A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 24, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 24th, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) More than five protests were held in Iran; shareholders of the bankrupt financial institute of Caspian, workers of Tabriz Ball Bearing Manufacturer, farmers of Varzaneh in Isfahan, workers of Ahvaz Intercity Railway Company, workers of Andimeshk Arya Steel Company, and families of the detained workers of National Steel Company of Ahvaz.

(2) A teacher’s union activist, Mohammad Habibi ‘s sentence of ten years and a half in prison was confirmed in an appeal court. His sentence also included prohibition of social and political activities for two years, a travel ban for two years, and 74 lashes.

(3) Ebrahim Nouri and Jafar Rostamirad, two Azerbaijani Turkic rights activists were charged with ‘propaganda against the state’. Nouri was sentence to 18 months in prison and two years exile. Rostamirad faced six months imprisonment.

(4) Raheleh Rahemipour’s appeal court will be in session next month. She has been accused of ‘propaganda against the state’ because of writing a letter to the UN, demanding whereabouts of her executed brother and her disappeared nephew.

(5) Houshang Rezaei’s appeal court was on session after he spent 9 years in prison. He has been on the death row for 9 years being accused of Moharabeh through membership in Komele [Kurdish opposition group].

(6) Mohammad Saber Malek Reisi and Shir Ahmad Shirani who had been transferred to an unknown place, returned to the Ardabil prison.

(7) The Iranian parliament has failed to muster enough votes to approve “child bride” bill. This bill aims to set the legal age of marriage at 16 for girls and at 18 for boys.

(8) Ali Nejati, a labor activist, who is a member of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Mill Labor Syndicate, has been transferred to Shush prison. He suffers from heart disease.

(9) Three Kurdish citizens, Amir Barekati, Osman Faraji, and Saber Khoshaiand were arrested in Ilam, Baneh, and Sarpol-e Zahab.

(10) Four detained political activists, Abdollah and Mohammad Hossein Ghasempour, Alireza Habibian, and Akbar Dalir have been deprived from the right to an attorney in the last seven months.

(11) Iranian border patrol continues to shoot Kurdish couriers. Two kulbars, Ebrahim Mohammad Rahim and Ataollah Mohammadzadeh were shot and injured.

(12) In the last eight months, 291 workers died of work-related incidents which is an increase of 11 percent from last year.

(13) Two detained activists, Musa Mahmoudi and Mohammad Ebrahimi who were charged with ‘cooperation with Kurdish opposition groups’ were sentenced to 4- and 15-years confinement respectively. They are from Piranshahr and Oshnavieh.

(14) A worker was injured in an unsafe factory in Nishabur city in Khorasan Razavi province.

(15) Ahmad Rastegari was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment in Urmia prison. He is accused of ‘membership in a Kurdish opposition groups’ and ‘propaganda against the state’ and was sentenced by Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court.

(16) A prisoner charged with murder was saved from execution with forgiveness of the next of kin in the Kermanshah province.

(17) In the Mashhad Central Prison, a man was saved from hand amputation after his plaintiff forgave him.

(18) Marivan firefighters and the workers of Karaj municipality have 3 months of unpaid wages.