HRANA News Agency –Political prisoner Majid Assadi in Ward 350 of Evin Prison began hunger strike for one week protesting the measures of the branch 15th of Iran’s Revolutionary Court by Judge Salavati.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Political prisoner Majid Assadi in Ward 350 of Evin Prison began hunger strike for one week protesting the measures of the branch 15th of Iran’s Revolutionary Court by Judge Salavati toward two political prisoners in Ward 350 in Tehran’s Evin Prison. These two prisoners are Ali Moezi and Vahid Asghari, who were transferred to solitary confinement and banned from any visits.
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Category: News
A Baha’i Citizen Arrested in Gorgan, Iran
HRANA News Agency – mass arrest of Baha’i citizens in Gorgan continues and one more Baha’i citizen, Farhad Eghbali, has been arrested.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), one more Baha’i citizen has been arrested on Tuesday, November 20, 2012.
It should be mentioned, in an extended attack by security forces 17 Baha’i citizens were arrested on Wednesday, October 17, 2012. And also four Muslim citizens were arrested related to them.
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Human Rights Activist Karim Rahmani’s Family Pressured & Threatened
HRANA News Agency – Iran’s Intelligence Agency in the city of Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province, has increased pressure on the family of Karim Rahmani and threatened his father repeatedly.Karim (Rebin) Rahmani is a Kurdish human rights activist who was forced to flee Iran after he was released from prison.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), security agents in Kamyaran have summoned Karim Rahmani’s father to the Intelligence Agency several times and have interrogated and pressured him about his son’s political activities.
On November 19, 2006, Karim Rahmani was arrested in Kermanshah and charged with acting against national security because of his political and social activities.He was sentenced to 2 years in prison and locked up in solitary confinement multiple times during this time.Karim Rahmani endured physical and psychological torture while he was behind bars, and once released, he escaped Iran fearing for his life.
Before fleeing Iran, Karim Rahmani was studying Computer Science at Arak University of Science and Industry in Markazi Province.He was expelled from this university after his release from prison.
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480 Prisoners Hanged From October 2010 to October 2011
HRANA News Agency – The Statistics and Publications Unit of Human Rights Activists in Iran has reported that from October 2010 to October 2011, 480 individuals charged with various crimes have been hanged in Iran.During the same period of time, there have been 641 prisoners sentenced to death and 46 individuals hanged in public.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the majority of prisoners who received the death penalty were charged with drug related crimes.It is also noteworthy that Iranian Judiciary Branch neither officially announces the majority of death sentences when they are issued nor the time when they are carried out.
Since the beginning of 2011, 478 individuals have been sentenced to die, and the death penalties for 422 of these prisoners have been carried out.If there are no more hangings in the remaining days of 2011, the number of hanging in the current year will be 22% less than last year.
Analyzing the data further, the Statistics and Publications Unit has reported that since the beginning of the current Persian year (March 2011), 442 individuals have been sentenced to die, and 253 prisoners have been hanged.Amongst those executed, 39 individuals were hanged in public.In comparison to the same period of time last year, executions have increased 45%.
During the last twelve months, the relative frequency of death sentences carried out is mostly related to narcotics, murder, rape and theft in the order listed.Amongst those executed, there were 12 women.Furthermore, the majority of drug related death penalties have been issued in eastern provinces of Iran where narcotics are smuggled into the country from Afghanistan.
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Ayatollah Boroujerdi Denied Medical Care
HRANA News Agency – On Saturday night, October 1, 2011, Ayatollah Boroujerdi visited the prison clinic in Evin because of heart problems, but prison officials refused to provide medical care for him.Ayatollah Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi is a prisoner of conscience whose pre-existing medical conditions have deteriorated since his arrest on October 8, 2006.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), last night, Ayatollah Boroujerdi complaining of chest pain visited the clinic in Evin Prison to seek medical care.The medical staff didn’t admit him into the clinic and asked for his immediate transfer to a hospital outside the prison.However, the prison officials have refused to comply with this request.
Ayatollah Boroujerdi suffers from heart problems and lacks the necessary balance to walk independently due to swelling of both feet.
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One-Hundred and Two “Thugs and Hoodlums” Arrested
HRANA News Agency – Announcing the news that 102 “known thugs and hoodlums” in Tehran have been arrested, the capital city’s police chief said, “During this morning’s operations, five women were also detained.”
