Tag: freedom of expression

Ali-Akbar Gorji’s Lawyer License Taken Away Due to Political Views on Social Media

Posted on by A MN
News, Other
Ali Akbar Gorji, censorship, compulsory hijab, forced veil, freedom of expression, Office of Disciplinary Courts, online activity, social media surveillance, surveillance, veil

Recently, according to a picture of an announcement letter with a confidential stamp circulated on social media, the Office of the Disciplinary Courts of lawyers and Experts of the Judiciary has revoked the license of lawyer Ali Akbar Gorji.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Gorji’s license was revoked in response to his sharing, liking and commenting on social media about political and social issues such as the compulsory hijab and the prison system.

“According to carried-out investigations, the mentioned person, who is a sympathizer of a certain political faction with precedents in protest, actively likes and shares social media content containing sharp criticism against the regime’s law and regulations as well as religious codes about veiling, imprisonment etc.,” the letter states.

Ali Akbar Gorji has been the Deputy of Communications and the implementation of the Constitution from the legal assistant department of the former president.

Vahid Abhari Sentenced to 3 Months Imprisonment and Paying a Fine

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Abhari, Branch 111, freedom of expression, Judge Reza Forooghi, Reza Forooghi, Tabriz, Tabriz Prison, Vahid Abhari

Branch 111 of the Criminal Court in Tabriz recently sentenced Vahid Abhari, a resident of Tabriz, to 3 months imprisonment and paying a fine.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the court, headed by Judge Reza Forooghi sentenced Vahid Abhari to 3 months in prison, including the detention period, and a fine of 21 million tomans on a charge of “inciting violence via cyberspace”. Two months of this sentence has been suspended for two years.

Abhari, who has been arrested for his civil activities at least once before, was arrested on July 21 by security forces and held in the detention center of the intelligence ministry until August 11 when he was sent to Tabriz Prison. He was released on bail until the end of the legal proceedings.

On October 30, Abhari was summoned and notified of the charges.

Editor of News Outlet ‘Miandoab Press’ Summoned to Endure Eight Month Prison Sentence

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Aghai, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, Manoochehr Aghai, Miandoab, Miandoab Press, Miandoab prison, Sentenced in absentia

On Wednesday, October 5,  Manoochehr Aghai, Editor of the news outlet Miandoab Press, was sent to Miandoab Prison to begin his sentence.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Aghai had previously been sentenced to eight months in prison on a charge of “propaganda against the regime”.

Aghai was sentenced in absentia. During the trial, published online news reports and viewers’ comments under his posts on social media were invoked as evidence against him.

Activist and Teacher Aziz Ghasemzadeh Still Incommunicado in Detention

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News, Prisoners, Students
activist detained, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, educator arrested, freedom of expression, Ghasemzadeh, Gilan, Gilan province, Rusdar, Security forces, Teacher arrested, teacher detained

After eight days, teacher and union activist Aziz Ghasemzadeh is still  incommunicado in a detention facility of the intelligence office in Rudsar County in Gilan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ghasemzadeh has so far been denied access to a lawyer, phone calls and in-person visits.

On September 26 this year, security forces arrested the educator at his parents’ home in Rudsar. During the arrest, security forces inspected the house and confiscated several of Ghasemzadeh’s personal belongings.

The arrest took place the day after working and retired teachers held protests in 36 cities across the country, which were organized by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations.

According to HRANA, Ghasemzadeh is still being denied access to his lawyer and his temporary detention period has been extended. As of this writing, the charges against him are unknown.

 

 

Ghasem Bahrami still Detained in Unknown Location

Posted on by A MN
Cultural, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
artist suppressed, arts and culture, Bahrami, censorship, Citizen arrested, Citizen detained, freedom of expression, Ghasem Bahrami, Mashhad

Sixteen days after his arrest in Mashhad, the whereabouts and situation of critical poet Ghasem Bahrami remain unknown.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mr. Bahrami was arrested by security forces on September 15, and then transferred to an unidentified location where he has since been held incommunicado.

Bahrami is known for expressing political views through his poetry. There is still no concrete information about the reason for his arrest or the charges against him, but is said that his arrest is related to the publicizing of videos and lyrics retrieved from his poems.

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Saeed Afkari Beaten and Arrested on the Anniversary of the Execution of Navid Afkari

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Environment, Executions, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Elham Afkari, freedom of expression, Habib Afkari, Navid Afkari, November 2019 nationwide protests, November 2019 Protests, saeed Afkari, Shiraz

On Sunday, September 12, Saeed Afkari, the brother of Navid Afkari, was beaten and arrested by six plainclothes officers and taken to an unknown location in Shiraz.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, he was released after a couple of hours.

