Following Protest Gathering; 11 Citizens Arrested in Behbahan

HRANA – On Sunday, September 28, eleven job-seeking citizens from the village of Barzion in Bahmai County were arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents following a protest gathering. After their arrest, these citizens were transferred to Behbahan Prison, Khuzestan province.

According to information obtained by HRANA, the eleven arrested citizens are: Ali Moradi, Abolfazl Jamali, Asad Fathi, Gholam Emami, Salman Ja’fari, Mohammad Ahmadi, Mohammadreza Bahrami, Mehdi Fathi, Morteza Atoon, Hamzeh Atoon, and Mohammad Mohammadpour.

They were arrested after holding a protest in front of the Maroun Dam and Power Plant Operating Company building. Residents of the area are demanding the opportunity to participate in the company’s employment test. Reports indicate that the arrest of some protesters was accompanied by violence from security forces.

Residents of the area had also gathered in front of the Maroun Dam and Power Plant Operating Company building in Behbahan on Saturday, September 27.

These citizens, who are mostly local youths, had previously told HRANA that they are barred from participating in the employment test due to the location of the Maroun Dam and Power Plant Operating Company in Khuzestan Province. They stressed that they have repeatedly raised the issue through local and provincial authorities but have received no response so far.

Report on the Latest Status of Political Prisoner Ayoub Porkar in Sheiban Prison

Ayoub Porkar, a 69-year-old exiled political prisoner, is serving the sixteenth year of his sentence in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz, without a single day of furlough.

Security forces arrested Mr. Porkar on January 3, 2009. He was later sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Yahya Pir-Abbasi, on charges of “enmity against God” (Moharebeh) through collaboration with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO). This sentence was eventually reduced to 20 years in prison by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, the lawyer who represented Mr. Parkar at the time, had previously told the media that unexpectedly the “beliefs” of her client were the basis for the death sentence.

After his sentence was upheld, Ayoub Porkar was initially exiled from Ward 350 of Evin Prison to Behbahan Prison and then transferred to Karun Prison in Ahvaz. He is currently serving his sentence in Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz. Throughout his imprisonment, this exiled political prisoner has been denied conditional release and even a single day of furlough.

A source familiar with Mr. Parkar’s condition had earlier informed HRANA: “Ayoub Porkar suffers from knee problems and has been deprived of specialized medical care.”

During the Iran-Iraq war, Porkar, aged around 69, served in the army for four years but was dismissed from his job due to his criticisms of the government.

Maisam Kazemi Sentenced to 22 Months by the Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal of Khuzestan Province upheld the sentence against Meysam Kazemi, a resident of Behbahan City. Initially, he was sentenced by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Bandar Mahshahr to 22 months in prison. Applying article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, one year and three months imprisonment is enforceable.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Court of Appeal of Khuzestan Province upheld the 22-month sentence against Maisam Kazemi.

According to the verdict issued by Branch 16 of the Khuzestan Court of Appeal, Kazemi was sentenced to 22 months in prison on the charges of “propaganda against the regime in favor of anti-regime groups and offensive statements against Iran’s Supreme Leader”. Seven and a half months of this prison term have been suspended.

The court session was held on February 14, 2022.

On Saturday, December 4, 2021, Maisam Kazemi was arrested and transferred to Behbahan Prison after appearing at Branch 4 of the Public and Revolutionary Court, where he was accused of “circulating social media posts about the individuals arrested after Behbahan’s protest on July 16, 2020”.

On January 9, 2022, the Behbahan Public and Revolutionary Court indicted Kazemi for “propaganda against the regime in favor of anti-regime groups and offensive statements against Iran’s Supreme Leader”. On February 2, 2022, he was released on a 600 million tomans bail.

Father and Son Amin and Arman Ansarifar Arrested in Bebahan City

On February 20, Arman Ansarifar was arrested by intelligence agents in Behbahan at his home. Ansarifar is a resident of Behbahan City. His brother, Farzad, was killed by regime forces during the 2019 nationwide protests.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, his father, Amin Ansarifar, was summoned by Branch 4 of Behbahan’s Public and Revolutionary Court the day before. He was indicted for the charge of “advocating and promoting anti-regime groups or organizations”. He was arrested in the courthouse and transferred to Behbahan Prison.

On December 14, 2021, Arman Ansarifar was summoned by the same courthouse. According to an informed source, he was summoned once again via phone, but this time, he refused to appear at the court due to not receiving a summons letter.

During the protest of November 2019 in Behbahan City, security forces used live ammunition against protestors, leading to the death of several protestors including Mehrdad Dashinia, Mahmood Dashtinia, Farzad Ansarifar, Mohammad-Hossein Ghanavati and Mohammad Hashamdar.

A Prisoner Hanged in Behbahan

HRANA News Agency – Early Monday morning, May 23, 2011, a citizen was hanged in Behbahan prison (Khuzestan Province).

 

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), this prisoner has been identified as the thirty year old Saeid S., charged with trafficking narcotics and transporting 80 kilograms of opium.  The death sentence was confirmed by Iran’s Attorney General.

 

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