Hossein Hosseinkhani Receives Two-Year Sentence in Absentia

The Revolutionary Court of Arak has issued a two-year prison sentence in absentia for Hossein Hosseinkhani.

Presiding over Branch 2 of the Arak Revolutionary Court, Judge Hosseini ruled that Hosseinkhani should serve a two-year prison term for “assembly and collusion against national security.”

In a separate aspect of the legal case, Hosseinkhani was initially handed a three-month prison sentence for “defying government officers” by the Criminal Court of Arak. However, this verdict was later commuted to a fine.

Hosseinkhani was arrested on October 27, 2023, by security forces while attending the burial of Mehrshad Shahidi-Nejad Monfared Tehrani, one of the protestors killed by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protests. Four days later, he was released on bail from Arak Prison.

This was not Hosseinkhani’s first encounter with law enforcement. He faced a previous arrest during the nationwide protests on September 20, 2022, but was later released on bond.

The backdrop of these events includes the tragic death of 19-year-old Mehrshad Shahidi-Nejad on October 26, 2022, during protests in Arak, where he was struck by batons, leading to his untimely demise.

Hamidreza Najafi Receives Eight Months in Prison on Appeal

The Court of Appeal of Markazi Province has sentenced Hamidreza (Hamid-Reza) Najafi, a resident of Arak, to eight months in prison.

Najafi was convicted of “spreading propaganda against the regime” but was acquitted of the charge of “inciting people to commit acts of violence.”
Initially, the Arak Revolutionary Court had sentenced him to three years and six months for “propaganda against the regime and incitement to commit acts of violence.” In addition, the Criminal Court imposed a 15-month prison term for “disseminating false information.”
Najafi, a 41-year-old innovative entrepreneur and CEO of Mobtakeran Machinery Company, was detained in September of this year. He was granted release on bail after a period of confinement.

Hamidreza Najafi Receives Four-Year, Nine-Month Prison Sentence

Arak resident, Hamidreza Najafi, has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison by both the Revolutionary and Criminal Courts of Arak.

The Revolutionary Court has levied a three-year, six-month sentence against Najafi for “propaganda against the regime and incitement to commit acts of violence.” Additionally, the Criminal Court has imposed a 15-month prison term for “disseminating false information.”

Najafi, who was detained in September of this year, was granted release on bail after a period of confinement.

Previously, Najafi had faced fines for “spreading false information” as part of a separate legal case.

Aged 41, Najafi is an inventive entrepreneur and serves as the CEO of Mobtakeran Machinery Company.

Eight Individuals Sentenced to Prison and Public Flogging for Blasphemy and Public Order Disruption

The Criminal Court of Arak in Markazi Province has issued a collective sentence of 48 years in prison and 925 public lashes for eight individuals: Mohammad Soltani, Majid Nik-Ahd, Mehdi Nik-Ahd, Abolfazl Khoran, Vahid-Reza Arabi, Ramtin Edrisi, Mostafa Kamani, and Mohammad-Reza Asadi.

As per these judgments, each person has been condemned to five years of imprisonment on charges of blasphemy, in addition to one year and 74 lashes for “disrupting public order.” The flogging sentences will be carried out publicly in a mosque in Arak following Friday prayers.

The prison sentences for Majid Nik-Ahd, Mehdi Nik-Ahd, and Vahid-Reza Arabi have been suspended for five years.

Maryam Bostani, another defendant in the case, has been acquitted of all charges.

Previously, as part of their legal proceedings, these individuals had each received eight-month sentences from the Arak Revolutionary Court for “spreading propaganda against the regime.”

In August of this year, these individuals were arrested following attending a memorial ceremony for Mehrshad Shahidi, who was tragically killed by government forces during the nationwide protests of 2022 in Arak.

Mohammad Sultani Arrested by Security Forces in Arak

On August 5, 2023, Mohammad Sultani (Soltani) was apprehended by security forces at his residence in Arak and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to a source, speaking to HRANA, the agents conducted a search of his residence and confiscated some of his belongings during the arrest.

As of now, the specific reasons behind his arrest, his current whereabouts, and the charges brought against him remain undisclosed. The situation is being monitored, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

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Two Prisoners Executed for Drug Crimes in Arak and Birjand

On August 1, 2023, in Arak Prison, Ruhollah Azizi, aged 40, was executed after being convicted of drug-related crimes, as reported by Rasank News.

