Category: Prisoners

Manouchehr Bakhtiari Sentenced to Imprisonment and Exile

Posted on by .
Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Bakhtiari, Central Penitentiary of Karaj, Gholam-Hossein Ismaili, Karaj, Manouchehr Bakhtiari, November 2019 nationwide protests, November 2019 Protests, Pouya Bakhtiari, Tehran

Manouchehr Bakhtiari, the father of Pouya Bakhtiari, one of the victims of the November 2019 nationwide protests, was sentenced to imprisonment and exile.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, 77 days after his arrest, Bakhtiari called his family and announced that he had been sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison and 2 years and 6 months in exile.

He was transferred from the detention center of a security institution to the Central Penitentiary in Karaj after the sentence was issued.

Bakhtiari was detained by security forces on April 29, after being beaten at his home in Tehran. One week after the arrest, Gholam-Hossein Ismaili, a spokesman for the judiciary, called Bakhtiari and his family “counter-revolutionaries” and charged them with “acting against national security”.

Manouchehr Bakhtiari has been protesting the killing of his son by security forces in November 2019. Pouya Bakhtiari was born September 10, 1992, and was shot dead on November 16, 2019 in Phase 4 of Mehrshahr, Karaj.

According to his father, Pouya, along with his sister and mother, joined a protest march on the second day of the nationwide protest against the increase in gasoline prices. He was shot in the head, and he died before reaching the hospital.

As of this writing, the details of the verdict and the charges against Mr. Bakhtiari are not known.

Several Activists Arrested in Tehran Following a Rally in Support of Protesters in Khuzestan

Posted on by .
Environment, Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Arash Sadeghi, Behzad Homayouni, Hamid Asefi, Jafar Azimzadeh, Khuzestan, Khuzestan province, Khuzestan water crisis, Khuzestan water shortages, Narges Mohammadi, Pooran Nazemi, Rasoul Bodaghi, Ruhollah Mardani

Several activists were arrested in Tehran following a rally in support of the citizens of Khuzestan amidst the ongoing protests over water shortages in the province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the arrested activists have been identified as Narges Mohammadi, Arash Sadeghi, Arash Kaykhosravi, Ruhollah Mardani, Jafar Azimzadeh, Rasoul Bodaghi, Pooran Nazemi, Hamid Asefi, and Behzad Homayouni.

The detention of these citizens was violent and accompanied by beatings. Earlier today, in a video, Narges Mohammadi stated, “We wanted to gather in front of the Ministry of Interior to protest the killing of innocent – thirsty people in Khuzestan, but we were treated violently by security forces and some of us were beaten. Now we are marching in a street in Tehran to support the people of Khuzestan.”

During the last six days, people in Khuzestan Province have been protesting the frequent water cuts and mismanagement of water sources in at least 20 cities.

Since the second day of the protests, provincial officials have confirmed that two citizens, 30-year-old Mostafa Naeemawi from Shadegan, and 17-year-old Ghasem Naseri (Khaziri) from the Kut Abdollah area of Ahvaz, were killed during the protests. HRANA has received reports, which have yet to be verified, of a third civilian additionally being shot dead by military forces.

The exact status of the detained activists and their whereabouts are unknown at the time of writing.

Juvenile Offenders Hossein Shahbazi and Arman Abdol Ali at Urgent Risk of Execution as Amnesty International Calls for Suspension of their Sentences

Posted on by .
Children, Executions, Prisoners
Adelabad Prison, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, Amnesty International, Arman Abdol Ali, Arman Abdolali, Armen Abdol Ali, Death Penalty, death row juvenile offender, Hossein Shahbazi, juvenile death penalty, juvenile death sentence, juvenile offender, juvenile offender iran, Majid Tafreshi

Amnesty International has issued a statement calling on Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of Iran, to suspend the death sentences of juvenile offenders Hossein Shahbazi and Arman Abdol Ali.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Tasnim, Hossein Shahbazi was arrested on charges of murder in December 2018 when he was less than 18 years old and was sentenced to death a year later by a criminal court in Fars Province. The verdict was approved by the Supreme Court. Shahbazi is being held in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.

