Category: Freedom of Expression

At Least Four Civil Activists Detained for Several Hours Following a Protest Rally in Tehran

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Afghanistan, Ahmad Reza Haeri, Islamic Emirate, Mohammadi, Narges Mohammadi, Nazemi, Panjshir, Pouran Nazemi, Taliban, Tehran, Vida Rabbani

On Wednesday, September 8, a number of civil activists were arrested in a protest rally related to the recent changes in Afghanistan and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Narges Mohammadi, Ahmad Reza Haeri, Pouran Nazemi, Vida Rabbani were among the arrested activists.

The rally was marred by violence by security and police forces. The mobile phones of several protesters were confiscated and only returned on condition of deleting the taken videos and photos. Some Afghans are said to be among the detainees.

Protesters carried placards and chanted slogans in support of Panjshir resistance and Afghan women, and against the Taliban and the Islamic Emirate.

The arrested activists were released after a couple of hours, on the evening of the same day.

Recently, Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit against Ms. Nazemi and Ms. Mohammadi, and seven other activists. These activists were also arrested and detained for a couple hours on July 20 during a rally in support of the people of Khuzestan in Tehran.

 

Azerbaijani Turk Activist Ali Shahi Arrested by Security Forces in Ardabil

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Ali Shahi, Ardabil, Azerbaijani Turk activist Ali Shahi, Citizen arrest, Citizen arrested, Citizen detained, Home search without warrant, Security forces

On Friday, September 3, Azerbaijani Turk activist Ali Shahi was arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, security forces searched Shahi’s home in Ardabil and confiscated some of his belongings, including his cell phone and computer.

As of this writing, the reasons for his arrest, the charges against him, and his whereabouts are unknown.

Azerbaijani Turk Activist Abbas Nikravan Arrested by Security Forces in Salmas

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Abbas Nikravan, Azerbaijani Turk, Azerbaijani Turk activist, Babak Castle, Citizen arrests, Citizen detention, Salmas, West Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan Province

On Sunday, September 5, Azerbaijani Turk activist Abbas Nikravan was arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Nikravan is a native  of Salmas in West Azerbaijan Province.

Mr. Nikravan has a history of detention. He was arrested in July 2018, during the annual gathering of Babak Castle, and was released on bail a week later.

As of this writing, no information is available on the reasons for his detention, the charges against him, or his whereabouts.

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
ahvaz, Bostan, Bostan Municipality, Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Agro-Business, Haft Tappeh, Jijad Nasr Company, Kermanshah, Miandoab, Omideh, Tehran
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, a number of protests took place this week in Iran, many of which were continuations of ongoing movements.  Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations.

 

Saturday, August 28

A group of workers from Arkan-Sales of the National Iranian Drilling Company NIDC, a group of teachers  and educators in Tehran, and workers of Omidieh Municipality held protest rallies this Saturday.

Workers from Arkan-Sales of NIDC:

Workers of Omidieh Municipality:

Teachers and educators in Tehran:

 

Sunday August 29 and Monday August 30

A group of workers of Omidieh Municipality for the second and third day in a row, some workers of Bostan Municipality, a number of staff and employees of Khuzestan Health plan Project in Ahvaz, some employees of Jihad Nasr Company of Kermanshah, and a group of workers of Miandoab Municipality held demonstrations on Sunday and Monday of this week.

Employees of Jihad Nasr Company of Kermanshah:

Workers of Omidieh Municipality:

Workers of Khuzestan Health Project:

Workers of Bostan Municipality:

Workers of Miandoab Municipality:

Tuesday, September 31

A group of project workers of Izeh City, several employees of Shiraz Health Center, a group of workers of Miandoab municipality, a number of workers of Omidieh municipality for the fourth consecutive day, some of the shareholders of Rigan Khodro and Shahr Khodro in Tehran, and contractor workers of ODCC  of Isfahan refinery all rallied this Tuesday to protest authorities’ ongoing neglect of their demands.

