HRANA News Agency – The Iranian blogger Sattar Behesht was arrested and tortured to death by Iran’s cyber-police known also as Fata. Sattar Behesht had been accused that he was acting against the national security. The European Parliament published yesterday a new resolution on human rights situation in Iran.
Continue reading “European Parliament urges Iranian authorities to stop human rights violations”
HRANA News Agency – The West’s single-minded focus on the nuclear dossier has permitted Iranian authorities to widen their violations of human rights.
With tensions mounting over Iran’s nuclear program, the West has dealt the Tehran regime crippling blows on several fronts, including through sanctions, the targeted killing of scientists, and cyber operations such as the Stuxnet virus. Tehran is no doubt reeling but regime leaders have spotted a silver lining: The West’s single-minded focus on the nuclear dossier has permitted them to widen their violations of human rights.
Continue reading “Mehdi Khalaji: Iran and the Human Rights Opening”
HRANA News Agency – Etela’at ministry of Iran claimed in a statement that the arrested journalists were associated to BBC and might be another group to arrest in the next few days.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), quoted from ISNA, Etela’at ministry wrote in the statement “During the preparations for the Fajr anniversary this Ministry could discover one the biggest media networks associated to the arrogance media center.”
Continue reading “Etela’at ministry: Arrested journalists were associated to BBC”
HRANA News Agency– Hamed Malek Abadi, the civil activist sentenced to six months imprisonment by Sarab revolutionary court.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), judge Khateri in Sarab revolutionary court sentenced Hamed Malek Abadi to six months imprisonment on charge of propaganda against regime.
Continue reading “Six months imprisonment verdict for a civil activist”
HRANA News Agency – Dr. Mohammad Maleki, Iranian academic and pro-democracy activist and former president of the University of Tehran, was summoned to Evin prison and his house was searched by security forces, today.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mohammad Maleki is an Iranian academic and pro-democracy activist and former president of the University of Tehran.
Continue reading “Dr. Mohammad Maleki summoned and his house was searched”
HRANA News Agency – Shahrekord University officials have tried to install cameras for controlling the space of university.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), On the other hand by installing the control gate entry and exclusion of students, the university Security Increased. Meanwhile, In recent years students did not need student card to enter the university.
According to one of the student activists of the university, The presence of security guards to check Hijab of students have been highlighted. It is worth noting that in the new school year many girls students because of inappropriate dress ( HIJAB ), and several boy students because of smoking has been banned from having a student dormitory.
GENEVA – U.N. human rights experts called on Iran on Thursday to say how Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti died in police custody.
In a case that sparked international outrage, Beheshti who wrote a blog critical of the government, was arrested on October 30 and died some days later after saying he had received death threats and was being tortured in jail.
“It is imperative that people who are potentially involved in committing such gruesome crimes are investigated and brought to justice, as failure to do so promotes a culture of impunity,” said Ahmed Shaheed, special U.N. rapporteur on human rights in Iran.
Shaheed and other U.N. experts welcomed Iran’s decision to investigate the 35-year-old’s death and said the findings should be made public.
“On 6 November, prison authorities contacted family members of Mr. Beheshti to collect his body. Although the circumstances around his death remain unclear, allegations suggest he might have been tortured to death during his investigation,” they said in a joint statement issued in Geneva.
Christof Heyns, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions said whenever someone dies as a result of injuries sustained while in custody, “there is a presumption of state responsibility.”
The experts, who report to the U.N. Human Rights Council said there had been several cases reported of detainees dying in custody due to mistreatment or torture, lack of medical attention or neglect.
They called on Iran to release journalists and bloggers jailed in violation of a U.N. treaty on civil and political rights.
Iranian authorities have arrested seven people suspected of involvement in Beheshti’s death, a lawmaker said on Wednesday. The suspects’ identities have not been disclosed.
The Beheshti case has renewed international concerns about human rights in Iran. In October, the European Parliament awarded its human rights prize to Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer who, opposition websites report, is on hunger strike in prison.
-Reuters
HRANA News Agency – Ali Dehghan, the economic columnist arrested by security forces on charge of connection with some subversive sides.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), quoted from Bulletin News, Dehghan worked with reformist newspapers such as Shargh, Bahar, E’temad, Vaghaye’ Etefaghiyeh and also ILNA News Agency in the past.
Continue reading “Ali Dehghan, the economic columnist arrested”
HRANA News Agency – (Beirut) – Iranian authorities should investigate the death of a 35-year-old blogger in custody and immediately provide his family with information about the circumstances of his death. Initial reports suggest that he may have died from ill-treatment or torture.
Continue reading “HRW – Iran: Investigate Detained Blogger’s Death”
HRANA News Agency – Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Iran on Saturday to lift restrictions on women attending university and enrolling in certain academic fields. Thirty-six universities across Iran have banned women from 77 different majors, including accounting, counseling, and engineering, for the school year that begins on Saturday, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported in August.
There was no official reason given for the move, but Iranian officials have expressed alarm in recent months about the country’s declining birth and marriage rates, seen as partially caused by women’s rising educational attainment in the last two decades. In a statement released on Saturday, Human Rights Watch urged the Iranian government to immediately reverse the more restrictive policies, and said they were a violation of the international right to education for everyone without discrimination.
“As university students across Iran prepare to start the new academic year, they face serious setbacks, and women students in particular will no longer be able to pursue the education and careers of their choice,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. Women in Iran make up a majority of college students. Sixty percent of those who passed this year’s national college entrance exam were women, said Hossein Tavakoli, an official at Iran’s National Education Assessment Organization (NEAO), according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi argued in a letter to the United Nations in August that the closure of certain academic fields to women was part of a push by the Iranian government to stifle “women’s presence in the public arena”. Human Rights Watch said some of the banned majors include high-paying fields where women have had a greater presence in recent years, like engineering and applied science.—Reuters