Arman Abdol Ali was previously sentenced to death by the Tehran Criminal Court for murder and the sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. The lawyer of the victim’s parents announced that the case of Arman Abdol Ali is being sent to the Judgment Execution Unit of the Tehran Criminal Court.

The death sentence of Arman Abdol Ali, which was originally scheduled to be carried out in January 2017, was stopped after the parents of the victim gave Arman a month to respond to the suspicions in this case.

Arman Abdol Ali has been accused of killing his girlfriend Ghazaleh Shakur in 2013 when he was less than 18 years old.

According to the HRANA annual report for the year 2020, at least 4 juvenile offenders were executed in Iran last year, and 2 other juvenile offenders have been sentenced to death.

Recently, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, Secretary of the state-run High Council for Human Rights, Majid Tafreshi, said that the Islamic Republic executes juvenile offenders “three to four times a year”, and claimed this should not be considered a human rights violation.

Sufi Prisoner Hossein Mohammadi Executed in Zanjan Prison on Charge of Murder

Posted on by Editor
Executions, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
citizen executions per-capita, Death Penalty, Death row, Death sentence, Hossein Mohammadi, iran death penalty, Mohammadi, Sufi citizen executed, zanjan, Zanjan Prison

On Sunday, July 18, a prisoner who had previously been sentenced to death for murder was executed in Zanjan Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Iran Human Rights (IHR), the Sufi prisoner has been identified as 58-year-old Hossein Mohammadi.

According to this report, Mohammadi was arrested about 9 years ago on murder charges and was being held in prison up until his execution yesterday.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1 and December 20 of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed.One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

According to the same report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary, which human rights organizations call “secret” executions.

The execution of Mohammadi has not been announced by Iranian media or official sources as of this writing.

Khaled Pirzadeh Transferred from Greater Tehran Prison to an Unknown Location

Posted on by .
Prisoners
Activist imprisoned, Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary, Greater Tehran Penitentiary, Greater Tehran Prison, Khaled Pirzadeh, Pirzadeh, Political Prisoners, Prisoner transferred to unknown location

Political prisoner Khaled Pirzadeh was transferred from the quarantine section of the Greater Tehran Prison to an unknown location on Wednesday, July 14th.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on June 14, Mr. Pirzadeh was sent on sick leave with a promise of connected parole. He was returned to Evin Prison on July 7.

Khaled Pirzadeh’s lawyer, Ali Sharifzadeh, made the announcement in a note on his social media and expressed his concern about Mr. Pirzadeh’s transfer due to his illness and said the prison’s organization is responsible for Mr. Pirzadeh’s health.

Pirzadeh had gone on a hunger strike for a 3rd time on June 10, protesting the lack of medical treatment, denial of his request for parole, and his 25-month imprisonment.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Javad Heydarian Informed of Charges Against him by the Prosecutor’s Office in Yasuj

Posted on by .
Environment, Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Heydarian, Javad Heydarian, Journalist imprisoned, Reporter arrested, Shiraz, Shiraz Judiciary Complex, Yasuj, Yasuj Prosecutor's Office

On Sunday, July 11, environmental reporter Javad Heydarian was summoned and informed of the charges against him by the Yasuj Prosecutor Office on behalf of Branch 22 of the Shiraz Judiciary Complex.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Heydarian has been charged by Branch 22 of the Shiraz Prosecutor’s Office with “publishing lies on online media with the intention of disturbing the public mind” and has been charged by the Yasuj Prosecutor’s Office.

His case was referred to Branch 22 of the Judiciary of Shiraz for a final verdict. At the end of this hearing, he was temporarily released on bail until the end of the proceedings.

Improper Management and Distribution of Food Rations in Urmia Prison Leave 1 Dead and 16 Injured

Posted on by .
Environment, Prisoners
Karim Babaei, Prison authorities, Prison conditions, Prisoner rights, Urmia, Urmia prison, Urmia Prison inmates

On Wednesday, July 14th, following the improper distribution of food rations by the authorities of Urmia Prison, a clash broke out between prisoners.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, one prisoner was killed and 16 others were injured during the altercation.

The identity of the murdered prisoner has been verified by HRANA as Karim Babaei.

