According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on February 23, 2023, Omid Moshir Panahi, a resident of Sanandaj, was arrested.
Moshir Panahi is a member of the cultural association Nojin which is engaged in environmental activities, forest protection and Kurdish language teaching.
The reason for his arrest, whereabouts and allegations are still unknown.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Haal Vsh, detained protestor Ebrahim Rigi died in custody in Zahedan.
Nonetheless, police claimed that Rigi has been beaten outside the police station. Rigi’s family reportedly are under pressure not to follow up on this case.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, an Austrian man was sentenced to seven years and six months for alleged spying.
In reaction, Vienna summoned the Iranian ambassador to express its strenuous objection to this conviction.
This statement mentioned “espionage” as the charge against this Austrian convict. “Two years of this sentence” may be “waived in the case of good behavior,” the ministry added.
Earlier, in October 2022, the Austrian foreign ministry disclosed the arrest of an Austrian man in Iran and asked Iranian authorities for an explanation. At the time, Iranian authorities asserted that this arrest was not related to the concurrent nationwide protests.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on February 14, 2023, four citizens were arrested by security forces in Dehloran, Ilam Province.
The agents did not show any arrest warrant during the arrest of Azimi and his wife.
Kolbar News also reported that security forces arrested photographer Mehdi Tavakoli in Sanandaj on February 14.
Their whereabouts and the allegations are still unknown at the time of writing.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on February 14, 2023, Hadi Atashbar was arrested in Mashhad.
An informed source told HRANA that the plainclothes agents did not show any arrest warrant. The reason for his arrest is still unknown.
Atashbar, age 45, faced other arrests and convictions on a prior occasion.
The IRGC forces reportedly began shooting at their vehicle without any warning, setting the car ablaze, and five people died.
The victims’ identities are unknown at the time of writing.
According to HRANA’s annual report, in 2022, a total of 845 people were shot by military forces. At least 571 of the victims lost their life.
This includes 22 kolbars, 9 fuel carriers, and 540 civilians. 274 people were injured by military forces open fire, including 134 kolbars, 128 civilians, and 12 fuel carriers.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on January 18, 2023, six residents of a village in Piranshahr County, West Azerbaijan Province, were arrested.
The agents reportedly did not show any arrest warrant. The reason for their arrests, whereabouts and allegations are still unknown.
IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim reported the arrest of an unidentified German national due to photographing the oil facilities in Omidiyeh.
The report did not reveal the detainee’s identity and the allegations against him.
According to Article 503 of the Islamic Penal Code, taking photos of forbidden places can be punishable by a prison term from six months to three years.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on January 16, 2023, civil rights activist Haj-Jafar Kashani was arrested.
An informed source told HRANA, “Kashani accompanied Fariba Fereidooni who was summoned to Evin Courthouse. Security forces apprehended him violently and took him inside the courthouse. After a few hours, they handcuffed him and took him to Evin Prison.”
According to this source, Kashani was on medical furlough to undergo surgery for his lumbar disc.
In the fall of 2020, security forces arrested Kashani and jailed him in Evin Prison. Subsequently, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced him to three years and six months in prison for “assembly and collusion against national security” and six months for “propaganda against the regime.” He was also sentenced to additional punishment.
In August of this year, he faced new charges following the complaint of the head of the Tehran Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures Organization.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Mizan Online News Agency, 13 individuals were arrested for allegedly “espionage.”
The Ministry of intelligence claimed that in Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd, Golestan and West Azerbaijan Provinces, 23 individuals working for Mossad (the intelligence agency of Israel) were detected, of which 13 people residing inside the country were apprehended before they could take any action. The Ministry claimed that the “head of this spy network” has been identified as “Sirus,” residing in one of the European Countries. This report did not disclose the detainees’ identities.
Although the prosecution of individuals for espionage is not considered a violation of human rights, there are concerns about the validity of these allegations due to the frequent use of such accusations by Iran’s regime in order to suppress its political dissidents and due to the ambiguities in legal proceedings and the lack of transparency about such legal cases.
