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.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 20, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 20th, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Ebrahim Nouri, an Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activist filed a complaint against the head and the judicial deputy of Evin prison. Nouri, a law student, has a record of being detained for civic activities, beginning in 2005 when he was arrested and interrogated by the Intelligence department. In 2009, he was sentenced to ten months imprisonment on a charge of propaganda against the regime.

(2) Five of the significant spate of Nationwide protests today: retired educators in Gilan, Isfahan, Yazd, and Zanjan have held protests. And shareholders of the bankrupt Caspian Financial Institution protested in Kerman.

(3) A furlough request of Latif Hassani, a Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activist, was denied. He was arrested in 2012 and has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment. He was accused of forming an illegal group to act against the national security.

(4) More than 2600 workers of Railway Transportation Company and Samen al-Hojaj financial Institution are demanding their unpaid wages. The issue of unpaid wages has been a continuous one in Iran over the last year.

(5) Mahmoud Naji who began his hunger strike on December 11, has critical medical states and he has been denied medical treatment. He is serving his 10 years sentence in Evin prison.

(6) Two labor activists, Mehrdad Sabouri and Omid Ahmadi, who were accused of “propaganda against the state” for participating in international Labor day protest, began serving their sentence today.

(7) Afif Naimi, one of the administrative members of the Baha’i Community who was arrested in 2008, and served his 10 years sentence was released today. He was accused of ‘assembly and collusion’, ‘blasphemy’, and ‘propaganda against the State’.

(8) Omid Shahmohammadi, a teachers’ rights activist who had been arrested on November 12, was released on bail in Divandarreh today.

(9) On December 20, police opened fire on a fuel tanker truck in Zahedan which caused the truck to set on fire.

(10) Eight prisoner requested human rights organisations especially the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran to investigate in Vahid Sayadi Nasiri ‘s death. Earlier this week France and US requested investigation on the circumstances of his death.

(11) A juvenile offender death penalty was confirmed in the Supreme Court. He was charged with murder in 2011 when he was 14 years old.

(12) Bahram Javadi, the administrator of ‘YollPress’ website, was released on bail today. He was arrested on a complaint from the governor of West Azerbaijan regarding coverage his speech coverage.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 15, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 15th,2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).


(1) More Than Three Protests All Over the Country

(2) Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyer, Mohammad Najafi, Was Sentenced to One More Year in Prison

(3) A Human Rights Activist, Niloufar Houmanfar, Was Released After Completing Sentence.

(4) A Writer Has Been Sentenced to Death

(5) Shabnam Raayai Ardakani, a Baha’i citizen the Second Woman Ever to Receive the Prestigious Award

(6) A Prisoner’s Death in Tehran Prison is Attributed to Medical Malpractice

(7) More from Iran

(7) Open Letters From Prisons on the Violation of Human Rights 

     

(1) More Than Three Protests All Over the Country

Today, the workers of Farabi Petrochemical Company held a protest demanding their wages to be paid more regularly and their job descriptions being categorized. In another protest, the business owners and residents of Tehran University expansion zone neighborhood organized a protest by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Developments building. Moreover, National Steel Company workers in Ahvaz continued their protests for the 36th day. The protesters gathered by the Khuzestan Governor’s office, the Supervisory office of Melli Bank of Khuzestan, the governorate office of Ahvaz, the office of the representative of the Supreme Leader in Khuzestan province, and by Naderi bazaar. The protesting workers wore white burial shrouds and demanded release of the worker prisoners, paying their unpaid wages, and to cancel privatization of the company and returning the ownership of the company to the government.

(2) Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyer, Mohammad Najafi, Was Sentenced to One More Year in Prison

Mohammad Najafi was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment on charge of “spreading propaganda against the state”, “insulting the Supreme Leader”, and “collaborating with enemy states” because he interviewed with BBC, VOA and Radio Farda news agencies.

(3) A Human Rights Activist, Niloufar Houmanfar, Was Released After Completing Sentence.

