man to three years in prison, including time already served. The Islamic Republic’s laws designate the father as the primary “blood avenger,” a status that can spare him from severe punishment in cases involving the killing of a child. This provision has been widely criticized by many who argue that it sometimes enables repeat offenses.

It is important to note that transgender individuals have a gender identity that differs from the sex assigned to them at birth. Not all transgender individuals seek gender confirmation surgeries. However, under Iranian law, a transgender person’s identity is recognized officially only after undergoing surgery and sterilization.

No specific regulations have yet been established in Iranian law regarding the transition process for transgender individuals; however, a section was included in the 2013 Family Protection Bill. In 1983, Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa legitimizing gender reassignment surgery. The absence of uniform laws for changing documents and obtaining necessary surgical permits has created significant challenges for transgender citizens, navigating legal complexities and facing arbitrary and sometimes exploitative behaviors by certain legal authorities.