Haal Vsh also reported the execution of an inmate for drug offenses in Birjand Prison on July 31. He has been identified as Rahim Ghiljaei, 46, married, the father of one child. He had been sentenced to death two years prior, and his execution occurred without prior notice to his family, leaving them deprived of a final visitation.

These executions have thrust the issue of capital punishment for drug-related offenses into the spotlight. In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran recorded 457 reports concerning the death penalty. Approximately 43% of these executions were linked to drug-related charges.

 

Two Prisoners of Conscience Executed in Arak Prison

On May 8, 2023, Yousef Mehrad and Seyed Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were executed in Arak Prison after being sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet of Islam. Earlier, HRANA had reported on their relocation to solitary confinement for one day which is deemed as a prelude to carrying out the death penalty.

According to Mizan, the judiciary’s news, Fazeli Zare had been accused of “insulting the Prophet of Islam, blasphemy, apostasy, accusing the Prophet of Islam’s mother of adultery, and burning the Quran”, while Mehrad was charged with “insulting the Prophet of Islam and blasphemy.”

The prisoners were among seven individuals arrested for running a Telegram channel named “Criticism of Superstition and Religion,” and had been held in solitary confinement for two months since their arrest.

In the first two parts of their legal case, the Arak Criminal Court sentenced Mehrad and Fazeli Zare to death for insulting the prophet of Islam. In the third part, the Arak Revolutionary Court sentenced Mehrad, Fazeli Zare, and another co-defendant, Farhad Chehrehsa, to eight years for “running groups to act national security.”
Despite an appeal by their lawyers to the Supreme Court, the verdict was upheld.

Mehrad was a resident of Ardabil and the father of a three-year-old child.

Teacher Mohammad Ghanati Arrested in Arak

On April 10, 2023, Mohammad Ghanati, a teacher and resident of Arak, was arrested after an appearance at the Public and Revolutionary Court of Arak.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, on April 10, 2023, teacher Mohammad Ghanati was arrested in Arak.

Ghanati reportedly was arrested after he was summoned and appeared at the Public and Revolutionary Court of Arak. He was summoned for accusations of “disturbing public order and propaganda against the regime.”

 

 

Lawyer Mohammad Najafi Sentenced to Three Years and Paying a Fine

The Criminal and Revolutionary Courts of Arak have sentenced lawyer Mohammad Najafi to a total of three years in prison and a fine for two parts of a legal case.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mohammad Najafi, an attorney at law, was sentenced to three years and paying a fine for a legal case opened against him while he was in prison.

Najafi stated that he was sentenced to two years in prison and a 15-million-toman fine by Branch 106 of the Arak Criminal Court for “spreading falsehood” and to one year in prison by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court for “propaganda against the regime”.

Najafi clarified that he did not attend the court and did not object to the verdict nor submit a plea of no contest for any part of the legal case. He stated that the reason for this legal case was due to his submission of a voice recording in prison showing support for the nationwide protests, which led to charges against his sister and brother as well.

Najafi has faced several other legal cases on prior occasions. In his last legal case, for the first part, he received three years in prison for insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran and four months for spreading falsehood. In December 2018, for the second part of this legal case, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for “propaganda against the regime,” “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and “collaborating with hostile foreign countries by giving interviews with the Voice of America and Persian BBC.”

For the first part, he was pardoned and released from jail under a “pardon and commute” directive approved by Iran’s Supreme Leader. However, four days later, he was re-arrested and jailed in Arak Prison for the second part of this case.

In another legal case, Najafi received two years in prison and a fine for spreading falsehood to disturb public opinion after writing an open letter addressing Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. This verdict was upheld on appeal. He was given this sentence while he had already been sentenced to one year in prison for the same charges in December 2018.

Furthermore, in February 2020, Najafi received six months in prison for attending and giving a speech at a ceremony in commemoration of Sattar Beheshti, a blogger who was tortured and killed in custody.

Ultimately, from all the above charges, Najafi received 10 years in prison for the charge of “collaboration with hostile foreign countries by giving interviews with the Voice of America and Persian BBC,” which was the charge with the severest punishment. This sentence was later reduced to four years and six months.

 

 

 

Inmate Executed in Arak Prison

On March 12, 2023, Araka Prison officials executed an inmate convicted of drug-related crimes.

According to reports obtained by HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on March 12, 2023, an inmate identified as Salman Momeni was executed in Arak Prison, Markazi Province, Iran.

An informed source told HRANA, “Momeni was executed without having last family visitation.”

None of the official sources and media outlets inside the country has reported this execution at the time of writing.

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.