Niloufar Houmanfar was arrested in October 2018 along with 23 other protesters and was accused of “disturbing the public other”. She was released on December 15, 2018 after completing her six months sentence.

(4) A Writer Has Been Sentenced to Death

A 57 years old writer faced execution in revolutionary court on the charge of zina (illegitimate sexual intercourse). He was accused of seducing women under 25 years old claiming that he needs their help for gathering information for his new book but he harassed them sexually.

(5) Shabnam Raayai Ardakani, a Baha’i citizen the Second Woman Ever to Receive the Prestigious Award

Shabnam Raayai Ardakani, a Baha’i citizen who was denied from studying physics at Sharif University due to her religion, just graduated with her PhD in mechanical engineering from MIT University. She is the second woman ever to receive the Fluid Dynamics award.

(6) A Prisoner’s Death in Tehran Prison is Attributed to Medical Malpractice

Eskandar Badrlo, a 27 years old prisoner who was arrested on the charged of robbery in October 31, 2018 and was imprisoned for nine months in prison died on December 14th, 2018. He got a severe flu and because the medical personnel of the prison refused to work due to unpaid wages, he did not have access to medical care and the prison authorities refused to transfer him to hospital. His condition worsened which led to a fatal lung infection.

(7) Open Letters From Prisons on the Violation of Human Rights 

Narges Mohammadi, Arash Sadeghi, and Ebrahim Nouri wrote separate open letters on the violation of Human Rights. Narges Mohammadi wrote  to show concern for the critical prison condition and poor prison health care. She warned that the judiciary system is responsible for prisoners’ wellbeing. Moreover, Arash Sadeghi, activist captive at Karaj’s Rajai Shahr prison, has written an open letter on the verge of the International Human Rights Day. In this letter he has mention a systematic human rights violations, ranging from execution and killing the opposition  to oppressing the protesting citizens,journalists, and political activists.



(8) More from Iran

An 18-year-old girl committed suicide in Isfahan. More than 7% of suicides in Iran are committed by teenagers.

43 people have been saved from the gallows in North Khorasan and Kerman provinces in last two years.

Kashan municipal workers and Pars Pamchal Chemical Company workers have unpaid wages.

Security forces arrested Mohammad Amin Raeisi, Davoud Raeisi, and two other Baloch citizens in Qasr-e Qand County.

The intelligence office of the Sepah in Fars province has announced that they have arrested 11 citizen that worked in music production and playing and put on private parties.

Six detained Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activists were transferred to the prisons in Urmia and Tabriz. The other one’s whereabouts is unknown.

Ebrahim Nouri’s Imprisonment begins in Evin’s Quarantine Ward

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Ebrahim Nouri, an Azerbaijani civil rights activist from Ahar, has entered the first days of a six-month prison sentence for a case opened against him in 2016.
After being arrested during a gathering at Babak Fort, he was denied the right to post bail and imprisoned in Ward 209 of Evin Prison on July 2, 2018. An informed source told HRANA that Nouri contacted his family from Ward 209 at that time, informing them of the $29,000 USD bail set for him.
In July, HRANA reported on Ebrahim Nouri’s arrest by security forces at the Babak Fort gathering.
In a press release on August 11, 2018, Amnesty International called the recent arrests of Azeri people “arbitrary” and unlawful, and demanded the immediate release of Ebrahim Nouri and all other individuals detained for their participation in an Azerbaijani Turkic cultural gathering.
Stemming from a 2016 arrest, Nouri was sentenced by Branch 1 of the Criminal Court of Ahar to his current sentence of 6 months’ imprisonment, on a charge of “Propaganda against the regime”. In February 2018, this sentence was confirmed by Branch 26 of the Appeals Court of East Azerbaijan Province, under the supervision of Mikaeil Khoubiarpour.
Nouri, a law student, has a record of being detained for civic activities, beginning in 2005 when he was arrested and interrogated by an IRGC Intelligence unit. In 2009 he was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment, suspended over five years, on a charge of propaganda against the regime. He was arrested again by security forces on January 17, 2013, and released on a bail of approximately $24,000 USD five days later.