Human Rights Lawyer Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah Imprisoned

Security forces arrested former political prisoner and lawyer Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah and took him to Evin Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on July 20, 2022, Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah was arrested and sent to Evin Prison.

Iman Piroozkhah, DadKhah’s colleague, broke the news on social media and wrote, “Long years after serving out his sentence for a legal case in 2008, he was arrested again under unlawful pretexts”.

In 2011, the Revolutionary Court sentenced Dadkhah to nine years in prison, 90 lashes, paying a fine and the suspension of his law license for ten years. 

Member of Iran’s Parliament Reveals Son’s Imprisonment

Mostafa Mirsalim, a member of Iran’s Parliament, revealed that his son Mehdi Mirsalim has been imprisoned on the charge of “acting against national security” since February 2021 in Evin prison. According to his father, Mehdi Mir-Salim was arrested in July of 2019 and sentenced to five years in prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Tasnim, Mehdi Mirsalim is currently serving a five-year sentence in Evin Prison.

Mostafa Mirsalim had claimed that his son was arrested after two years of surveillance in July 2019 and sentenced to five years on the charge of acting against national security and started his sentencing in February 2021. Mirsalim had claimed his son was arrested for his information and access privileges. 

Twelve Individuals Arrested in Tabriz, Naqadeh and Urmia

On July 16, 2022, security forces arrested twelve individuals in Tabriz, Naqadeh and Urmia.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, security forces arrested Hakimeh Ahmadi (an Azerbaijani Turk Activist), Yunes Gholizadeh (an Azerbaijani Turk Activist), Jalal Dehghani, Hamid Pourvali,  Yunes Mahmoodi, and Emrahim Azaroghlu in Tabriz, Masoud Abbaszadeh in Naqdeh, and Hooshang Taghizadeh, Michael Gholipour, Hamid Akbarzadeh and Reza Akarzadeh and Reza Etebari Rad, in Urmia.

The reason for these arrests and the individuals’ whereabouts are unknown so far.

Yunes Gholizadeh and Hakimeh Ahmadi had previously been arrested and convicted for their civil activities. 

Four Citizens Arrested in Miandoab

On July 16, security forces arrested four residents of Miandoab, West Azerbaijan Province, and transferred them to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, On Saturday, July 16, 2022, Jalal Kudarilu, Mostafa Dolatkhah, Nader Amani, and Naser Heshmati were arrested in Miandoab County.

 Another resident of Miandoab Vali Zohrabi had also been arrested.

The reason for these arrests, the individuals’ whereabouts and the charges are unknown so far.

Five Workers of the Sungun Copper Mine Arrested

At least five labor workers of the Sungun copper mine have been arrested for going on strike and transferred to an unidentified location, raising the number of detained workers to eleven.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, in an effort to crackdown on workers’ strike, security forces have arrested five additional workers identified as Kazem Shahi, Saleh Mohammadi, Mohammad Mahmoodi, Esmail Ebadi and Haj Ziad Mahmoodi.

On July 7, 2022, Sungun copper miners went on strike for the third consecutive day to demand closing wage gaps between official and contract employees, and implementation of the Job Classification Plan, among other demands. These protests turned violent by the police.

The charges against these workers are still unknown.

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Dutch National Arrested and Sentenced 

HRANA has identified a European national who is jailed in Evin prison. Kees Lunenburg, a Dutch national, is currently serving his five-year sentence in Ward 8 of Evin Prison. Polish Maciej Walczak, who was sentenced to three years, is also housed in the same ward.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Dutch national Kees Lunenburg is currently jailed in Ward 8 of Evin Prison. HRANA has received variants of this individual’s last name and will update its database accordingly. 

The about-mentioned detained Dutch national was sentenced to five years imprisonment on the charge of “assembly and collusion to act against national security.” HRANA is trying to find out new details about his case. 

Polish scientist Maciej Walczak is housed in the same ward. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland has confirmed his arrest.  Iran has claimed that Walczak and three others were arrested as they were collecting soil samples from a restricted site of a missile test. 

The spokesperson of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland, has stated that in September of 2021, Walczak and his two colleagues were arrested in Iran. Two university professors were released but Walczak was sentenced to three years in prison.