Mr. Afkari tweeted the day before that the security forces were pressuring the Afkari family to stop Navid Afkari’s execution anniversary. Following this tweet, Mr. Afkari’s twitter account has become unavailable.

It is also said that during Mr. Afkari’s arrest, security forces beat his sister, Elham Afkari.

Navid, Vahid, and Habib Afkari were arrested in 2018 in connection with the nationwide protests in August 2018. The brothers have been repeatedly beaten and tortured during interrogations. Navid Afkari, an Iranian wrestler, was executed at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz at dawn on September 12, 2020. Habib and Vahid have been sentenced to long imprisonment.

Citizen Detained by IRGC intelligence in Ardabil Province

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News, Prisoners
Ardabil, Ardabil Province, Citizen arrested, Citizen arrests, freedom of expression, ILNA, intelligence forces of the Revolutionary Guards, irgc, judicial official

IRGC intelligence agents recently arrested a citizen in one of the cities of Ardabil Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting ILNA, the citizen was arrested for what is being called “insulting Islamic sanctities”, “disturbing the public mind”, and “publishing [disappointing] content to blacken [catastrophize] the situation in the country”.

The citizen was transferred to prison by order of a judicial official. The report does not mention the identity of the detainee, the name of the city he was detained in, or the prison where he is being held.

Maryam Ebrahimvand Arrested by Security Forces in Tehran

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Cultural, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners, Women
Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, cash bail, censorship, Ebrahimvand, Evin, Evin Prison, freedom of expression, irgc, Maryam Ebrahimvand, Ministry of Intelligence, Tehran, Women's Ward of Evin Prison

On the morning of Sunday, August 22, Maryam Ebrahimvand, a director, filmmaker, and former prisoner, was arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, she was released after a couple of hours interrogation.

According to a close source to Ms. Ebrahimvand, she had gone to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to seek permission for her confiscated films, and was arrested in front of the Ministry’s building in Tehran.

“A few months ago,” the source told HRANA, “Ms. Ebrahimvand was told by the Ministry of Guidance that after receiving a letter working ban from the IRGC,  it is not possible to grant permission for her films.”

Ms. Ebrahimvand had previously been detained and convicted. IRGC intelligence agents arrested Ms. Ebrahimvand in September 2016. After 35 days, she was released on  a bail of 300 million Tomans from the IRGC Intelligence Detention Center, Ward 2A, Evin Prison.

Nearly two years later, in July 2018, Ms. Ebrahimvand was arrested again after being summoned to Branch 4 of the Culture and Media Court. She was transferred to Ward 2A of the IRGC, and then was transferred to prison a month after interrogations ended, while a bail of 10 billion Tomans was issued for her.

Ms. Ebrahimvand, who had been detained in the Women’s Ward of Evin Prison from July 2018, was sentenced by Branch 1059 of the Government Employees’ Court to ten years in prison in November of last year on charges of “making a vulgar film”, “insulting the President”, and “spreading lies against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps”.

In the second part of her case, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced her to 6 months in prison on charges of “propaganda against the regime,” and in the final verdict, she was sentenced to a total of ten years and six months in prison.

Ms. Ebrahimvand was finally informed of her release in June of this year after appearing before the Culture and Media Court.

Maryam Ebrahimvand is a writer, film director, and producer of “Comedy of Love”, “We Are All Alone”, and “Girls’ Boarding House”.

Citizen Arrested in North Khorasan for Publishing Images in Cyberspace

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
censorship, FATA, FATA police, freedom of expression, North Khorasan, North Khorasan province, Shakeri, Yousef Shakeri

A citizen was recently arrested in North Khorasan Province for publishing images that were deemed “immoral” by authorities.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rokna News, the citizen was arrested after posting advertising images for a makeup salon online.

Yousef Shakeri, the head of FATA police in North Khorasan province, commented on the arrest.

“Following the news that immoral images were published for makeup advertisements in cyberspace,” Shakeri said, “the issue was placed on the police’s agenda and the person was identified and arrested with the coordination of a judicial official.”

The report does not mention the identity of the detainee.

Prisoner on Day 47 of a Hunger Strike in Greater Tehran Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Alireza Ziba Halat Monfared, freedom of expression, Greater Tehran Penitentiary, Greater Tehran Prison, Hunger Strike, prisoner hunger strike, Prisoner on a hunger strike

As of today, Thursday, July 29, Alireza Ziba Halat Monfared has been on a hunger strike for 47 days in the Greater Tehran Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ziba Halat Monfared was imprisoned after being accused of financial crimes.

In February 2020, a spokesman for the judiciary expressed that the 25-year prison sentence of Alireza Ziba Halat had been confirmed and finalized.

He went on hunger strike following his request for meeting with judicial officials, but so far none of the officials has responded to the request. Ziba Halat Monfared has lost about 23 kg during this period.