Employees of Shiraz Health Center:

Project workers of Izeh city:

Workers of Miandoab municipality:

Workers of Omidieh Municipality:

Protest of shareholders of Rigan Khodro and Shahr Khodro in Tehran:

Workers of ODCC of Isfahan refinery:

Wednesday, September 1

A group of employees of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in Sanandaj, a number of workers of Omidieh Municipality for the fifth day in a row, a group of fired workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co., and a number of workers of Khorramshahr Municipality held protest rallies on Wednesday. 

Employees of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences:

Workers of Omidieh Municipality:

Dismissed workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

Thursday, September 2

A group of municipal service workers of Miandoab Municipality and a number of employees of Sarvan Municipality demanded their requests to be addressed in protest rallies.

Workers of Miandoab Municipality:

Amir Abbas Azarmvand Arrested by Security Forces in Tehran

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Amir Abbas Azramvand, Azramvand, Citizen arrest, Citizen arrested, Citizen arrests, Citizen detained, detention, Labor activist, Tehran

Yesterday morning, Wednesday, September 1, Amir Abbas Azarmvand was arrested by security forces at his home in Tehran and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Azarmvand is a journalist and labor activist who has previously been detained for his activities. He was briefly detained by security forces in December 2019 and December last year.

As of this writing, the reasons for the arrest, the charges against him, and the whereabouts of the citizen are unknown.

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Alireza Nikzadeh Summoned to Endure his Sentence

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Alireza Nikzadeh, Alireza Nikzadeh Damavandi, due process, Gonabadi Darvishes, Gonabadi Dervish, Mohammad Nourizad, Semnan

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Alireza Nikzadeh Damavandi, a Gonabadi dervish, was summoned to the Second Branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Semnan to endure his sentence.

According to the notification issued on July 20, Mr. Nikzadeh was asked to appear in the aforementioned branch within 5 days to serve his 6-month prison sentence. He was summoned despite not having been informed that his prison sentence had been finalized, and he was not given a chance to file an appeal.

Regarding the latest situation of Mr. Nikzadeh, an informed source told HRANA, “Mr. Nikzadeh suffers from heart, kidney, and neurological diseases, and the doctors have issued a certificate stating that he is unable to bear the imprisonment. However, agents went to Mr. Nikzadeh’s home and asked him to show up for execution of the sentence.”

Alireza Nikzadeh, born in 1961, has a history of arrest and conviction. In 2018, the First Branch of the Semnan Revolutionary Court sentenced him to three years in prison on charges of propaganda activities against the regime and insulting the leadership. He was released from prison after serving part of the sentence.

Alireza Nikzadeh Damavandi was arrested by security forces on March 30 of this year while holding a poster demanding the release of Mohammad Nourizad, a political prisoner and Gonabadi dervish.

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Asaluyeh, Azarkam Company, Azarkam Company in Urmia, Babol, Haft Tappeh, Haft Tappeh Sigarcane Agro-Industry Company, Kut Abdollah, Pardis-e-Rasht Housing Investment Company, Sari, Tehran, Urmia, Urmis workers
A number of protests took place this week in Iran, many of which were continuations of ongoing movements. According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, employees of Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company continued their protests for a 7th week. Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations.

 

Saturday, August 21

A group of workers of Azarkam Company in Urmia, a number of dismissed workers from security department of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co in the management office of this company, and for the 40th day in a row, the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co in Shush, held protest rallies this Saturday.

Workers of Azarkam Company in Urmia:

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

Dismissed staff of security department of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

Sunday, August 22

A group of workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co for the 41st consecutive day, as well as several young people from Qala-e-Chenan village of Kut Abdollah district in Khuzestan called for their demands to be addressed this Sunday.

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

People of Qala-e-Chenan village:

 

Monday August 23

This Monday, several workers in Asaluyeh in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone, a group nurses in the cities of Tehran and Sari, a group of medical staff in Babol, a number of municipal gardeners in Kut Abdollah, and a group of shareholders of the Pardis-e-Rasht Housing Investment Company held protest rallies.

Nurses in Tehran and Sari:

Medical staff in Babol:

Tuesday August 24


A group of workers of Bostan Municipality located in Dasht-e Azadegan city of Khuzestan, and a number of bus drivers in Qazvin in protest rallies called on their demands to be addressed.

