Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association Member Jafar Ebrahimi Sentenced to Four Years and Six Months in Prison

Jafar Ebrahimi, a teacher and member of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association, was sentenced by the Karaj Revolutionary Court to four years and six months in prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the court notified Ebrahimi about the sentence sentence on charges of “spreading lies” and “propaganda against the regime” and “acting against national security.” The trial was held in November of 2021.

Earlier on May 19, 2020, he was indicted by Culture and Media Court for publishing official statements for the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations. He was finally released on bond pending further legal proceedings.

Approaching the anniversary of the Aban Protest, security forces arrested him while he was going to the cemetery to attend a memorial for those killed by the regime during the Aban Protests. On December 26, 2019, he stated during a phone call that he was sent to Rajai Shahr Prison. One month later, he was released on bail. At the time he was detained, he was banned from teaching by the Ministry of Education of Shahriar on the pretext of “unjustified absence”.

Azerbaijani Turk Activist Mohammad Aini Arrested in Rasht City

On January 23, Azerbaijani Turk activist Mohammad Aini was arrested after an appearance at the Ministry of Intelligence Office in Rasht City. After, he was transferred to an unidentified location. He was summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence the day before the arrest.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, security and judicial officials have not provided his family with any information about his whereabouts or the reason for his arrest.

Aini has faced other arrests. In October of 2020, amid the widespread protests in the Azerbaijani regions in the Western part of the country, he was arrested in Rasht City. After some time, he was released from jail on bail. In February of 2021, he was tried by Branch 12 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht on the charge of “acting against national security” and was finally acquitted.

Tohidi, Mohammad Iran-Nejad and Sara Askari Fined, Sentenced to Imprisonment

Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced Yashar Tohidi, Mohammad Iran-Nejad and Sara Askari, all residents of Tehran, to more than seven years of imprisonment combined, as well as a fine.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Tohidi and Iran-Nejad were each sentenced to three years and five months in prison on charges of “acting against national security through membership in one of the Marxist groups” and “propaganda against the regime”. If this verdict is upheld, the severest punishment of two years and nine months on the charge of “acting against national security through membership in a Marxist group” is enforceable per Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code.

Askari has also been sentenced to six months in prison and a fine of 7,000,000 tomans on the charge of “spreading lies”. Her sentence has been suspended for five years.

The trial against these citizens was held on January 17, 2022.

On June 23, 2021, security forces arrested Tohifi and transferred him to the IRGC-controlled Ward 2-A in Evin Prison. After 12 days of interrogation, he was released on bail of 500 million tomans until the end of legal proceedings.

Iran-Nejad and Tohidi have already faced other arrests and convictions in their rap sheets.

Translator and Civil Activist Shohreh Hosseini Summoned to Serve Her Sentence

Translator and civil activist Shohreh Hosseini was summoned by the Executive Unit of Evin Courthouse to serve her sentence. She was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to three years and three months in prison. Grounded in Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, from the verdict, the severest punishment of two years and seven months is enforceable.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, translator and civil activist Shohreh Hosseini was summoned to appear at the executive unit of Evin courthouse in order to endure her sentence in this prison.

On January 18, 2021, the Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Afshari, sentenced Shohreh Hosseini to four years and two months on the charges of “assembly and collusion to act against national security” and “membership in anti-regime group and propaganda against the regime”. This verdict was reduced to three years and three months on appeal. For the charge of ” assembly and collusion”, the punishment of two years and seven months is enforceable.

On October 2, 2020, IRGC’s security agents arrested and transferred her to the detention centre known as Ward 2-A in Evin Prison. Four days later, she was released on bail of 500 million tomans until the end of the legal proceedings. These agents confiscated some of her personal belongings such as a laptop, phone and some documents.

Once again, on December 8, 2020, Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor office was summoned and arrested. They also raised the bail to 1 billion tomans.

On December 29, 2020, she was transferred from Ward 2-A to the public ward of Evin at the end of the interrogation process. 19 days later, she was released temporarily by providing the bail of 1 billion tomans.

French Tourist Benjamin Briere Sentenced to Eight Years In Prison

On January 25, Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad sentenced Benjamin Briere to eight years in prison. The court session had been held on January 20.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists,  French tourist Benjamin Briere who is jailed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad City, was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of “spying” and “propaganda against the regime”. Two other charges of “spreading corruption on earth” and “drinking alcohol” were already dismissed by the court.

Briere’s lawyer, Saeed Dehghan, tweeted that “1. Just before the trial, they changed the branch where the court was going to be held, 2. the trial was not public and 3. it was quite obvious that the judge has already taken a position, 3. They mentioned the word “exchange” (apparently referring to a prisoner swap with the French government) which reveals their intention”.

Briere has been in pre-trial detention for almost 600 days.

In late December of 2021, he was denied making a phone call to his family on Christmas night and in protest, went on hunger strike.

In May 2020, Briere was arrested by security forces and has since been jailed in Vakilabad Prison.

According to Dehghan, these charges were based on actions such as taking aerial photos with a remote-controlled helicam and posing questions such as “why is the veil (Hijab) forced in Iran but not other Islamic countries”.