In recent weeks, Belgian national Olivier Vandecasteele, a 41-year-old aid worker, and two French individuals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris were also arrested.

Reza Sharafkhani Arrested in Mashhad

Reza Sharafkhani, the secretary of the Committee for Iran-Iraq War Reparations was arrested in Mashhad.

Sharafkhani was arrested while he was hospitalized. After setting bail at one billion tomans, judicial authorities sent him to a detention facility belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence.

Sharafkhani was earlier summoned to appear at the Public and Revolutionary Court.

On June 25, after filing a complaint by Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the head of the  Martyrs’ Foundation, Sharafkhani was summoned for the charges of “insulting authorities, spreading falsehood, and disrupting public order”.

Sharafkhani’s arrest can also be related to the call of injured and disabled Iran-Iraq war veterans to protest the implementation of Articles 6 and 7 of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 598, which obliges Iraq to pay war reparations to Iran’s injured veterans.

Four Citizens Arrested in Oshnavieh County

On July 13, 2022, in Oshnavieh County, West Azerbaijan Province, four individuals, including a Sunni cleric, were arrested and transferred to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on July 13, 2022, security forces arrested four individuals in Oshnavieh.

These individuals have been identified as Farhank Keramat, age 27, Molamohammad Tahazadeh, a Sunni cleric, Abdolrahman Dehyar, and Fara’an Ebrahimi.

The reason for these arrests is unknown so far. However, Kurdpa speculated that these arrests can be related to broadcasting a speech by the loudspeaker of a mosque in a village in Oshnavieh County.

Kermanshah Chief of Police: 1700 Women Taken to Custody for Violation of Islamic Veiling Rule

In recent days, Iran’s law enforcement has intensified the harassment of women in public for failing to observe the Islamic veiling rules, known as Hijab. The chief of police of Kermanshah Province announced that since the beginning of spring, police have taken into custody or summoned 1700 people due to their failure to observe compulsory veiling. Also, 230 vehicles have been impounded for “roaming in the city in a vehicle”.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Tabnak, Kermanshah’s Police Chief Ali Akbar Javidan revealed the temporary detention of 1700 women on the streets for the failure to observe veiling codes since the beginning of spring.

Claiming that the Iranian people demand that women must cover their hair, Javidan said that  26 morality checkpoints are working visibly and six are undercover to impose the rules in Kermanshah. 

According to Kermanshah’s police chief, since the beginning of spring, security forces have stopped individuals numerous times to warn them about the veiling and morality codes, 1700 individuals were taken into custody and 230 vehicles have been impounded for driving around the city. Javidan also stated that these rules for recreational, tourist and commercial places are also enforced. Dog walking is forbidden in Kermanshah, Javidan warned that if ceased, the dogs will be taken to animal shelters and if repeated, dog walkers will face legal penalties.  

Workers’ Rights Activist Asal Mohammadi Taken for Sentencing

On July 11, 2022, workers’ rights activist Asal Mohammadi was taken to Evin prison to serve her one-year sentence.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, workers’ rights activist Asal Mohammadi appeared at the Evin Judgement Enforcement Unit for sentencing.

Earlier, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Mohammadi to one year and eight months in prison and banned her from civil and political activities for two years on the charges of “propaganda against the regime and assembly and collusion against national security”. This verdict was upheld on appeal. Based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the one-year sentence is enforceable.

Mohammadi’s lawyer, Iman Soleimani, told HRANA, “During the detention, Mohammadi did not have access to a lawyer. During the trial process, I took her case but was not allowed to study the case documents or attend court sessions, which is a violation of Article 48 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Mohammadi was in poor mental condition. Contrary to what the law explicitly states, she had been interrogated without the accompaniment of a lawyer”.

On January 24, 2022, the trial was held and during the trial, participation in online campaigns such as “white torture” or membership in Marxist groups was used as evidence for the charges.

On November 6, 2021, the security forces arrested Mohammadi and Hirad Pirbodaghi.

On November 11, Mohammadi was transferred to Public Ward 209 of Evin Prison and was released on bond on November 22, 2021.