Bus drivers in Qazvin:

Wednesday August 25


A group of bus drivers in Urmia, and workers of the oil project in Izeh in protest rallies called on their demands to be addressed.

Bus drivers in Urmia:

 

Workers of the oil project in Izeh:

Thursday August 26

A group of farmers in East Isfahan rallied yesterday, Thursday, August 26.

Farmers in Isfahan:

 

Aman Mohammad Khojamli Tried in the Revolutionary Court of Gonbad Kavous

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Ahmad Moradpour, Aman Mohammad Khojamli, Gonbad Kavous, Gonbad Kavous Prison, Gonbad Kavous Revolutionary Court, Judge Teymouri, Khojamli

On Tuesday, August 24, the first session of the trial of journalist Aman Mohammad Khojamli was held.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Ulkamiz news website, the trial was held in the Gonbad Kavous Revolutionary Court, and presided over by Judge Teymouri.

According to Ahmad Moradpour, Mr. Khojamli’s lawyer, the journalist was charged with “establishing and running a Telegram social media channel with the intention of disrupting national security”.

Mr. Khojamli was arrested by security forces on Jun 23 and released on a bail from Gonbad Kavous Prison 12 days later.

Previously, Mr. Khojamli was sentenced to pay a fine of 4 million tomans by Branch 102 of Gonbad Kavous court in August 2020 for “publishing lies”. This sentence was reduced to a fine of 2 million tomans after appeal.

Maryam Ebrahimvand Arrested by Security Forces in Tehran

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Cultural, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners, Women
Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, cash bail, censorship, Ebrahimvand, Evin, Evin Prison, freedom of expression, irgc, Maryam Ebrahimvand, Ministry of Intelligence, Tehran, Women's Ward of Evin Prison

On the morning of Sunday, August 22, Maryam Ebrahimvand, a director, filmmaker, and former prisoner, was arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, she was released after a couple of hours interrogation.

According to a close source to Ms. Ebrahimvand, she had gone to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to seek permission for her confiscated films, and was arrested in front of the Ministry’s building in Tehran.

“A few months ago,” the source told HRANA, “Ms. Ebrahimvand was told by the Ministry of Guidance that after receiving a letter working ban from the IRGC,  it is not possible to grant permission for her films.”

Ms. Ebrahimvand had previously been detained and convicted. IRGC intelligence agents arrested Ms. Ebrahimvand in September 2016. After 35 days, she was released on  a bail of 300 million Tomans from the IRGC Intelligence Detention Center, Ward 2A, Evin Prison.

Nearly two years later, in July 2018, Ms. Ebrahimvand was arrested again after being summoned to Branch 4 of the Culture and Media Court. She was transferred to Ward 2A of the IRGC, and then was transferred to prison a month after interrogations ended, while a bail of 10 billion Tomans was issued for her.

Ms. Ebrahimvand, who had been detained in the Women’s Ward of Evin Prison from July 2018, was sentenced by Branch 1059 of the Government Employees’ Court to ten years in prison in November of last year on charges of “making a vulgar film”, “insulting the President”, and “spreading lies against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps”.

In the second part of her case, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced her to 6 months in prison on charges of “propaganda against the regime,” and in the final verdict, she was sentenced to a total of ten years and six months in prison.

Ms. Ebrahimvand was finally informed of her release in June of this year after appearing before the Culture and Media Court.

Maryam Ebrahimvand is a writer, film director, and producer of “Comedy of Love”, “We Are All Alone”, and “Girls’ Boarding House”.

Citizen Arrested in Qazvin for Criticizing Ayatollah Khamenei’s Ban on US and UK Vaccine Imports

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Environment, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Khamenei, Citizen arrested, COVID, COVID vaccines, Khamenei, Mehregan, Qazvin, Reza Behrouzi

On Saturday, August 21, Reza Behrouzi, a resident of Qazvin, was arrested by security forces at his home.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mr. Behrouzi had previously posted a video on his social media page criticizing the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, for banning the import of COVID vaccines. Ayatollah Khamanei banned US and UK vaccine imports in January.

Reza Behrouzi is a worker living in the Mehregan town of Qazvin and the father of three children. As of this writing, no information is available on the whereabouts and status of this citizen.