Category: Prisoners

Mounting Pressure on Houshang Fanaian in Amol Prison

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Houshang Fanaian

HRANA News Agency – Iranian Intelligence Agency has increased the pressure on Houshang Fanaian who is serving a four year sentence in Amol Prison, Mazandaran Province.Houshang Fanaian is a Baha’i citizen recently charged with and convicted of acting against national security and membership in Facebook.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on Sunday, May 29, 2011, security agents contacted Glarh Fanaian, Houshang Fanaian’s daughter, by phone and summoned her to the Iranian Intelligence Agency.Glarh Fanaian has requested a written summon before complying with the order.

Following Glarh Fanaian’s demand for a written summon, intelligence agents informed Houshang Fanaian in prison that since his daughter refused to comply with the summon to explain the contents of a letter she wrote before the Persian New Year, an arrest warrant had been issued for her.

Additionally, on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, intelligence agents visited Amol Prison once again and demanded from Houshang Fanaian the document outlining his defense and gave him ten minutes to prepare it.Houshang Fanaian refused to comply with the order and stated that his defense would be prepared in consultation with his attorney during the allotted twenty days allowed by law.

Houshang Fanaian, a Baha’i citizen from the city of Amol, was detained last March and has been in prison since then.Recently, he was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison for acting against national security, membership in Facebook and writing a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader.Houshang Fanaian who was informed of the verdict against him a few days ago has 20 days to file an appeal.

 

Farshad Kamangar in ICU After 29 Days of Hunger Strike

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Akhtar Samand, Dayeh Saltaneh, Farshad Kamangar

HRANA News Agency – After 29 days of hunger strike, the Kurdish prisoner Farshad Kamangar has been hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital in the city of Bijar.He is in extremely critical condition.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Farshad Kamangar has been behind bars in Kermanshah, Marivan and Bijar prisons for two years on alleged financial crimes.Although Farshad Kamangar has served his full prison sentence, he remains behind bars because he is unable to pay a fine to the Iranian government.

Since his hunger strike began 29 days ago, prison officials have ignored Farshad Kamangar’s requests and have failed to take any actions to address his concerns.Early this morning, August 23, 2011, while Farshad Kamangar’s family was heading to Tehran to file an appeal with the Supreme Court, prison authorities informed them that Farshad had been taken to the intensive care in extremely critical condition.Hospital officials have not given Farshad Kamangar’s family the permission to see him while he is in ICU and have said that he is in “grave condition.”

Farshad Kamangar’s family members have asked various government and hospital officials for the permission to see him but have been denied a visit every time.Dayeh Saltaneh is Farshad Kamangar’s elderly mother who has now fallen ill due to excessive pressure and concerns for her son’s life.

Farshad Kamangar and Hassan Akhtar Samand together with two other prisoners were transferred from Marivan to Bijar Prison on July 25, 2011.They began their hunger strike upon their arrival in protest to being exiled to Bijar.Hassan Akhtar Samand is a political prisoner.

 

Payman Karimi in Danger of Blindness; Hassan Farji in Aftermath of Heart Attack

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Hassan Farji, Payman Karimi

HRANA News Agency – Medical conditions of two political prisoners locked up in Ward 350 of Evin Prison are reported critical.Payman Karimi suffers from diabetes and is in danger of losing his sight entirely; Hassan Farji has suffered a heart attack resulting in speech impediment and physical and mobility impairment.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Payman Karimi was arrested following the events after 2009 presidential elections in Iran.He was transferred to the prison hospital two months ago due to frequent volatility of blood glucose level and remains there to this day.Since his hospitalization, Payman Karimi has experienced many diabetic shocks and consequently has blurry vision.According to medical doctors, if the current situation continues, Payman Karimi will be in danger of losing his eye sight entirely.