An informed source told HRANA about the incident,“The date ration has been unequally distributed and has not reached many prisoners, which has led to physical clashes between prisoners.”

During the clash, Karim Babaei was hit in the head and lost his life. Another prisoner was stabbed and 15 others suffered burns from hot water.

The poor economic conditions of prisoners and their families outside the prison, especially in recent years, have led to the inability of many prisoners to pay for their expenses.

The quality and quantity of food rations has been an ongoing issue for inmates of Urmia Prison.

Christian Convert Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh Denied Conditional Release from Evin Prison

Posted on by .
Freedom of Expression, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
Article 18, Christian, Christian convert, Evin, Evin Prison, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Navard Gol-Tapeh, Religious persecution, Revolutionary Court of Tehran, Ward 8, Ward 8 of Evin Prison

On June 22, Christian convert Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh’s request for conditional release from Evin Prison was rejected.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the news website Article 18, the rejection of the request for parole was given to Navard Gol-Tapeh without the provision of any specific reason.

In September 2020, the Supreme Court rejected Navard Gol-Tapeh’s request for a retrial. Navard Gol-Tapeh has been in Evin Prison for the past three years and six months without leave.

Navard Gol Tappeh was arrested in a private gathering in July 2016 and later was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to 10 years in prison on charges of “acting against national security by forming and running an illegal organization of a house church”. The verdict was later approved by the Court of Appeals.

Although Christians are recognized as a religious minority under Iranian law, security services nevertheless pursue the issue of Muslims converting to Christianity with particular sensitivity and deal harshly with activists in this field.

The Iranian regime targets Christian converts despite Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that every individual has the right to freedom of religion and the freedom to express their religious beliefs.

Two Death Sentences Issued to Defendant in Tehran

Posted on by .
Executions, Prisoners
Citizen sentenced to death, Death Penalty, Death row, Death sentence, Death sentence issued, moharebeh, Tehran

A defendant in Tehran was sentenced to death and lashes by the city’s criminal court on charge of murder under the “Qisas” (eye for an eye) principle of Islamic sharia law.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Javan Online, he was also sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on a charge of “moharebeh”. Moharebeh, or “waging war against God”, is another pillar of Sharia law that is typically applied to those suspected of connection to any acts against the state.

The defendant was sentenced to death and lashes by the Criminal Court and the Revolutionary Court in separate sentences.

According to the report, the defense attorney of one of the victims said, in reference to the sentence issued for the defendants in this case,  “The first defendant in this case was sentenced to death and lashes, and the other defendants were sentenced to long prison terms, lashes and deportation to place with a bad climate.”

“The verdicts have not yet been finalized and needs to be considered by the Supreme Court,” he added. “The cases are about to be sent to the Supreme Court.”

Three Political Prisoners Facing New Charges of Questionable Legitimacy After Protesting the Beating of Nayeb Hajizadeh Yangjeh

Posted on by .
Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Hajizadeh Yangjeh, irgc, Kayhan Mokaram Al-Nabi, Nayeb Askari, Nayeb Hajizadeh, Nayeb Hajizadeh Yangjeh, Political Prisoners, Urmia, Urmia prison

On Monday, July 12, political prisoners Nayeb Hajizadeh Yangjeh, Kayhan Mokaram Al-Nabi, and Nayeb Askari were faced with new charges after protesting the beating of Hajizadeh Yangjeh.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, per an informed source, the lawsuit was filed at the request of Urmia Prison director Amir Sohrabi after several political prisoners protested the beating of Nayeb Hajizadeh by two prisoners accused of violent crimes.

It is said that one of the assailants was also summoned to the court as a witness in the case.

During the briefing session, the three accused were briefed on the alleged charges of “disturbing the order of the prison” and “blasphemy”.

Nayeb Hajizadeh was arrested by security forces in August 2019 and sentenced to 7 years and six months in prison shortly after being charged for membership in an opposition group. Kayhan Mokarram Al-Nabi was arrested by security forces in January 2020 and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of membership in an opposition group.

Nayeb Askari was arrested by IRGC intelligence agents in Urmia in April this year and was transferred to prison in June. Mr. Askari has been charged with collaborating with an opposition party.