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Rapper Toomaj Salehi Fined and Sentenced to Six Months Suspended Imprisonment

The Revolutionary Court of Shahin-Shahr sentenced Toomaj Salehi to six months in prison and a fine. The verdict was suspended for one year. Salehi is a rapper who is well-known for his protest songs.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists. Rapper, Salehi was exonerated from the charge of “provoking violence and insurrection”.

On September 12, 2021, Salehi was arrested by security forces at his home and nine days later, released on bond from Dastgerd Prison.

Nobel Laureates and Prominent Academics Demand Immediate Release of Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi

In a joint letter, a group of Nobel laureates and prominent academics urged Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to ask that the Iranian regime release two detained Iranian students, Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on the 18 January, in a joint letter, 16 Nobel laureates and prominent scholars called for the immediate release of Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi.

Earlier, on May 15, 2020, in an open letter, several Nobel laureates asked UN high commissioner, Michelle Bachelet to put efforts to ensure the immediate release of the two students.

Professor Noam Chomsky (linguist and philosopher), Randy Wayne Schekman ( Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2013), Barry Barish (Nobel Laureate in Physics in 2017) and Richard John Roberts (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993) are among the writers of this letter.

On April 10, 2020, these two Sharif University of Technology students were violently arrested. Since the arrest, they have been subjected to torture-tainted interrogations to make forced confessions on television.

Amir Hossein Moradi is the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2017. Ali Younesi is the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and the gold medal of the 2017 Astronomy Olympiad. Ali Younesi also won a gold medal in the 12th World Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in China.

Amir Abbas Azarmvand Sentenced to Four Years and Three Months In Prison

Recently, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced journalist and workers’ rights activist Amir Abbas Azarmvand to four years and three months in prison. As a complementary punishment, he was banned from leaving the country and from membership in any political group for two years. If the verdict is upheld on appeal, the three year and seven month sentence on one count will be enforceable, per Article 134 of the Penal Islamic Code.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran headed by Judge Afshari notified him of his conviction. He has been sentenced on charges of “assembly and collusion to act against national security”, and eight months on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”. The court session was held on January 8, 2022, and he was notified about the conviction later.

On September 1, 2021, security forces arrested Azarmvand at his home. On September 23, 2021, he was released on bail.  At the time, the courthouse told his family that the bail was 500 million tomans (118,000 USD). However, when they attempted to reduce the bail, which they could not afford, they were told that he was still under interrogation and that, for now, no bail will be accepted.

Azarmvand has two other arrests due to his civil activities in December of 2018 and in January of 2021.

Narges Mohammadi Transferred to Qarchak Prison

Narges Mohammadi, the spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, was transferred from Evin Prison to Qarchak Prison in Varamin City. In November of last year, she was arrested in Karaj City and has since been held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, her husband, Taghi Rahmani, confirmed the news and commented that his wife has not made a phone call since her relocation to Qarchak Prison, which raises concerns.

On November 16, 2021, she was arrested by security forces during her attendance at a ceremony honouring Ebrahim Ketabdar, who was killed by security forces in Karaj during the November 2019 protests. She was detained in a solitary confinement cell in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. On November 22, 2021, she was notified about the charges in Evin courthouse.

On December 29, 2021, security agents raided and searched her house and confiscated some of her personal belongings.

She has already faced other arrests and convictions and was imprisoned from May 5, 2015, until October of last year, Narges Mohammadi was imprisoned.

In May of 2021, Branch 1177 of the Criminal Court in the Ghods Judicial Complex in Tehran sentenced Mohammadi to 30 months in prison and 80 lashes, as well as fines. She was charged with “propaganda against the regime through the issuance of a statement against the death penalty”, “sit-down strike at prison office”, “property destruction by breaking glass” and “libel and assault”.

According to a report published by HRANA, in an open statement, Mohammadi stated that she will not, “under any circumstances”, attend any court hearing, and will refuse to accept any verdict from the judiciary courts.

In December 2019, Mohammadi and seven other political prisoners in the women’s ward of Evin Prison announced in a letter that they would go on a sit-down strike in support of bereaved families who lost loved ones in November 2019 national protests. Evin Prison officials threatened to deport her and others who participated in the strike to prisons known for their harsher conditions. Subsequently, she was punitively transferred from Evin Prison to Zanjan Prison in December 2019.

Based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code and the charges against her, the severest punishment of 10 years was enforceable, but after five years and six months in prison, Mohammadi was finally released from Zanjan Prison. Mohammadi has since been denied a passport and barred from leaving the country to visit her husband and children even though her previous conviction did not mention a supplementary ban on international travel.

Armin Esperlous Sentenced to One Year In Prison

On January 15, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj sentenced Armin Esperlous, resident of Sanandaj City, to one year in prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, Esperlous, an environmental activist, was sentenced on the charge of “collaboration with an anti-regime political party”.

On September 29, 2021, Esperlous was arrested by security forces and transferred to a detention centre at the disposal of the Ministry of Intelligence. After 20 days of interrogation, he was released on bail of 150 million tomans (35,700 USD) pending further legal proceedings.

His first trial was held on December 12, 2021.

On March 17, 2020, in another legal case, he was charged with “propaganda against the regime” and sentenced to three months in prison.

His wife, Faranak Jamshidi, was also jailed in Sanandaj’s correctional prison. After two months, she was released on bail.