Furthermore, Hassan Farji is another political prisoner suffering from a number of medical problems including heart and digestive diseases.Recently, when he was told that he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison, Hassan Farji suffered a heart attack and had to be taken to Modaress Hospital.However, he was again behind bars in Evin Prison before long.At this time, Hassan Farji has lost most of his ability to talk, can’t walk and is incapable of taking care of himself.

Hassan Farji’s cellmates have found out that prison officials mistakenly told him that a new 10 year prison term had been issued for him.The new verdict should have been given to another prisoner with the same name convicted of smuggling weapons.

Medical examiner and coroner’s office has issued two certificates indicating that these two prisoners are incapable of tolerating imprisonment due to their physical health.However, Tehran’s prosecutor, pressured by Iran’s security and intelligence apparatus, has refused to obey these legal orders.

 

Fate of Saman Ostevar in Bam’s Prison Uncertain

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Saman Ostevar

HRANA News Agency – Saman Ostevar, a Baha’i citizen and children’s rights activist, who was arrested on March 2, 2011 in the city of Kerman, still remains in Bam’s Prison, and uncertainty surrounds his future. 

 

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Saman Ostevar is a Baha’i citizen who resided in Kerman.  He was arrested on March 2, 2011 and transferred to Bam’s prison.  For a period of 48 days, Saman Ostevar was locked up in solitary confinement and placed under horrific psychological pressure.  During this time, he was cut off from the world without being able to see or contact anyone.

 

Judicial authorities refuse to tell his family what charges have been filed against him.  Saman Ostevar’s arraignment was held on April 17, 2011 in one of the courts in the city of Bam.  Although Saman Ostevar’s wife has repeatedly visited judicial authorities to inquire about his case, they have refused to answer any of her questions.

 

It has been reported that on the morning of March 2, 2011, five security officers raided Saman Ostevar’s house and after searching the property, they seized his PC, laptop, books and CDs containing Baha’i teachings and cell phone.  Saman Ostevar’s wife had no news of him and didn’t know his whereabouts for 48 days following the arrest.

 

Saman Ostevar was a member of a charity organization dedicated to help children orphaned after the 2003 earthquake in Bam.  Currently, there are 100-120 children sponsored by this organization.

 

Following the court session, Saman Ostevar’s family asked the prosecutor to release him on bail.  However, the prosecutor opposed the bail sighting new evidence against the defender.

 

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Two Kurdish Prisoners on Hunger Strike – Day 24

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Farshad Kamangar, Hassan Akhtar Samand

HRANA News Agency – Despite physical weakness and fatigue, two Kurdish prisoners continue their hunger strike while locked up in Bijar Prison.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Hassan Akhtar Samand, Farshad Kamangar and two other prisoners who were transferred to Bijar Prison on July 25, 2011 began their hunger strike upon their arrival in protest to being exiled to Bijar.Hassan Akhtar Samand is a political prisoner.

Since their hunger strike began 24 days ago, these prisoners have been denied access to phone, and their families have not been able to see them.Consequently, concerns regarding their health and safety have increased.

 

Two Kurdish Political Prisoners Amongst Dangerous Criminals

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Hadi Amini, Ramzan Saeedi

HRANA News Agency – On August 11, 2011, Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini were transferred to a ward housing some of the most dangerous criminals in Rajai-Shahr Prison.Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini are two Kurdish political prisoners who have recently arrived at Rajai-Shahr Prison from Evin’s Ward 350.

According to a report by Kalame News, a few weeks ago, Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini requested to be transferred to the ward housing political prisoners in Rajai-Shahr Prison.However, prison officials decided to house them in Ward 6 where some of the most dangerous criminals including murderers are kept.In Rajai-Shahr Prison, Ward 6 has some of the worst sanitary conditions; the majority of prisoners have no place to sleep and spent their nights slumbering in corridors.

Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini have been sentenced to five years in prison, and during the last three years of their incarceration, they have been denied furlough.While ordinary prisoners only spend one day in the quarantine ward of Rajai-Shahr Prison in order to determine whether they are addicted to narcotics or not, Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini spent 50 days in the same ward which lacks basic health and sanitary conditions.After this time, they were transferred to Ward 6 of Rajai-Shahr Prison instead of the political prisoners’ cell block.

Mahdi Foroutan, a newly turned Christians, was temporarily released from Evin prison

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners, Religious Minorities
Farshid Fathi, Mahdi Foroutan

Hrana – On the evening of Saturday 20 April, Mahdi Foroutan a new Christian was temporarily released on bail after 105 days of detention in Evin prison.

According to HRANA Reporters, Human Rights News Agency of Iran, Mahdi Foroutan, was released by providing his house ownership, worth 50 million Toman, as bail to the judiciary and thereafter the letter of his release to Evin prison authorities.

In the early hours of Sunday 5 Day 1389 Mahdi Foroutan had been arrested by four Militia men at his father’s house.

Meanwhile, while arresting him security forces had searched the house thoroughly and seized a number of his personal belongings such as computers, books, CD’s which none of them were returned after his release.

It is important to mention that another New Christian called “Farshid Fathi” who was arrested at the same time as Mahdi Foroutan along  several other new Christians in Iran is still detained in Evin prison.

Apparently the judicial authorities have issued a very high bail for his release and based on his family’s inability to pay the bail; he has to stay in detention.

It should be mentioned that there are two people with similar names as “Mahdi Foroutan”, which one of them belongs to a Dissident religious groups (Non-Trinitarians), whose court was held along with some other people of his group in Shiraz during last few days.

Hossein Ronaghi From Hospital Back to Prison

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Hossein Ronaghi

HRANA News Agency – Political prisoner Hossein Ronaghi Maleki was hospitalized last night at 11:00pm for urethra bleeding but then taken back to Evin Prison from Hasheminejad Hospital immediately.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on August 8, 2011, Hossein Ronaghi Maleki experienced bleeding due to a kidney infection and had to be hospitalized.However, IRGC interrogators transferred him back to Evin Prison on the same night despite his critical condition and the attending physician’s advice.

IRGC interrogators have demanded a repentance letter from Hossein Ronaghi Maleki accepting the charges against him and have announced that only under such circumstances, he will be given sick leave from prison.

While the prosecutor’s office in Tehran has accepted the request for sick leave, IRGC interrogators continue to prevent Hossein Ronaghi Maleki from leaving the prison and insist on receiving his repentance letter first.

Hossein Ronaghi Maleki has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.  He continues to deny all the charges against him.

Judge Peerabasi who presided over Hossein Ronaghi Maleki’s trial has also interfered with the process evaluating the request for sick leave and has played an important role to delay the order granting him time away from prison for medical care.

 

Four Kurdish Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Bijar Prison

Posted on by admin-hr
Prisoners
Farshad Kamangar, Hassan Akhtar Samand, Sivan Batoneh, Zakria Khoda-Karam-Zadeh

HRANA News Agency – Four Kurdish prisoners who have been on hunger strike for nearly two weeks are in critical condition.Following a protest in Marivan Prison on July 25, 2011, four Kurdish activists were transferred to Bijar Prison.They began their hunger strike upon arrival.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on July 25, 2011, a number of ordinary and political prisoners in Marivan Prison staged a protest, and clashes broke out between intelligence officers and protestors on prison grounds.During these clashes, eight prisoners were beaten by Prison Special Forces.Following this protest, four prisoners were transferred to Bijar Prison, and a number of other prisoners were sent to Ghorveh Prison.

Although two weeks have passed since Hassan Akhtar-Samand, Zakria Khoda-Karam-Zadeh, Sivan Batoneh and Farshad Kamangar began their hunger strike, prison officials have blocked their access to phone and denied them the right to have visitors.

While the families of these political prisoners have no news of their loved ones, the officials have announced that the prisoners will be cut off from the rest of the world as long as they continue their hunger strike.