In an interview with Mehr News, Tehran’s Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia said, “The second phase of the Neighborhood-based Security Plan began this morning in 375 locations throughout the capital in order to deal with thugs and hoodlums decisively.”
Hossein Sajedinia added, “During these operations that ended today at 2:00am, one hundred and two well-known thugs and hoodlums around the capital city were arrested.These individuals have distributed illegal drugs and attempted to be a menace to others by brandish daggers and threatening, intimidating, traumatizing and bullying the public.Additionally, the police has confiscated large and considerable amounts of narcotics, alcoholic drinks, obscene CDs, various weapons and firearms.”
Hossein Sajedinia further explained, “Amongst those arrested, there are 97 men and five women.After the preliminary interrogations and collection of evidence, these individuals will be charged accordingly so that the Judicial Branch can deal with them to the full extend.”
Referring to the fact that the Neighborhood-based Security Plan will continue to target citizens who are identified as “thugs and hoodlums,” the chief police of Tehran announced, “This plan won’t end.During the upcoming nights, the law enforcement will once again target notorious thugs and hoodlums.”
The critics of Iranian government’s various security plans believe that such operations don’t maintain safety but instead create fear and cause anxiety and insecurity in the society.
Student Sit-in at the University of Water and Power Technology
HRANA News Agency – Students at the University of Water and Power Technology have staged a sit-in to protest against the closure of student dormitories during summer.The University of Water and Power Technology is located in Hakimiye, north east of Tehran.
According to a report by Alef News, in an unprecedented move, university officials have decided to close student dormitories all summer.This decision has been reached despite the fact that the university has sufficient amenities and resources to keep the dormitories open.
Since yesterday, June 22, 2011, a number of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Water and Power Technology have gathered in front of the school president’s office building to voice their objection.Thus far, school officials have not provided a logical and convincing argument to the students for the decision behind the closure of the dormitories.
As a general rule, during the summer semester, universities throughout the country routinely provide room and board to graduate students enrolled in seminars and undergraduate students working on their final projects.
Bahnam Ebrahimzadeh Stands Trial Again
HRANA News Agency – Bahman Ebrahimzadeh, labor activist, stood trial for the second time after spending more than a year in prison.During the second trial, Judge Moqayaseh presided over the Revolutionary Court, Branch 28.
According to a report by the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Bahman Ebrahimzadeh was initially tried by the Revolutionary Court, Branch 15, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.Following his request for appeal and the Supreme Court’s approval, he was tried again.It has been reported that Bahman Ebrahimzadeh’s attorney is optimistic about the second trial and hopeful that his client will receive a lighter sentence.
Bahman Ebrahimzadeh is also an advocate against child labor and has supported the Society to Defend Child Laborers and Street Children.He was arrested in June 2010 and was locked up in one of the solitary confinements in Evin Prison’s ward 2A.Bahman Ebrahimzadeh has been denied furlough since then.
Four Suicides in Ilam Province
HRANA News Agency – In the last month, at least four residents of Abdanan in Ilam province have attempted suicide, resulting in three deaths.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), because of widespread poverty, addiction, unemployment, and family disputes, the tragic phenomenon of suicide is alarmingly spreading amongst residents of Abdanan.
Plain Clothes Agents Attack Mohammad Ali Abtahi
HRANA – On the morning of Thursday, May 20, 2010, a group of plain clothes agents attacked Mohammad Ali Abtahi’s car with tear gas, cables and knives.
According to Parleman News, Mohammad Ali Abtahi described the incident in the following manner: “This morning, at the end of a memorial for Mirza Javad Tehrani held in Shahre Ray that I was participating, I was attached by a number of plain clothes as I was exiting the event, and then in the middle of the highway, near the holly site a car turned in front of me and a group of motorcyclists attacked my car with kicks, cables and knives and broke the windows and threw tear gas inside my car and I was miraculously able to exit the area with broken windows and teary eyes. It was a vicious attack. No one came to help me. Very confident and without fear. God had mercy on me.”
Fars News Agency had its own, completely different, version of the story, offering the following description: “Abtahi who was supposed to participate in this event faced an attack by a group of individuals who intended to physically attack him, but police forces prevented an attack on his person. Nevertheless, Abtahi’s car was damaged, such that its windows were broken.”