Category: Freedom of Expression

At Least 30 Yarsani Followers Arrested

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Freedom of Expression, News, Religious Minorities
Kermanshah province, Khalil Alinejhad, Sahneh, Yarsani

Many Yarsani believers have been arrested in the recent week, 30 of whom have been identified.

On November 18, 2022, at least 30 Yarsani followers were arrested in Sahneh county of Kermanshah Province during the twenty-first commemoration of Khalil Alinejhad, a well-known Yarsani figure who was killed in 2001.

An informed source told HRANA, “the security forces present at the commemoration turned this event violent by shooting and using tear gas.” At Least 30 people have been arrested and taken to an unknown place.

The names of those arrested during this event are as follows:

Kaki Saeed Almasi
Siavash Kaliani
Kamyab Heidari
Seyed Ali Dakei
Seyed Shahoo Shah-Ebrahimi
Afshin Azimi
Meysam Azimi
Hamid Zandi Nejhad
Navid Hassanlou
Seyed Foad Shah-Ebrahimi
Faezeh Ranai
Naghi Rahmani
Masoum Razavi
Hamid Afshari
Rashid Mohammadi
Bardia Tajdini
Meraj Hemmati
Amin Malekzade
Farzad Rahmatabadi
Seyed Fariborz Shah-Ebrahimi
Noshad Taheri
Ali Nazari
Seyed Farhad Zalnouri
Seyed Fereydoun Taheri
Mohammad Bahrami
Ghadir Rahimi
Hamid Gorgin
Mehr-Ali Hemmati
Nemat Pourvali
Shahrouz Esmaeili

Two Gonabadi Dervishes Arrested in Karaj and Gorgan

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Freedom of Expression, News, Religious Minorities
Faezeh Abdipour, Gonabadi Dervishes, Saeed Soltanpour

Saeed Soltanpour and Faezeh Abdipour, two Gonabadi Dervishes, are among those recently arrested.

Saeed Soltanpour, Gonabadi Dervish, was recently arrested in Karaj. Soltanpour’s home and belongings were searched at the time of his arrest. It is worth noting that Soltanpour had also previously served prison and exile terms for a previous conviction.

Faezeh Abdipour, Gonabadi Dervish, was arrested in Gorgan on November 22, 2022, and was taken to an unknown place.

Since the outbreak of nationwide protests, over 17400 people, including journalists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, have been arrested. For more details and statistics on the nationwide protest across Iran, read HRANA’s comprehensive report here.

Seventeen People Arrested in Sisakht

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Mehrabi, HRANA

Recently, security forces arrested seventeen people during protests in Sisakht, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. So far, HRANA has identified one of these individuals as Ali Mehrabi.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, recently, at least seventeen protestors have been arrested in Sisakht and jailed in Yasuj Prison.

HRANA has identified one of them as Ali Mehrabi. The security forces reportedly broke his hand during the arrest.
The reason for these arrests and the charges are still unknown.

Fifteen People Arrested in Izeh and Baghmalek

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Freedom of Expression, News
Baghmalek, HRANA, Izeh

HRANA has identified fifteen people arrested by security forces during the protests in Izeh and Baghmalek, Khuzestan Province.

The list of these identified arrestees is as follows: (Notice the actual number of arrests is likely higher.)

In Izeh: 

• Mahmood Darvishi
• Masoud Mohammadi
• Amin Shirmardi
• Ahmad Gorooie

In Baghmalek:

• Sajjad Shafiee
• Hamzeh Shafiee
• Jamshid Ghasemian
• Jamal Ghasemian
• Sasan Zangeneh
• Shirin Mara’ashi
• Majid Yousefi
• Amin Amiri
• Salman Eyvazi
• Mehdi Mousavi
• Alireza Azarnoosh

 

According to an informed source, these individuals have been arrested in the last two days, and their whereabouts are still unknown.
Since the outbreak of nationwide protests, over 17400 people, including journalists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, have been arrested. For more details and statistics on the nationwide protest across Iran, read HRANA’s comprehensive report here.
 

Filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad’s Sentence Upheld on Appeal

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Freedom of Expression, News
Maryam Kian Ersi, Mohammad Rasoulof, Mostafa Al-Ahmad

Recently, the Tehran Court of Appeals upheld the sentence against filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad. Earlier,  Al-Ahmad was sentenced to six years and four months, paying a fine, being banned from leaving the country for two years, and other additional punishments.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad was sentenced to six years and four months in prison by the Tehran Court of Appeals.

According to his lawyer, Maryam Kian Ersi, Al-Ahmad has been sentenced to three years and eight months for “assembly and collusion against national security,” eight months for “propaganda against the regime,” and two years and 150-million fine for “spreading falsehood.”

On July 8, 2022, security forces arrested Al-Ahmad and another director Mohammad Rasoulof for issuing a statement titled “Put Your Gun Down.” Later, on August 10, 2022, he was released on bail until the end of legal proceedings.

 

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Actress Katayoun Riahi Arrested

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Freedom of Expression, News
Hengameh Ghaziani, Katayoun Riahi

Security-institutions-affiliated news channels reported that prominent actress Katayoun Riahi was arrested by security forces, allegedly for supporting nationwide protests.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, security forces arrested actress Katayoun Riahi in Qazvin County.

These state media mentioned Riahi’s support for protests despite security agents’ warnings as the reason for her arrest. Riahi’s whereabouts are still unknown.

Earlier, on September 26, 2022, the security agents searched her house and confiscated some of her belongings.

According to Tasnim News, yesterday, November 20, another actress Hengameh Ghaziani was arrested allegedly for “association with anti-regime media.” Earlier, in support of nationwide protests, she removed her headscarf in a video published on Instagram.

 

 

 

Iran State TV Reporter Tayebeh Sadat Mirhosseini Arrested

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Freedom of Expression, News
IRIB reporter, Tayebeh Sadat Mirhosseini

On November 17, security forces arrested IRIB reporter Tayebeh Sadat Mirhosseini and took her to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, On November 17, 2022, Iran State TV reporter Tayebeh Sadat Mirhosseini was arrested by security forces.

According to an informed source, Mirhosseini was arrested for publishing Instagram stories supporting nationwide protests.

 

Lawyer Arash Keykhosravi Arrested

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Freedom of Expression, News
Arash Keykhosravi, Azita Keykhosravi, Tehran

On November 19, 2022, security forces arrested attorney at law Arash Keykhosravi in Tehran and took him to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on November 19, 2022, lawyer Arash Keykhosravi was arrested in Tehran.

Breaking this news, his sister, Azita Keykhosravi, wrote on social media that the agents searched his house and arrested some of his belongings.

The reason for Keykhosravi’s arrest and whereabouts are still unknown.

Keykhosravi is one of the nine Iranian lawyers and human rights defenders who were arrested on August 14, 2021, during a meeting to make a decision on filing a lawsuit against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the government for banning foreign vaccines.

Iran Protests: Three Students Arrested in Shiraz

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Freedom of Expression, News
Hamed Rahbar, Meisam Nikpay, Milad Khoobani

On November 15, 2022, related to nationwide protests, security forces arrested three dentistry students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in a student dormitory.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on November 15, 2022, three dentistry students, Milad Khoobani, Hamed Rahbar, and Meisam Nikpay were arrested in Shiraz.

According to an informed source, IRGC intelligence agents have arrested them in a student dormitory. The reason for these arrests and their whereabouts are still unknown.

 

Former Political Prisoner Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi Arrested

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Freedom of Expression, News
Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi, irgc

On November 16, 2022, security forces arrested former political prisoner Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi in Tehran and took him to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on November 16, 2022, Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi was arrested in Tehran.

According to an informed source, IRGC’s intelligence is responsible for his arrest. The reason for Zeidabadi’s arrest and his whereabouts are still unknown.

Zeidabadi faced other arrests and convictions on prior occasions. In 2015, he was released from prison after serving five years. In 2020, he faced others charges for signing a statement known as 77 political activists’ statement condemning the regime’s violence against the protestors and asking for bringing the perpetrators of the shooting to justice.