A reliable source told HRANA that, Afsari was apprehended violently at his residence.
The reasons for his arrest and the allegation against him are currently unknown. According to an unverified report, the agent have search his house and confiscated some of his electronic belonging.
The verdicts state that Afif Na’imi (Naeimi) will serve seven years, while Saman Ostovar and Kamyar Habibi will each serve five years. Rameleh Tirgarnejad, Elham Shareghi Arani, and Sabin Yazdani have been sentenced to three years. Mahsa Tirgar, Shahrzad Mastouri, Sadaf Sheikhzadeh, Negin Rezaie, Nakisa Rezaie, Sahba Adyani, and Bita Momtazi will serve two years and one month. Additionally, all individuals have been fined, prohibited from leaving the country, and restricted from residing in Alborz Province, along with other social deprivations.
They have been convicted of multiple charges such as “insulting and propaganda against Islamic Sharia, forming and running groups to act against national security through preaching Baha’i faith to children in Kindergartens, promoting against Islamic Sharia through holding coaching courses.”
The court session took place on June 15, 2023, without notifying their lawyers. The initial sentences have now been upheld and will be enforced within ten days, as confirmed by a reliable source who spoke to HRANA.
These citizens were detained during the summer of the previous year. While the specific grounds for the charges remain undisclosed, they appear to be related to their educational activities for children in Alborz Province, particularly preschool children. The Iranian regime perceives the peaceful activities of Baha’is in providing humanitarian aid and education as a threat to its own ideology.
According to HRANA annual report, from the total human rights reports regarding the violation of religious minorities’ rights, 64.63% belonged to the violation of the rights of Baha’is.
According to a credible source who spoke with HRANA, as Abolfazl Adinezadeh’s birthday approached, his father, Ali Adinezadeh, sister Marzieh, and uncle Reza were violently arrested in Mashhad and taken to an undisclosed location.
In a video shared on social media, Goli Hosseini, Adinezadeh’s mother, expressed her anguish, stating that by arresting her husband and daughter, they are inflicting further pain upon her as a grieving mother. Prior to this incident, Ali Adinezadeh had already been summoned to a courthouse in Faruj, North Khorasan province.
Abolfazl Adinezadeh was shot dead by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protest in Mashhad, reportedly by 25 bullets.
Background on the 2022 Nationwide Protests
The protests in Iran were triggered by the arrest of Mahsa Amini by the Tehran Morality Police for her improper hijab and her subsequent suspicious death on September 16. The demonstrations quickly spread across the country, with participants rallying against the performance, laws, and structure of the regime. Thousands of people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students, and civil rights activists, were arrested during the nationwide protests.
The verdict, issued by Judge Iman Afshari, cites “assembly and collusion against national security” as the grounds for the five-year sentence.
On March 11, 2024, Rahnama was arrested at his residence in Tehran by security forces. Following two months of interrogation, he was transferred from Ward 209 to the public ward of Evin Prison.
Rahnama’s previous legal case resulted in a five-year prison sentence and two years of exile. The charges included “propaganda against the regime, assembly and collusion against national security, and collaboration with anti-regime groups.” It is important to note that Rahnama has a history of prior arrests and convictions related to his activism.
Their lawyer, Hossein Ali Khatami, stated that their clients have been charged with propaganda against the regime, as reported by HRANA. The objections against extending their detention have been rejected twice so far.
On April 11, 2023, these individuals were arrested by security forces in Izeh. Foad Choobin is the uncle of Artin Rahmani, a 17-year-old minor killed by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protests.
Shahabi and Choobin are residents of Izeh, while Khadari and Khanehzar reside in Masjed Soleyman.
Background on the 2022 Nationwide Protests
The protests in Iran were triggered by the arrest of Mahsa Amini by the Tehran Morality Police for her improper hijab and her subsequent suspicious death on September 16. The demonstrations quickly spread across the country, with participants rallying against the performance, laws, and structure of the regime. Thousands of people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students, and civil rights activists, were arrested during the nationwide protests.
According to Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, Nourizad’s lawyer, his client is facing charges of “assembly and collusion against national security, propaganda against the regime, and destruction of property within the prison head’s office.”
The initial phase of Nourizad’s legal case began on August 11, 2019, when he was arrested by security forces for his involvement in issuing an open letter with 13 other civil rights activists, calling for the Supreme Leader of Iran to step down. In this first case, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, three years of exile in Izeh, and a two-year travel ban. While the prison sentence was upheld on appeal, the duration of exile and travel ban were reduced to two years.
In late April 2020, Nourizad received an additional one-year imprisonment for expressing support towards Baha’i citizens of Eyvanki in Semnan Province.
Regarding the second part of his legal case, the Mashhad Criminal Court sentenced Nourizad to 8 months in prison and 74 lashes, with exile to Tabas, for “disturbance of public order,” and an additional 74 lashes for “spreading falsehood.” This verdict was also upheld on appeal.
On November 17, 2021, Nourizad was released from Evin Prison based on an early release order. However, on January 23, 2022, he was summoned and re-incarcerated in Evin Prison to complete his remaining sentence.
Nourizad’s history includes prior arrests and convictions related to his peaceful activism. He is a renowned filmmaker, writer, director, and journalist from Iran. While previously known as an outspoken religious journalist, he has become an active critic of the Islamic Republic in recent years.
As reported by Kurdpa, Judge Amir Ojaghlou presided over Branch 1 of the Mahabad Revolutionary Court, which found Barzeh guilty of “acting against national security through membership in an anti-regime political party.”
Additionally, Barzeh has recently received a one-year prison sentence from the Piranshahr Criminal Court.
Barzeh’s arrest took place on November 22, 2022, when security forces apprehended him without presenting an arrest warrant. He was subsequently held in a detention facility in Urmia. Throughout his detention period, reports indicate that Barzeh was denied access to legal representation and visits from his family. Finally, he was released on bail from Naqadeh prison on January 26, 2023.
It’s important to note that Barzeh has a history of previous arrests and convictions related to his activism.
According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, on June 11, two inmates, Alireza Shahcheragh and Taher Nouri (aged 38), were executed at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz. Nouri had been sentenced to death three years prior.
Furthermore, on June 14, Milad Ghobadi, an inmate held at Yasuj Prison, was executed.
In another incident reported by Javan Online on June 13, an unidentified inmate was executed at Rajai Shahr Prison. The individual had been charged with the murder of his wife three years ago.
According to a reliable source who spoke to HRANA, Farghadani is facing charges of “disturbing public order.”
Another source close to her family disclosed that Farghadani has been offered a bail amounting to two billion Rials; however, she has declined to provide the requested bail amount.
On June 7, 2023, security forces arrested Farghadani and subsequently transferred her to Qarchak Prison in Varamin.
It should be noted that Farghadani has previously faced legal consequences for her activism.
HRANA has identified this inmate as Hassanali Hassanpour, a resident of a village in Gachsaran County.
As of now, there have been no reports from official sources or domestic media outlets in the country regarding these executions.
In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.
